Vicious Fangs (Mystic Bonds #1) | COMPLETED

4. Lucien

I narrowed my eyes on the onyx haired slave I'd found.

She gulped and the slightest tremble ran through her hands as she took a deep breath. I twirled my sword in my hand as my other moved to the exquisite dagger I'd garnered from her. It was curiosity that had me eyeing both the bejeweled dagger and the girl with much intrigue.

What was a slave girl such as herself doing with a Silern knife like this, a scent-masking perfume and the bravado to escape a gathering of vicious vampires at a slave auction?

The girl kept her eyes cast down alongside others who were being herded in and towards the Great Hall. The yearly auction was the opportune time when the Royal family chose personal slaves and others for the Palace chores. Because come on, human slaves couldn't survive for more than a few months in this place. And the demand, therefore, was always high.

Albeit this female......she had indeed attempted an escape. One she might've gotten away with if I hadn't caught her.

I can't quite fathom why I even went to the spot where I found her but one second I'm turning around and the next I've acquired a runaway slave girl. As if.....something was pushing me in that direction. A call.

It's been too long for an immortal creature like me since something caught my interest. Even if its a mild one. Being the General of the Vampire Army of Celera for over three hundred years has the power of doing that to a shapeshifter like me. Not that the Fae or Werewolves haven't been spicing things up. But with the Witchlands in complete mayhem, its not really helpful.

The slaves continued moving along even though I saw the vigilance with which the onyx haired girl eyed her surroundings discreetly. Her head was lowered and she watched from beneath her long lashes.

Instead of leading the slaves along with the various guards, for once, I chose to hang back solely with the purpose of observing my captive on her way. She was clearly in awe of the palace, anyone would be. All slaves were. Even I was. Once. Before it became the norm for me.

And besides, there was only ever one court which held any power or sway over me, be it beauty or power. But it was a thing of the past now. A rumor. A folktale for some. Forgotten.

My eyes ran up the length of her scarred yet lean and pale legs to the flimsy scrap of cloth she had on. I briefly also noticed how her heels were broken. Amusement made my brows slightly raise at her thoughtfulness. A slim waist, thin to be honest. Perhaps due to the lack of food her slave life was responsible for. And a fine cleavage that might've seen better days for sure. She wasn't ugly. But she wasn't eye catching either.

That is, unless you knew where to look and how.

Then, it seemed, this creature was good at snagging some attention to herself for no real reason.

Sunken and pale cheeks, slightly chapped lips bordering on the palest of pink at its worst and pursed almost in.......determination. The though made me even more amused and my brows rose even higher. I wonder what her name is.

Her arms were littered with slight scars as well. But despite her unhealthy features, one could see that some attention could turn her into much more of an enigma than she already was in the looks department specifically.

As we neared our destination, I cut short my assessment of the strange girl who had snagged my attention.

She must really hate me for ruining her one chance at freedom.

I moved ahead and as I did, I took notice of the fact that her hair was in better shape than the rest of her. The darkest shade of midnight and onyx perhaps, long and thick but frayed and uneven. I couldn't believe I was taking note of such things of a mere slave girl. But then again, it had felt like this was somehow.....meant to be.

Just when I crossed her and the line stopped moving through the hallway, I realized that the reason for her comparatively better condition and attire were certainly a result of vague care.

And only slaves meant to be sold to higher bidders and nobles for civilized working and better purposes were tended to in such a way.

But she was now clearly amidst lower than nobility slaves but higher than most ill treated ones. it was quite a task to wonder which fate would be better.

Huh, but I'm sure if someone asked her, she'd say that her freedom was the best fate. Well, that's no longer an option though. And neither was it my concern. I had one good slave and that was an addition which mattered in the terms of an extra set of hands at most. An asset that was dispensable.

Well, the queen would decide what further sentence awaited her and I was nothing if not a monster with no heart.

She would be one of many slaves working in the palace and I would still be the General of the Vampire Army. We would part ways with nothing more that a few exchanged words if worse came to worst.

But somewhere in the back of my mind, a voice didn't let me accept that as the outcome. It told me that things were going to change. For better or for worse, how or why, that was yet to be answered but it would somehow lead me back to this very onyx haired slave girl.

And that string of thoughts, for once, felt unsettling.

Choosing to let my mild amusement get buried beneath the many layers of ice and cold, the fortress of defenses I'd carved out for myself, I chased away the last vestiges of an emotion.

The double doors opened with a heavy groan the second I pushed them to reveal the Great Hall. I entered with calculated steps, aware of those who were behind me and taking their place behind the other already arrived slaves and the only one who awaited me.

The wary clinks that the armors of the guards made when they bowed to show their respect followed me all the way to the foot of the dais where I started to slow my pace. The fear and awe I could sense in the room was immense. These guards were my most trusted.

I sent a nod to the other four Ministers in the Hall that had arrived with their own groups of slaves. As expected and as tradition. The King wouldn't be here and the Prince was probably indulging in his various luxuries at the moment. I hoped this would get over as soon as possible as well. I had meetings to attend.

The Witchland representative was scheduled for a meeting with me and the Fae king soon and I had to overlook the arrangements for that. Things needed to be taken care of and the increasing instability of our world was starting to get noticed. Unrest in the paranormal world had to be addressed because the population could not descend into a state of panic at any costs. The well being of our kingdom and race was the first and foremost thing for the Celeran Court.

And after that, we never could let our defenses down. As the General, I had to work on our borderline formations and the Palace fortification. I was not an ideal guy.

My boots made an echoing sound on the polished marble floors till I came to a complete standstill. The slightest of smiles hit me as I bowed in half. Even though the gesture was half just for show and half a necessity. The queen and I were on much better terms than one could guess.

"General Lucien." Her voice was soft yet carried a firm note.

"Queen Kesla." I responded to the clear voice that had acknowledged me as I stood back up to my full height to look at the woman who defined the Queen of Celera.

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AN~

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~Skyler