Chapter 2: My Brother's Slave
The guards had handed her over to the butler who had then passed her to these two maids to be ‘cleaned’ up. They had then brought her here and proceeded to treat her as if she was an animal who needed to be cleaned up before she could be eaten.
As Vanessa was tidied up, she could only wonder if she was being ‘garnished’ to be served as a meal.
She stood straight, wondering what the future would hold for her while she let the two maids putter around her. After all, she was no longer in Bellmare, the small, sleepy town she called home. She was now in Transmere, the stronghold of the biggest kingdom in all of Europe. The Vampire Kingdom!
According to what she had gathered, she was being taken to serve as an assistant to the youngest prince while the maids wanted her to be handed to the other prince who would ‘teach’ her to be a proper servant. The two vampire maids were not happy that they had to clean up a ‘human’.
Vanessa thought back to what the women of Bellmare had mentioned about the princes of Transmere, Prince Klyde in particular…
Before she could have more time to think about her fate, the two women handed her a long ivory gown and said, “Wear this! This is your uniform.”
Without a word, Vanessa grabbed the uniform and went behind the screen to change into one. Even the slave’s garb here was a finer quality than the rough clothes she wore at home. Did the vampires eat clothing also when they ate humans? She did not know.
In the dimly lit hallways, the two common vampire maids continued to whisper among themselves. They were jealous of the beautiful slave. A commoner slave, and yet she looked extremely beautiful. They had tried to make her as ugly as possible, but it seemed impossible.
They did not understand why their beloved prince needed a human slave for an assistant. He could use vampires for assistance, could he not? Humans were not as trustworthy as vampires. There had been so many instances where slaves had betrayed their masters and killed them.
And they were slow.
As they passed the many human slaves who were cleaning the corridors, Vanessa could not help but notice the bruises on them as well as the malnourishment they suffered. Combined with the scene she had witnessed when she had arrived in Transmere, she could feel herself trembling from fear.
Lost in her own thoughts, Vanessa failed to notice that the two maids who were walking in front of her had stopped in the middle. As she continued to walk forward, she almost bumped into a man. She would have collided if the man had not pushed her away with disgust.
The push caused her to fall backwards, and as she tried to balance herself and stand up, a pair of shiny shoes came into her line of vision. Irritated that this man seemed to possess no manners, she was about to snap when she heard the two maids simper and bow.
“Good evening, Your Highness, Prince Kaine.”
Prince Kaine? This was the man the two women had been talking about, hadn’t they? The cruel one?
Standing up, she quickly bowed her head and murmured, “Good evening, Your Highness.”
But even as she straightened to greet the man, she noticed what she had missed earlier when she had almost walked into him. The man, Prince Kaine, held a boy against the wall. But that was not what caught her attention and caused her stomach to drop.
The young boy looked barely in his teens, and he was pale as his small eyes kept rolling to the back of his head. It was only after a minute that she connected the dots. The prince’s mouth was lined with blood. This boy’s blood!
Shocked at the realization, her eyes almost fell out, and she could only stare in horror. Since she was still gaping in horror, Vanessa forgot to look down submissively.
The man ignored all the greetings and instead leaned in closer to Vanessa to sniff her scent. Her fear and shock had caught his attention. Scared, Vanessa stepped back hurriedly, only angering the man, as he grabbed her by the neck and brought her forward.
Leaning close, he sniffed her neck, letting out a low moan, “Mmm, slave, your blood smells sweet. Tonight, I’ll have you for dessert.”
Prince Kaine had already guessed from her reaction that this was someone new. That meant she was untouched. And he enjoyed breaking these ones the most.
A wave of extreme revulsion shot through Vanessa, making her unable to control the way her body shivered in disgust. Naturally, this was not missed by Prince Kaine.
Amused, he said, “The slave does not like the thought of being dessert? Mm? What? Do you think you are better than the other slaves? Maybe, I’ll have you cut into small bite-sized pieces and roasted over the fire? Would you like that better? What? You cannot speak, human?”
Vanessa stared at the Prince in distress, and a sickening feeling seemed to settle in her stomach. Such a handsome face but such filthy and wicked thoughts. The fire in her eyes made her smell even sweeter, and then, unexpectedly, she spat the words, “Even if I am just food, showing a bit of respect wouldn’t hurt you! Of course, I can speak!”
Prince Kaine turned back at this, all the amusement leaching out at the fact that this human had actually dared to talk back!
A low growl escaped his throat as he spoke in a low voice, “You seem to not know your place, you filthy human! I will take my time to show you!” Stepping away, he turned to the other two females and ordered, “Bring her to my chambers.”
As he started to walk away, the three women stood rooted to their spots due to horror. As Vanessa feared for her life, the other two women were also now worried; they had been warned that this slave was to be brought to Prince Klyde immediately.
While Prince Kaine was known to torture anyone who angered him, Prince Klyde was known for his swift punishments, which usually resulted in death for the sinner.
When Prince Kaine noticed that his orders were not being followed, he turned around with a raised brow while his grey eyes turned red from anger. “Since when did I have to repeat my orders?”
The two frightened maids hurriedly bowed and apologized, stuttering, “Y… Y…Your Highness! This slave belongs to Prince Klyde… We are taking her there.”
Hearing this, Vanessa heaved a sigh of relief. So, she was not to be handed to this prince at least. She was not going to go to this demon. But the next moment, her neck was once again caught in a tight grip, and the man raised her high so much that Vanessa could feel her feet leaving the ground.
“Does she now? But I am sure my brother would not mind if I took a taste.”
Bringing her close to his mouth, as Vanessa tried to breathe, Prince Kaine ordered, “Go and tell my brother, I’ll return his slave to him when I am done with her.”
Vanessa brought her hands to the man’s wrist, trying to claw her way out; her instincts to save herself overriding all her other senses. If she had to die, she would not die after becoming this man’s meal! She was going to fight tooth and nail before dying valiantly.
The struggle caused Prince Kaine to be even more angry. She actually dared to claw at him! Pushing her away angrily, causing her to be thrown straight into the wall behind her, he looked down at his hand, with his eyes narrowed.
Prince Kaine's hunting instincts were at the peak with his prey fighting. He walked over to Vanessa as she tried to catch her breath. Once again, he picked her up by the neck.
“You dare draw my blood?”
Vanessa widened her eyes as she realized that her nails had scraped across the vampire prince, causing a few drops of blood to appear; she knew that this really was her end. She was not ready to die just yet. However, she now understood that all her efforts were futile, and she was going to be killed at the hands of this horrible prince.
Prince Kaine was even more intoxicated with the smell of fear that came from her, and his canines ached to bite into her. Leaning down, he opened his mouth for a taste…
Just as the prince’s fangs would pierce Vanessa's skin, a cold voice echoed in the corridors. The compulsion and authority in the voice forced Kaine to move and step back, even as the slave’s blood seemed to call to him like ambrosia…
“Kaine. Leave her alone.”
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone