Royal Pain ~ Slave to the High Royals

Chapter Fourteen

Aiden seemed satisfied that he had chosen all that I could take and watched me pack, his gaze making me anxious, ''How are you really feeling?'' I thought I detected concern in his voice.

''A lot better.'' I zipped up the bag, ''Is this all we're taking? A bag of clothes each?''

''Josh and I are carrying a few other things, like a tent and some other essentials that we'll need. I think we're planning on making the trip in two days.''

I looked up at him in disbelief, ''Two days? They're fifty miles away!''

''Violet, you're with vampires, remember?'' Aiden pointed at himself, ''We're a lot faster than you humans, I'm pretty sure we'll get there in two days. We would be faster if we didn't have to think about keeping you two healthy and if we didn't have to prepare that stupid disguise potion.'' He sounded disgusted at the idea. I hesitated when he mentioned the potion, but let it go for now. That sounded pretty crazy still.

I watched him as he proceeded to make his way towards the exit, leaving me to lug the heavy bag of clothes and follow behind him, ''Are you sure this is safe?'' I mumbled as we ascended the stairs.

''No, in what way would this ever be safe?'' He scoffed, looking back at me.

I didn't answer him. I was hoping that he would reassure me that we would survive this ordeal, but he didn't. I'd surprised myself so far for feeling so calm and collected, but I had grown comfortable around Aiden the last few days. It seemed that something had changed between us after the incident with Josh, as if some of the tension between slave and Master has dissipated and left me feeling more confident. I wasn't sure how we would fair in the situation to come, especially with Josh around and making me feel on edge.

''Ah!'' Exclaimed a voice as we reached the top of the stairs, ''We were beginning to wonder what you two were doing down there.'' It was Josh and almost immediately the feelings of fear arose within me.

''Shut up.'' Aiden pushed past him and it was obvious that the two had gotten over their disagreements. I wondered how awkward that encounter had been.

''Hey Violet, how are you feeling?'' I was shocked as Josh took the bag from me, his eyes full of guilt which is not what I expected to see at all.

''Fine.'' I answered, worried that he may lash out at me again. Seeing him before he attacked me was an image that had stuck in my brain since that night and I just couldn't shake it. The thought of him for the past few days had both terrified and unnerved me. But now that I saw him, the worries began to fade, as if some part of me could forgive him for his actions no matter how terrible they had been.

''That's good. I'm so sorry for biting you, I don't know what came over me.'' The words he spoke were unexpected. I had never expected him to apologise, after all I was a household slave and my duties were to please the vampires I served.

I didn't know what to say, so I remained silent as he carried my bag over to the front door where I noticed Rose was stood with a bag identical to my own. She and the rest of the slaves had speculated about the events with me and Josh, but I had only revealed the truth about the bite to Rose and she had been eager to help me in getting better. She even offered to take up some of the jobs Cami had set for me on the rota so that I could rest. I honestly was thinking that she was fast becoming a good friend.

''Are we ready then?'' Aiden asked as he lifted some more bags and proceeded to place them onto the developing pile. There were enough to last us for a few days, each bag looking rather small and probably filled with clothes and the other essentials Aiden had mentioned. I guessed it would take a lot longer if we took more than the bare minimum, and the rebels may have been suspicious also.

''Almost. Your parents wanted to make sure that we all know what we're doing and how to fit in once we reach the camp, so I think they want to speak to us in there,'' Josh pointed towards the living room, ''Gertrude wants to talk to us about the potion too.''

Aiden nodded and they both walked in the direction of the living room, myself and Rose following obediently behind them.

The King and Queen were perched on one of the sofas as we entered, speaking in hushed tones. Gertrude was lounging in an armchair, fiddling with a glass bottle filled to the brim with a fluorescent blue liquid. Aiden and Josh sat across from the King and Queen, leaving Rose and I stood awkwardly at the side of the room, listening. My stomach flipped at seeing the frail witch again, I wouldn't let her looks deceive me this time.

''Right, I'm assuming you are all prepared?'' The Queen asked, her cold eyes scanning all four of us.

''Yeah, yeah. What did you want to talk to us about?'' Aiden asked, impatient still and I guessed that he just wanted this whole ordeal to be over with. Or he was excited to wreck havoc.

''A lot is riding on this, Aiden. You must take this seriously.'' The King scowled at his son, looking tense.

''We wanted to make sure that you and the humans know how to act to make this convincing enough to get the information we need,'' The Queen continued as if nobody else had spoken, ''Firstly, you are to be sure that you have properly prepared the potion and I believe that Gertrude here has written some instructions that you can follow.'' She gestured towards the old witch and Gertrude responded by flashing her crooked teeth wickedly.

''Yes, yes. Here we are boys. Now, you follow those instructions word for word or else the consequences could be disastrous.'' She fumbled with the potion and a slip of paper, handing them to Aiden who regarded them with disinterest.

''The rebels are very observant and well-trained. It won't take them long to realise that you two aren't human and that the girls are becoming weaker.'' I noticed Rose shift uneasily beside me, ''So, you need to be convincing. Follow their orders, and don't give them attitude to draw attention to yourselves. They shouldn't show much interest in you otherwise as they are growing rapidly, with many desperate humans joining them on a weekly basis.'' Josh was nodding along, listening intently to her words as Aiden seemed relaxed beside him, his arm draped over the back of the sofa.

''Mum, we know what we're doing. We aren't kids anymore.'' Aiden rolled his eyes.

''Good.'' She turned to us and I stiffened, ''Do not be tempted to betray us, humans. I assure you the consequences of those actions will be far more dire than any punishment you will receive here.'' A shiver ran down my spine.

She observed us a moment longer, and then her eyes returned to her son, ''You may go.''

Josh nodded and stood abruptly before exiting the room with Rose close behind him. I wondered whether I should follow them, but hesitated as Aiden hadn't moved.

''And when this plan fails?'' Aiden asked as he began to stand.

''If you follow it correctly then it shouldn't.'' The King spoke sternly, his eyebrows pulled downwards.

''Then you do what it necessary to get back here alive.'' The Queen stated matter-of-factly.

Aiden's face lit up at the thought of destruction and I swallowed, following him tentatively as he exited the room. The atmosphere was thick with tension, especially from myself and Rose.

''Let's go then.'' Josh spoke up as we all gathered around the bags in the foyer.

''Let's.'' Aiden smirked and I had a strange feeling that this wasn't going to go as planned.

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A/N Hey readers! I just wanted to take the time to tell you how much I appreciate you reading my story as I love to write and it's great to see that some people are enjoying it! I was super happy this week to see that this story ranked #782 in Vampire and to some that may not be a great achievement but I can't describe how I felt when I saw that, so thank you!

Also, it would be awesome if you could leave a vote and some feedback if you liked it, maybe? :3

Thanks for reading! :)

~ Edited 10/01/2016 ~