Lucian

CHAPTER TWELVE (PART II)

It was a deeply disturbing and surreal sight. Dressed in their finest attires, they laughed and mingled with each other as though having the time of their lives.

About a dozen of servants from lower vampire castes circled around the hall, carrying trays with exclusive hors d'oeuvres and drinks. A band in the corner played soft classical music and several vampire couples danced to it with gracious ease.

And there would be nothing peculiar about this serene and laid-back atmosphere had it not been for a group of frightened, scrubby-looking blood slaves who stood on a round podium in the middle of the room. The first thing that struck me was how vastly their clothes differed from my own. A brief glance was enough to recognize their outfits and dresses were made of hemp, a cheap material similar to the one Sarah had used to sew my clothes back in Themesia.

But the clothes themselves weren't the only cause of my surprise. What shocked me the most was the forlorn expression of genuine terror and despair each and every one of them wore on their faces. Some even had fresh bite marks that still oozed blood. Despite the fact they were young people, stress made them look a lot older than their age. In all honesty, they resembled the living dead.

The ominous glimpse into the hopeless future that lay ahead brought me on the verge of a panic attack but I just couldn't look away from them. My eyes kept roaming through the entire group until they froze on one particular young slim girl. Somehow, she appeared even more fragile and broken than the rest. Her sullen face was marred by several dark bruises, and there were ugly marks and deep scratches on her neck. I realized that just like me, she also wore a tiny choker necklace, only hers had a serpent appendix. My heartbeat accelerated and I almost swayed. The prince's hand tightened against my back and helped me keep my balance.

"Calm down, little mouse," he whispered in my ear, sounding unexpectedly sincere. "I'm a bit more sophisticated than my younger brother Etienne when it comes to handling women. Blows and bruises are not my thing. I enjoy your beautiful face too much to damage it."

The surprising words made me bold enough to steal a brief glance at him and glimpse a shadow of a teasing smile on his lips. Nevertheless, I knew better than to take comfort in his supposed reassurance that he was less of a barbarian than his notorious younger brother. Even though the rumors said Prince Etienne was a jealous, spoiled brat with an unbreakable sense of entitlement, he wasn't the one known as the prince of death.

I stole another peek at that poor girl, feeling the deepest form of sympathy for her suffering. Still, I remained achingly aware her injuries might pale in comparison to the painful depravities my own master had in store for me.

But there was no time to dwell on it because we advanced through the crowd with incredible speed. Dozens of surrounding vampires bowed to him and their prying eyes stung my skin.

An overwhelming feeling of acute discomfort spread across my entire body as they stared at me with unmistakable curiosity and then turned to whisper to each other with a baffled expression on their faces. Some even went as far as seeking the prince's attention and asked a couple of intrusive questions about his new slave.

The information they wanted to know varied from simple inquiries about my age, where I came from, and how we met to how he was satisfied with my performance in bed. To my relief, he ignored every single one of them and quickly led me straight up the stairs and to the top of the dais where his parents observed the festivity from the comfort of their throne. As soon as we reached them, I dropped to my knees and lowered my head in utter submission, following the prince's earlier instructions.

The next few seconds were filled with nerve-wracking silence. Then, the sound of my master's emotionless voice infiltrated my ears, and goosebumps of dread erupted on my skin.