Loving the Fallen

Chapter twenty: offer

He turned away before I could respond, and just at that moment, Orion looked up at me. He gave me a small smile, making me wave at him. He hadn't noticed this whole time. I blew out a breath, turning to look around. I needed someone to tell about this, but who?

My eyes landed on a small shed just a few feet away. It had a large window, and I could see someone in there, unscrewing some machine.

Is that Daniel?

"Okay, guards! We're going to run fifty laps around the forest. If you take shortcuts, that's an extra twenty. Let's go!" Orion shouted. I fiddled with my collar as they sprinted inside the  forest in single file. Orion was going to be occupied for a few minutes. This was a great chance to speak to Daniel.

I jumped off the hammock, pulling up my denim shorts. I had worn them with a blue tank top and flats. It was too warm for anything else, and Lord Ries was nice enough to let me completely stop wearing revealing lingerie like the other pets.

I walked to the shed, looking at the castle while I did. I looked through one of the windows, my eyes meeting Jillian's and Kim's. They glared at me from inside, and I quickly looked away, my lips pursing.

I wondered why they hated me so much.

Wrong thought. I wondered why they were so threatened by me.

I knew the answers to both those questions.

"Daniel." I said as I stepped into the shed. It was a neat space, only having a box of tools for fixing stuff and a few broken appliances and devices. Daniel looked up from the strange contraption he was fixing. "Hey! I'm so glad you're okay." Daniel happily said. He pulled off his gloves and dusted himself.

"Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"I haven't seen you in the kitchen for a while. I thought something had happened to you. How was the festival?" He asked me.

"I didn't see most of it, weren't you there?"

"I was sick, but I'm glad. I didn't want to see my friends getting killed." He said with a tight smile. "You're coming to the celebration tomorrow night?"

Another event? Don't the Fallen ever sleep?

"I'll pass. I don't want to be wearing this annoying collar all night."

"You don't need to. It's a human only event. We want to celebrate the lives of our dead friends since we can't have a funeral for them. There will be food, drinks and plenty of interesting games." Daniel said. "Please come. It's also the time where we pick our breeding partners."

Now I'm definitely not coming.

"No ways, I'm not breeding with anyone. That's gross." I laughed. I swore I saw Daniel frown, but he quickly hid it and smiled.

"It's not compulsory. Just show up, and we'll leave you out of the breeding part... Although you may see a lot of it happening."

"So this is like a sex party or something?" I asked.

"We lost a lot of humans during the festival. More than just the hunted pets. Some of the Fallen took the festival as a chance to kill slaves too. Now that the population has decreased, we are expected to make new offspring."

"So it's a party where everyone will be mating with each other." I concluded.

"Like I said, we celebrate first, and then you can leave after that part begins. You aren't forced." Daniel said with a smile. "The party is in the slaves rooms. You in?"

I thought about it.

"I'll come on one condition." I said.

It's just food and drinks, then I'll leave.

"Anything." Daniel responded, his eyes full of hope. Hope for what?

"There's a guard. His name is Jakob. He told me that he has an offer for me. If I do it, he'll set me free. As in, let me go home."

Daniel raised his eyebrows in surprise. "He still does that?"

Wait? He was telling the truth?

"He'll actually let me go?" I asked softly.

"I've seen a few humans in the past take his offer. They left with him and never returned, I guess he really did let them go."

I couldn't believe it.

"Hold on, what do I need to do to go?"

Daniel looked at me in surprise, "you actually want to leave?"

"Don't you?"

"I mean... Where would I even go?" He asked me.

"You could always come to Sire with me."

"Freedom sounds nice and all, but... I'd have to do everything by myself, and it would be hard for me to survive. Here, I'm given food and clothes. Plus, I have a warm, clean bed to sleep in at night. I earn an honest living here."

"But you don't even like the Fallen." I said to him. I thought he would want to escape, too. Why were they all stuck on living here? Why didn't they want to be liberated? To be away from supernaturals who treat us like livestock.

"Just because I don't like them doesn't mean they don't take care of my needs. As much as I hate to admit this, life in here is better than life out there."

I sighed and shook my head. "Look, forget I said anything."

"Don't go with Jakob, Laelynn. You can make a life here. I promise."

I turned around and moved to the door, "I'd like to change my condition. I'll come to the party, if you don't tell anyone about Jakob."

I'm going home.

Tomorrow night.

Don't forget to...
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