''What do we have here?'' A deep voice spoke in a patronising tone as the birds ceased their chirping, warning me of the imminent danger.
I rushed to stand from my previous kneeling position by the river and came face to face with two male vampires. They were dressed in black uniforms that reminded me of the Punishers, causing a feeling of dread to spread through me as I shifted restlessly. Both were intimidating in height along with their sharp, dark features that were staring me down with a hint of humour in their eyes.
They were definitely trouble.
My fire wood forgotten, I stared wide-eyed at them as they silently observed me and fear consumed me. The only sounds to fill the clearing were the soothing bubbling of water from the stream and the gentle rustling of leaves as the wind picked up.
''A runaway?'' I was beginning to notice the differences between the two vampires. The one that spoke had a low, guttural voice and was stockier than his partner, whereas the other seemed less threatening with a lean body and longer hair.
''Is she mute?'' The smaller vampire asked, chuckling at my silence and obvious nervousness.
''Stupid human.'' The brutish vampire appeared beside me, grabbing my arm and squeezing as he glared at me, ''You should know not to be this close to the border.''
The contact shocked me into speaking, ''I'm here with the prince.'' My voice was desperate as I knew my excuses would be useless in helping me, but I thought I would try. Surely it would make them hesitate.
The vampire holding me laughed loudly, the sound startling some birds nearby and causing them to take flight from the trees surrounding us, ''Did you hear that, Max? She's with the prince!'' He raised the pitch of his voice to mock me and I felt tears spring to my eyes.
The other vampire, Max, joined in with his chorus of laughter, ''The prince!? You really think that we'd fall for that one?''
I raised my voice over their laughter as I attempted to sound threatening in an effort to force them to release me, ''If you harm me, Aiden won't hesitate to punish you.''
My words seemed to sober them up slightly, their laughter dying down. But, instead of the fear in their eyes that I had hoped for, there were only pools of red, shining with anger.
''How dare you speak the name of the prince?'' The grip around my arm tightened and I squirmed, struggling to break free. It was no use as the hand around my arm didn't budge, maintaining its vice-like grip. I swung my free arm towards the vampire, only to have it batted out of the way as if I was nothing but a pest.
I doubted even Rose with her knowledge of fighting would be able to stand against two vampires. That made me next to useless.
Max approached us with what looked like rope held in his hands, his eyes still blazing as he retrained me and tied my wrists together. It was no use now; there was no way I could do anything to save myself. The rope caused me to remember Aiden's thoughts about a patrol in somebody else's territory. The guys must see me as some sort of freebie that they could capture and torture at their leisure. I almost gagged as my mind concocted some of the things they could do to me.
Without thinking, I screamed as loudly as I could, wishing for Aiden or Josh to hear me and help. Hadn't Aiden said to scream if I ever needed him? Way back when the bear had attacked me he had come and saved me, my hopes held out a little longer that it may happen again.
However, I knew that I had wondered off quite a way so my hope began to diminish as the thought became more ridiculous that anybody would save me now. It only took a second before a calloused hand was shoved over my mouth, silencing me.
''You stupid human. There's nobody out here to save you, maybe you should have thought about that before you left your Master.'' I found myself being tugged away from the river harshly and towards the treeline as I continued to struggle hopelessly, stumbling forward between the two vampires.
As the canopy of the trees shrouded us in darkness, I spotted a silent figure stood blocking our path. He seemed calm and relaxed as he watched the vampires, making him seem even more menacing than he was when rampaging. I couldn't help the smile that tugged at my lips as the relief of seeing him washed over me.
The vampires came to a stop as soon as they saw him. I didn't blame them really; his posture was unnerving, as if there was an undercurrent of rage that was waiting to be unleashed.
''Sir Aiden.'' Max was the first to speak, bowing slighting in respect as his expression clearly displayed his shock at the sight of the prince. Both of the vampire's eyes had returned to their normal shades.
Aiden said nothing, his eyes transfixed on my arm where it was still in contact with the vampire.
Seeming to realise that he was doing something wrong, the vampire released me and I automatically looked down at my arm. The skin was red, already discolouring in some places where the vampire's fingers had dug into my skin roughly.
My eyes met Aiden's for a second before I looked down at my feet, too ashamed to meet his gaze any longer. It was my fault I had gotten myself into this mess. I had wondered off in the hopes of helping Rose get over the events of the night before, and had once again required Aiden to come and save me from trouble. I wouldn't blame him for being pissed at me.
''We were just transporting an escaped human away from the border, Sir.'' The broad vampire spoke up, his once intimidating voice sounding pathetic in Aiden's presence.
I looked up to gauge Aiden's reaction only to find he had regarded the vampire with indifference and was once again focused on me. He finally spoke, ''Are you alright, Violet?'' I nodded quickly and his eyes seemed to soften for a moment before he turned a glare towards the vampires, ''This human is my property.''
Even though it was only a statement, the two vampires seemed to flinch at his words. On some strange level, I felt sorry for them as they were feeling the fear that I was coming more accustomed to. But, then I reminded myself that they were ruthless vampires who wouldn't have hesitated to harm me. This was already shown by my bound hands and the ache in my arm.
''We didn't know, your Highness. We thought she was lying.'' Max's voice shook.
''Lying about what?'' Aiden seemed slightly confused as Max realised his mistake, ''What did she tell you?''
''She told us she was with you, Sir. B-but, we couldn't be sure.'' I remained silent, not wanting to contribute to the tension building.
''Uh-huh.'' Aiden looked the two vampires up and down; I wondered if he was contemplating something as the silence dragged on.
I tugged on my hands absentmindedly, attempting to loosen the ties but to no avail. I could feel the skin around my wrists becoming sore from the friction, and was too distracted to realise Aiden had approached me until his pale hand grasped the rope. He easily pulled the knot from my wrists and I smiled up at him gratefully, he still seemed deep in thought.
''Do you know your way back to the camp?'' He asked me seriously, looking deep into my eyes to the point where I felt uncomfortable.
''Sort of.'' I whispered.
He nodded in a direction, ''Head that way and I'll catch up to you. There's something I need to take care of first.''
I looked over his shoulder for a last look at Max and the vampire I had never identified. They were both rigid with fear, their eyes trained intensely on Aiden's back.
They were now the victims and I pitied them.
I obeyed, not questioning his intentions as I turned and began walking in the direction he had motioned. I had glimpsed determination in his eyes and his jaw had been set as if he were grinding his teeth, so I had some notion as to what he may be intending to do. But, I refused to imagine it.
I quickened my pace when I was out of sight of the vampires as I had no desire to witness what I imagined was about to happen and there was no point in denying it. Aiden couldn't change his nature, none of them could.
Only a few minutes had passed when I reached the clearing with the water still flowing freely across the surface. I hurried over to the fire wood, thinking that it would be best to take at least some of it back to prove my trip hadn't been a complete disaster. I was sure that Rose still wouldn't be feeling one hundred percent and she would be grateful for some cooked food to regain some energy. I picked up a few pieces and continued my walk. There was no use grabbing it all, my arms ached and I knew it would slow me down.
It was surprising how far I had travelled this morning on my collection. I must have been so lost in the beauty of my surroundings and worries about the days to come to take any notice of how far away I had gone from camp. The distance made me wonder how Aiden had ever been able to hear my panic, it was truly amazing he had come.
Just then, Aiden fell into step beside me. His appearance hadn't changed, he didn't look like he had taken part in any sort of fight with the others but I knew all too well that looks could be deceiving.
''Care to tell me why you ventured off on your own this morning?'' His eyes were bright; his usual smirk gracing his features. I was extremely thankful that he wasn't angry at me, goodness knows I deserved it.
I lifted up the wood in my hands, ''Isn't it obvious?''
''You could've waited; somebody should have gone with you.'' He still sounded teasing, but there was a hint of something more.
''It didn't cross my mind that I would be attacked. I thought you scouted the woods?'' My tone was more accusatory that I thought was acceptable, and I wished that it hadn't come out sounding so harsh.
''I did. You just so happen to be a magnet for danger.'' He chuckled and hearing him so upbeat was unusual, but nice.
''I never realised, didn't leave the house much before.'' I was referring to my life before slavery and suddenly felt self-conscious to the fact that I was feeling so comfortable with my Master. Even more so knowing what he had most likely just done.
''You didn't go out at all?'' He sounded disbelieving, glancing at me with his eyes narrowed.
''My parents were too protective, I think.'' I wasn't comfortable with where this conversation was going, so when we broke through the tree-line into camp, I was very grateful.
''Violet, where have you been?'' Rose's concerned voice was raised as she rushed over to us. Her eyes were wide and her hair dishevelled, ''I was so worried!'' She grabbed the wood from my hands and threw it to the ground, pulling me into a tight hug.
I noticed Aiden watching us as I wrapped my arms around Rose, never realising how much I needed her comfort. His eyes met mine for a moment and I knew he wanted to say more, but the connection was lost as he turned and made his way towards Josh who was also observing the scene.
''Why would you go out on your own?'' Rose's tone had become hard as she pulled away, her arms still rested on my shoulders.
''I wanted to cook, but there was no wood.'' I stood awkwardly, knowing that my once genius plan sounded idiotic even to my own ears. I wasn't to know what dangers were lurking in the woods but I had still ventured out alone as if it was perfectly safe.
She looked as if she were going to continue scolding me until her eyes fell to my bare wrists and arm that showed off my new-found injuries, ''What happened to you out there?'' Her voice had become hushed as she searched my eyes for answers.
''It doesn't matter. I'm fine.'' I lied.
She didn't say anything else as I evaded looking her in the eyes for much longer. Feelings of guilt arose as I understood the implications of my actions for everyone. Aiden had had to save me once again and Rose was obviously worried sick. It was the opposite outcome I had perceived and I hated myself for it.
I was more trouble than I was worth.
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A/N Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Please remember to vote, and comment any feedback, it's really appreciated! :)
~ Edited 10/01/2016 ~