"Going somewhere, you two? Or just getting accustomed to where you'll be working?"
I gritted my teeth as she stalked over and gripped my jaw, the amusement in her eyes infuriating me further. Buzzing reached my ears — louder and angrier than before — until it got unbearable. My gaze shifted to the left, expecting to see Daniela again. I did. And two other women.
Their souls weren't as blinding as Daniela's, but they were certainly interesting. The maroon soul faded into a woman with a similar attire to Daniela — her gold eyes seemingly being the indicator that she was part of Miranda's fucked up family. Her blonde hair framed her face and as I followed her hair down, I noticed her necklace was very similar to Daniela's — a ruby being the gem of her collar.
'Fuck... Why does she have to be hot too?! Can't I catch a break?!' My eyes shifted to the teal soul and I felt my heart stutter. Bright gold eyes stood out against the black dress and the black hair of the third person, knocking the air out of my lungs. 'They're so much more attractive when I can see them better—. If we'll be working in the same castle they live in... Maybe it won't hurt to stay a bit — a vacation from our duties as soldiers.'
"My liege," Hunter hissed next to my ear, jolting me out of the trance as she pulled me away from Miranda. "We are leaving. You cannot stop us — you don't want to fight us."
"I still have a bone to pick with you," Daniela hissed at Hunter, causing my heart to flutter. "The short one still owes me a bite too."
"I think I'll let you bite me now," I muttered to everyone's shock — causing a loud buzzing to fill the air before Daniela looked flustered. "Ah-."
The next thing I knew, I was on the floor and my sight was blurry, a squeak leaving me rather than words of confusion. 'RUN!' Hunter's voice sounded in my head as everything processed. I sprinted toward an open door as my tiny heart pounded against my chest. 'Rats, Hunter, really?!'
'I fucked up the spell, okay!?'
'YOUR MOTHER IS THE GODDESS OF MAGIC-.'
'FOCUS ON LIVING!'
I narrowly dodged the metal claws that came down, sending a silent prayer to any god that could help. A growl filled the air when we slipped into the hallway, heels clicking against the floor not too far behind us. "A rat can't run from the dragon's claws!"
'Oh great,' I internally groaned when the man from before stepped into view. 'He's back again.'
'Can you-.'
I was snatched up by the brunette — her eyes shining brighter as she began to squeeze. Daniela snatched up Hunter and giggled as she squeezed, making me panic momentarily. I struggled more before the spell wore off — making it easier for the brunette to restrain me. Her arms snaked under my arms before moving up to grip my shoulders, holding me tight against her body. I tensed when she giggled next to my ear, the smell of copper nearly overwhelming my senses.
"Stop trying to run," She hissed and moved a hand to my throat, wrapping around it tightly. "We're not going to let you leave."
"You don't want to-," I paused when her fangs grazed across my neck.
"Careful, prey," She hissed before moving away from my neck. "We already have to punish you later."
"Take them back to the cells," Alcina stated coldly, her gold eyes narrowing at me. "And put a muzzle on that one."
"Yes mother," The three said in unison, giggles leaving them as they began dragging us away.
'Great... How are we going to get out of this one?'
Four Months Later
"How long?"
"Four months."
'Four months and nothing from the gods?! Father should know I'm still alive.'
"My liege... Maybe we should do as Miranda says?"
"...You're giving up?"
"I'm making sure we survive," Hunter corrected with a small frown. "That woman — lady Dimitrescu — she'll kill us if we keep this up. Think about it, why else haven't we seen her daughters again? She's waiting to kill us and wants to do it herself if we don't cooperate."
I hung my head but nodded anyway. It was the best option — even my healing was struggling to keep up with lady Dimitrescu's torment. I wasn't sure how long it had been since the last session, but when the door opened and the dark purple soul of the lady grew closer.
She stopped outside of our cell before a smile slowly tugged onto her face. 'She knows...' I let a sigh slip past my lips as the lady entered our cell, her claws extending and making me cringe slightly. Lady Dimitrescu moved a claw to my throat, slowly trailing it up until I locked eyes with her.
"Say it," She demanded with a wicked grin. "I know you want to. Mortals always have a breaking point."
I clenched my jaw and swallowed what little pride I had left, feeling each word burn my tongue. "We give — we'll work for you... We can't survive like this any longer."
"I want more than that."
"You—."
Her claw dug deeper — just enough to break the skin — and earned a small hiss from me. "I can't hear you down there."
"I... I, General Isa Black, surrender and accept that I now have to work for you. You don't have to spare me, my lady, but I would appreciate it if you could give me another chance."
The lady knelt as her claws retracted, making it easier for her to grab my face. "Now, was that so hard?"
'I'm gonna burn this castle down—.'
Hours passed before we were moved to our new rooms — next to each other, thankfully. I groaned as I lay on the bed, letting my eyes shut and muscles relax for the first time in a long time. My peace didn't last long as the door to my room opened and the brunette from before walked in with a cart, making me sit up slowly as she shut the door and moved over to the bed.
"Wait-!" I yelped when she reached for my shirt, making her pause and lock eyes with me. "I- Uh..."
She stayed silent for a moment longer before a small smile spread across her face. "I'll keep my eyes shut, but you have to guide me—."
"I-I can clean them I just-."
"Then I'll be in your bathroom while you do that," She whispered and stood up, not bothering to question anything to my surprise. "My name's Cassandra, by the way."
"I... I'll let you know when to come back in, lady Cassandra," I promised as she entered my bathroom and shut the door. 'She didn't question me? Best not to think too hard on it.'
After I managed to clean most of my wounds, I called for lady Cassandra to return, sending her a sheepish smile when she grabbed the first aid kit. My hand twitched before a strong gust of wind shook the window, causing lady Cassandra to pause momentarily.
"My lady?"
"Right," She breathed and focused on me again. "I should be able to get the ones on your stomach and back easily."
I nodded and lifted my shirt enough for her to see the wounds on my stomach and sides. "Your mother sure is relentless."
"Mhm, she's who we learned it from."
"...Thank you, by the way."
"It's the very least someone can do. Besides, you're our maid now, we have to make sure you're comfortable while you heal."
We fell silent after that and I let my eyes shut, taking slow, deep breaths to make it easier for us both. My eyes fluttered open when she stopped and stood from the bed, making me raise an eyebrow as I watched her pace. I noticed the way she had her hand pressed against her mouth — biting the back of it to suppress something.
'Right, all of my blood—,' I frowned and tried to shake the idea from my head, but her heavy breathing made me ignore my survival instincts. 'As long as she doesn't take a lot, I should be fine, right?' I stood and made my way over to lady Cassandra, giggling to myself when she stopped and tensed in front of me.
"Take a bite," I muttered once I was close enough that she'd have a hard time rejecting the offer. "Just don't take a lot."
"I can help without tasting your blood," Lady Cassandra hissed — anger quickly filling her gold eyes. "I'm not some bloodthirsty monster."
"...No offense, but that's literally what you are."
Lady Cassandra paused as she processed everything that had been said, the confusion disappearing from her face for a moment. Before I could say anything — apologize and take back what I said — lady Cassandra let a smile begin to spread across her face. Not too long after that, a giggle left her, quickly followed by a round of gorgeous laughter — the tension in the air fading more with each second that passed of her laughter.
'And I thought hearing the god of music perform for Olympus was going to be the most beautiful sound I heard,' I thought in awe as I joined her in laughing. 'Who knew someone's laugh could sound so gorgeous.'
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"A rat can't run from the dragon's claws." is what Maggie signed on my print for lady d so i had to have her say it to isa and hunter 😌
also we'll get another hunter x isa smut chapter in the future 🧑🏽🦯 that last one was supposed to be so much better but i'm out of practice