Cassandra was incredibly intrigued by this new girl. She had never been so fascinated by one of the maidens they've had over their many years of life. This one was certainly different. And it wasn't the lack of words that she spoke, because there have been those in the past that refused to speak a word to them unless she literally tore their voice from their body through pain. It wasn't even the fact that she was pretty. She certainly was. She herself almost got lost in those beautiful crystals eyes, wanting nothing more than to gouge them out and preserve such a color forever.
None of this. It was really the fact that she sensed this girl had a secret. It's been about two days since she arrived. Although Jordan had yet to fully disclose anything aside from her name, she knew there was something hiding underneath the surface. So as she slowly stalked towards the bed that Jordan slept on, she remained staring at her. The staff had managed to get her some properly fitted clothing under short notice and she now wore a long-sleeved purple shirt with the Dimitrescu crest stitched on the shoulder. She wore black silk pants and the bandages around her feet were still there.
"You intrigue me more and more each day. I know I'm not supposed to play too rough with you until you're fully recovered, but perhaps a little taste won't hurt..." Cassandra said, leaning down to the girls bedside.
She bare her fangs at their full length, and gently sniffed the girls flesh. She could smell her blood so closely now. It smelled so sickeningly sweet. Tantalizing. Blood she's drank in the past was always so bland and bitter. It's only made better by taking chunks of their flesh with it. But she couldn't eat this one. Not yet. So at the very least, she can finally have some good blood.
"Cassandra. What are you doing? We were told that we weren't allowed to drink from her until she recovers. These were mother's orders." Bela said, appearing at the other end of the bed.
"Ugh. Leave it to a prude like you to spoil the mood. I don't see the big deal. I just wanted to have a little taste. It's not like I'm going to drain her dry." Cassandra said, straightening herself back up as she glared at her sister.
"Mother said we weren't allowed to. I know you just love to ignore her in favor of your own wants, but she made a decision and we need to respect that." The eldest sister said, narrowing her eyes back in return.
Cassandra growled and pulled herself back from Jordan. She hated to acknowledge it, but earning the disappointment of her mother was far worse than anything. Of course, she would never in her dreams think to admit that aloud. She had her own pride after all.
"There you go again with your bossy little leader voice. I just know you want to dig into her as much as I do, sister. I mean, she does have a nice figure. Maybe not a lot of meat on her bones, but I'm sure it'll be tasty nonetheless." Cassandra taunted, knowing full well that it would get under her sisters skin.
"I'm not as impulsive as you heathens. I know when the right moment should be. And when she's still recovering, I know she won't be any fun at all to mess around with." Bela responded, crossing her arms.
"Having fun without me, sisters? I was wondering where everyone went. I thought mother said not to mess with her yet." Daniela said, appearing suddenly at the foot of the bed.
Jordan still had yet to even wake up despite the commotion that the group was causing. Which was....quite odd. But maybe it was because her body was still trying to adjust and get her enough rest to replenish the blood cells she's lost over the time she's been there. Curiously, Cassandra reached forward and slightly moved the base of the shirt up and away from Jordan's body.
"Cassandra-"
"I'm not going to do anything, sister. But I am rather curious of something." The brunette said, staring at the girls bandaged wound.
The bandages had just recently been replaced. She had been watching from afar when Alina was changing them. It appeared to be a puncture wound, and it was a real mystery as to how she got it since it looked much too wide to be from a knife or any other blade for that matter. She reached out with her hand and slowly and sensually ran her fingers along the line of skin between the bottom of the bandages and Jordan's pants line. She watched in amusement as the girl shivered in her sleep and shifted herself to the side.
"Oh this one is sensitive. I can't wait till I can touch her more." Cassandra practically purred.
Something on the girls skin, just below her pants line, managed to catch Cassandra's attention. She really wanted to see what it was, but someone was hindering her curiosity a bit.
"Whoa, her skin is so pretty! It looks so soft too. I wonder how deep I can get my fang in-"
Daniela was unceremoniously yanked backwards by her cape by Bela when she attempted to climb onto the bed. She gave an indignant whine of annoyance and quickly attempted to straighten out her clothing again. They both knew that the best way to distract Daniela or to simply keep her from doing something was to mess with her cape. She was certainly messy when it came to food, but she had a weird obsession with making sure all of her outfits were always straightened out, even if they were stained with blood and bits of flesh.
"Don't climb on her. I know you're excited to start playing with her, but you heard what Mother said." Bela scolded.
"Hmph. You really are no fun. I wasn't gonna do anything. I was just gonna touch her a little. I wanna feel her skin. It looks soft. Like I can just dig my nails into her flesh and let them soak in red." Daniela said, slowly trailing off in her inaudible rambling.
Cassandra turned her attention back towards Jordan, and she noticed that the girl was finally starting to stir from her sleep.
~
Jordan grumbled as she let her eyes blink open. She was tired. So unbearably tired. But something in her mind was telling her that she needed to wake up. She didn't know why. It was almost a soothing voice, telling her to get up and make sure she was safe. She reached out and used her hands to push herself up, muffling a groan as her side protested against this. She wasn't fully healed yet, but at least it didn't hurt like absolute hell anymore.
"Rise and shine, Darling."
Once she heard the seductive voice directly in her ear, Jordan yelped and spun herself around in the bed to face forward, winching as her body reacted to the sudden strain. But still, she was more focused on taking on the scene in front of her. She looked around frantically, seeing all three of the sisters surrounding the bed she was in. Daniela, who was at the end of the bed, managed to capture her attention the most since she was almost hunched over.
Once Jordan locked eyes with the redhead, she watched unfiltered excitement and pride wash over her beautiful face like a child getting acknowledged by their parents.
"She looked at me first! I'm her favorite!!" Daniela boasted rather quickly.
"She just woke up and you're in her direct line of vision. Of course she's going to be looking at you, Daniela. And don't go speaking about favorites. That's for her to decide, right cutie?" Bela said, turning her attention to Jordan.
Jordan, however, was just utterly confused as to why these three were surrounding her bed at the moment. But considering the intentions they've displayed thus far, she was rather scared about what they might be thinking of doing. Out of instinct, she pushed herself as far back as the bed frame would allow, staring forward at them with very obvious wide and fearful eyes. If they attempted to touch her in any way, or drink from her, then she probably couldn't do anything about it. She had been told they weren't allowed to really 'play' with her until she was healed, but she still didn't know if they would listen.
"Aww she's scared again. She looks like a cornered animal. If only you knew how much I loved to chase my prey. Seeing how afraid they are only makes we want to hurt them more. Pleading and begging. Groveling and crying. All of it is music to my ears." Cassandra said in a faraway and blissful voice, as if she was recalling such scenarios that she finds amazing.
Jordan continued to stared at the brunette vampire in poorly concealed horror. This one definitely scared her the most. It wasn't even the words she was saying, for the most part. It was the fact that she was saying them with full belief that it's the best experience in the world.
"I think she gets it, Cassandra." Bela interrupted.
She most certainly got it.
Just as Jordan expected one of them to move, the door to the room swung open, and in walked the familiar maid. All the sisters turned towards the door, and Jordan did as well as they all stared at the woman in the doorway. Alina took a moment to seemingly assess the situation before she sighed loudly and placed a hand against her head.
"Girls, for the last time. You can't keep barging in here and scaring her. She needs to rest in order to heal faster and she can't do that if you keep frightening her awake." The maid scolded.
"But I didn't do anything! I just followed these two in here. I think Cassandra was about to fuc-"
Alina immediately stopped Daniela mid-sentence with a clap of her hands. Jordan was half-blushing and half-horrified by the implications behind what the redhead was about to say. Unknowingly, she shifted her eyes towards Cassandra. Her body went stiff as she noticed the brunette giving her a side glance and a smirk. She shivered.
"Alright. That's enough from all of you. Your mother has requested your presence in the library, and you know she doesn't like to be kept waiting." The woman said, placing a hand on her hip.
Almost immediately, Bela had disappeared in a swarm of flies. This was immediately followed by Cassandra. And now it was only Daniela left in the room. The redhead seemed momentarily confused before she realized that her sisters had gone. Then she took one last look at Jordan before giving a smile and disappearing in her own swarm. Once the sisters were all gone, Jordan finally managed to relax her body.
"I apologize for their behavior again, Jordan. But there's not much that can be done. While I wish they could respect your privacy, this is technically their home, and they go where they please." Alina said, sighing as she approached the bedside.
"It's...okay....not much can be done....I belong to them now...." Jordan muttered bitterly.
These words left a horrible taste in her mouth. She immediately felt disgusting after having said them. The concept of belonging to someone, let alone psychopathic vampires, was something that made her want to vomit. It made her skin crawl and her blood run cold.
"...let's change up the subject a bit. Via the request of Lady Dimitrescu, we did a bit of research on where you could've come from. I assume you still don't remember much?" Alina said, sitting herself down on the edge of the bed.
"....no. My memories are....still hazy." Jordan admitted, turning her head to the side.
"Well....we did managed to find something out based on a certain marking we found on your skin. Just below your waist, on your left side, there is something akin to a brand mark. It's technically something that farmers or breeders usually use to mark their cattle. But we did take a look at the symbol..." Alina trailed off, placing a hand over her heart.
Jordan just stared at her in complete confusion. She knew the mark that this woman was talking about. She had seen it when being dressed before but wrote it off as some horrible tattoo job. But the knowledge that it was a brand mark certainly made sense since the skin was raised slightly.
"So....what is it?" She asked, eager to know more, no matter how bad it is.
"Reports and newspapers managed to help us figure out that this symbol is known among many different symbols for being a way to silently communicate the....accessibility of certain people in several worldwide sex trafficking rings. As well as a way to say that the person is taken or.....used." The maid explained, cautiously glancing over her shoulder towards the girl.
Jordan was frozen in place, staring at the woman with wide eyes. This knowledge was....not what she was expecting. At all. But it certainly did explain some of her behavior towards words and touch. Before, she assumed she was just some random lost idiot that got dragged to this desolate village. But as it turns out, she was a sex slave that somehow got lost in this desolate village. She had so many questions, but she knew that Alina wouldn't know the answer. She knew where she came from, but she didn't know how she ended up as a sex slave, or how she managed to make her way here from wherever the hell she was before.
"Oh shit...." She whispered in disbelief.
Jordan wanted to reject such an explanation and say there must've been a mix up or mistake. But her conscience was telling her that this was correct. That this was the correct conclusion. She wanted to know more about what her life was like, but these questions would remain unanswered until her memories returned. Whenever that happened....
"Listen, Jordan. I'm sorry if this isn't what you wanted to hear. But I thought you should know-"
"It's fine....a little is better than nothing....at all...." Jordan said, forcing a smile at the woman.
Alina seemed hardly convinced by this. And yet, she didn't say another word on the matter. It was silent in the room between the two for a few beats. Then the maid inhaled sharply, then her caring and tired smile returned to her face. She stood herself up, smoothing out her dress in the process.
"It seems that the mood has turned somber again. I apologize. How about this. You slept through breakfast this morning, and you must be hungry. This is a perfect opportunity to introduce you to our Head Chef. If you're willing." Alina said, smiling.
Jordan blinked back in confusion.
-
As it turns out, this part of the castle was...a bit creepy. The kitchen itself was a complete mess and questionable types of meat hung from the ceiling and blood slowly dripped down into buckets set up on a wooden table. But nonetheless, it fit the description of 'kitchen'. Somehow.
Jordan had been able to walk all the way here without help from Alina. She had her moments of stumbling but she thankfully didn't fall with the help of the maid nearby. She was now leaning against one of the walls, trying to catch her breath. Not moving for a couple days then suddenly descending two floors on her own was certainly not the easiest thing to do in the world.
"Welcome to the kitchen. For a bit of a disclaimer: All of the staff here is female because the Lady and her daughters have a seething hatred for men. However-"
Alina was cut off by a sudden crash from the adjacent room. And then another. And then another. It sounded like multiple metal objects either being thrown or dropped at once. Then the doors to the next room exploded open, and an orange cat suddenly bolted through the opening, followed by a messy young man with a broom in his hand. Ash stuck to his face along with sweat and other grime, and his wild green eyes were trained on the creature that was fleeing now.
"Sonsuza kadar kaçamazsın!!!" The man shouted.
But the cat managed to get to a broken section of the wall and squeezed itself through one of the gaps in the stones. Once it was out of range, the man grumbled a few things under his breath in a language that Jordan couldn't decipher. Then he carelessly tossed the broom to the side, letting it slam against the wall and fall over. But the man didn't seem to care as he turned his attention towards them. His eyes landed on Jordan, and his expression seemed to relax a bit.
"Is this the latest victim? The one that Red continued to ramble on and on about while I was trying to work?" He asked, voice surprisingly light compared to the earlier exclamation of apparent annoyance.
"Don't word it like that. Now, this is Jordan. She's....going to be staying in the castle for awhile." Alina explained carefully. "And Jordan, this unruly young man here is Aslan. He's the Head Chef of House Dimitrescu and the only male staff the castle has ever had. According to the Lady herself." Alina introduced. "Quite the feat that he's still standing despite that."
Jordan took a moment to look this guy up and down. He didn't look too bad. He looked to be maybe in his mid or early twenties. Long dirty blonde hair that was pulled back in a messy ponytail. He wasn't exactly the picture of grace, but he certainly was the picture of someone who's the only male staff in a castle full of women and questionable morals. He looked tired as hell.
"Uh...nice to...meet you...?" Jordan said, unsure of what exactly she was supposed to say.
"Nice to meet you too, Jordan. Now would one of you like to explain why you wandered into my kitchen? I gotta start prepping for dinner tonight and a certain feline has been making any progress very difficult." Aslan said, grumbling a few more incomprehensible words under his breath.
"Well, Jordan here missed out on breakfast. Did you have anything to hold her over until dinner?" Alina asked.
Aslan turned his attention towards Jordan, and out of instinct, she took a step backwards. As if he noticed her movements, the man quickly turned his head to the side, almost surveying the kitchen. Then he sighed and turned his eyes back towards the maid.
"You know I don't like making snacks. All the others keep coming to me for small things to eat and I have to open packages that make the rest of it spoil faster. It's a whole ordeal. Since Lady Bloodsucker refuses to upgrade to more modern and uh....ah what's the word....convenient appliances, things go bad real fast." The man said, pinching the bridge of his nose.
It was then that Jordan noticed the bags under his eyes. While he did look tired from the start, she was just now noticing how bad it was. Did he even have any help in this kitchen or did he make all the food by himself? She had no idea how many people were employed here, and it seems like he made at least breakfast and dinner for everyone each day. It was respectable considering he might feed the owners of the castle as well even though vampires really only need blood to survive.
"Um...I'm not hungry...I can wait till dinner." Jordan insisted, waving her hands.
"But you need to eat. Regardless of appetite. Your body is still trying to heal itself, and it can't do that without the proper nutrients." Alina said, then she turned towards the man. "I'm just go to speak with Aslan really quick about this. It shouldn't take too long. Until then, wait here."
The maid moved forward and grabbed the younger man by the ear and proceeding to drag him through the doors that he had emerged from previously. Jordan was left standing alone in the kitchen, completely baffled by the interaction. She had no idea what could been so important that it had to happen right that second, but if the muffled yelling on the other side of the door was any clue, it probably wasn't anything good.
Jordan perked up as she noticed something move out of the corner of her eye. She glanced over and quickly discovered that the orange cat from earlier had gotten back in the room and had leapt up onto a free space on the wooden counter. Dodging the buckets that the hanging meats were dripping into, the cat reached out with one of its paws and attempted to make a swipe for one of the slabs.
'Should I stop that? I should probably stop that.' She thought.
Carefully, as not to startle the small feline, Jordan moved towards the table. She wasn't exactly sure what got cats to listen to someone. Did they respond to certain sounds? Or did she need to provide a treat to lure it away? As she was thinking, the cat took another swipe at the slab of meat, and she momentarily panicked.
"H-hey...you can't be up there..." she called out, trying to shoo the creature off the table
Now that she made her presence known, the cat turned its attention towards her. It turned itself around, now ignoring the hanging meat in favor of staring at her rather curiously. She watched as it maneuvered around buckets until it reached the edge of the table. She stood rather rigidly, watching as the feline tilted its head to the side and then proceeded to place its paws against the corner of the table. It's movements seemed odd at first until she realize what it was about to do.
"Don't-"
The cat leapt towards her, and Jordan just barely managed to catch it in time. Due to the odd angle, the cat was forced to dig its hind claws in into her shirt so that it didn't fall. Unfortunately, its claws sunk all the way through the fabric and she grit her teeth together as they dug into the bandages that were still wrapped around her abdomen. She mumbled a few strings of curses under her breath as she tried to shift the cat in her arms. It wasn't attacking or scratching her or anything of the like.
Even as Jordan was trying not to fall over from the strain against her side, the cat was purring happily against her chest as its claws sunk into her shoulder. The corners of her eyes were starting to water and she knew she needed to get this thing off her. She didn't know if it was diseased or anything and having it clinging onto her was certainly not how she wanted to find out.
"Gah...you're cute...but this really hurts...you gotta get down..." She said through clenched teeth.
The cat seemed to look over at her, and she got a glimpse of its green eyes before it gave an almost indignant 'mrrp'. Then it shifted itself again and jumped to the ground, surprisingly not getting its claws stuck in the process. Jordan breathed out a sigh of relief, but she now cradled her side with one hand. The cat, however, wasn't done with its sudden attachment. It began rubbing itself against her legs over and over again as it meowed loudly. She could only sigh in defeat.
"...you're so strange....trusting a stranger...." Jordan mumbled as she stared at the mewling cat.
"If you ask me, that only makes it funnier."
Jordan nearly jumped out of her skin as she heard the voice behind her. She whipped around, careful not to kick the feline at her feet. Speaking of which, said feline was now facing the vampiric blonde woman standing in front of her. The cats hackles were raised and its fur was standing on end. A low and threatening growl sounded from deep in its throat as Bela stalked forward.
But it only took a flash of red eyes and the baring of fangs for the cat to flee from the scene, leaving Jordan backing away until she hit the table behind her. Yet the blonde woman didn't stop moving until they were at least a foot apart. She looked up at the woman with eyes wide with fear, thinking of maybe a possible escape route she could come up with. But she couldn't think of anything in that moment.
"Don't look at me like that, cutie. I'm not going to hurt you. You're still recovering, and we can't do much until you're healed. Besides, I'm not like those two. I prefer my meal to be in one piece by the time I'm done playing." Bela said, reaching out with her hand.
Jordan felt the girl place a hand on her cheek, right over the spot that this same woman had dug her nails into a couple days ago, and was still healing. Although the gesture was not rough, the touch itself made her skin crawl. She didn't like this. She didn't like being touched. Not like this. Not like any of this. But her body refused to move. It was like something was holding her back, but she knew nothing was preventing her from pulling away.
Without a response, the blonde woman sighed, and pulled her hand back, leaving Jordan still afraid but also slightly confused.
"Hm. You look like a deer in headlights, Jordan. As much as I love that look of fear, I'm sure you have other wonderful expressions that would look much more dashing on that unblemished face of yours. I suppose we'll see them in due time." Bela said, tilting her head to the side with an expression that Jordan couldn't quite distinguish until it fell into a playful smirk. "I hope."
With that, the vampire disappeared once more in a swarm of flies. Jordan didn't allowed herself to breathe until the sounds of the buzzing had completely gone. She clutch the fabric over her chest, trying to calm her racing heart.
That was dangerous. Too dangerous. But...why didn't Bela do anything?