IMPRESS.
Chapter Fifteen: Kiss Me, Master Part 1
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When we finished watching a burning Grace, as soon as we were dismissed to go, I told Xander and Evelyn I wanted a moment alone and was given a carriage ride back to the castle by Derek.
Now I was currently running to my room with only one thought.
I could control fire.
Oh my God.
I CAN CONTROL FREAKING FIRE!!!
Leaving me with one more question, could I actually properly control fire?
Reaching my bedroom, I rested my back on my door and slammed it shut behind me before breathing out as I slid down the door into a sitting position.
I hugged my legs against my chest and sighed again as I stared at the night sky outside my opened balcony doors.
Wait a second.
Why are my balcony doors open? I was certain I had left them shut. I didn't recall ever leaving them open.
Please tell me that someone didn't break into my room.
I stood up from the floor and looked around making sure to check the bathroom in case someone was still in here.
How could someone have managed to climb onto my balcony and open the doors when, first of all, this castle was surrounded by vampire guards and protectors everywhere and second of all, my balcony doors were locked?
Spinning around on my heel, I furrowed my eyebrows as I went to shut the balcony doors.
I need to pee.
Yawning, I walked back to the bathroom and re-opened the door.
However, when I lit the candles inside the bathroom my yawning was interrupted by the words that were smeared in blood on the mirror reflecting me.
I gasped and covered my mouth as I jumped back alarmed by the blood written letters dripping down the mirror.
As I gasped the candle flames I had put to light in the bathroom fiercely flared up and for a second they almost distracted me from the threat in front of my eyes.
ELLA DIES IF YOU FAIL TO DO WHAT THE NOTE SAYS.
Underneath in smaller writing were the words, 'by your bed'
How did this person find out I was related to Ella? Unless the walls had ears, this was impossible... I- this was no doubt the same person who had left me the previous note pushing me into the IMPRESS competition.
Now, what did they want?
I didn't know what the person leaving the notes was capable of and I didn't want to find out, so I had no choice but to do what they wanted me to do until Lord Hilbert, my brother and I found more on my parents' death and who was behind it.
After having a very quick and uncomfortable pee whilst staring at the blood on the mirror, I ran out of the bathroom and towards by bed where I found the note the threat I had read was referring to, just on top of some clothing.
Inappropriate pieces of clothing I had never worn in my life.
Pay a visit to the prince with this on and I'll spare the dumb blonde. Tell anyone and you die.
Tick tock.
Wide-eyed I scrunched up the note and put it on the table next to my bed.
I picked up the top single piece of lingerie sat on top of my bed and scrunched my nose up in disgust.
A black designed to be a sexy corset.
Could I even class this as clothing?
Under the corset was a black string that looked like super thin underwear, I grimaced as I dropped it back on my bed.
The next pieces of clothing were some black stockings and garter belt in order for me to use to hold the stockings up my legs.
I rose my brows making an O with my mouth when I realised the person who left the note wanted me to impress the prince using my sexual appeal.
This was messed up.
I squeezed my eyes shut facing up in frustration. I guess I am going to have to do it? What other choice do I have?
Time is running out.
I need to get to the prince before the person who has been sending me threats decides that time has run out.
Removing the tight jumpsuit and combat boots I had on, I hesitated as I nervously put my legs through the lacy string of underwear before slipping on the corset, struggling to tie it as tight as possible.
Successfully I completed the sultry outfit by pushing my legs into the stockings and clipping them to the lacy garter belt around my waist.
The moment of truth came when I had to look at myself in the mirror and when I did, I literally choked on my own saliva.
The corset was pressing my breasts closer to each other, pushing them out and exposing them to the whole wide world.
The item clung to the curved sides of my body and some black ribbons with tiny fastened bows were falling from the ends of it.
My legs appeared slim and hairless as the long stockings helped to give them some added definition.
I looked...
Really good, like good times a million.
My hand went up to hair that was tied back and with one tug, my hair fell into a loose and wavy brown mess down past my shoulders and to my breasts.
I combed my fingers through the front of my hair and combed my wavy fringe over my head, almost giving myself a quiff.
Wow.
I never thought I would ever see my body as a lovely sight but, in a non-vain way, my body right now looked incredible.
I no doubt knew that Zac would definitely not be able to resist the temptation.
Before exiting my bedroom, I grabbed long and white satin robe to wear over the lingerie I had basically been forced to put on.
Hopefully, I won't run into anyone who will question where I am going and what I am doing on the way Zac's room.
On the way to Zac's bedchambers, I manage to steer clear of anyone who was given orders to keep me safe and who I knew.
Until...
The black witch appeared out of nowhere in front of me, like a shadow of my own.
"I saw what you did," the black witch darkly said, "to the flames."
Trying to act like I was clueless about what she was on about, I knitted my eyebrows together and made a face that said I beg your pardon.
"I'm sorry but I have no idea what you are on about and also, have somewhere to be so if you don't minnnn-" I draw out mind when the witch places her finger to my lips for a moment.
"Child, lying to me is pointless, I know everything. And I want you to know, you can trust me, there is a growing darkness inside of you and when you can no longer control it, you will need me," when the witch finished speaking she shut her purple eyes and instantly disappeared.
I was left looking around like I was lost, because of how fast the woman vanished.
That was strange, she knew it was me who played with the fire earlier, she claimed she knew everything and told me I could trust her.
Could I really believe that?
Snapping out of my thoughts, I focused on the reason why I had left my bedroom in the first place and that was to go impress the sadistic prince.
When I got Zac's bedchambers at least four guards guarded the door to his bedchamber and I knew I would have to confront them.
Bravely I walked towards the big guards and looked up at them as they looked down at me.
"Alaric's sister. A competitor to impress the prince. My lady, what do I owe the pleasure?" One of the guards spoke who was the main one out of the four.
I smiled as the guard bowed his head at me, "I'd like to see the prince."
When I stated why I was here the guards all looked at each other before the same guard spoke again.
"Prince Zachary is currently unavailable, he is down in the dungeons," the guard responded and I sighed exhaustedly.
Now, I have walk all the way to the bloody dungeon.
This takes too much effort.
"Right, thank you."
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When I got to the door leading to the dungeon, I almost collapsed from the lack of oxygen I was failing to breathe in due to having walked for so long.
Making sure to check that no one was around, I opened the door cautiously and slid through the small body space gap I had left for myself.
After shutting the door behind me once I was inside at the top of stairs leading to the dungeon, I grabbed the fire torch on the wall and stepped down the stairs with urgency.
When I got to the last step my feet were exhausted.
The memories of the first time I came down here came flooding back to me as that was the day I met my brother who I hadn't seen in ages.
I saw the same familiar door from when I came here, slightly ajar with light coming from the dungeons.
Leaving the fire torch on the ground, I rubbed my hands anxious about what I was going to do next.
I was going to have to go in there and flirt with the prince. In other words, I was going to go impress the devil in his human form and I was genuinely scared.
For a brief moment, I inhaled and exhaled with my eyes shut as this stripped all the nerves and butterflies that were swarming in my stomach and making me nauseous.
Here goes nothing.
The door to the dungeons creaked open as I pushed it. Before fully entering the death-smelling room, I peered my eye through the crack in the door just to make sure the coast was clear and that Zac wasn't just stood there in front of the door.
When I got in, the cold and awful smell of death, blood, shit, vomit and sweat hit me instantly and I nearly lost my balance as I stumbled back due to the impact of the horrendous odour.
When I opened my eyes that I had to close as they became watery from the repulsive smell. I felt sick already but, I had to suck it in and find Zac, fast.
It was difficult to keep myself warm as I wasn't exactly wearing layers of clothing in this cold and unheated environment.
Looking around at the cells, I gasped when I noticed most of the people in the cells near the entrance were dead.
The cell I was currently looking at had blood smeared across the wall and floor, reaching to the lifeless body of an old man who's head was decapitated from his body.
Covering my mouth with my hand, I looked to the cell opposite to see a girl younger than me laying against the wall with her skull cracked and eyes shut. Blood was still gushing out of her head and was even seeping from her eyes.
Did he do this?
Oh my God.
I had never seen such a violent aftermath of a vampire's doing, not even in Icilia were the vampire attacks happened constantly.
For ages, this dungeon with endless cells felt like a maze as I turned multiple corners whilst trying super hard to avoid looking at any other cells.
However, my footsteps stopped as soon as my right hand was grabbed.
I shrieked pretty loudly by mistake when I snapped my head to the right to see that a tan, middle-aged man who had hints of green in his tan skin had grabbed my hand so tightly that I couldn't shrug him off me.
"Please, please. Let me out," the man was pleading with his teary and puffy red eyes as he cried out at me. I frowned looking down at the skinny man with sympathy as I stopped tugging away from him and instead, held onto his hand too.
He shook our hands as he begged for me to open his cell, "let me come with you, pl- please, I beg... I have a family and he is coming to kill me. Please..." The man hung his face low as he heaved through his sobs.
"Who?" I asked even though I knew who, I just need extra confirmation.
The frail man continued to sob as he answered me, "the cruel man with the pitch black eyes and unquenchable thirst."
I crouched down and reached through the bars with my free hand to lift the man's chin up, "shush, it's okay. I'll get you out, I promise," I said this compassionately as I reassuringly nodded at the man with a faint and warm smile.
"Really?" The man paused from crying and sniffed up as he stared back at me with a rekindled spirit in his eyes that I hadn't seen when he was begging me to save him.
I nodded firmly before swallowing hard, "I won't let him hurt you."
For the first time, the man showed a sign of hope as he weakly smiled back at me, "thank you, you kind soul, the Gods will soon repay you."
"God gave me a life he doesn't owe me anything else, actually, I owe him my life," I responded as I let go of the man then picked myself back up whilst dusting the dirt from the man off my white robe.
"I'll be right back, I just have to find the-" When the man widened his eyes and froze, I stopped speaking as I felt a presence behind me.
I bit my lip trying not to panic as that would increase my heartbeat and make the vampire-aware that I was totally petrified.
"The key?" Zac finished the rest of my sentence as he questioned knowingly just before I heard the clear sound of metal clanging behind me.
Slowly, I turned around on my heel smiling sheepishly as I came face to face with the demonic vampire, "uhm, so yeah, about that..."
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Hope you like this part one of two chapter!! I loved writing it and the next chapter coming next is probably one of my favourites so far! It will be up soon.
Q: Do you think Zac will allow Natalya to set the poor man free?
Thank you for reading the story, love you and don't forget to VOTE & COMMENT & ADD TO YOUR READING LISTS :)