Outside of these walls, humans existed within one of two groups—Thralls and laborers. Both groups had some level of protection, if only superficial, because the vampyres needed a stable human population to serve as a food supply. As a result, vampyres were forbidden to drink from the vein of a human unless they were a willing blood donor.
The Lords took this a step further by choosing Thralls to serve only them. Every year, hundreds of humans applied for the privilege, hoping to escape lives of loneliness or squalor. Humans had to submit an application to become a Thrall, and once accepted, they were brought to a ceremony to be chosen by any of the current Vampyre Lords. Thralls were generally treated as honored members of the Lord’s household, and in return the Lord was privileged to a constant source of blood that no one else could drink from without express permission.
Not all humans were so willing as the Thralls, though, and if found in breach of the law, the offending vampyre was publicly beheaded outside of the castle.
Obviously those laws didn’t apply to the Emperor, because here I was, an unwilling Thrall.
“That’s cute that you think that’s the case,” my guard answered with a snort.
I craned my neck, turning to look at him like he had four heads. I’d never heard a guard say anything about Malakai that could even remotely be interpreted as negative. “How is it not?”
His silver eyes turned hard as the muscle in his jaw ticked. Glaring at me like I was a complete imbecile, he hissed out his words between clenched teeth, showing off the tips of his fangs. “I don’t know who or what you are, but what I know is that the Emperor wants to be surrounded by the most powerful beings in the empire. For some, the power that he represents draws them into his lair willingly, but for the rest…” He trailed off, glancing behind him as if straining to hear if anyone was near.
Was he implying that I was powerful? I mean, I knew there had to be something unique about me to have caught the Emperor’s eye, but I’d just assumed it was the beauty that others seemed to find in me. I suppose that didn’t make sense with the way he’d adopted the father role, though.
My brows creased as I tried to imagine myself as a powerful being. It was a funny thought, seeing as I was weak and couldn’t even manage to escape this castle.
Lowering his voice, he ran his fingers through his short white hair, pulling on the roots. “He holds my family over my head. If I step out of line, he will kill my wife and kids. He forcefully turned me after seeing me fight in a tournament as a human.”
My heart clenched at his admission as my mouth popped open in surprise. It had never even crossed my mind that he might have other prisoners here, in various ways. If his wife and children were still alive to be used as a threat, he had to be a fledgling in the eyes of vampyres.
Fuck, was I feeling a shred of empathy for a vampyre?
Just as I went to respond and try to commiserate in our hatred of Malakai, his hand clamped around my arm, pushing me down the stairs once more. “Move.”
I guess bonding time was over… But I would really like to know what his name was, at least. It didn’t feel right calling him my stalker after knowing he was a prisoner too. I had some common decency.
I eyed the door at the bottom of the landing with skepticism, unsure of what exactly lay on the other side. I mean, it was a dungeon, so I knew it wasn’t going to be lavish and comfortable, but still… Trepidation of the unknown filled my stomach.
“Don’t let them rile you,” my guard whispered so quietly I almost asked him to repeat himself, but I was shocked into silence when he reached around me to tug open the door and voices filled the air.
I hadn’t heard a single peep from the other side, and we had been right next to it. Was this soundproof to only humans, or vampyres too? The thought was sickening. If I screamed, would anyone be able to hear me?
Oh fuck, please let Malakai be bluffing about letting people lay their hands on me now.
For the first time, I was really questioning this newfound rebellion I had felt so strongly about just a moment ago.
“Ah, fresh meat,” a nasally voice called as my guard shoved me into the dimly lit space. My skin crawled at the leering tone, and I kept my guard’s words in mind, refusing to let them see they bothered me, much like I had done with Malakai.
“She looks like a tasty morsel,” another guard said. “It’s been far too long since we’ve had such a pretty one in here. Think of all the fun we can have with her.”
Don’t look at them.
Don’t listen to them.
Block them out.
A pale hand reached out to touch my arm, but my guard reacted quickly, grabbing the hand and twisting it until the vampyre was howling in pain. A crunching sound made me crinkle my nose.
My guard’s voice was deep and menacing as he warned him, “She is not to be touched. She is the Emperor’s Thrall. He put her down here to teach her a lesson, but his rules still stand.”
My heart raced as I kept my head held high and my gaze forward, soaking in my guard’s words.Please let them be true and not a ruse to keep the other guards off of me.
But if he was making that up to help me… Well, that would be the first true act of kindness someone had shown me within these walls, with seemingly nothing to gain from it. Never had I seen a glimmer in one of them of—dare I say—humanity.
A part of me started to feel worse for this guard than I did for myself, a feat I never thought possible. He deserved to be out there with his wife and kids. I wouldn’t be the reason he was hurt and never got to see them again. I’d be a good prisoner and comply to protect him for the time being.
As he turned to face me after leveling both the vampyres with scathing looks, he announced, “I’ll be gone for just a moment to grab food for you. These guards will place you into your cell, and you will not give them any issues, understand?”
