Page 5

Inside differed vastly from the derelict streets outside. The interior is warm and richly decorated with deep red and gold, the stone walls high. Huge chandeliers hang from the ceiling, making the room bright. We walk past an enormous room lined with shelves of books and an enormous fireplace with a desk in the center. The place smells of candles and incense, making me scrunch my nose up as it is unaccustomed to the aromatic smells of lavender.

He strolls down a hall, then leads us up some stairs. My feet make noises on the stone steps as we climb them. He pulls me to a door and opens it, swinging it open to reveal a room. A huge four-poster bed sits in the middle with black gauze hanging from the top.

The room is decorated like the rest of the castle. There are thick, scarlet blankets on the bed, a black chaise in the corner, and huge black fur rugs cover the stone floor. He lets me go, leaving me standing in the middle of the room in front of another fireplace that is taller than me. The warmth is a welcome relief after spending hours in the cold. However, I feel more terrified than ever. He folds his arms over his bulging, muscular chest.

Another man enters the room, his skin the color of mocha with dark onyx eyes. His chest is bare, revealing his muscular body and abs that look like they are carved from stone, a deep v-line disappearing into the waistband of his pants. He smiles when he walks in noticing me. I can tell he isn’t a Dragon or Lycan, which leaves me confused. Only the Dragon Kings live in the castle with their slaves, so why is this man standing beside a Dragon?

“You found her,” says the Lycan, his voice is silky and deep with a slight accent I do not recognize. He smiles, revealing his sharp teeth as his eyes look me up and down. I take a step back, feeling my heart thumping faster in my chest. He steps forward, crossing his arms across his chest. Both of them are standing over me.

“Strip,” says the Dragon King. I shake my head, not wanting to remove my clothes in front of their watchful, lust-filled eyes.

“I said strip,” he repeats, raising an eyebrow at me, daring me to disobey.

I struggle to remove my shirt, trying to cover my bare chest by turning away from him. The girl beside me starts to remove her clothes as well.

“Not you, child. I don’t want to see you naked; you’re only here to make sure she obeys orders,” he says, making me relieved as she pulls her dress strap back up.

I remove my pants, leaving me only in my panties. Using my hands, I cover my breasts, turning around to face them.

The Lycan man steps forward, he licks his lips approvingly making me flinch. “Remove them,” he says looking down at my panties.

“Please,” I beg, not wanting to remove them.

“Remove them or I kill the child,” he says tauntingly. I look at the little girl who darted behind me at his words. I feel my cheeks burn with embarrassment. This is so degrading and humiliating. I pull my panties down, placing one hand over my breasts and the other trying to cover my lady parts. Both men step forward and I step back, nearly tripping over the girl behind me. The Lycan man grabs my wrist, pulling my arm away from my chest, my ample breasts on display for them. I feel a tear run down my cheek as the other man removes my hand from my sensitive parts.

“Why are you crying? You have nothing to be embarrassed about,” says the Dragon. How didn’t they understand how degrading this is? No one should have to be put through this humiliation. I had never been naked in front of anyone besides my grandmother.

“Open your legs,” he growls, stepping closer. The Lycan man peers around me.

“Close your eyes little one,” he whispers to the small girl, and I feel a sob leave my lips. When the girl does as she is told, he stands upright. He taps my foot with his, forcing my legs apart. His fingers move to my slit and he shoves his finger inside me then quickly removes it. I cry out at the sudden intrusion.

“A virgin like I thought,” he murmurs. I watch horrified as he sucks the finger into his mouth and moans loudly.

“You made me strip to see if I am a virgin? What, asking was too hard?” I ask and instantly regret it as they both step closer.

“You can put your clothes back on,” he says. The Dragon bent down and picked up my shoes. He looks at them briefly, tossing them in the fireplace. I quickly get dressed.

“Follow us, we will take you to your chambers,” the Lycan man says. We follow silently. The Lycan leads the way while the Dragon remains behind us. I can feel his eyes boring into my back, feel the little girl’s arms grip my hips tightly.

We stop outside a door on the bottom floor, he opens the door and reveals a small room with a single bed and small fireplace. A desk off to the side in a corner and a round blue rug on the floor. Walking in, it seems quite cozy, offering warmth and safety from the cold dark nights outside.

I watch mesmerized as the Dragon man walks in and over to the fireplace, he takes a breath in then blows fire out of his mouth like he’s blowing a kiss. Yet I can feel the heat in the air rising rapidly as the logs start burning catching alight. He turns and winks at me.

I notice off to the side is a bathroom with a shower and toilet. I don’t move though, too scared by the men standing in front of me, I don’t want to risk angering them.

“You will stay here for now until Silas comes back and verifies you are who we think you are,” says the Lycan man, his eyes burning oddly mirroring the flames coming from the fireplace.

“If you need anything knock on the door, someone will hear you. My name is Matitus, this is Dragus,” says the man I recognize to be a Dragon. I store their names to memory, hoping I never have to utter them.

They then walk out, closing the door behind them. The little girl tugs at my shirt making me peer down at her.

“Are they going to kill us?” she asks, concerned. Now that they are gone, I can really look at her. The poor girl is underweight, not that that is something unheard of in the city, starvation being the main killer. Her hair which should be blonde is matted and dirty turning it brown in patches. What I thought was a dress is a man’s undershirt being worn as a dress, the edges frayed and filthy with holes.

“I don’t think so, well I don’t think they will kill you, anyway,” I tell her. Suddenly, there is a knock on the door, and an old woman who I believe is human walks in with her head down carrying towels and a pile of clothes. Yet something seems off about her, I just can’t put my finger on why I feel that way.

“For you,” she mutters, her eyes never peering up. She thrusts them forward again and I grab them from her and she hurriedly shuffles back out. I can sense her fear, like she was told not to talk or linger too long. It would also make sense why she didn’t look up and make eye contact. She then shuts the door, and I hear the jingle of keys, knowing she locked it. I place the clothes on the bed along with the towels.

“What is your name?” I ask the little girl who comes and stands beside me. “Lilith” she whispers, looking at the pile.