Sold to a Hybrid Prince

Chapter 4

ALLISTER

Before my fangs even touched her skin, the girl slumped in my arms completely, her head falling against my chest. I frowned, pulling away to look at her, and just like I guessed, she had passed out. Her eyes were closed shut, and her breathing only confirmed my suspicions. 

Okay...? 

This was the first time someone fainted before I even did anything. I knew I was intimidating, and mildly terrifying, but I wasn't as big a deal as she was making me. 

I guess her fear got the better of her. 

I stared at her for a moment, wondering what I should do with her. 

Okay, maybe trying to drink from her as soon as she arrived was a bad move. I had to admit this was completely my fault. 

I let out a short sigh, contemplating whether to place her in the room where I usually kept my pet, or, just lay her down on the couch and wait for her to wake up. That seemed like a more convenient option. 

I had to talk to her about her behavior anyway. She couldn't keep falling unconscious whenever I'd try to feed from her. I understand the first time, but it would be annoying if it happened often. What would the point of a pet be then? I didn't wanna waste time on an uncooperative pet. 

I picked her up, realizing she was lighter than I expected. She wasn't the shortest human being we had here, so I didn't think she'd weigh like a bag of feathers. 

Maybe she was malnourished. That would explain her body's extreme reaction to fear. 

I placed her down on the couch, noticing how her mouth was slightly open. I used my index finger to close it, but the second I removed my hand, it fell open again. 

Suit yourself. 

I was about to turn to walk away from her, when something caught my eye. 

Marks. Ugly marks on her ankles.

My eyebrows furrowed as I bent down to inspect them, realizing they were marks from unnecessarily tight cuffs. She hadn't entered the Palace with any on, and the marks looked old. But she clearly hadn't been bitten before. 

Why else would someone tie her down, and tight enough to leave such dark marks? Was she being abused? 

I gently traced my thumb over her skin, and instantly heard her breath hitch, after which her eyes shot open. She let out a scream, an actual scream, before pulling her knees to her chest and scrambling as far away from me as she could. 

I cringed at the high pitched sound she had made.  

I observed the look on her face, and then her petite little body, that looked even smaller when she was curled up like that. She was trembling all over, her eyes wide as she stared at me in horror. Her chest was heaving up and down, and I could practically smell her fear in the air. 

Her nose was two seconds away from running. 

Yeah, no. 

I stood up straight, before walking over to my bed and sitting down. 

Her eyes widened further as she seemed to remember something, and her hands flew to her neck, searching for signs of harm. 

"I haven't bitten you yet," I announced, before tracing my tongue over my fangs. Damn, I really wanted to try her blood before bed.

She glanced at me, her eyebrows furrowing a little, as she sniffed. 

I waited for her to say something, but she kept staring at me.

And trembling, of course. 

Honestly, I didn't blame her too much. But it was mildly annoying. 

"Would you calm down?" I said, trying to hide the annoyance from my tone. I didn't want my words to have the opposite effect. "I haven't hurt you, Xyla."

"I--I'm sorry," she squeaked out, shifting her gaze away from me. "I--I... I'm trying."

"Deep breaths will help," I suggested, a deep yawn leaving my mouth as I leaned back against the headboard. 

She seemed to stare at my fangs when I did that, before I covered my mouth and she quickly looked away. 

Her shoulders moved up and down, and I gave her a moment, silently listening in, until her heart wasn't pounding like crazy. Once she seemed slightly better, I stood up. 

She tensed up once again. But I had no choice. 

I walked up to her and knelt down on the ground, causing her to inch away as much as she could, her blue and brown eyes watching me with fear. She flinched when I reached for her hands, but didn't make any other move. I could tell she wanted to fight me, but knew better than to do that. 

Good girl. 

I broke the cuffs off her wrists, and let the chains fall to the ground. There were red marks on her hands too now, but these would go away soon. 

I preferred my pets to have clean bodies, not bruised, dirty, or wounded ones. There was also a mark on her knee, which looked quite fresh. I'd have to get that fixed. 

Xyla started to rub her wrists one by one, still shivering slightly, even though there was clear relief on her face. If she had been abused like that before, I was certain she wouldn't do too well with such restraints. 

There wasn't a need for them either. She clearly froze whenever she was afraid, even collapsed. As long as she didn't faint everytime, that would make things more convenient for me. 

But drinking from unconscious people really wasn't my thing. 

"Xyla," I began, and immediately, her heart raced again. "Have you ever been a pet before?" I raised my eyebrows. 

She looked very uncomfortable by my closeness, so I stood up and walked back to the bed, sitting down again. She heaved a sigh of relief, probably thinking I wouldn't hear it. 

"No."

"Not even to a lycan?" 

She shook her head. 

That made sense. Who would return a pet so easy on the eyes? Not that I usually cared about their looks, but with her jet black hair, those unique eyes, and white skin, this one was far too beautiful for a mere, lowly human.

But then what caused those marks on her ankles, if she never had a master before? 

Nevermind, it didn't matter. It was over now anyway. 

"So this is your first time," I concluded, nodding. "Do you know what a pet's job is?" 

That is what mattered. If she didn't, there wouldn't be any point in keeping her. Returning her would be a better option, because I wasn't running a training centre here. I already had enough s**t on my plate. Didn't have the time to train a pet from scratch. 

Her shivering increased at my words, and she pulled her knees tighter against her chest. "Ye--Yes. My job is to serve you... Master."

My nose twitched. Master. Yeah, I never liked that title. Made me sound like a school principal. 

"Call me Allister," I stated. 

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What?" 

"You can call me by my name," I explained, "when we're alone." I scratched the bridge of my nose. 

She nodded after a moment. 

Good. So far, I had managed to not freak her out more. Because along with fear, there had to be some trust if she wasn't going to try to run away every time I stepped towards her. I couldn't just expect her to slump every single time. She would have to stand there, and allow me to drink from her, by choice. 

That was kinda the whole purpose of a pet. That is what they were meant for, unlike the other slaves and maids who had a million other jobs too. Pets were supposed to follow your every command, be perfectly obedient, if they didn't want to be punished or returned. Because unlike animals who wouldn't know better, humans knew what they were doing. 

"Anyway," I began, hoping to help her ease up a little, "you need to know that I'm not gonna hurt you, if you don't mess up."

She glanced at me incredulously. I could tell it was instinctive on her part. She was thinking about me digging my fangs into her neck. I could tell from her expression. 

"Wow, okay, don't give me that look." I rolled my eyes, feeling mildly offended. "What I mean is, I'm not going to kill you, or intentionally harm you in any way. So it would help if you wouldn't pass out when I'm trying to feed."

XYLA

What... did he just say? 

Was he serious right now? 

"I'm sorry, Allister, my body didn't ask me before shutting down," I bit. 

My eyes widened as soon as the words left my mouth. My tone had been dripping with sarcasm. 

Oh God. I had just mocked him. I had just mocked a Superior, who owned me. 

But when I observed his face in absolute terror, he didn't look mad. Just c****d up an eyebrow, before a short chuckle escaped his lips. 

"Fair enough," he said, standing up. 

I gasped instinctively, flinching into the window sill. He walked over to me, and I had to tilt my head all the way back to look up at him. He knelt down, making my heart beat speed up again. My nails dug into the couch, as Allister leaned in slightly, making me jam my head back. 

"I'm really curious about your eyes, though. They're so different," he said softly. "Who did you get them from?" 

I blinked at him a couple of times, unsure of what he meant. "God...?" 

The corners of his lips curled up slightly, as he lowered his gaze, before meeting mine again. "I mean, which of your parents had the same colors?" he said slower. 

Oh. How foolish of me. 

"I--I guess my father," I admitted. I had never met him, but my mother's eyes were a plain brown. So I couldn't have got them from her. 

He nodded, before he ran a hand through his hair and stood up straight again. "Anyway, are you hungry?" 

Yes. I was. But I was too tired to eat. 

So I shook my head. 

"Okay, then. It's late, so naturally, I'm going to sleep. You can sit there and stare out the window, or you can do the smarter thing and sleep as well. You're gonna need some energy in the morning, because I don't want you fainting on me again."

In a split second, he was on the other side of the room, and the lights went off. Darkness surrounded us, save for the faint moonlight pouring in from the window. He turned away from me, and moved around, opening a cupboard and then closing it. He then walked back to me, and tossed a warm cloth on my face, making me flinch. I quickly pulled it off, realizing it was a soft blanket. 

"Sleep well, Xyla," he said, before plopping down on the bed. 

"Yo--You too," I whispered, frowning. 

He gave me a blanket? Why? Why would he be so... considerate, to a pet like me? 

Because he didn't want me to get sick, most probably. I was going to be his source of entertainment, so maybe he was trying not to kill me too soon. It would end all the fun. He had spent money on me. Maybe he was saving me for the full moon, so that when he turned into a monster, he would have a prey to hunt down and tear apart. 

I shivered at the thought. Why did I kept scaring myself like that? 

A little optimism, Xyla, please. 

I lowered myself on the couch, covering myself with the warm, soft fabric. It had been years since I slept on something other than a cold, hard floor. A tear left my eye, and I sniffed softly, wiping it away. I didn't want to disturb him, and create any unnecessary problems for myself. It was already a miracle that I was still unscathed. He hadn't fed from me, he hadn't hurt me. I knew he was going to do it soon, probably first thing in the morning, but for now, I was still alive. 

Damn, I was still alive. 

I pulled the blanket tighter against myself, but couldn't convince myself to close my eyes. Not with him still there. What if he was just waiting for me to let my guard down? What if all this was a part of a sick, sadistic game? 

No, I couldn't risk it. 

So I stayed awake, staring out the window, and the glittering night sky that I had missed all these years. In all honesty, I had never before appreciated the beauty of nightfall. After all, it brought out monsters, and savage beasts who would hunt us down and kill us. 

But after living for years, crammed up in a cage for animals, I realized how beautiful the outside world was. 

There was a soft shuffling behind me,  and I startled, my head snapping in his direction. His half-open, golden eyes were staring back at me, unblinking. 

"You're still up?" he asked in a hoarse voice, removing the blanket from his body and sitting up. 

How long had it been?

"I couldn't sleep," I whispered, clutching the blanket tighter to myself. 

He stood up, and I held my breath, until he walked in the opposite direction, and went into the washroom. 

Oh. 

I heaved a sigh of relief. 

He didn't want a midnight snack, afterall. 

I waited for him to exit, but he was taking longer than I expected. 

Maybe drinking all that human blood made his stomach upset. 

Not that he didn't deserve it. I hoped he'd choke on it too. Even if he hadn't hurt me as yet, he was still a monster. 

My eyelids felt heavy, and I leaned my head against the arm rest of the couch, still staring at the washroom door. It was getting harder and harder to keep my eyes open, and before I knew it, I was dozing off to sleep. 

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Stay tuned, guys! Next update tomorrow.