Sold to a Hybrid Prince

Chapter 6

I shivered the moment his fingers traced against my skin, brushing from the top of my arm, to my shoulder blade. I closed my eyes tighter, unwelcome memories plaguing my mind, causing my stomach to churn. But he withdrew his hand immediately after that, and I opened my eyes, to realize that all he did was cover my shoulder. 

Allister frowned when the sleeve fell back down, revealing my shoulder again. 

"You can't go out like this," he said sharply. 

"I can change...?" I offered, taking deep breaths to calm my raging heart. 

I didn't know why he didn't want me to go out like that, especially given the way I had been brought to him at first. Quite a lot of people had already seen me, so I didn't really understand the big deal. 

But hey, whatever my master wanted. 

After all, it wasn't like I had much say in anything. 

"No, there's no time," he grumbled, rolling his eyes. "You couldn't find something that would fit you properly?" He let the leash drop to the floor, as he made his way to his cupboard, opening it. 

"They're all like that," I defended, frowning. 

It's not like you took me shopping, Prince Allister. 

He returned with a jacket of his own, and handed it to me. "Wear this."

I eyed it for a moment, before doing as he said, whilst he stood there and stared, his head tilted a little to the side. The jacket was warm and laced with his scent, making me feel slightly awkward. Once I was done, he grabbed my leash near the belt, letting it slip through his fingers until he was holding the free end. 

"Better." 

He turned and started walking, while I quickly followed behind, remembering the warning he had given me earlier. I wasn't going to make him tug. That would make me crash into him, and I was adamant on keeping my distance. 

If I could, I would stay miles away from every Superior. Just their existence around me made me sick. 

And so did the concept of this leash. But this was how it was in this messed up world. We were like animals, who had to be domesticated, and controlled every moment of our lives. The leash was a mark of ownership, which made us 'unavailable' to everyone else. 

We finally left the room, and my entire body tensed as we passed by a number of Superiors. They would all bow their heads at him, while he wouldn't even bother to acknowledge any of them, his posture rigid and radiating authority. 

Yeah, he was definitely the Prince of this Palace. 

His arrogance made it clear. 

What a snob. 

I received a few funny stares, and while some of them were filled with scorn, some curiosity, and some hunger, there were few that held nothing but sympathy. These came from the other humans, whether they were pets, slaves or maids. Apparently, Allister here did not have a very good reputation when it came to handling humans. 

Great. Just what I needed early in the morning. 

I followed him through the numerous, absolutely beautiful hallways, maintaining a steady pace while observing as much as I could. I realized that his room was on the second highest floor, just like the rest of the Royal family, except the King and Queen. Their room was at the very top of the castle, just below the roof. The other floors were all allocated to other Superiors, whether vampires, or lycans. But I didn't find any werewolves around, or if there were, I didn't recognize them. 

Lycans and vampires were easy to identify in a crowd, vampires owing to their eerie eye colors, comparatively lighter complexions and longer, pointed canines, while lycans due to their general, bulkier builds and quite often, their unfiled, black claws. 

Werewolves, however, looked very similar to humans, being a cursed kind. They were also more rare, and the only thing that confirmed their identity, was a kind of a birth mark on their backs, roughly shaped like a crescent. 

My gaze flew to Allister's clothed back, wondering if he had the mark too. Maybe he did, or maybe it healed, since he was originally a vampire. 

We stopped at golden double doors, and the guards pushed them open, not before bowing in respect. Allister lead me inside, and the mouth watering aroma of all kinds of cakes, fruit, and syrups hit me like a brick, spurring a deep rumble in my stomach. 

Allister paused, turning to glance at me. 

"Was that you?" He raised an eyebrow. 

My cheeks tinged red, and I lowered my gaze, nodding. 

I heard him breathe out a laugh, before he said a 'come on' and lead me further down the huge hall, until we reached the end. There were a series of separate booths, probably for the Superiors with higher ranks. We walked to the one in the middle, with a translucent glass enclosing it. It had a big, empty table, with six chairs around it, one of them bigger than the others. A slave quickly rushed inside, pulling the taller chair for him. He settled down, and I remained standing, looking out at the others. 

The hall was almost designed like a cafe, or a restaurant. There were slaves roaming around with trays of food, and there were numerous tables scattered all around. Superiors were busy eating at them, while their pets or slaves either stood beside them, sat in their laps, or sat on the floor. They all mostly had collars, or cuffs, very few with belts like me. But all of us had one thing in common. We looked terrified, and with good reason. Some vampires were even openly feeding on their pets, and I looked away, an uneasiness spreading in my chest. 

I remembered visiting restaurants back when I was a kid. My mother would take me once a month, when I had been a good girl and she wanted to reward me. Often, a Superior would enter and all humans would freak out and leave. But we would always stay, no matter how much I told her that I wanted to go home. That I was scared. She would insist we stay there, until we were done eating. She would always order us pizza, and never let me eat more than a slice. It wasn't good for my body, she would say. No one would like a fat human girl, according to her. 

It took me a few years to realize how utterly bullshit that was. Especially when I was in school, and my crush had told me off for being too skinny. 

"You're not allergic to chocolate, are you?" Allister asked, breaking me out of my thoughts. 

I shook my head. 

What kind of unlucky person is allergic to chocolate?

"Good. I heard humans have a lot of such petty problems."

I wanted to scoff. 

"I'll just order you chocolate pancakes. Is that fine?" 

"Yes, Al--"

"Master," he corrected, shooting me a look. 

I frowned, but soon realized that we were in public, and it probably would not be good for his reputation if I called him by his first name. 

God forbid, a mere Untouchable, addressing the Superior Prince by his first name? 

How lame and classist. 

Even despite having lived in this society my entire life, and been subjected to repeated torture to remind me my 'place', this system still did not speak to me. It wasn't our fault that we were human, or that we weren't 'special'. In fact, they were the freaks of nature. The human race existed long before them, until God decided to add a little spice to our lives by causing new mutations in some of us. 

Mutations, that turned us into heartless jerks. 

"Get me the usual, and a plate of hot pancakes with chocolate syrup," Allister's order to the slave pulled me out of my thoughts. 

Okay, maybe he wasn't so heartless. At least I could eat desserts now. My mother would never let me even smell them.

"What blood type would you prefer today, your Highness?" 

Allister glanced at me. "I have my own."

Scratch what I said earlier. 

My heart raced slightly, and I looked away from him, my teeth digging into my lower lip. 

"Your food will be here in ten minutes, your Highness." The slave bowed, and left, but of course he stopped to give me a once over, followed by a pitiful look. 

"Xyla," Allister said, making me look at him. It was funny how even when he was sitting, and I was standing, I was barely a couple of inches taller than him. It was so unfair, how naturally bigger the Superiors were. 

"Yeah?" I asked softly. 

"I'll be fe--"

A shrill scream cut him off, making my heart almost leap out of my chest. Everyone's heads turned to the source, and my eyes went wide as I watched a pet try to run from her master. Even through the translucent glass, the girl's expressions were vivid as day to me. She knew she had screwed up big time. 

She had almost reached our booth, but in a split second, her master was in front of her, slapping her across the face. She fell to the ground, and I heard her pained whimper. The vampire climbed on top of her, and grabbed onto her hands, pinning her down. He bent down and buried his fangs into her neck, whilst the girl let out another scream, crying and yelling for help.

The vampire pulled away, glaring at her with his fangs covered in her blood. "You little b***h!" he yelled, before a loud crack rang in the air and the girl screamed in agony. 

I shuddered, realizing he had crushed her leg with his. 

As if knowing that it was the end for her, two more vampires joined him, one on each of her bare thighs. 

My legs shook and tears blurred my vision, as I watched it all unfold. Instinctively, my feet began to carry me towards them, in a desperate attempt to help her, until a firm hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. I collided with Allister's chest, looking up at him with wide eyes. 

"What do you think you're doing?" he hissed, glaring at me. "You have a death wish?" 

"They're gonna kill-"

Allister's gaze hardened, causing me to shut up. He clenched his jaw, as he stared at them, but didn't move an inch. "Just ignore it. It happens every day. You never intervene."

That was all he said before he led me back to the table, and sat down. I stood there beside him, the screams of the girl echoing in my ears, until she went completely silent. I was turned away from them, so I didn't watch it happen, but the cheering and laughs that followed her silence made me close my eyes shut. 

My head started to spin, and I tried to hold in the cries that were begging to escape. But I knew what would happen if I allowed them to. 

Maybe, I would meet the same fate as her. 

"Here's your food, your Highness." The slave returned with the tray of our food, and placed them down on the table. He quickly wiped the plate where he was holding it from, before backing away from the table with a respectful bow. 

The scent hit me hard, but with my burning throat and trembling lips, I wasn't hungry anymore. A wave of nausea washed over me, and I took a deep breath, trying to stay still. 

"You wanna sit?" Allister's voice made me flinch. 

"Uh," I muttered, staring at him with glassy eyes. 

"Come here." He extended his arm, slipping the chair slightly back. 

I froze, my eyes widening. 

"W--What?" 

"Come here, Xyla," he said again, his tone gentle. 

I gulped, feeling my legs shake slightly. I stepped towards him, and that was all he needed, to take me by the waist and pull me into his lap. I gasped, my heart hammering out of fear. 

Allister leaned in closer to me, causing goosebumps to cover my skin. I felt his nose on the back of my head, as he sniffed my hair. "Why does your hair smell like... something weird? Why does it smell weird?" His hands lingered on my waist, making me tense up even more. 

"I... Maybe the soap they used," I squeaked out, resisting the urge to push his hands off. My fingers gripped onto the material of the jacket I was wearing, trying hard to stay still. 

"Hmm, maybe. You should shower in my room today, get rid of this scent. After the drain is unclogged." His grip tightened slightly. 

I quickly nodded. "Y-Yes, Master."

"Anyway, dive in." He gestured to the pancakes. 

I looked at them, and another wave of nausea took over me. I never thought I'd say this, but a part of me was glad that he made me sit. Not in his lap, but in general. If I were standing, I knew I would have collapsed. 

"What's wrong?" His breath traced my neck, and I let out a sharp gasp, instinctively pushing away from him. 

My eyes widened, and I slapped a hand over my mouth, not wanting to anger him with my reaction. 

He was silent for a moment, before letting out a sigh. "Get up. We're going upstairs." He tapped my back. 

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Stay tuned, guys! Next update tomorrow!