Chapter 28 - Bizarre charade
1702 Words
#musicvibe - Square hammer, Ghost
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Youngblood Castle.
August 12th, 2146.
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Valeria POV
Alex burst in through the door and I got up from the floor.
Before he left, he put the cuffs on my wrists and locked the chain to the bedpost at the end of the bed in case someone tried to come into the room again.
“How did it go?” I asked and held out my wrists for him to unlock the cuffs. “You look kind of excited.”
“My father is meeting King Tyson for peace negotiations tomorrow night.” He replied and my heart skipped a beat.
“What does he want to negotiate?” I asked. “My release?”
Alex shrugged.
“He didn’t say, but I guess.” He replied.
“In return for what?” I mumbled and looked up at Alex. “What do lycans have that vampires would need?”
“No clue.” He replied.
“Which is why you need to join the negotiations.” I said. “If you show that you’re dedicated enough, he might let you join. Besides, wouldn’t that be excellent training for you too? After all, I’m your new pet for exactly that purpose.”
“You’re right.” He said. “But all my father wanted to talk about was your progress.”
I frowned.
“What if we put up a show for him?” I asked. “I haven’t left this room yet. Maybe we should do something public that your father will see?”
Alex raised an eyebrow.
“Any suggestions?” He asked.
“You’re going to have to hit me.” I said determinedly.
He stared at me for a moment, but then he sighed.
“Are you sure?” He asked. “Because I don’t really have any other ideas.”
“I can take it.” I reassured him.
“We do have a problem, though.” He frowned.
“What?” I asked.
He pointed to my neck.
“You’re too clean.” He said sheepishly. “If he’s going to buy it, I have to feed from you.”
I scrunched up my face.
“Do you have to? I mean, is that necessary?”
“It doesn’t hurt much, okay.” He reassured me. “Do you trust me?”
I sighed and rubbed my forehead.
“I guess I’ll have to.” I muttered. “How do we do this?”
Alex sat down on the sofa and reached out his hand. Frowning, I took it and he pulled me into his lap so that I was straddling his thighs. I squirmed and tried to get up, but he put his hands on my waist and pulled me firmly back down.
“Hey.” He said when I glared at him. “I know this feels weird for you, and I have no right to ask you to trust me, but I need you to completely trust me for one minute, and I promise I’ll be careful.”
“Fine.” I groaned.
Alex moved my hair away from my neck and shoulders, making me shiver.
“Breathe.” He whispered.
I felt his arm snake around my waist, pulling me closer to his chest so that my neck was only a few inches away from his face.
“Relax.” He whispered. “You’ll be fine.”
I felt very uncomfortable being so close to him, but I reminded myself that it was necessary to get back to Tyson and I forced myself to relax and tilt my head to the side to give Alex better access to my neck.
“Do it.” I whispered.
Alex’s lips touched my neck and I gulped. My grip on his shoulders tightened and I jumped when a sharp pain pierced my neck. Alex’s grip on me tightened to keep me still when he was still latched onto my neck. After a few seconds, the sharp pain turned to a dull ache, and I relaxed and let Alex do what he needed.
After a while, Alex pulled away and I raised an eyebrow at him.
“You good?” I asked.
“Yeah.” He replied and slid me off of his lap so that I was sitting on the sofa next to him.
Alex’s phone pinged and he took it out.
“My friend Joey is on his way to the castle.” He frowned. “Apparently his father was called here by my father. Joey’s father is a duke, so they might want to discuss some war tactics or something. They are invited for dinner tonight.”
I perked up when I saw the phone.
“Can I reach out to Tyson through your phone?” I asked.
Alex smiled apologetically.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think we should risk it.” He replied. “My father once spied on Lara’s phone records because he thought that she was seeing a boy. I wouldn’t put it past him to check my phone records to make sure that you haven’t gotten your hands on it.”
I nodded and sighed dejectedly.
“Fine.” I said. “Now we need to come up with a plan. Could you bring me to that dinner? We could show something off then.”
Alex agreed and checked with his father if he was allowed to bring me to the dinner, saying that it would be useful to train me in some different environments and situations. Talon was thrilled and agreed, even giving Alex some compliments for his dedication. Once we were clear, we immediately started discussing the bizarre charade we were about to perform.
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“Here.” Alex said and gave me a red, body-hugging dress with spaghetti straps. “Wear this.”
I took it from him and frowned.
“It’s very revealing.” I said.
“It’s what most of the female human slaves in the castle are wearing.” He replied, and I instantly realized where he was going.
To be seen as a mere slave was humiliating, but I reminded myself that my pride was a small sacrifice to make to stop this war. I quickly changed into the dress and Alex instructed me to let my hair down to cover my neck. Then he gave me his belt.
“Put this on.” He said. “The clasp has my initials. As long as you’re wearing it, no one will touch you.”
An uneasy feeling was building in my chest as I put the belt on, a glance in the full-length mirror made me feel nauseous.
“Why do you guys even eat dinner if you drink blood?” I asked grumpily while securing the belt around my waist.
“Because even if we need blood to survive, we can still enjoy the taste of food.” Alex shrugged.
“Got it.” I said and looked down on myself.
“Alright.” I sighed and plastered a fake grin on my face. “Let’s get on with this.”
Alex took a gentle hold of my arm and we walked through the door. Every once in a while, when someone was watching, I tried to jerk my arm out of his grip for show, and Alex didn’t let go.
The large double doors in front of us opened, and I immediately started struggling a bit more.
Inside the doors was a large dining hall with a long mahogany table in the middle. I saw King Talon sit at the head of the table, and Alex gave him a curt nod when we walked in, seemingly unfazed by my struggles.
“Sorry that we’re a few minutes late.” He said confidently. “My pet hasn't learned to respect her superiors yet.”
“Superiors, my ass.” I snarled and tried to hit him.
Alex used his quick speed to catch my wrist before my hand could connect with his face, and next thing I knew, my head felt like it exploded as Alex hit me with the back of his hand. I fell to the floor with a groan, my ears ringing from the blow.
“What did I say about language?” Alex said sternly. “You will respect me, and you will call me master, do you understand?”
I clutched my pounding head with one hand while using the other to sit up.
“Fine.” I muttered. “Master.”
Alex smiled and hauled me to my feet.
“Sorry about that.” He said and led me towards the table.
I looked around the table and saw the queen sitting on King Talon’s left. The seat on his right was empty, and I figured that it was Alex’s seat.
I also saw a young man that I guessed was Alex’s brother Jamie. He was looking at me up and down and I resisted the urge to hug myself as he basically undressed me with his gaze.
Most of the people seemed pleased with how Alex handled the situation, but I noticed that two people stared at him in shock. One was a girl with a striking resemblance to the queen, and I guessed that it was Alex’s sister Lara. The other one was sitting next to an older man that seemed to be the duke. He had light brown hair and yellow eyes. I figured that it was Alex’s friend, Joey.
Maybe they didn’t buy it?
My uneasy thoughts were interrupted when Alex snapped his fingers at me.
“Sit.” He said and pointed at the floor next to his chair.
“You can’t be serious.” I protested, but Alex raised his hand at me again.
I jumped, feigning fear.
“Alright, alright.” I muttered and plopped down on the floor while a servant pulled the chair out for Alex. He sat down and I leaned against the side of the chair. His shoe lightly brushed against my knee, like a silent apology.
I brushed my hand discreetly against his calf in return, happy that I had a friend in this hellish place.
- Writer
