Bound By Desire

Chapter 7: New Information

Rosalia’s POV:

The door at the end opens up to a large spacious room. Taking one look inside, I feel my inner joy bubble up at the sight of the ceiling-high shelves of books that lined the room. Small alleyways between the shelves lead to small, secluded, corners. Marvelling in silent wonder, I walk through the whole room until I end up next to Mara, who wears a bemused expression on her face. “What’s so funny?”

She giggles softly behind her hand. “Your face.” I frown before she giggles again. “I’ve never seen such a rapturous look on someone's face when looking at a bunch of dusty old books.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Mar,” I reply, breezily scanning the shelves until someone shoves me from behind. “Hey! Watch it, asshole.” I shoot a glare at the person responsible but he blows me off with a rude gesture. I glance at Mara and we giggle in unison before scurrying off between two shelves of books where we can safely explode into giggles. When our giggles subside, I sneak a look around one of the shelves and see that we’re alone. “s**t. Are we late or something?” I ask when Mara stops giggling.

“What?” She asks, looking at me before it clicks with her that we’re alone. “Oh s**t. We really need to go.”

“Go where?” I ask, wildly looking around the room. “Mar, what do we do?” I look around for her only to find she’s missing. “Mara? MARA!” I look around wildly until a hand snakes around a set of shelves and pulls me along with them. “Watch it, okay? I’m not immortal.” A laugh follows Mara’s retreating figure until she pulls me over to a woman standing near a book. When we stop, the woman looks up and I have to choke back a gasp when I come face to face with Anastasia. She blinks twice before she clears her throat and a blank look returns to her face.

“Names.” Her expression stays blank and Mara answers before I can recover.

“Mara Harper and Rosalia Mallory.” Mara is the first to recover and answers confidently whilst I stand mute with shock.

“Position.” She looks down at the book in front of her. Me and Mara exchange blank looks with each other. “Position?”

“I don’t know,” I reply, my voice shaking.

“Who's your Master?”

“Um..” The man’s golden eyes flash across my vision along with a name I had heard. Glancing at Anastasia, she’s waiting for me to speak. “Uh– Asher.” Anastasia looks back towards the book, nods and leaves the room. Mara and I shoot each other puzzled looks before I walk towards the book on the table in the centre of the room. Glancing at the book, I turn it the right way round and search the list of names for mine. Glancing down the page, I notice my name next to the words ‘Personal’ and ‘Pleasure’ written in an elaborative cursive. Personal? Pleasure? I point to the words. “Mar, what does that mean?” I look in her direction and she blanches.

“Personal and Pleasure? Rose, are you sure?” Her eyes are full of fear and I nod slowly, pointing to my name in the book. Mara pales further and takes a deep breath. “Oh no.” I look at her to see if she’ll elaborate, but she stays silent.

“Mara? What the hell’s going on?” I shoot her a panicked look but she doesn’t change her expression. “MARA!” I shake her by the shoulders and she snaps out of it before robotically speaking to me.

“Complete the tasks written in the book for you each day. To the letter. Oh, and don’t disrespect your Master. Or they can punish you.” With her last sentence, she shivers and something inside me clicks. I scan Mara’s blank, impassive, expression and my suspicions are confirmed.

“You’ve done this before.” My revelation slips out in a whisper and I clamp my hands over my mouth to try and take it back. Mara nods once. A fast, jerky motion. “Mar, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.” I look away, shame colouring my cheeks a bright scarlet. I sigh quietly and move to turn away when Mara’s hand wraps around my wrist gently.

“It’s okay, Rosa. I was going to tell you I just didn’t want to freak you out.” She sighs quietly and I turn back to face her. “It’ll be okay.” She sounds miserable and my heart stutters with guilt. Smiling warily in her direction, she returns it and we hug for a moment before both of us look back at our schedules for the day. Mara’s was full all day but mine has a suspicious lack of items.

“Why’s mine more empty than yours, Mar?” I ask, shooting her a quizzical look as we rush out of the room, aware that we were behind schedule. She shrugs but I’m not having it from her. “Mar, tell me.” I pull her to a stop and she sighs. “Tell me. Now.”

She sighs. “It’s because our roles are different. Being a maid, I have a lot of jobs to do as I have a basic job of looking after the mundane, boring jobs that old-fashioned slaves did. You, however, have the roles of personal and pleasure slaves. Rose, that's dangerous as being a vampire’s personal slave means they can ask anything of you. Anything.” She fixes me with a piercing gaze and I shiver.

“And the pleasure label…” My voice trails off and Mara pales but takes a deep breath and continues speaking when I shoot her a glare.

“The pleasure label means he can– he can…” She shakes slightly before taking a deep breath and carrying on. “The pleasure label means he can force you into things you wouldn’t want to do. s****l things.” She glances at me with a sympathetic look and I shiver. When we reach the kitchen, Mara shoots me a wry smile but I’m too late to return it, so she vanishes. Numb, I walked down to where my first job for the day was. Cleaning. Yay. What fun. Grumbling to myself, I set about cleaning the bathroom I was in.

***

Hours pass. I cleaned six bathrooms and spent the rest of the time sulking in corridors to avoid Master Asher. I saw Chalice once or twice. The poor girl looked like she was about to die of fear the first time, so I broke off from my cleaning and hugged her before she joined me. “Chal, you don’t need to do that. I got it.” I watch as she grabs a spare rag from the floor and turns to where I’m gripping my own in bloody, cut hands.

“Your bloody hands say otherwise, Rosa.” She quips nervously, shooting me a wry smile. I try to return it but I know it doesn’t reach my eyes.

“Thanks,” I reply to her. “I actually could have really used your help.” She looks shaken and when I try to touch her, she shies away in fear. “Chal?” She doesn’t respond for a second. “Chalice?” I call over to her where she’s diligently cleaning a corner. Hearing me call her, she turns and shoots me a wary look. “What’s wrong?” She shakes her head violently and leans against the wall. “Chal, what is it?” I scan her appearance and she pulls her sleeves down over her hands. Moving cautiously over to her, I loosely grip her hands and pull the sleeves gently back from her hands.

A small sigh of shock escapes me when I see the deep cuts across the inside of her wrists. Four ugly, irregular, deep slashes mar her wrists with blood, forming a horrific image that’s branded into my brain almost instantly. “Chal, what happened to your arms?” I ask, keeping my voice soft when my strange instincts warn me someone might be listening. Chalice sobs quietly and leans her head on my shoulder.

“My Master.” She hiccups softly, her voice muffled into the material of my new dress. “He said he– he had to punish me.” Another sob and my anger flares but I push it down with my compassion.

“Punish you for what?” I ask, my voice gentle. She sobs once and I hug her tighter for a moment. “Chal, what did you do?” I ask, taking her hand again. Unlike last time, however, I suddenly see another image overlapping reality. Closing my eyes against an incoming headache, I suddenly saw an image of Chalice backed against a wall and the eldest sibling stood facing her.

“Come, slave. I must show you where you can and can’t go.”

“I’m not your property.” Chalice’s voice is full of venom and she tries to pull away from the brother’s grip. “Let me go, asshole.” She struggles fruitlessly and my heart pangs with sympathy seeing her attempt to evade a situation she can’t win. She pulls again and he spins her around until she’s back against a wall.

“You strike me as a smart girl, slave. Don’t cross me again or I’ll be forced to punish you.” He gives her a small smile so similar to Master Asher’s that I shiver with shock. Chalice, however, isn’t deterred from her original plan to attack her Master and escape.

“Why won’t you punish me now, Master? Have I not disobeyed you?” Her snarky comment clearly gets on his nerves as he moves to slice four deep cuts over the insides of her wrists. I see Chalice blanche in pain as the blood wells up and spills down her wrists, painting her skin with a crimson splash of colour.

“I have.” He moves to pull away from her before pushing her harder against the wall so she moans with pain when her wounded wrists rub against the rough stone. “Don’t. Ever. Disobey. Me. Again.” He fixes her with a piercing gaze that has her squirming in his grip but this time from fear. “Do you understand?” She glares in his direction and moves to attack him but he slaps her across the face so hard she falls face-first to the floor, crying softly. He kneels close to her. “Do you understand?” She nods but he seems to sense her mockery and slaps her again several times until she passes out.

Withdrawing my hand from Chalice, the image fades and my vision regains clarity. Chalice looks at the floor and I grasp her hand where it sits loosely next to where we both sat leaning against the now clean bathroom wall. “Chal, I’m so sorry that happened to you.” My quiet apology slips out and is met with silence. “He shouldn’t have done that to you.” My voice is even quieter than before, my mind was drawn back to the memories of my own experience with Master Asher the day before. Chalice seems to notice my silence and she places a hand on my leg.

“Rosa, you okay?” Her concern pulls me out of my hellish memories for a moment and I sigh, pulling my knees into my chest. Chalice frowns at me with concern and I sigh, trying to stall, but Chalice’s eyes never leave my face. Eventually, I huff a dejected sigh and smooth my hair away from the left side of my neck, exposing the two deep puncture wounds Master Asher left me with last night. As she notices, Chalice gasps and I nod, covering the wound with my hair.

“Let’s get back to work.” I eventually reply after a silence stretches between us. Chalice nods and stands up, leaving the room silently through the door. I resume my mind-numbing task of cleaning the last room and washing the blood from my hands. Hiding them behind my back, I return to the room with the book of names and check to see my next task for the day. My last. Gulping down fear, I trail along the corridor and dip into the kitchen to see Mara. “Hey, Mar,” I call out and she turns, smiling.

“Hey, Rosa– What happened to your hands?!” She shrieks, rushing across the room and pulling me to sit down with her. She grips my hands a little too tightly in her grasp, the motion causing some of my wounds to reopen. “Rosa, your hands are freezing!” I shrug as she moves to grab a warm cloth and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. I glance over her shoulder until she moves the cloth over my cut hands. Ouch. Rubbing alcohol stings like a b***h. I scowl and curse under my breath, earning me a small smile from Mara. “What?”

She gives a small, secretive smile and shrugs, mischief dancing in her hazel brown eyes. “Nevermind.”

I laugh, hissing in pain when the rubbing alcohol comes into contact with my broken skin. “Ouch, Mar.” I move to swat her hand out of the way. She pulls a face at me and moves the cloth slowly over my skin. I wince as the alcohol stings, but slowly the pain diminishes. Eventually, Mara pulls her hand away and I can see the wounds close and scab. “Thanks, Mar. I owe you one.” She smiles and rinses the bloody cloth under the tap until the water runs clear. Noting her sudden silence, I c**k my head to the side and try to work out what’s up with her. “What’s wrong?” She pauses and turns her head to look in my direction.

“Nothing.” Her response is short and blunt. I frown. She smiles in my direction and I shoot her a look. “Rose, I’m serious it’s nothing.” She smiles again and I huff a sigh and drop it. She catches my frown and her mouth curves up in a smile.

“What?” I frown, trying to fight my own smile. Mara merely smiles again and turns her attention back to the sink. “Mar?” My voice is teasing but I sense she knows I’m not going to drop it until she replies.

“It’s nothing, Rose. Seriously, I’m fine.” She turns back to me, concern flashing across her face. “I’m worried about you, that's all.” She moves to sit across from me at the rickety wooden table, her gaze never leaving me. “I’m anxious for you, Rosa.” Mara’s voice drops to a whisper and I frown.

“I’ll be okay, Mar..” My voice slowly trails off as I glance at the clock over the stove. s**t. I’m nearly late. “Mar, I’m sorry I need to go.” My speech comes out garbled and rushed, but Mara seems to sense my urgency.

“Where?” She looks over her shoulder to see a pair of emerald green eyes shining from the shadows. “CHALICE!” Mara’s scream echoes through the whole kitchen, earning a few glares from the older staff. Chalice shuffles forward out of the shadows, her head bent towards the floor.

“Chal?” I ask softly when she doesn’t respond to Mara. “Chal, what is it?” I try not to panic. Until she looks up. Tear tracks mar her face in thin silvery trails that seemed almost permanently etched into her skin. Glancing up in one fast motion, she opens bloodshot eyes that still contain tears. Taking in her appearance, I notice an angry blue-black bruise on her left cheek and move to put my arms around her. She leans into my shoulder and sobs softly. “I’m sorry, Chal,” I whisper, pulling the other girl closer. Closing my own eyes, I turned and looked over to where Mara was still standing, watching Chalice with a sympathetic expression. After a while, I have to go and I leave Chalice with Mara.

Stepping out of the kitchen, I turn to where Mara still sits with Chalice at the kitchen table. She must have felt me watching her as she soon stands, having whispered something to Chalice, and walks over to me. “Will she be okay?” I ask as soon as we’re out of earshot. Mara’s face twists with pity and she shoots me a look. “What?”

“Something’s not right.” Is all she mutters and I shoot her a quizzical look. “Something’s not right.” She mumbles repeatedly until I grab her wrist and pull her to a stop.

“What’s wrong? Talk to me, please.” I plead with her until she relents.

“Something’s not right about this family, Rose. Something’s seriously wrong.” I frown at her and she shrugs before trying to brush the subject aside. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

“To find Master Asher.” My voice drops when I say his name and I involuntarily shiver. Mara catches onto my shiver and her concerned frown deepens. I shoot her a small smile but she never loses the frown. An uncharacteristically uncomfortable silence stretches between us as neither attempts to move until I decide to break the silence. “I actually don't know where I’m supposed to be going.. think you can show me, Mar?” I glance at her out of the corner of my eye and she nods, her usually expressive face closed off in thought. I study her as she leads me down the corridors, sensing a swirling storm of emotions behind her eyes.

We walked in slightly less than companionable silence for a long time, her lost in thought and me lost in my subtle analysis of my friend. Eventually, Mara laughs softly and looks over her shoulder at me. “Caught you.”

My cheeks flush red with shame. “Guilty as charged.” I joke, trying to lighten the mood a fraction. Mara laughs again and I feel some of the tension between us dissipate. I offer a shy smile and she shakes her head at me, still laughing. “What?”

“Rosa, I’m not mad at you so stop pretending I am.” Her light laughter echoes off the enclosing stone walls of the castle and I feel a small glimmer of laughter bubble up inside me until I have to fight my own smile. She seems to sense my smile as she turns and smiles at me, grabbing my hand and pulling me along gently. As she does so, I feel her start to pull me harder in a crazy dance that has us spinning and laughing uncontrollably.

“Stop!” I scream, my laughter bubbling up and exploding out of me. Mara laughs and pulls me harder, spinning me around in circles until the stone walls blur and melt into each other, my mind spinning. “MARA! STOP!” I’m still giggling hysterically when I feel my hand being ripped out of mine as I crash into something. Or more accurately, someone. s**t.

Landing in an undignified heap on the floor, I can see Mara standing a few feet away, shock and horror written all over her face. What? I mouth at her but she shakes her head and indicates to my left. Swallowing down fear, I turn to look at the person I had bumped into.

Looking up, I come face to face with a startling pair of emerald-violet eyes complete with delicate gold flecks. Hair a light ashy-blonde but with strong golden streaks running through it. Captivated by the otherworldly gaze of the figure before me I stay still for a long moment before my instincts kick in and I rip my gaze away instantly. “I’m sorry.” Is all I say, glancing at the floor in shame.

Hunter’s POV:

I can hear laughter as I wander the silent castle, lost in thoughts of my conversation with Selene a few days ago. I know she’s only looking out for me, but sometimes her crazy vigilance gets on my last f*****g nerve. Sighing, I turn a corner only to be attacked by a dark, spinning blur. As we come into contact, the figure before me drops to the floor in a tangled heap. Muted giggles come from where she’s lying as she sits up and looks over at the other girl she was with. Abruptly, the giggles stop and silent communication seems to pass between them for a moment before she visibly swallows and turns to look up at me.

What I’m not prepared for, however, is the mesmerising beauty of the face before me. Delicate brown-green hazel eyes with flecks of amber, gold and smoky brown layered over to create the perfect mosaic of colours too beautiful to look away from. Framed by dark lashes, the girl’s breath hitches and I can see she’s afraid. I maintain eye contact, however, fascinated by her dark hair and its subtle caramel-coloured streaks that seem so vibrant compared to the dreary surroundings. Her lips move and minutes later, she rips her gaze away from where she had been staring at me only for her to glance at the floor, a crimson-coloured blush exposing her shame.

“I’m sorry.” Is all she says. Her voice is soft and sounds like music to my sensitive hearing. I can hear the fear in her voice and I am puzzled. Why is she scared? Is it because of me? If so, why?

Blinking twice, I try to regain my earlier train of thought but visions of this dark-haired beauty keep breaking it. “What for?”

Rosalia’s POV:

“What for?” The man looks down at me and I can feel he is puzzled by my expression. When I don’t respond, he tries again. “What’s your name?”

“R-Rosalia Mallory” I stutter, my blush deepening when he moves my chin so I have to look him in the eyes. I swallow and he releases his hold on me, allowing me to stand and move over to Mara.

Glancing over at him, he seems oddly sad and I’m about to ask why when he speaks again. “Goodbye, Rosalia Mallory. Be safe.” With that, the man turns and walks down the corridor we had just vacated. Mara pulls my arm in the opposite direction and as we leave, I’m left with one question stuck in my mind: Why?