SLAVE TO THE VAMPIRE KING

BOUND IN SHADOWS

The soft, rhythmic knocking on the door tugged me from an uneasy slumber. My body ached, stiff from the hours spent curled against the cold, unyielding floor. Slowly, I opened my eyes, the dim light of the room doing little to alleviate the weight pressing on my chest. My throat was dry, my limbs heavy, and for a fleeting moment, hope fluttered weakly in my chest.

Someone had come to save me.

But the door remained locked. Reality crashed down around me like shards of broken glass. No one had come. No one was coming. Tears burned in my swollen eyes, spilling down my cheeks before I could stop them. A fresh wave of despair consumed me.

The knocks grew louder, persistent, as if the person outside had all the time in the world. My voice caught in my throat, hoarse and fragile from hours of screaming into the void. Finally, I managed a croak.

“Th-The door is locked…from the outside,” I said, each word a struggle against the suffocating weight in my chest.

“Oh! My bad. Please wait a moment,” came the reply, the voice soft and melodic, almost cheerful. It was jarring—so out of place in the suffocating tension of this space.

I flinched as the lock clicked, the sound sharp and foreign. The door creaked open, revealing a petite woman with an almost motherly expression. Her eyes swept over me, her lips pursing in a mixture of pity and disapproval.

“Girl, you’re a mess!” she exclaimed, stepping into the room. “Did you really sleep on the floor all night?”

Her words stung more than I cared to admit, but I said nothing, my silence stretching between us like a chasm. I didn’t trust her. I didn’t trust anyone.

“Don’t worry,” she said after a moment, as if sensing my hesitation. “He’s not here. And before you start freaking out, I’m human—just like you. I work here.”

Her casual tone caught me off guard, and my brows knitted together in confusion. “You…you know about them?” I asked, my voice trembling.

“Know what?” She glanced at me over her shoulder as she busied herself tidying the room. “About vampires? Of course, I do!”

I gaped at her. How could she say it so casually, like we were talking about the weather? “How can you be so calm about this?” My voice rose, cracking with disbelief. “These are monsters! They’re dangerous! They could kill you! Don’t you fear them?”

She stopped mid-motion, her gaze sharp and unwavering as it met mine. “Fear?” she repeated, her voice softer now. “Fear doesn’t save anyone. You’re alive because of him. You should remember that.”

I flinched, her words cutting deep. “Alive?” My voice cracked. “He dragged me here like I was cattle. He brought me to an auction, a place where people like us are sold like property. And now I’m just…stuck here?”

Her expression softened, but there was no pity in her eyes. “Look, I know this isn’t easy to hear, but it’s how things work. Now, go clean yourself up and meet me downstairs. I’ll explain your duties.”

“Duties?” I repeated, my tone laced with disbelief.

“Yes, duties. You’re going to work here,” she said matter-of-factly, brushing past me to the door.

“I’m not anyone’s servant!” My anger bubbled to the surface, spilling over in sharp, bitter words.

“Well, you are now,” she replied without missing a beat. Her voice held no malice, just a simple, brutal truth. “If you want to survive in this place, you’ll do what they say. That’s how it is.”

I stared at her retreating back, my mind reeling. Work for vampires? Live like a servant? How could anyone accept that? A dull ache spread through my chest as I grappled with the enormity of my new reality.

Another knock shattered the silence, this one sharper, more commanding. Reluctantly, I dragged myself to the door, my muscles protesting every movement. When I opened it, I was met with the unnerving sight of a woman whose beauty bordered on otherworldly.

Her piercing violet eyes locked onto mine, a smirk curling her lips. “So, this is the new girl?” she said, her tone dripping with condescension.

“Yes, Madame Hayley,” another maid replied from behind her, her head bowed.

Madame Hayley stepped closer, her gaze sweeping over me with a predatory intensity that made my skin crawl. “I’ll take her as my personal maid,” she declared, her voice tinged with amusement.

My stomach churned, anger and humiliation warring within me. “Wait! I’m not a maid. I’m not anything! I just want to go home!” My voice rose, shaking with desperation.

The smirk vanished from Hayley’s face, replaced by a cold, calculating stare. “Slave,” she corrected, her voice icy and sharp. “Did you just yell?”

The word hit me like a slap. Slave. The very sound of it made my blood boil.

“I am not a slave!” I shouted, tears streaming down my face. “I’m human! I was taken from my home—against my will! I don’t owe anyone anything. I just want to go home!”

From the shadows, a voice emerged, deep and commanding. “You’re wrong, slave. You do owe me.”

I froze, my breath catching in my throat. Slowly, I turned to face him. His presence filled the room, suffocating and magnetic all at once. His gaze pierced through me, dark and unrelenting.

“You belong to me,” he said, each word deliberate, cutting. “I paid ten million dollars to save your life. Do you know what that means?”

Confusion clouded my thoughts. “Why?” I whispered, barely audible. “Why did you bring me here? I’ve done nothing to you.”

His laugh was low and humorless. “Why? If I hadn’t intervened, you’d be dead. Your blood drained, your body discarded. Is that what you wanted?”

His words struck like a physical blow. I stumbled back, shaking my head. “I didn’t ask for this,” I said, my voice trembling. “I didn’t ask for you to save me.”

His lips curled into a chilling smile. “And yet, here you are. Alive. Because of me. And now, you’ll repay me.”

“What do you want?” I demanded, my fear bubbling into anger. “What do I have to do to get out of here?”

His grin widened, wicked and unashamed. “I want your virginity,” he said, his tone casual, almost amused. “It’s a fair trade for what I spent.”

Shock rooted me in place, and for a moment, all I could do was stare. Then the rage came, burning away my fear.

“In your f*****g dreams,” I hissed, my voice steady despite the tremor in my hands.

His smile disappeared, and with a snap of his fingers, the world tilted. Darkness rushed in, and I collapsed into its embrace, his chilling gaze the last thing I saw.