Kaine tightened his hand on her neck for another moment before stepping back. His eyes glowed red as he greeted his brother, “Little brother. How nice of you to join us.”
Vanessa trembled as she heard the voice, but also felt relief rush through her. She had been saved… for now. She wanted to open her eyes and thank the man who had come to her rescue, but she dared not.
However, instead of leaving her alone as the new voice had requested, she once again felt Kaine’s hard fingers grasp her chin and raise it.
“Come now, Brother. I am older than you. I just want to enjoy your slave for a while. I will return her to you when I am done. Can you not do that for your elder brother?”
“And since when did I share with the likes of you, Prince Kaine?,” the new voice drawled.
Prince Kaine tightened his fingers on the slave’s neck and spoke, “Then I am taking this slave. I’d like to see what you can do.”
“You can try. But you won’t like the consequences if you do not let go of my slave now,” the voice drawled back.
Prince Kaine smirked. He let go of Vanessa’s chin as he replied amicably, “Since my brother wants this slave so badly that he is even willing to fight me, I will let her go… this time. But be careful, brother, I will definitely teach her to be a good slave if she dares to fight me in the future. Go have fun with your new plaything…”
“She is my assistant, and you will treat her as such!” Prince Klyde ordered sternly, this time.
Prince Kaine threw his head back and laughed. He whistled, walking away as he said, “Food is food, Klyde. It does not need respect. It was nice making your acquaintance, human. I look forward to having you… in the future. But of course, I won’t be as gentle as today!”
As Kaine walked away, Vanessa finally gathered her courage to open her eyes. However, before she could fully open them, her wrist was caught, and she was pulled through the corridor.
Once they’d arrived at their destination, the man pulled her into the room before letting go of her hand, moving towards the large table in the middle of the room.
Vanessa looked around the room with trepidation as she tried to catch her breath. Was this a library? Or maybe the prince’s office? This must be Prince Klyde then?
As her eyes finally moved to the prince, her jaw dropped. He was too handsome for a bloodsucking monster. Even though his skin was pale, his eyes were blue like the sky, rimmed with only a little bit of red on the sides. He looked like he had been carved out of the finest marble.
But he looked so mean and cold, even worse than the man who had just almost bitten her.
While Vanessa was making her observations, Prince Klyde was also taking in his new slave.
There were bruises on her neck and chin, which his brother was responsible for. Her hair had come a bit undone, delicately framing her pretty face. Her plump lips were moist, while the standard slave uniform looked better than any exquisite gown on a woman he had seen.
Instantly, a wave of possessiveness rushed over him.
This woman, this slave, would belong to him only. He had always been possessive but what he felt for this human… he ignored the feeling for now and questioned her.
“What is your name, human?”
Vanessa shook out of her stupor and moved her gaze downwards towards the carpet as she whispered, “Vanessa.”
The name rolled off his tongue as Prince Klyde repeated with a smile, “Vanessa… Come here.”
Wary, Vanessa walked towards him in small steps.
The prince pointed to the documents on the desk and spoke, “Vanessa, you belong to me now. That means that I am the only one you answer to. These are the rules for you. You will be working for me, so you have to be prepared to follow these rules or face the consequences.”
The last part of the sentence caused Vanessa to shiver in fear. She quickly bent her knee and curtsied, “Yes, Your Highness.”
“You will call me ‘Master’, Vanessa.”
Vanessa gulped and asked, “What will be my duties… Master?”
“You will be my personal assistant. There are things I need help with around the office. Just stay close to me, and I will tell you as time goes on.” Prince Klyde paused and examined her carefully before continuing, “But first, we must sign a blood contract.”
Vanessa stumbled backwards as she heard the words. Her instincts urged her to make a run for it when she heard the word ‘blood’. She could feel her stomach start to churn as the horrible visions started to flash before her eyes.
Prince Klyde could smell Vanessa's fear, also noticing her eyes moving towards the door; It looked like she was contemplating about running away. Standing up, he instantly covered the distance between them.
Looking into her eyes, he repeated his earlier words, “You belong to me now, Vanessa!”
Unexpectedly, Vanessa questioned him, “As an assistant or as a meal?”
While Prince Klyde was stumped at her bravery, Vanessa placed both her hands on her mouth as the words were blurted out of her…
Leaning back in his big chair, Klyde placed his chin on his palm. He was quite enjoying this slave. She had already angered his half-brother, and now she was questioning him. No one other than his father had ever dared to question him in his life. There was that feeling again as he looked at her.
While Prince Klyde stared at her with amusement, Vanessa breathed deeply and tried to ask as humbly as she could, “But Master, why is there a need for blood? You only need me to work for you. You do not need my blood. Can we not have that?”
Calmly, Prince Klyde reiterated, “You are mine, Vanessa. And the blood contract will let people know of my ownership…of you.”
As if the thought of being food was not enough, Vanessa was even angrier at the thought of being owned by someone. Was she a table or chair that he would dare to mark her? Was she furniture?
Before she could think better, her feet moved, and she raced towards the door. She had heard enough and needed to get out of here.