Simone began to stir as she tried to pull out of her restless sleep. She forced her eyes open, even though it hurt to do so. She took in the sight of the strange bed covers and tried to remember how she got there. Nothing came to mind. She had no idea how she ended up in a foreign bed.
She turned her head to the side and saw a man staring at her in amusement. Furthermore, she didn't flinch back or show any fear. Not only that, but she just stared back at the familiar features. The dark blue- gray eyes were now searching into hers as if attempting to intimidate her. His face looked like the same strong jaw line, sharp nose, but there was something different in the way he was looking at her. As if it were his first time seeing her.
He stood up from the chair across the room and went to sit on the side of her bed. The bed dipped as his face came into better view. He hovered above her, and with him up close, she could tell he was not the same man from the night before.
He didn't say anything, only stared at her face like he was trying to memorize it.
"I'm dreaming, right? This has to be a dream." Otherwise, she would be freaking out like any normal person would be in this situation.
"I'm flattered you think so."
Who was this cocky son of-? Maybe it was Damien. Why was she getting a feeling it wasn't?
"Don't be. I dream of dogs too." It was in her nature to deflate men's egos.
His laugh sent chills down her spine. Was she dreaming? She gripped the covers. It was the realest dream she had ever had.
"You're not Damien," she examined the man in front of her thoroughly, "you look similar, but your eyes are too close and your smile is more crooked."
"You're lying."
She raised her brow in a challenge. Who was this man? Of course, she was. This man looked exactly like Damien, but she was going by a gut feeling.
The Damien look-alike smirked, and his eyes caressed her with fascination. "He was right."
"What? Who was right?"
"I'm Darius, Damien's brother."
Simone tried pushing herself up but was struck with dizziness. It was a familiar sensation she wasn't proud of. "Was I drugged?"
His silence was an answer. "It will help you cope with this new transition."
"What the hell are you talking about? Where am I?" Perhaps the drug was wearing off because she was starting to hyperventilate.
She was kidnapped.
"Luna calm down. We mean you no harm. We won't hurt you." The brush of his old British accent distracted her, but only for a second.
"What the hell do you want from me?"
His eyes were like a trigger, a trigger that sent her mind to lala land.
She felt like she was hit with another dose of drugs. Her hands stopped shaking and instead of chaos, her mind was clear all of a sudden.
"Don't be scared. We won't hurt you." He pressed into her conscious.
Probably to trick her into making him feel like a friend.
"I have to go, but I want you to get washed up. Athena will come by in a few minutes to escort you to another room. There is where I will answer all your questions."
She controlled her breathing as he got up to leave.
"You also have a roommate who is currently in the washroom."
Roommate? She threw the covers off so she could stand. What was this, a sorority? Darius was gone by the time the bathroom door flew open. A tall brunette girl with bouncy curls came out looking just as confused.
"Hey," the girl said awkwardly as she approached Simone, "I'm Lacey."
"Simone."
Lacey gave her a small smile, and then turned to stare around the extravagant room. Simone did the same since she hadn't already. The room was plenty big for two people, with two full beds on either side. The walls were covered in elegant red and gold Victorian wallpaper that gave the room a feel of old glamour. The bedpost, night stands, and tables were all a dark cherry wood that went well with the feel of the decor. It looked like a room out of a palace.
"So you were kidnapped too?" Lacey trailed on the delicate subject.
"Yeah, but my question is who kidnapped us?" Simone picked up a solid gold hand mirror off the vanity. "The prince of England?"
"This place is ridiculous. That bathroom is twice the size of my room back home."
"Do you think this is a dream?" Simone wasn't knocking out that theory until it was proven otherwise.
Lacey shrugged. "Maybe. It's not the worst dream to have. I just remember meeting a gorgeous looking guy one second, then the next waking up in this palace."
"I'm not buying it. What if it's all a catch, like we're actually going to be sold into sex slavery? Like some high-class shit. Oh, God!." Now her mind was spinning with the horrible, endless possibilities.
"If that's the case, we'll stick together and find a way out." Lacey seemed more sane than Simone was at the moment.
"I need a drink."
Simone went to the bathroom and splashed some water onto her face. None of this made sense. Why was she there? Why was Lacey? There were too many questions floating in her head. Simone pushed them aside and noticed a new toothbrush on the sink. She rolled her eyes and started to use it.
When she stepped out of the bathroom, there was another girl in the room. She was in her mid-twenties, wearing a tight floor length red dress. She had pretty short strawberry-blonde hair that shine like a reddish moonlight.
"Are you ready?" she asked.
Simone only nodded. She assumed the girl was Athena from what Darius had told her. Athena led them into the hall, which matched the interior of their room.
The whole place was beautifully romantic with the Victorian appeal to it. As they entered the study, Simone was shocked to come face to face with eight other girls in the same room. Her sex slavery theory didn't seem so farfetched anymore.
Blondes, brunettes, and even a redhead or two were scattered about the massive room. Simone's heart screamed at the sight of her best friend's face.
"Leah!" she cried out, not caring whether they had an audience or not.
Her friend turned around, unraveling hopeful suspicion. "Oh Simone I can't believe you're here too," she said pulling Simone into a hug.
They pulled apart and examined each other, but of course, neither one of them was physically harmed, which made things that just more weird.
"Do you know what's going on?'
Simone shook her head. "Whatever it is, we're going to get out of here one way or another." She promised confidently.
Then, pulling the ladies out of their conversation with a clearing of the throat, all eyes turned to the noise. There stood three beautiful, gorgeous men that looked identical in almost every way.
Their dark brown hair slightly curled at the ends, their piercing blue-gray eyes scanning through the women, their pale skin accenting their flawless features. They gave no indication of danger, but more of interest and amusement.
The one in the middle stepped forward, which Simone predicted as Darius. The girls were enthralled at the spectacle of these hot men. It wasn't their fault. It was like being under a spell.
"Ladies," he started off in a sultry voice that could calm any storm. "We know that all of you may be confused right now, but we're here to clear a few things."
"You all are here for a vital reason. You were specifically chosen by each one of us because we saw something in you."
He took a dramatic pause to scan the room of helpless women. Simone sat on the wooden table behind her. She figured his answer was going to make her feel sick.
"My brothers and I as you can tell are identical, but what you don't know is that we're not human. We are vampires, and you are now in the vampire world."
Simone along with three other girls burst into a fit of laughter. He had to be joking. Maybe they were on some kind of stupid reality show.
"So you guys are not only gorgeous, but you are mentally insane also," one of the girls said from the front.
All three of the brothers were smirking. "Do you want me to prove it?"
Before she could answer him, he was standing beside her with her neck in his hand. He was hoisting her up in the air, using no effort at all. The sounds of gasps coming from every girl. Darius put the struggling blonde girl back on her feet.
She threw her hands up protectively around her neck, but Darius didn't let go. He pulled her hands away, forcing them down. She whined, but he only gave her a devilish smile that would send anyone to their grave. He leaned towards her neck and bared his sharp teeth. The blonde felt his fangs scratching at her skin.
"Do you need any more proof?"
"N-no," She shrieked.
He took a step back. And She collapsed on the ground, gasping for air and rubbing her neck, but no one made a move to help her.
Everyone was too stunned to move.
"I am Darius. This is Damien," he pointed to his left, then to his right, "and Lucien. We are the three princes of the vampire world in this kingdom. You are no longer in your world, but ours. The reason you are here is that we are looking for our future queen. One of you lucky ladies will be the next ruler of our kingdom and will have one of us by your side."
"Wait, so we're not on earth anymore?"
"Think of it as an alternate earth. There are portals that link us to your home. You are indeed in a supernatural world."
Simone couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was worse than she feared. "Why a human? Did you run out of female vampires?" Simone mocked.
She saw Damien chuckle. "They're not as sweet," Marcus replied, playing Simone with his eyes.
"Not all humans are sweet, Damien. Some of us are poisonous. So be careful."
It was definitely a threat.
She was not falling for their perfect and the simple explanation. They were hiding some gruesome stuff about their unnatural world. If it were even true at all because she still couldn't believe it.
"This is a competition?" Another girl asked.
"Yes. The more time we spend with you will hopefully reveal which one is capable of ruling our kingdom. It is our tradition to find a human rather than an existing vampire."
"Well aren't we lucky," Simone said, rolling her eyes.
"You should be honored."
Simone raised her brow to the voice that spoke because it belonged to the brother she hadn't met.
Lucien was stiff with his posture and his jaw was so tight she thought he might shatter his teeth to bits.
"So honored dear prince, and privileged," her sarcasm was driven by anger. "But what if I would rather not play your game?"
"You don't have a choice."
"Your experience here will not be like any other," Damien she concluded was the brother with the most compassion. "You will be staying in a palace, have food catered, and go on a few dates with us. It's not like you'll be tortured. I promise after a few days you won't want to go back home."
He was reeling in the upside to the dark contract. It wasn't as shabby, but could they be trusted?
"At the end if you wish to go back, then the choice is yours."
"Just like that? Wouldn't you try to stop us, since we know your secret?" Lacey asked an important practical question.
"Who would believe you? We would disappear. You wouldn't know where to find us. People would think you're a lunatic."
Most of the girls were far too calm, but it might have been, but that was due to the drugs.
"Now ladies, I believe that some of you are hungry. So, if you will follow us, we shall enter the dining room where we will be happy to answer more of your questions."
The three princes stepped to their right and practically walked in sync as they exited the room.
The girls slowly began to follow the princes down the elegant grand hall. The dark wood of the walls made the feel of the narrow hall seem that much gloomier. They entered a massive eating den that had a table set for forty people. It was decorated with food that smelled divine.