"Where the hell do you think you're going?" The Prince demanded. He grabbed her waist as she stood and turned her around to face him. She was pulled in between his knees, where he securely trapped her.
They were equal in height with her standing, and him being seated – so the two of them were eye-to-eye.
Nazmi only had a few moments to make a decision. What role should she take? Surely nothing too eccentric, so she wouldn't stand out… maybe a soft and quiet woman? An apologetic and frightened one?
Unfortunately, despite all of these thoughts, her distaste for him got the better of her. None of her logical thinking was translated to action.
Instead, she glared into his eyes and demanded, "Release me."
Samir looked back at her with distaste. He reached forward and gripped her wrists tightly, then pulled her closer. Their noses were only a few inches apart. In the dim lamplight of the casino room, they could only really see each other.
Everyone else in the building had fallen silent as soon as they saw that the Prince had been disturbed. All of these vampires were more fearful of their master than Nazmi herself was.
"I won't." The Prince stated in an aggressive whisper. "Not until you explain yourself."
"What is there to explain, young master?" She asked with a sarcastic grin. "I'm trying to get out of your hair and leave. You're the one hindering me."
Samir's brow twitched in irritation. Without warning, he stood from his seat. He tightly held both of her wrists with one hand, ensuring she didn't run away.
Nazmi felt a chill run down her spine. She hasn't realized exactly how much larger he was than her until that moment.
Her eyes trembled as they traveled up his tall, muscular frame. Samir was at least a foot, if not more, taller than she was. His skin was a deep brown, and his desert attire still hid half his face. She could see the faint glow of his venomous golden eyes looking down at her.
All of her witty remarks died in her throat.
Without a word, he began dragging her out of the building. She had to run to keep up, which was difficult given the excruciatingly strong hold he had on her wrists. It was like being handcuffed, but with handcuffs that squeezed harder when they were irritated.
Nazmi wanted to cry out in protest, but when she opened her mouth to speak… no words came out. It was as if there was a block between her brain and lips. No matter how hard she tried, no sounds left her tired, dry lips.
Nazmi's eyes became wet with frustration. Where was he going to take her!? Was this how she would meet her end?
Then, a thought occurred to her.
If he was taking her somewhere that they would be alone, she may be able to enact her plan for assassination. Her anger quelled slightly at the idea, and took several deep breaths to ease the tension she had started to feel.
As the two walked, Nazmi suddenly felt like someone was watching her. She turned her head from one side to another, attempting to find the source – when finally, slightly behind her she noticed two pairs of familiar blue eyes.
Aero and Shea were staring at her in complete disbelief. Nazmi assumed that they had gotten their samples and were ready to leave. She gave them a smile, and winked.
Her actions only served to confuse them, but she had no time to try and clarify.
"Don't look at them." He warned, tugging harshly on her arms. "I'll kill them if you do. With one hand, while I hold you like this."
Nazmi wanted to shout in pain. His pull nearly dislocated both of her shoulders! She became more and more bitter each second she spent with him, but still decided to listen.
There was no reason to put her friends at jeopardy, too.
It was only a few minutes of being dragged through the small town center before they arrived at their destination. There had been a great amount of curious and fearful eyes watching the whole spectacle as they went.
Samir dragged her into a small, but fancy tent. It had a desk and large chair in the middle, with a nice cot set to the side. He allowed the cloth doors to shut behind them, then threw her onto the ground. Sand got into her mouth and eyes with the harsh shove.
Papers were strewn over the desk, but he simply brushed them onto the floor and sat on top of the expensive wooden surface. He unwrapped the cloth from his head and mouth, revealing an incredibly handsome face.
Long, wavy brown hair that was nearly the same color as his skin tumbled out over his shoulders. His facial features were full and masculine, but not overly pointed or gaunt. The prince's eyes were gold, as were all royal vampires', and were bottomless. It was like they were empty and void of emotion, but full of overwhelming power at the same time.
Nazmi had always been under the assumption she would find most vampires ugly simply because she hated their kind. She had been mostly disgusted and disinterested in the other vampires within the camp, but it didn't seem to be the case with him. One of the few vampires she wanted to completely hate the most, was the first one she found handsome.
He continued to glower down at her small, sand-covered form. "Who are you?"
The nymph felt the block that had prevented her from speaking disappear. She looked up at him angrily. Although she was more than ready to attack him right then and there, she had to play her cards right.
Mix a little truth with supporting lies.
She heaved herself into a seated position on the sand. "Nazmi."
"That's not a common vampire name," he observed, crossing one of his legs over the other. "What are you doing here?"
"I was just passing through with a few of my friends," she replied with a cough. She reached up and started wiping sand from her tongue.
He narrows his eyes. "The rats that caused a scene in the infirmary? Started an argument with the nurses for no reason?"
"Those are the ones, yeah," she said apprehensively. She didn't really want to admit that, but it seemed he already knew more than she had assumed he did. It would be best to be honest to develop some semblance of rapport.
Samir scoffed. "You're just going to admit it?"
"You clearly already knew," Nazmi said sarcastically. "Why would I lie to someone who knows better? Sounds like a good way to lose my head."
The Prince heaved a sigh. "So, you're Nazmi from nowhere in particular that was just passing through with her troublesome friends who have already left the premises."
"Right," she said, nodding.
"You've told me nothing besides the fact you were colluding with those obnoxious sorcerers," he stated flatly. "What's your purpose? Are you a spy for the wizards?"
She was surprised he had identified the twins as sorcerers already, but sighed and answered briefly, "I'm not a spy, nor colluding with them in anyway. I came here for you."
"You're telling the truth," he said with a troubled expression, idly fidgeting with a large ruby ring on his thumb. "But the real question is, what are you?"
"A vampire, of course," Nazmi said. She was staring up at him with disgust as she said it.
Prince Samir knelt down on one knee and looked at her. He lifted a hand and removed her head and face covering, revealing her full head of gray hair and porcelain skin. He dragged his fingers along the inside of her forearm, down to her wrist that was beginning to bruise from his strength earlier.
"Cold skin," he said, looking at her with a sardonic smile. "That's the only thing you have in common with vampires. You're small and weak, have no superior vision or strength, and no fangs."
Nazmi started feeling nervous. She felt frozen by his eyes, a tremble running through her body despite her attempts to remain calm.
He continued. "You are friends with those magic-wielding bastards, which a vampire would never do. I almost believed you were somehow just the sorriest and most pitiful excuse of a vampire when you first fell into me because of your aura… but whatever spell they cast or potion they gave you to have vampiric aura is gone.
But, to my surprise, you don't have a witch or human aura either."
Her heart dropped into her stomach. He had really discovered her secret so easily? Did he know what she was?
"There are very few things you could be. Since you won't tell me, I'll have to do a few… tests."