Nazmi had lost track of all sense of time. She had alternated between pitch black, strange dreams, and her own fearful inner dialogue. Even though she suffered great mental and emotional strife while she was asleep, as it turned out her body had done the opposite.
When she finally stirred awake, the first thing she noticed was how rested and strong her muscles felt. It was nice to finally feel a little healthy. She had always struggled with her frail constitution, so feeling a sense of sturdiness in her body was a new experience.
Nazmi wasn't able to relish in the feeling for very long. When she sat up and looked around, she realized she had no idea where the hell she was. It was a spacious and beautiful room, if you could even call it that. It was more of a large suite.
It had a large marble bath basin in one corner, complete with a towel rack and a small table for soaps and other items. In the middle of the space there was a beautiful sitting area with a plush red sofa and matching loveseat, centered around a mahogany coffee table.
In another corner was a small kitchenette with cabinets, a counter, stove, and even a tiny entrance to what she assumed to be a cooling room for perishable foods.
Then, last but not least, the bed she was sitting on. It was a huge piece of furniture! She had never witnessed something so extravagant, and that was even after seeing the twins' wizard house.
The bed was shaped like a wide slice of cake, with its point nuzzled tightly in the corner of the walls so that it fit perfectly. The curved edge of the bed that was exposed to the rest of the room had sheer red curtains that were currently tied open.
She sat atop crimson silk sheets that must have cost more than the entire house she grew up in with her father and adoptive grandparents.
It was then that she realized there were windows, but there wasn't a single door to be found.
Her mind started to race. What had even happened?!
Oh.
She had failed her attempt on Prince Samir's life, which then resulted in her own incapacitation. A deep groan escaped her chest when she recalled all of the events that led to her current situation.
Unfortunately, she didn't really know what happened after she had fallen asleep on top of him other than there was some sort of altercation and that he had destroyed most of her possessions.
…That could only mean she was in the custody of the vampires now – or Prince Samir himself, she should say.
"But why am I alive?" Nazmi said aloud.
"Great question." A deep, but now familiar, voice answered.
Nazmi startled as the prince in question appeared from nowhere directly in front of her. He was now sat at the edge of the bed, staring at her with his penetrative golden gaze. To her surprise, he wasn't looking at her with murderous intent… but she couldn't decipher any other emotion in his expression either.
Nazmi figured she really had nothing to lose. If he kept her alive after having access to her unconscious body, then he wouldn't likely end her life now, either. There must be a reason he needed her and not just her corpse.
So, with newfound confidence, she looked pointedly at the man. "If it's such a good question, why haven't you answered? Why aren't I dead, cruel Prince?"
"You're of use to me," he responded flatly, eyebrow twitching at the arrogance in her tone. "I want to use your blood, but what good would it be if I cut off my supply all at once?"
"You need my permission to do that, and I have awful news for you – I'm not going to let you drink it while I am alive," Nazmi hissed. "So it might be in your better interest to kill me. Besides, you had plenty of opportunity to drink the blood of my people when you assisted in their destruction."
Suddenly, she felt a tightening around her neck. Nazmi's breath became hindered and she started to panic. Her hands shot up to her throat, and she discovered there was something fastened around her neck.
"I don't think you understand your situation, bunny," Samir glared down his nose at her. "Your audacity is not admirable. It's irritating. Know your place, and watch your mouth from now on."
The asphyxiation ceased and she repeatedly gasped for air. She continued to feel around with her fingers, trying to identify whatever it was that had been choking her.
After she caught her breath, she spoke in a hoarse voice, "What have you done?!"
"It's primarily a preventative measure," he said lazily, standing from the bed with his back facing her. "Since you've already tried to take my life once, I'd rather you do not make a second attempt. I'm saving you the embarrassment of failing twice."
Nazmi's chest burned with rage, but she took a deep breath. She would rather not be strangled, so it would be best if she held her tongue.
"Primarily?" she asked. "Why else?"
"To observe you," he replied, turning to look at her again. "I never had the chance to study a nymph personally before. I was too young back then to do anything other than execute orders."
"Observe?" Nazmi echoed. "Like… you can spy on me through this thing? What even is it?"
He gave a wry smile. "A collar, and yes."
"A… a what?!" She lamented. "You expect me to wear this like a dog while you watch through it? Have you no decency or shame?"
"Yeah."
Nazmi was at a loss for words. How could one man be so incredibly and irrevocably insufferable? What kind of disgusting asshole was she really dealing with? Being violent and cruel was one thing, but this sort of sadistic humor was about to push her over the edge.
Surely there would be a way to remove the device, and then she could escape. Maybe she could even steal it and use it for her own purposes later…
He spoke up again. "Any attempts to remove it will result in strangulation. Any attempts on my life will result in the automatic injection of poison. Only I have the antidote."
"…"
Could he hear her thoughts?!
He heaved an irritated sigh. "No, I can't read your mind if that's what you're wondering. I am able to read most human and lower level vampires' thoughts, actually – but not yours. I guess because you're a nymph."
"Good." Nazmi said angrily.
"I doubt there would be any thoughts to hear, though, so I don't feel like it's a loss."
"What the f-"
"Anyway, I am keeping you around for entertainment, and to learn more about what I stand to gain from you. I'll get your permission to drink your blood one way or another, or maybe I'll decide to off you after all. Either way, I'm not in a hurry," he had interrupted her without a care in the world. "I'm a busy man, plenty of things to do in the meantime. Sorcerers to impale, human villages to raze."
She chose to ignore his ridiculous declarations and instead decided to address the most pressing issue. "You're going to just keep me here? In this room?"
"This is my room. You're only required to stay here in the evenings, but you're free to go anywhere within the premises of my court and all other buildings that belong to my palace. It functions autonomously from the main palace, so you'll find plenty to do here," he explained.
"…You're just going to let me wander your grounds?" she asked incredulously. "What kind of captor are you?"
"A very gracious one!" Samir replied with a condescending smile. "I'm going to assign you one maid and one servant, and I can hear and see everything you're doing throughout the day through the collar. I might as well let you busy yourself, since there's no way you can cause any problems."
Nazmi couldn't wrap her head around her situation at all. "Why do I have to spend nights in your room? I don't really want to spend any time with you, and I'm sure you feel the same. Couldn't you just give me my own?"
"You're awfully demanding," he said in a warning tone. "This room is secure with multiple barriers made with dark magic, and is impenetrable by all intruders. No one can even enter except me, and now you – but only because you have the collar on. It also blocks any foreign magic, so you'll be unable to cast any spells."
Nazmi sighed. "Ah. So it's to keep me in check."
"Yes. Besides, you look less disgusting without the human disguise on, so that's a bonus for me. I won't get as sick seeing you," he said.
"Oh, right." She didn't have time to get annoyed with his snide remark; she hadn't even considered that her glamour spell would be nullified too.
Nazmi glanced down at her arms. It had been so long since she had last seen her natural appearance. It was almost foreign looking at the red and gray flowers that grew from her skin in various places. She reached a hand up to her ear and gingerly felt the tip of it.
She sighed contentedly as she dragged her fingers across the long, pointed tip of her ear. It extended around eight inches longer when in her nymph form.
"You have to maintain human glamour when outside of the room though. I'm keeping your identity a secret, so you're just my pet as far as everyone else is concerned." Samir explained and watched her curiously. "Is it uncomfortable wearing that disguise all the time?"
"Yes," she answered quietly, closing her eyes and sighing with relief. She was once again choosing to ignore the idiocy leaving his mouth. "It feels like taking off tight shoes that are several sizes too small after a long day."
"I suppose you didn't have many chances to remove the glamour," he said thoughtfully. Then he added in a snarky tone. "Lest you be hunted down and treated like livestock."
"I can't stand you." Nazmi spat, finally irritated enough to retort again. She reopened her eyes to glare at him. "We don't have to share the bed, right? I'll probably want to stab you in your sleep."
"Don't worry," he said, walking toward an empty space in the wall. A door appeared when he got close enough. "You're welcome to use the bed. I only sleep in the room a few times a week. On those days, the floor or sofas will accommodate you just fine."
'This. Bastard!'