Ryvian shivered under her torn and ripped blanket and pressed herself farther into the hard bricks behind her.

How long had it been since she had eaten or slept?

She had lost count of the days, but the gnawing hunger ripped at her stomach and her eyelids felt as if they were filled with lead.

She sighed as she felt the last of her strength leave her body. 

Is this the end? Am I going to die here?

She was scared of death just as anyone else would be, but the thought of no longer having to struggle was somehow comforting. Even if the afterlife was just nothingness she was sure that was better than this life.

She slowly slumped to the cold and dirty concrete of the dark alley. As she closed her eyes two leather boots stepped in front of her vision.

Her consciousness slipped away but just before she passed out a gentle and deep voice spoke to her.

"Don't give up, not yet"

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Ryvian could feel beneath her something she hadnt felt in a long time

A very soft mattress and sheets.

She slowly opened her eyes, to see before her a dimly lit room. 

From what she could see she was in a large canopied bed with a thick, expensive looking blanket thrown over her frail body. She slowly sat up and squinted trying to make out what the rest of the room looked like. 

It was large and filled with expenise looking gold trimmed furniture and ornate carpets and blinds.

As she went to rub the sleep from her eyes she felt something tug against her hand. 

She looked down to see a IV had been placed into the vein on her hand and tube ran into an IV bag filled with clear liquid.

Immediately Ryvian had a flashback to all the times she had been poked and prodded with needles and given strange liquids just like this.

She ripped the IV out, wincing at the pain and got to her feet, beginning to panic.

She couldnt go through that again. Never again would she allow herself to be experimented on.

Her legs gave out as she took a step.

The door to the room slowly opened and a man with leather boots walked in. He saw Ryvian on the floor and ran to her side.

She flinched at his approach.

"Are you ok? You shouldn't be out of bed yet, you're very dehydrated and malnourished." The man said, as he gently helped her up and sat her on the bed. 

He kneeled in front of her but Ryvian looked away, not wanting to make eyecontact with her kidnapper.

What is he planning on doing with me?

"Hey, I'm not here to hurt you. I found you in an alleyway dying and I couldn't just leave you there." Said the man moving his head into her line of sight so she was forced to look at him.

She was met with dazzling blue eyes and a handsome, chiseled face.

The man was tall and lanky, had jet black hair pulled back in a ponytail and the beginnings of a stubbly beard. He was dressed in all black, a long trench coat, gloves, and a vest. He obviously came from money.

As she looked at him she couldn't tell how old he was. At one angle he looked in his early 20's and at another he looked much older.

There was no way he was human.

"Where am I? What do you plan to do with me?" Ryvian asked him. Her voice shaking with fear.

"You're in my house, well, one of them. What do I plan to do with you? Absolutely nothing. You can leave once you're able to walk without falling if you want." Said the man gentle "you aren't a prisoner here. You are a guest, and you can stay as long as you want".

Ryvian didn't believe him even for a second, not with what he was.

"But you're a vampire, why would you just let me leave?" She said, glaring straight into his blue eyes.

He seemed caught off guard that she knew, but nodded understandingly. 

"If you've met another of my kind I can understand the lack of trust. However, I'm one of the few who are fond of humans." He said.

Ryvian grimaced,

"The last one of your kind that told me they were 'fond of humans' used me as a guinea pig for his experiments…" she said.

The man got to his feet and walked towards the door.

"I'm not going to try to convince you that my kind are good, because they are not. The door is unlocked, the nearest exit is down the hall to the right, down the steps, and out the front door. The city is about 10 miles South. If you want to stay you may. Dinner will be served to you by one of my servants in about 15 minutes." He said, looking back at her. "My name is Arkonus by the way" and with a sad look he closed the heavy wooden door behind him.

She waited to hear the click of a lock, but it never came.

Ryvian's mind was racing.

What should she do? She could barely walk so leaving might be out of the question, but what if this was her only chance?

She laid back on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. 

But maybe being here isn't so bad?

She grabbed one of the soft pillows and burried her face in it.

Nothing was waiting for her outside of here except pain and loneliness. 

Her stomach grumbled and she groaned.

Maybe she would wait until she ate before making a decision.

Not much time passed before a maid not much older than Ryvian walked through the door with a silver tray.

She was short, with short curly red hair, and green eyes. A bridge of bright freckles lay across her nose.

"Hello, my names Amy, I'm one of the maids here. Lord Arkonus wanted me to bring you some food. He told me if you were still here to ask you to come see him in his office after you're done eating." She said as she set the silver tray down on the bed next to Ryvian. On the tray was a bowl of cinnamon oatmeal and a small cup of water.

Ryvian's stomach growled loudly as she looked at the oatmeal. 

"Lord Arkonus's office is just down the hall to the left, he said he'll leave the door open for you"

The maid then left and Ryvian scarfed down the oatmeal quicker than she had ever eaten before.

As she ate the last bite a tear ran down her face. She couldn't remember the last time she had had a warm meal, let alone one this delicious.

Mom used to make good oatmeal too before we moved

Ryvian shook her head, she didn't want to think about her good for nothing parents right now.

After eating she carefully put the tray and expensive looking dishes on the side table next to the bed and slowly got to her feet.

She was walking a little better now but was still unsteady.

Holding on to the walls she walked out into the long hallway. 

Just like the room she had been in it was dimly lit.

The walls were covered in various artwork in fancy frames and inticate wood paneling.

She slowly made her way down the hallway. 

Towards the end a door was open just a crack and a gentle and warm light seeped out onto the walls and floorboards.

Ryvian slowly opened the door the rest of the way and walked in.

The man from before was sitting at a desk. Glasses now sitting on the bridge of his nose and piles of paperwork lying before him.

He looked up as she entered and smiled warmly.

"I'm surprised you stayed, but happy that you did" he said as he gestured for her to sit across from him in a fancy red velvet chair.

She cautiously sat down and avoided eye contact.

"The only thing waiting for me outside of here is a fate similar to how you found me" she said bitterly.

He nodded solemnly.

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about" he said putting the papers he had been holding down on his desk.

"How about I find a place for you to stay long term, as well as ways for you to sustain yourself, and in the meantime you can stay here?"

Ryvian raised her eyebrows at him.

"Why would you go through all that trouble for alleyway trash like me?" She asked.

He shook his head.

"You're not 'alleyway trash'. You've just been slighted by life and it's unfair circumstances. I can see you have a lot of potential, you've just never been given the tools you needed to succeed." He said as he leaned forward and offered her his hand.

"I'm sure my servants have already explained who I am, but my name is Arkonus Thorn, I am a duke in the vampire world, my current life project is TRUE peace and equality among vampires and humans. What's your name?" 

Ryvian carefully shook his cold hand.

"My name is Ryvian, I don't remember my last name." She said quietly, her eyes on the floor again.

"Ryvian… that's a very unique name, very beautiful." Arkonus said, letting go of her hand and sitting back in his chair.

Caught off guard Ryvian blushed slightly and swept her hair behind her ear.

"How old are you Ryvian?" Arkonus said as he grabbed a newspaper and unfolded it.

"What day is it?" She asked.

He thought for a moment.

"It's April 9th" he said.

"Tomorrow is my birthday. I'll be 18" she said.

He paused as he was circling something on his newspaper and looked back up at her.

"Oh, well happy early birthday" he said "you being 18 will make it easier to find a job and a place to live." 

She nodded and shifted uncomfortably. She had never had a normal job before, and it had been a long time since someone had wished her a happy birthday.

After some farther discussion on what she would like to have as a job and what she was and wasn't willing to do (such as working around needles and medical equipment), she slowly got up and began walking her way back to the room, holding herself up with the walls.

"I see you still can't walk very well." Arkonus said suddenly right behind her as she shimmied her way into the hallway. "Let me help you"

She gasped as he lifted her up princess style effortlessly and began to carry her back to her room.

She didnt have the energy to fight it, but her face turned bright red as she clung to him, afraid he might drop her.

He placed her gently on the bed. And with a quick "goodnight" he left the room.

Ryvian, face still red from embarrassment buried herself under the soft blankets and pillows. Her overactive thoughts quickly died down, exhaustion finally winning, and she fell into a deep sleep.

Outside her door Lord Arkonus leaned against the wall, his gloved hand covering his mouth and his eyes now a glowing red.

Who is she? And why does her blood smell so intoxicatingly good? It took everything in his power to leave that room and not rip into her flesh. Whatever the reason may be, he couldn't help but feel that trouble wasn't far behind this girl.

"And so it begins…"

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