On the mountain, rising above the town like an avenging demon, the imposing palace loomed over them. She’d seen it before, it was impossible not to notice its glistening turrets and golden spires from the treetops, but she’d never been this close to the enormous structure before.
She hated to admit it, but the palace was impressive and beautiful as it glimmered in the muted rays of the sun. She hated it terrified her as much as it did, but she couldn’t shake the overwhelming sense of doom as she gazed at the massive, elegant structure housing the biggest monster of them all, The King.
Unable to look at it anymore, Aria tore her attention from the palace. Her attention drifted down the hill behind her. Beyond the outer palace walls, scattered towns were situated within the valley nestled below. Those towns housed the human, servant traitors and vampires who weren’t as wealthy as the ones gathered on the street across from her.
Her people starved, they froze to death in the woods and caves. They fought to retain a freedom that was elusive, and brutal, while their kind betrayed them, and the captured fighters were brought here to be humiliated, tortured, and sold.
The gathered vampires watched the proceedings with an air of indifference that left Aria fuming. It was bad enough they’d been caught, and were considered no more than food, but did they have to be treated as if they were worth less than an animal?
Actually, most animals she came across were treated far better than this as they were necessary for human survival. Aria’s hands fisted at her sides; her jaw clenched as she fought to keep control of her volatile temper.
She watched as a woman was led to the side. The woman bowed her head; her shoulders shook with the force of the tears as she was led onto the stage. The woman’s clothes were little more than rags, though Aria knew her clothes weren’t much better. For that matter, neither was her hair or overall appearance.
Due to the hunting party, she’d been with before being captured, she’d gone longer than usual without bathing. The lingering scent of blood, body odor, wild animal, and death stuck to her. They didn’t blend so well with the other awful smells encompassing her. She found herself hoping her dismal appearance and stench would be enough to earn her the much-coveted sentence of death.
A boy was brought forth next, then a shirtless young man who was well muscled from hunting and working within the forest. The man wasn’t led over to the boy and woman but escorted over to a vampire.
A young woman came forward to claim him, or at least she appeared young; there was no way to know her real age. She was tall and thin, with a hawkish face both brutal and strangely beautiful.
The vampire woman eagerly eyed the young man; the look in her eyes caused Aria’s legs to shake. It was more than apparent what the woman was going to do to him. She wasn’t going to wait long either as she hastily led the man off the stage and through the crowd gathered on the street. The crowd leered after them as they disappeared.
Aria wasn’t sure she would make it through this. She understood now the woman and boy on the stage were destined for death, something the boy also seemed to realize as he began to weep.
The muted sound of sniffles began to make their way through the rest of the crowd. The majority of people remained strong, but it would only be a matter of time before they were also broken beneath the heel of the monsters now holding their fate.
More people were brought forth. The compression of bodies around her eased, if it weren’t for the tense pressure in her chest, she might have been able to inhale easily again. Instead, she could barely breathe through the panic threatening to crush her.
Most people were slated for death, but it was the ones chosen to be blood slaves who sobbed the loudest. Aria was panting for breath when someone stepped beside her. A work-worn hand slipped into hers and squeezed it reassuringly.
Turning toward the person beside her, Aria felt like she’d been kicked in the teeth when she saw him. “Max,” she breathed.
Chapter Two
Max managed a wan smile for her. His clear blue eyes were sad and resigned, yet they still resonated with the strength and confidence she was used to from him. The sight of him here was nearly her undoing.
A sob rose then caught and strangled in her throat. Max and her brother Daniel had been best friends since they were children. They were always together; nearly as inseparable as she and William. Max was like another big brother to her, teasing her, taunting her, teaching her things, and protecting her.
He’d also been her first crush as a girl; before she came to understand there would never be a place for romantic love in her life. She realized a while ago she wouldn’t have a long life. It certainly wouldn’t ever be a peaceful or safe one.
There was no way she would ever bring a child into this world of brutality, oppression, and humiliation. And now she wouldn’t even have a choice in the matter; her lifespan had been drastically shortened on this day, and she could almost hear her time ticking away.
However, for one brief year, when she was still a young, silly girl, she entertained thoughts of a home and a family. Max had been the man at the center of most of those fantasies.
And now he was here, with her.
“Max,” she whispered again, her heart shattering into a thousand pieces.
She hadn’t thought things could get any worse; she was mistaken. Her death was fine, she could handle it, but to know Max might die too, or even worse survive, was more than she could tolerate.
Max had always been kind, patient, and gentle with her. She’d given up her fantasies of one day being with him, but she still loved him. She couldn’t handle this too, not bravely. Not anymore.
He tilted his head; his eyes surveyed her as his jaw clenched. “Stay strong Aria, stay strong. Think of your brothers, your father. We will get through this.”
“How did they catch you?” she mumbled miserably.
He didn’t have to answer her though, she already knew how. She and Max were both with the hunting party when it came upon the human camp. The vampires were already there, raiding the recently assembled camp with ruthless brutality.
They initially rushed to aid the people, but it quickly became apparent it was going to be a losing battle, and they would be of no use. The best hope was to flee, retreat deeper into the woods, and hide until the vampires withdrew with their new captives.
That was what they were doing when Aria spotted young John being detained; she’d plunged heedlessly forward to intervene on behalf of the young, scrawny boy. And she’d cost her father and brothers two of their best soldiers.
“Oh, Max,” she whispered, and fresh tears filled her eyes.
“I couldn’t let you come alone. Plus, I’ve always been curious about what happens here.” He tried to sound light, but she heard the tension in his voice. “Don’t cry for me, Aria, they’ll think you’re crying because of them, don’t give them that satisfaction.”
“They’ll keep you,” she moaned, knowing it was true.
Even filthy and disheveled, his handsome features were visible beneath the layer of dirt covering his face and bare chest. It took Aria a moment to realize not only was Max bare-chested, but so was every other teenage and middle-aged man within the pen.
A vise clenched her chest; they’d been stripped of their shirts to entice higher bids from the females. Aria supposed she should feel thankful they allowed her to remain fully clothed, but all she felt was nauseated.
“That will give me a chance to figure out an escape plan for the two of us.”
“No, Max, they won’t keep me. I have nothing to offer them.”
It was true; she was skinny, dirty, disheveled, smelly, and unwomanly in every possible way. They wouldn’t choose her, or at least she clung to that hope. They didn’t appear to be picking blood slaves solely on looks alone, but rather some strange method she didn’t understand and didn’t want to. She didn’t aspire to have any understanding of the monsters holding their fates.
“I’d rather be dead an
yway,” she assured him.
His blue eyes filled with displeasure; a muscle jumped in his cheek. “They will pick you, Aria, and when they do, you have to cling to the knowledge I will come for you. I will save you. Remember that, it will get you through the awful times ahead of us.”
The heartfelt emotion radiating from him staggered her. “Max—”
“I will come for you, Aria. I promise you that. I will find a way to come for you.”
She gasped, stunned when he was suddenly ripped away from her. It was only then she realized there were just a handful of people left within the fenced holding area. She almost chased after him, and the creature pulling him along, but she only made it one step before she halted abruptly.
She couldn’t show that much emotion here; they would only use it against her, or Max. No, she had to remain in control, had to be as emotionless as she could, or they would use her love to destroy them.
Max was paraded onto the stage and promptly claimed by a vampire woman who oozed sadism. Aria’s mind spun as she realized the fate Max was just handed. He believed he would escape, and she knew he was wily and strong, but no one ever returned to the woods, and freedom, after vampires captured them. Once a person was taken, they remained a prisoner until they died.
Max was now at the mercy of this woman, and as long as she possessed him, the vampire could do whatever she liked to him, and for as long as she chose to keep him alive. When she grew bored of him, she would kill him, or sell him, and then come back here for another toy.
Aria’s legs trembled, and only sheer will kept her upright.
She didn’t fight the rough hands seizing her; she was in too much shock to fight right now. Max was going to be used and tortured, and it was her fault.
Why hadn’t she listened to her father when he told her to use her head, to think before acting? Her foolishness hadn’t only destroyed her life, but the life of one of her best friends.
Self-hatred curdled through her. She didn’t care what happened to herself anymore, or what they did to her. Led through the crowd, they brusquely pushed her onto the stage where they paraded her before the horde of vampires gathered there. Then, they trudged her passed the vamps packing the streets.
It appeared the vamps on stage had the first choice, and the ones on the street received the second pick to grab the goods if they chose. Aria was dragged back past the people on stage and pulled roughly around, but no one claimed her.
She didn’t feel as relieved as she thought she would. If Max was here because of her, then she should suffer the same tormented fate he did; it was only fair she wasn’t granted the merciful death she’d been hoping for.
She met Max’s gaze briefly, hating the dread and helplessness in his eyes as she was pulled back toward the street side. This would be the last chance for someone to claim her, and if they didn’t, she was fairly certain Max would go ballistic in his attempt to save her.
Aria’s heart hammered in her chest; she could barely see through the waves of adrenaline and terror crashing through her. She blinked as she stared at the street, hardly noticing the man who stepped forward.
“I will take it.”
It! It! Aria’s mind screamed, she recoiled in dismay at the word. The thing who claimed her was moving through the crowd, digging into his pocket to retrieve the money he would spend on her. He wouldn’t be spending much, as she was almost on the chopping block before he claimed her.
He was an ugly thing, but then they were all nasty, twisted, and cruel to her. But this one was hideous, with stooped shoulders, pointed nose, and severe hazel eyes. He looked warped, evil; wrong.
The coppery tang of blood clung to him as he stepped forward and roughly grasped her chin. Aria winced; she tried to jerk away as he turned her head sharply back and forth, but he would not release her.
“She may be fun for a bit, easily broken.”
Aria tried to remain brave, but she could feel a shattering of her soul that was far more distressing than anything she’d ever experienced before. And she had suffered some disturbing things in her life. But this, this was the worst.
This man was going to do many, many things to her. None of them would be good, and all of them would be designed to savage her body, toy with her mind, and break her. She tried to believe he wouldn’t succeed in breaking her but judging by the perverse gleam in his eyes, she wasn’t so sure he wouldn’t.
Money exchanged hands; the two vamps holding her released her to the man. She felt the urge to flee, to run screaming down the street, but she wouldn’t get far, and she would not give them the satisfaction of seeing her snap.
The vamp began pulling her toward the stairs, not at all caring she could barely keep up with his far faster gate. She staggered, trying to keep her shaking legs beneath her as he reached the stairs.
“Wait!” A deep voice boomed across the crowd gathered within the street and echoed off the surrounding buildings. It rang with authority and a note of command that stopped even Aria abruptly in her tracks.
The vamp holding her froze instantly, his hand loosened upon her arm, but he didn’t release her. There was a rippling amongst the throng, murmurs filled the air but were swiftly silenced as the crowd stepped aside to reveal a tall man standing in the middle of the street.
Well, not a man, but rather one of her most hated foes.
He stood casually, his broad shoulders thrust back and an impassive look on his face. His tousled black hair fell about his hard face in waves that highlighted his dangerous good looks. Looks Aria tried not to admire, but she found herself doing so as she drank in the sight of him.
The dark glasses on his well-defined nose completely shaded his eyes and covered a quarter of his face. The dark blue shirt he wore hugged his upper body and revealed a hint of the carved muscles ridging his abdomen, chest, and biceps.
His hands, folded before him, rested on the head of a cane with a silver handle she couldn’t see. At his side sat a gray wolf. The wolf’s eyes were bright emeralds and eerily focused on her as it sat motionlessly.
Behind the man stood two other vamps, but Aria barely paid them any attention as the fascinating creature who disrupted the proceedings made his way forward. The tip of his cane clicked faintly on the cobbled streets as the wolf padded at his side. As they approached the stage, the wolf moved in front of him, brushing against his legs before climbing onto the stage.
The man, however, didn’t make a move to come onto the platform where she stood. The vampire who had claimed her, and still grasped her upper arm, finally broke the profound silence.
His voice quivered as he spoke. “Prince... ah, your Highness?”
Aria’s mouth parted with a small puff of air as she took in the powerful stranger with new eyes. She didn’t know much about the vampire stronghold, but she’d heard rumors of the creature who would one day rule all their fates if his father ever died. She’d mostly heard he was as cruel and heartless a bastard as his old man.
Aria straightened her shoulders, a wave of defiance washed over her as she clenched her jaw and lifted her chin. She didn’t know what came over her, but her apprehension vanished in the face of this man, and now she was angry. Pissed actually, royally pissed by the inhumane and unfair treatment of her fellow man.
The wolf brushed against her, and though he startled her, she kept her surprise hidden as the animal settled at her feet with a small thump of his tail.
The vamp holding her shivered; his trepidation became almost palpable as the prince remained unmoving and silent. Apparently, the rumors she’d heard about the prince were true, as everyone seemed to be fearful of the creature before her.
The prince’s mouth quirked, amusement flitted briefly over his striking features. Behind the thick glasses, she could feel his attention riveted on her.
“She will come with me,” the prince stated.
A collective exhalation escaped the crowd, but the sharp looks of the two men behind the prince silenced them. The auctioneer sputte
red somewhat, his eyes darted to Aria, then around the rest of the stage.
“Your Highness, we have others...” he broke off, looking frantic and confused as he searched the crowd for help that wasn’t forthcoming. “Better looking and cleaner ones.”
Aria shot the auctioneer a dark look he didn’t notice as he was too focused on the intimidating man at the foot of the steps.
“Ones who I am sure will be far more to your liking. I will select one for you if you would like,” the auctioneer continued to gush.
“No,” the prince responded. “I am taking her. Give the man his money back and give her to me.”
The man holding her released her instantly; he couldn’t seem to get away from her fast enough as he hastily retreated. Dread trickled back through Aria. All these people were terrified of the prince, and he was now laying claim to her.
What did that mean? What did he want with her, and why on earth would he choose her when the auctioneer was right, there were far better-looking women here?
Aria turned toward Max. His eyes were wide; his nostrils flared with the force of his rapid breaths. Terror was written all over his face; however, it wasn’t terror for him, but for her.
Aria shuddered, her hands clenched her elbows as she hugged herself. She found herself oddly undaunted by the prince before her, but she was scared of the reaction everyone else had to him.
“Come here,” the prince commanded.
She jumped a little at the sharp command, but she found her feet frozen in place. The auctioneer was gaping at her like she was a total moron, but she couldn’t bring herself to walk. Finally, having decided she must be a complete idiot, the auctioneer stepped toward her and reached out to grab her arm.
“Do not touch her!”
The auctioneer stumbled backward as the prince’s barked command rang out. The auctioneer went deathly pale; sweat poured down his face as he gaped at her. His reaction finally snapped some sense into her.
She couldn’t stand here all day. The prince would only come for her; he did own her now, and she didn’t know what he would do if he were forced to retrieve her. There were other innocents on this stage, and Aria worried the prince would hurt them if she continued to disobey him.
The Captive Series 1-5 Page 2
