The bleeding from my wrists finally stopped but the iron-rich smell remained. I gave up struggling against the cuffs that chained me to the wall hours ago. At least, it felt like hours ago. There was no light here to indicate any passage of time, so it could have been longer or shorter.

When I first came to, I flipped. Partially, because I was surrounded by complete darkness but mostly because when I tried to move my hands were restricted by clanking. It was really inconvenient. What if I got a nose itch? Naturally, I thought maybe, just maybe, I could slip my hands out of the restraints. I swear I saw James Bond or TV knock-off version do it. 

What a major failure that idea turned out to be. Between all the twisting, squirming, yanking, and pulling the only change was my exhaustion level and wrist rawness.

"I'm awake now," I shouted rattling the chains in emphasis. "You just gonna leave me chained here forever? Because if so, that's the world's stupidest plan. You should have just killed me, save us both the trouble."

I paused. Silence.

"Hello! Anyone there?"

Silence.

"This just fucking great!" I cursed, sliding down the wall as far as I could to sit, my arms hanging limp above me.

Why me. Why did this shit always happen to me? Was I cursed in a past life or something that justified this kind of torture?

Then I heard it. A latch, somewhere, and then a shuffle. I tried to sense where the movement came from, but the dark yield nothing. A feather of a touch slithered on my left hand. I froze. It hesitated at my wrist, before moving to the cuff. The cuff clanked open and my arm fell to my side. The same was repeated on my other wrist.

"Follow," it was a breathy voice, and clearly female.

Easier said than done. I'm not sure if I mentioned this, but it was hella dark and the person wasn't even helpful. It was especially worse when we got to what were stairs. I wasn't expecting it and ended up face-planting on them. The girl didn't even slow down.

When we reached light finally, my eyes almost burned out of their sockets. I had to blink tears away from the pain.

We were in a hallway. An incredibly big and lavish hallway. The kind of hallway that I imagine the Queen of England probably has. The person who got me was a petite girl. Brown hair tied into a ponytail, black women, and incredibly normal. And human. She was utterly human. Which surprised me since the creepy guy that strangled me and knocked me out with his vampire mind tricks seemed to completely hate humans.

"Do all mansions have dungeons?" The stupid question was out of my mouth before I knew it. I could have asked literally a dozen other questions. Where are we? What do you want with me? Are you going to let me go? Just some of the few vital questions I should have said. But off course I asked about mansion and dungeons instead.

 A+ Kyle, A+.

She ignored me and continued to walk down the hall, towards two large doors at the very end. I followed slowly glancing around. We passed one door and I grasped the handle and gave it a yank, eyeing the girl to make sure she didn't see me. It was locked. No escape then, unless I wanted to go back to the dungeon. Whatever was down the hall had to be better than that.

"Wait here." She opened the door slightly and slinked through, leaving me alone in the hall.

When the door was fully shut I bolted towards the nearby window yanking on it. Locked, just like the door. Damn.

"Okay then," I signed looking around. There was enough gold plated hoopla to be El Dorado. It must have all cost a fortune. I walked up to a table and picked up some kind of large vase. They could afford to lose one thing.

With all of my strength, I hurled it at the window. Everything physic taught me told me that the window should have broken from the impact. Instead, the vase bounded back off the window like a rubber ball.

"Shit!" I yelled, hitting the floor just in time. The vase sailed above my body and shattered a frame on the wall before crashing to the floor and shattering itself.

"Come." The girl was back at the door, beckoning me. She didn't question or even glance at the mess I had made.

I scrambled to my feet and followed her in. If I thought the hall was any sort of specular then this ginormous room was something fashioned for gods. If I had to guess, I'd say it was some sort of ballroom.

"Making a mess of my house? It seems our pet will need some house training." I hadn't even noticed good old violet-eyes until he spoke. He smirked—or sneered it could have been either—and leaped up from his chair, eyeing me.

I was right. It was him keeping me here..

"Dismissed." His gaze never left mine as he waved the girl way. I was too frozen to move, but by the sound of the closing door she did.

The fear trickling up my spine, eating me up. His look set off warning bells in my head. I couldn't forget the feel of his hands choking the life out of me, or forget the sheer desperation and panic I had felt in that moment. With all my close death calls recently, that one had been the one where I realized that, shit, I might actually die.

"Look at you quake. Look at you fear." He circled me, biting his lips with a wicked grin.

I clenched my fist. I couldn't let this freak get the upper hand, even if everything he said was true. "Is there a reason you had me chained up in the dungeon or was that some fucked up fetish of yours?"

He stopped circling and his eyes flashed with glee. "Did you enjoy that, little fool?"

"It was a real class act."

"Your shouts were just delightful. How you tried to act brave, but how they held the undercurrent of terror. My, did I enjoy that. Just like now."

He was suddenly a breath away from me. "I wonder, does Eskil enjoy this little charade of yours? Does he enjoy this fight in you?"

"Listen, I don't get whatever your beef with Eskil is. I really don't. Honestly, I've only met the guy two or three times so I don't know why anyone thinks I have some sort of deep relationship with him. My advice, stop being a freaking coward and go face him yourself dick—"

My head was slammed into the floor. I grimaced and cursed. Violet-eyes hissed down at me, his hands clenching my hair and pressing me further into the ground.

"You need to learn respect," he fumed. I heard him let out a breath and he slowly moved my head up so I could peer up at his face.

"Unlike Eskil, I do not tolerate defiance. Oh, how I will enjoy taming this little fire out of you. Fight back as long as you can, little fool, it does excite me so."

"Screw you." A sense of déjà vu washed over me. Violet-eyes slammed my head down again. And again. And again. Blood ran into my eyes, blinding me and my head rang.

"I have such plans for you. Such wonderful plans. You'll be my loyal pet so enough." He whispered into my ear.

"Like that will happen you ass-wipe," I managed to mumble out.

Next thing I knew he shoved the side of his palm into my mouth. I felt iron liquid slither into my mouth. That vampire prick was trying to get his blood into me! I fought back, but he managed to keep it in place as more touched my tongue. My heart pounded in my chest. I had no clue what vampire blood would do to me and I didn't want to find out.

"Swallow," The words rattled around my brain and I felt myself listening. I gulped it all down. Satisfied, he threw me once more on the ground. I sputtered and coughed hoping to just vomit the damn thing back up.

"What the fuck was that for?" I gasped glaring at him. He ignored me wiping his salvia-coated hand on a handkerchief with a disgusted grimace.

"Listen," I said trying to stand. The world went dizzy and I stopped mid-stance blinking. My head felt like it was full of air. My eyesight was sharp, vivid and yet at the same time that the world appeared so clear my mind was so fuzzy. It was like I was outside of my body and yet in it at the same time.

"Weird," I muttered sinking back down.

"I hear vampire blood is such an intense experience to humans." Violet-eyes said. "It certainly makes them more complacent."

"I—I don't—I'm not—"the right sentence wouldn't form. My mind hummed.

"Doesn't it feel grand?" I watched him come closer. He seemed to glow, how I hadn't noticed that flawlessness before.

"The first experience is the worst. It gets better, I promise. Soon you'll be begging me for it. Mary, take him to a room. He's useless to me know like this."

I felt hands grab my arm and drag me off. The image of violet-eyes grinning at me as I was dragged away burned into my numb mind.

Hey guys! Yes its been forever and I am sorry. Thank you all for the votes and amazing messages. It really encouraged me to go ahead and write and publish this chapter. I promise the next chapter won't take as long as this one! Anyway, enjoy!