My heartbeat hard in my chest and I tried to take deep steady breaths to calm myself and return to my own reality.

The nightmare felt so real.

I couldn't remember the last time I had one that shook me to my core.

I got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. I splashed cool water on my face and stared in the mirror. Damp hair stuck to my temple, my shoulders and the back of my neck. My eyes were bloodshot. I looked like hell but I didn't want to go back to sleep either.

I needed air.

I left the bathroom and walked over to the window. I pushed it open. The cold wind blasted me in the face. The crisp air woke me up, chasing away the remnants of the vivid nightmare.

 For a moment, I stared out into the night. Leafless branches swayed in the wind, clawing at the sides of the castle. Wilderness as far as the eyes could see lined the perimeter. I loved the forest. There was something calming about nature.

I took a deep breath. Cool air filled my lungs along with the smell of pine and wet leaves. Coldness seeping into my body. Although I wasn't freezing, I hugged myself instinctively to give me warmth.

The sun peeped at me from the horizon low between the mountains rising up in the distance, a further reminder that I should be in bed and asleep.

I sit there perched on top the window sill until the icky feeling I felt over the dream wore off. Squinting at the light, I hugged myself tighter.

The human side in me believed that the light of day tends to chase off nightmares and fears, but what happens when you have no such daylight and always awoke to increasing darkness?

I shake the thought. The memories of the dream grew fainter and fainter.

Reluctantly sleep overcame me and I dozed off.

No sooner after I've fallen asleep, a light knock sounded at the door.

" Hey, Violet. Breakfast is being served. Meet me at the dining hall," Alexa calls behind the door.

Ugh.

I felt like I slept for all but five minutes.

I got out of bed and got ready in record time. I throw on my maids uniform. My long blonde hair was still wet from the shower. I ran a brush throw it, trying unsuccessfully to get some of the tangles out. Eventually, I got frustrated and pulled it into a messy bun.

When I got to the dining hall, I found Alexa sitting at a table with other servants. She looked up and motioned for me to come over. Before I walked over, I grabbed a tray and piled it with food.

" Hey, guys this is Violet. She's new here so be nice," Alexa introduces me once I reached the table. Two other servants were talking and eating but of course, they went silent when I joined them.

Well, this is an awkward moment.

" violet this is Sylvia," Alexa says pointing to the ridiculous pretty blonde sitting on the other side of the table.

Sylvia pulled her blue eyes away from staring at her perfectly manicured nails long enough to say a quick "Hi."

" Sylvia looks like a spoiled brat. But don't let her looks fool you. She's also funny and smart and will have your back no matter what," Alexa says defending Sylvia.

By the looks of Sylvia, she didn't seem like cared about anyone more than herself. I hate judging someone from the outside appearances so I guess I'll take Alexa word.

Alexa smiled. " And this is Damien. He's the vampire in our group but by looking at him you wouldn't be able to tell."

Damien looked unfazed by Alexa's comment. He had a smooth face and dark brown hair. The black-rimmed glass sat on his face, hiding his dark brown eyes.

Vampires had an excellent vision so I didn't understand why he wore glasses.

" A force of habit," Damien says speaking up.

" Huh," I questioned. 

" I noticed that you were staring at my glasses. Being a vampire I don't need them. My vision is far superior to even an eagle's eye. But I guess I wore them for so long as a human that after I turned I still felt like wearing them," Damien explained.

" I understand. It's like when someone loses a limb. That even though they know that the limb is gone, they still feel pain when nothing's there," I reply.

A gleam shined behind Damien's eyes, my words piqued his curiosity. " I haven't thought of it like that. I liked how you compared the reason I wore glasses to fathom the pain. Sigmund Freud would love to pick your brain. I knew him once...,"

" Save me the boring rant about the father of psychology," Sylvia interjected.

Alexa throws a piece of bacon at Sylvia. " Shut up Sylvia. Don't be mad because my girl Violet is smart."

Sylvia picked through her food, moving her fork around. " I'm not jealous. Honestly, it's about time his royal highness picked a slave that has brains."

" But I wouldn't let them know that. Vampires don't like a smart human. They're harder to control." Sylvia penetrate me with her gaze.

" Sylvia right," Damien agreed. " It's best to keep a low profile and stay hidden under the radar."

Sylvia scooted her plate away and leaned her elbows on the table. " Yea because you don't want to end up like Hannah."

" Who's Hannah?" I asked.

Alexa shuddered beside me. " Guys we don't need to scare her. Let's talk about something else."

" No, she needs to hear this. She needs to know what kind of monster King Alexander is," Sylvia says to Alexa.

I could feel Alexa's body go frigid beside me. I turn to her and watched her visibly swallow. Whatever happened to Hannah clearly disturbed her.

" Hey, I'll be fine. I need to hear this. Sylvia, right I should know what I'm getting myself into," I say to Alexa, hoping the words would calm her.

Her eyes were downcast before she looked solemnly up at me. " Go ahead and tell her about Hannah, Sylvia."

" As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, Hannah is dead."

" Dead?" I questioned. I was so lost as to what she is talking about. Who is Hannah? And why should her death mean something to me?

" Dead as in six feet in the grave," Sylvia rolled her eyes, "I saw the guards carry her body in a black bag on a stretcher out of the King's room. Apparently, he was filled with bloodlust last night and drank from a lot of slaves."

Sylvia shrug. " I guess Hannah wasn't so lucky."

" Are you saying that King Alexander killed Hannah last night?" I was full of unanswered questions.

Alexa answered. " Unfortunately, yes. However, this isn't the first time our King drank his share until he killed someone. It's normal around here to see someone die at least once a week by the hands of a vampire."

My mind raced with all this new information. Last night, Alexander was fine until something in him changed. Memories of red eyes flashed in my mind. I know from experience when vampires are in that state they're uncontrollable. The only thoughts running through their mind is blood. An original vampire-like Alexander can kill hundreds and still feel unsatisfied. 

Oh god!

My eyes go wide. Could I be the reason why Alexander killed Hannah?

Damien looked over at me. " Everyone in the castle knows your new toy. If I was you I would do whatever he says and not make him angry. He has a temper."

" I don't know what got you here but there's no way out unless it's in a body bag," Sylvia tone was a matter of fact. It was creepy.

" Syl, stop trying to scare her. She can leave whenever she wants," Alexa tries to sound cheerful but I know that she didn't even believe her own words.

I fell silent. Lost in deep thought. No, the red circle wouldn't do this to me. They wouldn't possibly send me out to danger unless they knew I could handle it.

But what if they knew the task would be impossible maybe even life-threatening, my subconscious reared her ugly head.  What if your just a pawn in a game of chess? They can always find someone new. Every hunter is replaceable.

Shut up I screamed at my subconscious

What do I do now?