Chapter 02

WARNING: THIS CONTAINS 18+, SEXUAL OR VIOLENT CONTENT

Amara's POV

The Crimson Palace. I had heard so much about it back at Master Valeth's estate. It was the main topic in the servants quarter.

They said living in the Crimson Palace was only something people can dream off.

Even servants there are treated like royalty but it all comes with a price.

The vampires are allowed to feed on your blood and sleep with the ladies at any time.

As good as it sounded, it was hell in disguise of a paradise.

At least that's what the rumors say.

I turned my face away from the Vampire across me.

“Where are we?”

Before he could respond someone called him from outside.

“Sir Elias, we're almost at the Crimson Palace.”

Elias smirked then replied. “Great, tell Gerald to rally the slaves, we'll bring them to my elder brother, so he can pick his favorite. You know how he is.”

Gerald chuckled and then I heard him yelling followed with the sound of a whip.

I slowly shuffled to the side and peeped through the curtains.

Men, women and children from the village were tied up, walking on their bare feet. I could tell from their ragged breathing that they were tired and hungry.

One of the men tripped on their own feet before he could figure out what to do. A whip landed on the man's back.

The man behind them, I assumed was Gerald yelled at him to get up.

I frowned at the sight. Vampires were really just animals with no compassion.

“You seem worried about your companions over there.”

The mocking voice of the vampire before me brought my attention back to him.

“Not at all,” I replied, keeping my voice cool. “They simply just met their fate.”

Elias didn't seem satisfied with my answer. “You're quite the human aren't you? Don't you care about them?”

“All I care about is my survival.” I said, simply. “And judging from the fact I'm not tied up walking with them…. I'm doing a good job.”

He frowned, straightening his posture. “What makes you think that this is survival?” He asked, his eyes hinting on the chains on my neck and heels.

“I'm not dead.”

He raised a brow. “Meaning?”

I heaved a huge sigh. “As long as there is life then there is hope for survival.”

Elias remained silent. He stared at me for a few seconds then he burst out laughing.

I frowned. I was sure I didn't say anything funny.

I waited for him to have his fill of laughter. When he was done, he wiped out a tear from his eye.

“You're a funny one,” he smirked. “Maybe it wasn't a mistake to keep you alive.”

I lowered my head a bit “Thanks for the generosity.”

He didn't say anything. Instead he just turned to the other side.

I narrowed my eyes. Not like I didn't mind but why did they keep me alive?

They wouldn't unless they knew I had some sort of worth.

It obviously wasn't for sex. I mean who would want an ugly lady like me.

With my freckles and dark brown hair, I could be seen as an ogre.

So why?

“You’re thinking too much,” Elias' voice jolted me from my thoughts. “Get some rest.”

He laid on his back and closed his eyes. “We still have a long distance before we get to the Palace.”

I didn't reply. I simply followed his orders to lay down and let my thoughts drift me to sleep.

The intense sound of a child's cries made me jump up. I looked around wondering where the cries were coming from.

But it seemed to be coming from all directions, out of desperation I tried running out the carriage but my chains held me back.

I cursed under my breath and struggled trying to remove the silver chains. But before I could even react, the carriage tumbled over.

The world spun around me and I landed with a hard thud.

I shook my head trying to steady myself but then I felt something wet underneath me.

I raised my hands, it was stained with a red liquid.

I felt a dread course through my body. It was blood. But whose?

I looked around and instantly regretted it. Corpses laid everywhere, children, women and men all laid on their own pool of blood.

Meanwhile I knelt down there in the middle of the whole chaos. While I tried to process everything that was going on, a shadow loomed over me.

I looked up at the figure that stood over me. It was a vampire, it held a dagger in it's hand and it was aimed at me.

It had long dark hair that draped over his face and crimson red eyes that seemed to pierce through my soul.

It was looking at me with… pity?

“I'm sorry Seraphina,” he muttered then raised the dagger.

Seraphina? Who's Seraphina?

But before I could ask. He descended the dagger.