There was nothing she could’ve done to change things. Somehow she knew this was where she would wind up. She almost believed it was her destiny, except she didn’t believe in destiny. Any more than she believed in vampires. But that didn’t change things either.
Whether she believed in them or not, she was still chained to an old bed in a ruined castle waiting to be their next meal. Not the way she would’ve pictured her death.
What worried her the most was the fact that she wasn’t scared. She should be hysterical in fear yet she was calm. Everything was crystal clear to her.
It was almost as if she had subconsciously resigned herself to it. She was going to die. A feeling of peace, or maybe it was just acceptance washed over her. She sighed and relaxed against the pillow. She drifted in and out of a warm dream of soft kisses on her bare skin.
The candles had burned down to shallow pools by the time she woke fully. There was a faint stirring of the bed curtains. The softest rustle of silk on silk and they were drawn back. The heat from the myriad of candles was the first thing to roll across her raw senses.
The next was the feeling that she was not alone. Though again it struck her that there was no fear. She was amazed to find her bonds had been released.
She sat up and allowed her gaze to travel around the room. The warm glow of the candles that were set so close to the bed threw most of the room into shadow. She could feel the presence of someone but could not see past the light." Is someone there?" She whispered, not sure whether to hope she was right or not.
Silence was her only answer. She pulled the thin linen sheet from the end of the bed to cover herself and whispered again" Hello? Is there someone there?"
This time she heard the shuffle of heavy feet and a form entered the circle of light. She screamed and the room spun. She pulled the sheet tighter against her and pressed her back against the headboard. The heavy carvings bit into her skin.
The fear she'd been denying crept up her spine in chill waves, threatening to steal her sanity. It was all she could do to remain conscious.
The abstract horror causing her heart to race was joined by a grain of something else in her breast. She was surprised to feel pity. The poor beast, it hurt her to see any creature in such obvious pain.
His body was twisted in some cruel parody of a human form. With arms that hung down past his knees, ending in gnarled hands and razor talons. His left leg turned in at a painful angle. The candlelight glared off of his bald head.
Misshapen as it was, with the few wisps of blond hair hanging limply across his forehead. He couldn't have been more than five feet tall but he seemed to fill the space between them with his presence.
"Forgive my appearance my Lady." he lisped from between broken teeth."I did not mean to startle you."
She was dumbstruck. The creature had no clue how hideous he was. Or else he was probably used to reactions like hers.
She shook her head to clear the cobwebs. Wait a minute, what had he called her?
"Please, my Lady, I've run you a bath and laid out some clothing for you. Feel free to explore your rooms. But I must impress upon you to please remain in your suite until you are summoned. There are far worse things roaming these halls than me." He bowed more gracefully than she would have thought possible and left the circle of light.
She heard a soft click as he shut the door. There was a second soft click as he turned the key. She knew he had locked her in. Somehow it was more of a comfort than anything. If she couldn't get out then nothing could get in either.
The fear swelled in her stomach again. What in the nine billion names of the Gods was going on? She had fully expected to be dead by now. Instead, she was wrapping the soft linen sheet around herself toga style and following the trail of heat rising from the tub in the bathroom.
The scent of fresh roses warmed by the steam drew her. She pushed the door open and was speechless at what greeted her. The glow of a single pillar candle in the corner cast rippling shadows across the surface of the tub.
It was huge and covered in fresh rose petals. Her senses swam from the heady combination of roses and heat.
None of this was making any sense. Surely this wasn't how they treated all their meals?
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