*Ainslee*
“Oh, my Goddess!” Annamarie says from where she sits on a comfy looking floral couch. “I can’t believe it’s you, Ainslee! You look remarkable.”
I cross the room to hug her, but she doesn’t get up. She has a large bandage on her leg. I’m so happy to see her, someone from home, tears fill my eyes as we continue to hold onto one another for a long moment.
When she finally releases me, I sit down on the couch next to her. Several other people are busy in the room, speaking in small groups, reading, working on puzzles, or taking part in other activities. I don’t see anyone else I recognize from our village, though.
“Most of the others from Beotown are outside in the flower garden,” Annamarie explains, as if she is capable of reading my mind. “I prefer to stay inside right now. It’s too far to walk to get out there, and my leg hurts.”
We both look down to her bandaged thigh. “What happened?” A few days ago, I would’ve assumed she had been purposely injured by the vampires, but I know better now.
“I tripped during the culling and hurt it,” she says. “It was a small cut, and then, when I was getting captured, I tried to get away and ripped it open worse.”
“I’m so sorry.” So it really is the vampires’ fault. If they hadn’t been hunting us, she would be home with her family. As comfortable as I have become here over the last few days, I can’t let myself forget that there are injustices happening in this place. Now that I’ve helped the vampires with a serious problem, maybe they will let me make some suggestions to fix things in the villages.
“You look… nice.” She eyes my yellow top, which is similar to the one she is wearing, along with a yellow skirt, and the skirt I put on that morning, and seems confused.
I almost laugh. Annamarie always tries to look put together, even though she’s not from a well-off family. She does the best she can with the resources she has available to her. “I got hurt and had to change my shirt,” I explain. My eyes flicker to the spot near the door where I’d let go of Rafe’s hand, but he’s gone. If he said goodbye, I didn’t hear him, but he had told me he was dropping me off. I wonder what I can say to Annamarie and what I should keep to myself.
I decide it’s best to keep most of it to myself, so when she asks, “What happened?” I brush it off.
“Nothing, really. Just a little cut. But Dr. Jerim decided he needed to sew me up.” I lift my arm for her to see, and she seems to notice my bandage for the first time. It’s sort of humorous since she’s been so focused on her own injury. She didn’t even notice mine.
“He’s so kind,” she says with a fond smile. Does someone have a little crush on the doctor? “And Prince Rafe is absolutely dreamy, isn’t he? Have you gotten to see him much since you’ve been here? I’ve heard rumors that they’re keeping you somewhere else because they’re trying to get information out of you, is that true? I know I should’ve used the mind-link to talk to you earlier, but I’ve also heard that the vampires do something to the stone in the wall to keep us from being able to talk to one another, so I haven’t tried. We can use it down here, as long as we’re on the same floor.”
She’s said a lot in a short amount of time, and I need a second to go through it all. “Uhm, well, I am staying on a different floor. I’m still a little confused as to why. I’ve seen Prince Rafe a little, but he’s been very busy.” I wonder if my lips are still swollen from kissing him and decide they’re probably not. I’m a quick healer. “And I’m not sure about the mind-link part, but we can always try it later and find out.”
“We should!” she laughs, and I smile at her, glad to see her in such a chipper mood. “This place isn’t anything like what I was expecting.”
“It’s not?” She sounds like she means that in a positive way, so I’m glad to hear it.
“No, they feed us so well. My stomach has been full since I got here. I even went to the bathroom twice in one day.” She leans in close to me and whispers, “Number two,” as if I needed clarification. I nod, having guessed that’s what she meant. It is a rarity for us to go even once a day, what with such little food, but that was definitely too much information. “Everything is so clean, and we get to lay down when they take our blood. They just do that once every three days, too, so we have time to recover. The clinicians are all nice, unlike some of those snarky bitches back home. We get to have fresh air and lots of fruits and vegetables. There are books and games. Oh, we even have private room. Did you know that we are allowed to, uhm, find a mate?” She winks at me as if I might not otherwise get what she’s saying.
I am a bit floored by this disclosure. “Wait, what?” Leaning closer to her, I ask, “They permit you to have sex?”
She nods vigorously like she’s found gold. “That’s right. One of my biggest worries about coming here was that I’d miss out on that. Of course, they have us all on this supplement that prevents us from getting pregnant because who would want to have a baby in captivity, right? But still, it’s nice to know.”
I let that settle for a few moments, wondering if I need to get my hands on some of this supplement, and then ask, “So… have you met anyone?” I doubt there’s much of a chance of anyone finding their mate down here, but it’s good to know that love can blossom even when these people are all being held against their will for no particular reason.
“Nope, not yet, but I’m hopeful. One of the people that’s been here for a while says that new people come in once every three to four months. So maybe next time.”
“What happens to the old people?” I ask wondering how they have room for all that.
“Oh, well, once they reach a certain age, they’re retired, so they don’t give blood any more. They have a whole other housing area for those people. I know that a few people have died from some kind of illness recently. Have you heard about that?”
“A little,” I tell her.
She shrugs that off, which is remarkable. She’s not worried about it at all. “This is a big castle, though. Who knows where the retired people go. I’ve been assured it’s not home.”
I know that’s true, too. I suppose I should ask Rafe about the numbers, but then, maybe it’s just not my business. Everyone seems so happy and well taken care of. I’m glad to see it.
“Some of the older people have talked about what it was like before Dr. Jerim became the head doctor. The last guy wasn’t so nice. Everything was gross and dirty. They said Dr. Jerim and Prince Rafe have really improved the situation for all of them.”
“I’m so glad to hear it,” I tell her.
“The only thing missing is my family.” She sighs, and I see tears start to form in the corner of her eyes. “I miss my mom so much.”
I place a hand on her leg. “I know. Me, too.”
She swallows hard and asks, “Have you written to her yet?”
Cocking my head to the side I contemplate what she is asking me. “Written to my mom?”
“Yes, I wrote my parents as soon as I arrived,” she says. “You haven’t?”
“I didn’t… I haven’t….” I wonder why no one told me I could do that, but instead of asking that question of Annamarie who won’t know the answer, I simply say, “Not yet.”
“Oh, well, you should. Your mom is probably dying to hear from you. Your little brother and sister, too.” She gives me a sympathetic smile, and I nod.
“Definitely,” I tell her. “I will get on that.” Just as soon as I find out how.
We chat for another hour or so. Most of the time, it is Annamarie talking and me listening, except for when she asks to hear what the rest of the castle looks like, which I describe the best I can. She also wants to know what the princesses are like. I tell her physical descriptions and that Sophia is very nice. I do not mention that Riley is the first of two vampires that tried to kill me today.
Annamarie is enthralled to hear about the lives of the royals. For a few moments, I almost think it might’ve been more suitable for her to be the princess and me to be the eternal blood donor, but I know I have a purpose for being where I am, and I don’t want to wish that away.
Even if it all goes away tomorrow, I’ve kissed a very handsome prince who seems to like me at least a little bit, and no one can take that from me.
Annamarie is describing her room to me when the door opens and a looming, recognizable figure walks in. A grin takes over my face as I lock eyes with Zeke, happy to see him.
He smiles back at me, but when Annamarie squeals and says, “There he is! That big teddy bear!” I am confused. She raises her arms, and he comes over to hug her.
“How’s my sunshiny gal?” Zeke asks her. “That leg getting better?”
“It’s getting better,” she says, almost coming off the couch when he tries to stand up, and she’s not ready to let go yet. Finally, she releases him and turns to me. “Zeke saved my life during the culling.”
“Oh, I’m not sure about that,” he says, a bashful look on his face. “I just made sure she got back to the clearing okay.”
“He carried me through the woods. I would’ve bled to death if he hadn’t taken me straight to Dr. Jerim. He’s my hero.” She bats her eyelashes at him, and I wonder if Annamarie isn’t looking to fall in love with a wolf shifter after all. Does she have her eye on a vampire, too? The doctor or the advisor?
“That’s amazing.” My enthusiasm is fake because I am tired, and I can only presume that Zeke is here to take me to my room. “Annamarie, it’s been so nice to see you.”
“You, too. I hope you can come back to visit with me again soon. Once my leg heals, we can go out to the garden.” She leans over to hug me, and I hug her back, noting her hair smells nice. It’s not the same fragrance as mine, but it’s so soft, I figure they must have that conditioner stuff down here, too.
“That sounds great.” I let her go and get to my feet. “See you soon.” We wave goodbye to one another, and Zeke and I walk out.
“Well, here I am again, playing babysitter,” he says in a teasing tone. “When are you gonna learn how to navigate this castle.”
“Give me a break,” I say, play punching him in the arm and regretting it as my fist begins to ache. He really is a wall of marble muscle, just like Rafe. Maybe harder. I hide my pain and add, “I’ve only been here a day or two.”
We walk out of the feeders’ quarters and toward the stairs as he says, “That’s right. Not even two full days and you’ve already pissed off two people enough for them to threaten to kill you. Damn, girl. When are you going to learn not to mess with vampires?”
I know he’s joking around, but I find myself getting slightly defensive. “Hey, Princess Riley was trying to prove a point this morning when she threatened me. And then that bitch in the garden knew I was about to expose her to the world.”
“I know, I know. It wasn’t your fault. But we’re going to have to get you some kind of metal neck guard or something. You’re gonna end up like one of us.”
That is not an option for me. I do not want to be a vampire. I’ve met wolf shifter/vampire hybrids before and didn’t like them. They are far too aggressive, and that’s something I already struggle with. Most of the time, they get ran out of town, told to try Astaria or one of the other kingdoms where things are less controlled.
“I’ll be more careful,” I tell him, though I’m not sure how exactly. I didn’t go looking for those fights.
“Please do,” Zeke tells me. We reach my floor, and I almost stop walking when I see Princess Riley coming our direction. Zeke takes a step between us.
The princess rolls her eyes. “Please. She’s old news. Rafe explained everything to me.” She laughs under her breath, and I immediately feel defensive. What is she claiming the prince told her about me?
She looks me up and down and adds, “Nice to see you’re finally wearing the proper color, feeder.” Then she disappears down the stairs, leaving me breathing so hard my nostrils are flaring.
“Let it go,” Zeke suggests. “She’s trying to make you mad. Don’t let it work.”
He has a good point. I’m not a feeder. I’m a princess. She’s just a bitch.
Zeke drops me off at my room. “See you later, Princess. Be safe.”
“Thank you,” I tell him. When I walk inside, the only person there is Zoey, and she is dusting the dresser. She greets me, and I tell her hello before I sink down on the bed.
Just sitting here immediately reminds me of Rafe. Goddess, how I want him. That familiar ache is back.
“Is there anything I can get you, Princess?” Zoey asks.
“Lunch would be great,” I admit as my stomach growls. It’s past noon, so I should’ve eaten again by now, right? Isn’t that how it normally works?
“Of course,” Zoey says, putting her duster away in a cabinet. She heads for the door, and something Annamarie mentioned comes to mind.
“Actually, Zoey, there’s something else I think I might need—just to be safe.”
The maid stops, her eyebrows raising slightly as she waits for me to continue.
I feel stupid asking for this considering what Riley has just said, but I don’t want to regret not asking. Clearing my throat, I say, “My friend in the feeders’ quarters told me about these supplements….”