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Lila
AFTER MEETING PRINCESS Alessandra, I completely understood why Lexi was so bitter toward her. Not only was she stunning and obviously a threat to anyone who had an interest in Sebastian, she was also very... catty. The way she looked at me reminded me of a tiger who was just waiting to pounce on her prey at any moment. I was pretty sure the only thing that was stopping her from killing me was the fact that I was Sebastian’s slave.
And as for Sebastian... well, I couldn’t be angry at him for introducing me as his slave because it’s what I was, but it kind of hurt a little. It just felt like we had become more than vampire and slave. I mean, he’d been about to kiss me!
He kissed his other slaves, too, a voice in the back of my head reminded me. But still. I just got the feeling that something about us was... different.
Actually, I knew that we were different. He hadn’t shown any of his other slaves the secret passageway. And he hadn’t even drunk from me yet. What was the point of even keeping me around as his blood slave if he wasn’t going to drink from me? Well, the answer to that was obvious.
He was keeping me around because he felt something more for me than a vampire normally felt for his slaves.
At least, I hoped that was the case.
Once we reached the other girls, who were still in the backyard, they glanced over at me. Natalia, Hannah, and Rachel all had looks of disappointment on their face, but Lexi... well, she looked sort of pleased. There was an I-told-you-so look in her eyes.
“Where’s Marjorie?” Natalia asked, her voice full of concern, as I went to stand next to her.
I tried to figure out the right words to say. Before I could figure it out, Sebastian had already approached the others. “Girls, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but... something very sad happened today. Marjorie... well, she’s gone.”
Hannah burst into tears. I saw a single tear glide its way down Natalia’s cheek. Rachel didn’t seem to show any emotions, which I figured was probably because she wasn’t as close to her as the other girls had been. And Lexi... well, as sick as it was, I figured she probably just figured that one less slave also meant less competition.
None of them asked questions about what had happened to Marjorie, because they already knew. The woods weren’t safe.
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “I should have listened to you guys.”
“I’m sorry to hear about the death of your little friend,” Princess Alessandra spoke up. “But I have good news for you.” She glanced over her shoulder and called out, “Boys! Come here.” As her slaves made their way toward us, Alessandra explained. “Today I’m going to pair each of you with your dates for the ball and then we’re all going to have dinner together. I figured it would be a good idea for you all to get to know each other before the night of the ball.”
“I’m not going to the ball,” Lexi spoke up.
“Oh, yes, you are, sweetie. Hasn’t Prince Sebastian informed you?” Alessandra asked.
“He has, but I don’t feel like going.”
“Well, unfortunately, that decision isn’t yours to make, I’m afraid. Sebastian owns you. He decides what events you will and will not attend.”
Lexi turned to Sebastian. “Do I have to go to the ball?”
He nodded. “I’m afraid so, Lexi.”
“Ugh,” she groaned.
“Now, now. Have you taken a look at my slaves? I only choose the most attractive guys who are brought to my kingdom. Most of these guys could be male models. In fact, a few of them even were before they were kidnapped. I have exceptional taste, I assure you.”
Lexi didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t argue any further.
“Now, I want you girls to stand in a line.” Princess Alessandra turned to her own slaves. “You, too, boys.”
I watched as her slaves formed a line across from us. She wasn’t kidding about having good taste in guys. Her slaves all appeared to be about my age and they all looked like they’d been athletes or fitness instructors. I could see the ripples of their abdominal muscles through their shirts and their arms were all well-built. If they posed with their shirts off, they probably could have made a killing on a half-naked hot guys calendar.
“I have two paper bags here—one is filled with the names of my slaves and the other is filled with the names of Prince Sebastian’s slaves. I’m going to draw one from each bag and that’s who your date will be.” She glanced over at us with a small smile. “Now that your friend is gone, it appears that one of you is going to be attending the ball with not just one but two dates. Let’s draw those names from the bags first to find out who the lucky girl will be. Shall we?”
I got the feeling that she expected us to be excited over this, but I didn’t feel that way. And it was clear from the looks on the other girls’ faces that they were anything but excited.
Princess Alessandra reached into the first bag and read off the names. “Alec and Devon. You will both be sharing a date. Can you please step forward so that the lucky girl knows who you are?” As a guy with dark hair and sun-kissed skin and a guy with pale blonde hair and blue eyes stepped forward, the princess pulled a name out of the other bag.
“The girl who’s fortunate enough to go to the ball with two of the most attractive male slaves this kingdom has to offer is Lexi,” Alessandra read, beaming at her. “Congratulations. What good luck you have.”
“Yeah, good luck,” Lexi muttered under her breath. I glanced over in her direction, noting that she looked annoyed.
“The next guy I will pair off is...” Princess Alessandra reached her hand into the bag and pulled out a name. “Eric.”
The tallest guy in the group, who had dark brown hair, stepped forward. “You will be attending the ball with...” She pulled a name out of the bag. “Natalia.”
Natalia gave him a small smile and a wave.
I glanced over at Sebastian. As I did, his eyes locked on mine. Quickly looking away from him, I felt a slight blush rise to my cheeks, but I tried to pretend like I didn’t notice.
Actually, what was I thinking? I was probably only imagining it. I doubted that he was actually staring at me.
“Vernelle, please step forward,” Princess Alessandra said, moving onto the next name she’d pulled out of the bag.
A guy with caramel colored skin and stunning gray eyes took a few steps toward us. I noted that, of all of Alessandra’s slaves, he was probably the most attractive—which said a lot, because he was in very good company.
As Alessandra reached into the bag, she announced, “I wonder who will have the good fortune of attending the ball with Vernelle. Of all my slaves, he is my personal favorite.” She unfolded the piece of paper and glanced up with a smile. “Well, isn’t this a delightful surprise? And very ironic, if you ask me. I hear this slave is one of Prince Sebastian’s favorites as well.”
I glanced at the other girls, wondering who his favorite could have been. I knew he normally chose Lexi to attend social events with him, but she’d already been paired with someone. That left Rachel or Hannah.
Rachel was probably the most gorgeous of all Sebastian’s slaves. With her auburn hair and her gray eyes, she was stunning. Even now, she wore a simple, plain emerald green dress. She had a very classic look. Judging from how quiet she was, I also got the impression that she was the type who did exactly as she was told. It would have made perfect sense if she was his favorite slave.
Then again, Hannah had been around longer than Rachel had. She had a fun personality and if Sebastian was into the golden blonde, blue-eyed cheerleader type, I could have seen why she would have been his favorite, too. Her outfit choices were slightly more risqué than Rachel’s. She was wearing a black lacy dress that fell just below her thigh, showing off her endless legs. She seemed like the type of girl who liked to have fun.
It didn’t even occur to me that Alessandra could have been talking about me until she glanced over at me. Her smile had faded and there was a cold look in her dark eyes. “Julia, you’ll be attending the ball with Vernelle.”
I took a step forward to let Vernelle know who I was. Out of the corner of my eye, I couldn’t help but notice that Sebastian was giving him a long, hard stare. It almost felt like he was sizing him up.
A thought entered my mind. Was it possible that Sebastian was... jealous?
That couldn’t have been possible. What did he even have to be jealous of? Sure, I was being forced into going to this ball with Vernelle, but at the end of the day, Sebastian was the one who owned me.
“Garrett,” Alessandra read next. “Please step forward.” A guy with copper hair and freckles took a step forward as the princess reached into the other bag. “Hannah.”
I glanced back over at Sebastian, only to find his eyes on me again.
I hadn’t been imagining it. He really had been staring at me.
“Joe, that leaves you,” Princess Alessandra said to her last slave who remained. “And you,” she said, glancing over at Rachel. “I don’t think I know your name. We haven’t met before, have we?”
“No, we’ve never met. My name is Rachel.”
“Oh, you’re Rachel.” The princess smiled at her. “I haven’t met you, but Sebastian did let me sample your blood. It is quite delicious, I must say.” She paused for a moment, studying her face. “Are you certain we’ve never met? You look very familiar.”
Rachel’s lips remained in a flat line. “I’m sure. We’ve never met.”
“Hmmm.” Princess Alessandra stared at her for a moment longer. “I suppose you just have one of those familiar faces.” She shrugged and then turned to the rest of us. “Well, let’s have dinner, shall we?”