It was the overwhelming smell of vampires and blood that woke her up. Emma quickly opened her eyes and scanned her surroundings. She was in a pristine room lying on a bed with white sheets. Her right hand was cuffed to the bed frame.
“Just my luck,” she said, remembering the events of the previous night. She had gone out with someone who pretended to be human but turned out to be a blood sucking vampire. She had known it was a bad idea to meet someone so soon but her boredom had made her rush.
She could smell a lot of blood and it made her nauseous. She closed her eyes and tried to think about other things in vain. Eventually, she gave up and started screaming.
“Come in here, you bastard.” She yelled, calling out for the young man who had lured her to the lair. She shuddered when she thought of what had happened to Katya. Emma cursed herself for remaining in the south despite knowing how dangerous it had become.
“Get me out of here,” she yelled. “Ahhh…”
Suddenly, the door was thrown open and a middle aged woman walked into the room. She was wearing a long dress and her hair was in a messy bun. She wrapped a cloth over her hair.
Emma sat up. “Are you Archie’s mother? I swear when I get out of here I’ll kill all of you if you don’t release me. Let me go now.”
The woman shook her head. “Sorry young lady, but you’ll be stuck here for a while. Could you please stop screaming so loud, acting like a baby? You’re grown enough to know that screaming will not get you out of here.”
“Ahhh…” Emma screamed again.
“Shut up, you insolent little bitch.”
“Where am i?” Emma asked.
The woman laughed hard. “You’re in the worst place a werewolf could be. You’re in King Almede’s castle. He is the leader of all the vampires in the southern region. I know that you’re going to hate it here. Welcome to your hell, Emma Greenfield.”
Emma gasped. “How do you know my full name?”
“We are not idiots. We do research on our captives. Archie found out that you’re a rogue on your own. That means no one will miss you, and the king will not have to worry about people searching for you.”
Emma sighed. “What are you people going to do to me?”
“You’ll soon find out,” the woman said. “Now, I’ll go and get some soap because you need to bath first.”
“I don’t feel like bathing.”
“The king does not like dirty whores,” the woman said before opening the door.
“I’m not a whore,” Emma yelled. She glanced at the cuffs and tried to break them but they turned out to be extraordinarily strong. She looked around the room for something she could use to split the wooden frame. There was nothing except a plastic trash can which was on the other end of the room. She couldn’t reach it.
Emma had never seen the vampire king but she was not ready to be one of his whores. She was not ready to be with anyone by force. It was one of her worst fears. She struggled to pull the cuff off the frame but it didn’t work. She was stuck. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead as she became more nervous. Her heart was racing as she thought of what might happen. She was in a vampire’s lair and there was no one who could save her.
Lucius was probably very angry with her wherever he was. The fact that she had taken money from Michelle and run away just like that was very bad for her. Back then, it had seemed like a good decision.
As she thought about it, she realised it was a very stupid decision. Lucius was good for her. Now that she was alone, she saw the value of being in a pack. The pack would always come to your rescue if you were in trouble. Now the vampires had taken advantage of the fact that she was all alone. No one would try to look for her.
She regretted leaving when she could have stayed, even without being in a relationship with Lucius. She had made friends with a number of young men and women in the pack. Life would have been so much better if she had stayed there. Now she had no friend in the world and it sucked.
The door opened and the woman returned with a piece of soap. She passed by the bed in silence and went into the bathroom. Emma heard her opening the tap. A few seconds later, she returned to the room and started unlocking the handcuffs.
“Don’t even try to run,” she warned. “There’s a guard right outside that door. Besides, it will be worse for you if you try to escape. You better accept your terrible fate.”
“I have never been the type who accepts fate,” Emma said. As soon as her hand was lose, she leapt out of bed and ran to the door. She pulled it open. Two big vampires glared at her from the other side. She rolled her eyes and turned back to the room.
“I thought you were kidding,” Emma said.
“We’re not taking any chances,” she said. “We heard about your escape from Axel White’s pack.”
“Oh, I’m famous now?”
“Get into the bathroom now,” the woman said, sitting on the bed.
Emma entered and pushed the door back. When she wanted to lock it, she saw that the lock had been removed.
“What the hell is wrong with you people?” she asked.
“Didn’t you hear me? We don’t take risks.”
“You’re inhuman.”
Emma removed her clothes and turned on the shower. She washed herself as slow as she could, starting with her hair.
“Hurry up!” the woman shouted after waiting for her for over fifteen minutes.
Emma decided to slow down even more. She was reapplying soap on her skin when the woman stormed into the room.
“What the hell?”
The woman didn’t reply. She reached out and turned on the shower. Emma tried to turn it off but the woman slapped her across the face. Emma gasped.
“Stop messing with me,” the woman said.