Sweet Blood

2: Castle of Vasillios

Aurora

"Did you see the human?"

"God can you smell that?"

"Isn't that the princess?"

"She'll be dead in a week"

All the voices in the room kept repeating loudly in her head causing an overwhelming amount of anxiety to wrack through her body. She began to nervously fidget with her fingers and her dress to keep her mind occupied.

The environment was completely and utterly frightening for her, with all the noise and the staring; all she wanted to do was go back home to the familiarity of the Soare kingdom. But she couldn't.

The contract was binding and this would benefit everyone, the country, the people, her family. It was all for them...

Aurora continued to walk down the winding labyrinth like halls trying to follow the butler with salt and pepper hair. His movements were effortlessly fast and at this point she wished more then anything that she was blessed with her cousins long legs instead of being 5'2 making her feel like dwarf in a world of giants. (Not that she disliked the dwarfs of course, she loved the melody of their songs and smiled whenever there was a group nearby) .

And as her mind began to wander it wasn't long until she realised that the guide had vanished. Frantically she looked around spinning her head in every direction but he was no where to be seen, only she could mess up the simple task of following someone Aurora thought to herself.

~~~

The minutes seemed to roll on for hours and Aurora was sure she was walking in circles passing the same set of eerie artifacts on display until she finally decided it was enough. Picking a random door along the dark and twisted corridor she used what little courage she had left to make herself open it.

Inside the room was rather empty- covered in a layer of dust - but in the middle there were stone stairs that led downward. Maybe the maids quarter? Aurora began to descend, her shoes making a sound as she went down...

Click

Click

Click

Click

Click

On the last step a voice in the darkness asked "Are you lost human?"

Aurora breathed a sigh of relief. Finally someone who could help her. Tentatively, she took a step forward and admitted an embarrassed "yes" the sight of her cheeks heating up in humiliation hidden by the shadows

"Allow me to help you" they offered

Clasping her hands together she walked even further forward into the darkness whilst replying with "r-really thank you so-"

"Wait before you get any closer turn on the light, it's the lever to your right" they suggested, she looked over at the rusted lever and reached forward pulling it down; she had always hated the dark as well so she sympathised with the person.

She waited expectantly for the lights to flicker on but it never happened, instead the clank of metal chains hitting the stone floor echoed throughout the room.

In the darkness a pair of predatory eyes locked in on her. Aurora took a half-step back at a loss

"Th-the lights didn't t-turn on" she stuttered

"Oh you poor pathetic human" his gravelly voice sniggered  filled with malice "don't worry I'll make sure that I don't waste one drop of you"

The figure leaped forward at her and she jumped back but his cold hand managed to get a deathly tight grip on her wrist sending shivers up her arm

"No... Don't do this. Don't touch me. Please...." she begged her words strained with crippling terror.

The man shoved her backwards and she stumbled over the hem of her dress hitting her head on the stone wall. Sure all vampire were scary but this one was the most terrifying one she had ever seen: his pale skin was wrinkled from the lack of sun, he had stains of old blood blotched on his clothes and face and his teeth looked like they had been replaced with a knife shop (each one sharper then the other)

Her other hand tried hard to push him away, but he didn't budge one bit; even while she shook her sore wrist trying to make him let go instead his vicious grip only dug deeper now.

Slowly he edged closer to her neck where the delicate skin had not once been broken and it was clear what his intentions were. The thought brought down salty tears on her cheeks. This was it...

Im going to die right here aren't I? Aurora thought

She shut her eyes not wanting to see what happened next but when she opened them again there was a whirl of action and in a split second the vampire that had attacked her was spluttering and coughing on the ground.

Aurora looked back and tried to crane her neck to see the face of the person who saved her however before she could her knees buckled and her eyes became unfocused and she prepared herself to feel the impact of the cold rock floor.