Her cold, beating heart

Chapter 3: Dangerous games

***A/N*****

Chapter 3 already! 

Happy reading.

Until next time, your (female) author, AJ

****CHAPTER****

It's been about 1 month since the queen fled her own room. I'd love to say that she's left me alone since, but she hasn't. She returns solely to feed on me, then dissappears until the next night's feed, no words are spoken, she simply enters, feeds, then leaves. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. All I know is that I've been alone for over a month. Well, almost alone.

Her guard, the commander, we've somewhat become friends? Or more so we tolerate each other more. She brings me food and water each day, then stands guard outside my door. It started small a 'how are you today', then it built from there. We actually talk now, I mean, I have no one else to talk to, so she kinda keeps me sane. We have a love-hate relationship, as in, we love to hate each other. It works for us.

Speak of the devil.

“Dinner plasma sack.”  She says, sauntering in like she owns the place.

“I have a name, you know, like a real person's name. It's Eden, I've told you numerous times.” I scoff, walking over to the table where she's just placed the tray.

She smiles, ruffling my hair as she walks past me. “I know old plasma, but I quite like the name I've given you. It's fitting, dont you think?” This appears to be our thing now. We wind each other up, each making snide little comments, one trying to one up the other.  It helps pass the time, and I kind of like our banter, I think she does too. She hasn't killed me yet or tried to bite me, so I guess that's a win.

She sniggers a little, bumping my hip. “You know you like it, go on, admit it.”

“Never! Stupid Kali.” I say, popping a grape into my mouth.

“You address me as commander little plasma, you know this. Also Kali?, that's not my name, you know that, right? Not even close. Where did you even get that from?”

Tucking into the remainder of my fruit platter that's supposed to be dessert, I reply. “Well, if I get a stupid nickname, so do you.” I shrug. “And that's the only blood god I know, so that's your name now.”

“Awww, you see me as a god? That's sooooo cute, little plasma, I didn't know you felt that way about me, maybe if i did.” She says, shuffling closer to me, signature smirk plastered on her face.

“What? No. Shut up! That's not what I meant, and you know it, Idiot." I say, pushing her back, although she doesn't budge an inch, stupid vampire strength. "Whatever. What is your name?”

She smirks at my question. Every day is the same. I ask, but she never tells me. At this point, it's kinda like our thing. Some people have handshakes, and we have the name question.

“I told you, it’s commander.” She leans in close, her voice just a whisper now “Maybe, on special occasions, you can call me mommy.”

My eyes widen in shock. I blink once, twice, three times, she's never said anything like that before, and now I feel really uncomfortable. She doesn't like me like that, does she? No, she can't. She tolerates me at best.

As my mind is panicking, it's probably clear as day, written on my face. Her mask of seduction falters as she lets out a full-on belly laugh. My face softened straight away as i breathed a breath of relief. Fuuuuck, she's just winding me up. Damn it! And I fell for it.

Before I can respond verbally or physically, the door bursts open. We both look up to a rather pissed off looking queen. Kali moves away from me Swiftly, straightening herself out and putting her professional face back on as she looks straight ahead. “My queen, we weren’t expecting you back until later.” Kali addresses her. Although the tiny smirk on her face leads me to believe that her words aren't entirely true. Why would she lie about that?

“No, I suppose you weren't expecting me at all.” She's slowly walking further into the room, her eyes never leaving Kali as she looks her up and down. Kali's demeanour suddenly shifts. It's actually the first time I've heard the Queen speak since the first night here, so I'm a little surprised, and I allow my features to show this. As I look to the Queen, I catch her scanning my face. What the heck is happening here?

“And, pray tell me, what were you doing with my little pet here? You were awfully close to her, were you not?” The queen is slowly circling the commander as if toying with her prey before going in for the final kill. The tension in the room suddenly palpable.

Kali shifts uncomfortably on her feet, I've never seen her look intimidated before. But right now, it looks like she wants the ground to open up and swallow her whole. She gives me a quick glance, a pleading look in her eyes. I don't know what she thinks I can do here?

“NO!” the queen bellows, catching the direction the commander looks. “You do not look at her. You answer my question.”

Shivers, that's what's running through my body right now. She's exuding power once again. From nothing to an overpowering sense of, well, power, coming from the queen. It's suffocating. I can't move, I'm routed to the spot. Hell, I'm not even sure I'm breathing right now.

“My apologies, my queen, I was bringing Pla.. your m… your pet?” She looks into the queen's eyes, asking if she has found the right word to address me by. The queen is unmoving, the commander taking that as the OK to continue. “I was bringing your pet dinner, my Queen.”

“That is not what I heard, Esme. Those were not bringing dinner words, would you agree.” Her words are low and calm. Scarily so. I see Kali, well, Esme now. I see her eyes widen in fear. The Queen is no longer circling. Instead, she is standing right in front of her, towering over her. Intimidating her just with her presence alone.

“My que…”

In a flash, the commander is off the ground and being pushed against the wall by her throat. No, not against, into it, and she is literally pushing her into the wall, I can see her body slowly denting the wall from the force. The commander does not put up a fight. She merely encircles the queen's wrist with her hand.

“You have known me for a very long time, commander. We have become somewhat friends, would you agree, Esme?” The queen loosens her hold on Kali's neck, just enough for her to nod. Then, she tightens her grip once more. “Good. So, you know how I feel about my. . . .” She quickly glances my way and continues. “things. My. . . .possessions Esme.” Again, her grip is loosened from her death grip on Esme's neck, and the commander's head nods, only this time words accompany the nod. “I do, Rosalind. And I heard you, you know. Entering this wing.” She chanced a glance at the queen's eyes. “You know, you make these things too obvious, at least for me. I mean, I know, my Queen. I hope you do too.” She flits her eyes between me and the queen.
“I was just trying to get you there.”

Rosalind loosens her grip, allowing the commander the dignity of standing on her own two feet as she turns her back to her. “You play a dangerous game, Esme. I fear that one day, you will push it too far.”

The queen's eyes dart from the commander to me, I'm still frozen on the spot, grape still in hand midway to my mouth. She's not looking into my eyes, but I can see the fire they hold. The rage, and I won't lie. I'm scared, terrified even. And the next words to leave the queen's mouth make me fear her even more. “Leave us now, commander. Before I decide to take my anger out on you instead.”

I finally regain the ability to move my body. My head whipped to the commander's retreating figure. Almost like she can feel my pleading stare on the back of her head, she turns to close the doors, meeting my eyes with a wink and a smile.
This bitch wants me dead, I swear. A wink? She just wound up the beast, then left me alone with an angry, powerful vampire who hates humans. And me? I just happen to be a human! A soon to be dead human, but a human none the less.