A/N: And our vampire, of course.

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My knees locked and my legs refused to move as he took me to the stairs I could now see at the right of the stage, every fiber of my being begging me to turn and run.

The second I get handed over, the second this chain ends up in this vampire's hands, through every law of this territory I become his property. His to do whatever he pleased with little to no repercussion.

I knew my plan, I knew my intentions, but that didn't make that fact any less daunting.

The man walked with us, his overall form just barely becoming something I could see... I think he was wearing a hood.

"Thank you for your patronage," Mace spoke, handing out the chain to the one he spoke to, "We hope that you'll visit again soon, though, with that one, you might not have to."

I clung to that small implication that my life wouldn't be ended before I get the chance to run, and used it to help in keeping myself together.

I was almost sure I had enough blood right now to quell a vampire's thirst and still be able to function properly.

It still wasn't enough to combat everything else. My wrists were still bound behind me, my neck attached to a chain that some new vampire now has possession over.

His hand disappeared back into the darkness, and a hard press against my back forced me to stagger down the steps and into the darkness.

All my luck today went into the fact that I didn't end up falling on my face, and had it in me to turn and give him one final sneer.

He mirrored it with a snarky smile before turning and getting back to working up the crowd.

A chill crashed over me at the sight of his back to me, realizing that while I was done with one vampire, I now had to figure out another.

I cautiously turned my head the other way still working and begging my nose to not become any more stuffed, and again for my eyes to adjust quickly.

He was indeed wearing a hood. One that made it so that I couldn't for the life of me make out any feature other than his eyes.

Eyes that looked... void of anything I could make out.

There wasn't a glare or hint of intimidation in them yet. If anything they looked to just be slightly hooded while they looked me over once more.

He stood tall. Maybe about six inches taller than me if I had to guess from the once-over I gave him in return.

My heart still raced at the current inability I had to make any kind of immediate conclusion as who whose hands I was in.

He didn't give me time to deduce anything else before he turned and I was forced to follow.

Every hiss of an inhale could surely be heard by those around me with how hard I needed to force it through.

I couldn't tell if it was the subtle suffocation that finally pushed the tears to my eyes, which then only made it worse, or if it was the weight of my newly sealed fate.

I had quite a lot right now to choose as the culprit.

He lead me up towards what must have been the front of the shop. The closer we got to it, the more light began to show, which left me greeted with shorty yet again sitting behind a desk waiting for us.

He didn't give me anything more than a single glance, almost looking relieved by my presence about to leave.

Collecting a few things on his desk, he set a yellow file in front of him.

"Her files sir. Her certificate of ownership as well as all the information we've gathered on her," He opened his closed fist, and a few small pieces of metal jingled on the counter, "And the keys to her restraints. Go ahead and keep them for your own use as a thank you for spending so much."

This vampire didn't say anything, and the movement of his hood just told me that he was looking everything over.

His hand neared the pile of supposed keys, lifting them just enough for one to catch the light and reflect back to me.

A flicker of desperate hope sparked within me at the sight, pleading as he turned towards me that it was for this stupid mask.

That hope promptly died, his hand that took ahold of my shoulder and pulled to turn me sending my brain racing in a different direction.

It all clicked, though when there was a tug on my wrists and the click of an inserted key.

I suppose I did feel a different kind of relief as the metal fell to the floor with a few clangs, and carefully turned my head back towards him.

I wasn't sure if I should be somewhat grateful, or wary that this was a setup for something else.

There was very little chance that any of these intentions were good.

I saw him do a spin gesture with his finger that I followed more on instinct than anything.

I wanted to mentally scold myself for following on a whim, but the way his hand then set under the mask and lifted until I faced the ceiling took priority.

Was he... Was he really?

I didn't let myself get too excited too quickly.

My eyes stared wide at the gold focused on this mask, still somewhat irked at the fact I couldn't see any more features.

A slight pressure against my chin appeared, and was soon followed by another click as the key turned.

The suction against my face immediately dispersed, allowing me to suck in the air the second it too fell off onto the floor.

My hands rose to my neck, relishing the ability to fill my lungs on top of the feeling of air on the wrists that hadn't felt it for more than a few seconds in weeks.

I quickly wiped me eyes aswell, recollecting myself now that I could.

Shorty looked absolutely stunned with the way this vampire then dropped the two keys back onto the desk scooped up the file and the last key, and turned to leave.

Leaving the mask and cuffs there on the floor.

I followed before I could get tugged, suddenly filled with a new burst of energy from the freedom, but knowing I couldn't get to ahead of myself yet.

He did just spend a stupid amount on me, and for that, he had to have a reason. A plan for what he wants with someone like me.

We stepped out into the autumn air, and into a street that looked just as shady as it had felt during my time trapped in there.

It was incredibly dark. Only a few of the streetlights worked, and it just didn't... smell right.

Like the air here was stale, and the only sound nearby was faded footsteps that didn't make me feel better in the slightest.

I had no concept of what time it was. Just that the sun was long gone.

Even what day it was escaped me.

The chain I was attached to rattled with each step we took across the mostly empty sidewalk.

I quieted my breaths as soon as I felt able, paying full attention to the vampire ahead of me while we stepped closer to a working street light

I guess it wasn't just the room. His clothes were just dark along with everything else.

Black jeans and a dark grey hooded jacket covered his entire form from me.

Alright, nothing to gain with him it would seem, so my eyes searched the surrounding area yet again.

I wanted to, but I couldn't run now. Not with the multiple glowing eyes I could spot around us. Not with this chain. Not with a vampire so close that could easily catch me.

"Welcome back sir."

My head snapped ahead at the unknown voice, spotting the source ahead as a boy who had to be close to my age, standing in front of a very long vehicle.

Right... I forgot how vampires preferred to get around.

In their fancy-ass cars that take up half the road and make life harder for everyone else.

The boy opened the door into the cabin, bowing his head while the vampire stepped in.

I hesitated a moment before following his lead.

Slaves- or servants. Whatever they were called. I'd never been in close proximity with them either.

It was saddening, but not as much as the girls back in that awful place felt to me.

I stepped in, hearing the door close and lock just seconds before I heard the chain be dropped to the ground.

My head whipped to him, seeing that he had indeed just dropped it and was now just walking towards the back of the cabin.

Long dark cushions sat in a rectangle against the walls, and he headed with little rush back to the left corner.

He didn't say anything, he wasn't even looking at me.

I don't know why I found that fact to initially be surprising.

I think I'd just been expecting something more intense. Immediate threats as soon as we were out of the public eye.

Lay down the law or whatever. The rules he's going to expect me to follow.

I'd had a lot of time to think about how I thought vampires would treat their pets. The ridiculous standards they'd expect me to meet.

But I am not a pet.

I wondered how soon was too soon for me to make that clear to him.

I needed it to be clear, but I'd also had to swallow the hard truth these past few weeks that I had no chance against a vampire if I pissed them off enough for them to make it physical.

He sat down with a sigh, pulling the file from inside his coat with one hand, and swiping his hood off with the other.

My eyes narrowed at the same time my brows rose to take in what I finally could, barely feeling the movement of the car.

Again, My subconscious expectations were wildly incorrect.

I'd been used to malicious stares and rough features. Grins that had nowhere better to be.

Vampires were known for their unfair advantages when it comes to attraction. That much was to be expected.

Traits unmatched and filled to the brim with confidence I felt like they could and often did get lost in.

His were still somewhat close but looked... fragile in a way I couldn't conclude. I don't even know why that word was the first thing to come to mind.

It wasn't how I or anyone would ever think to describe a vampire.

Maybe it was how pale he looked in comparison to others I'd seen.

Maybe it was the darkness under his eyes that I'd never once seen on another one of his kind.

Was he like... a drug addict or something? Did I just get temporarily stuck with a drug addict?

Can vampires even be drug addicts?

If not that then what the hell was wrong with this one?

My focus strayed to the hair settling from the removal of his head. Light grey- almost silver strands with the smallest hint of a wave to them settled down just past his shoulders.

A really awful dye job if I do say so myself. What kind of person in their right mind chooses that color?

The layering of it was at least nice, and the way it fell allowed me to catch sight of the tiny silver hoop in his lobe.

That aforementioned grin was nowhere to be seen. Nothing close on any part of his face.

In fact, he almost looked bored sitting there, flipping through the papers on me that said god knows what.

No, bored wasn't all of it.

Tired. He looked tired.

Really offputting for a nocturnal creature, but nothing about this dude looked right.

My gaze fell back to his eyes the moment they lifted to me, noting the way he looked me over again. This time, he settled longer on my face now that it was no longer covered by the mask.

"You can sit," Was all he said, his expression unchanging.

My brows furrowed while he just looked back at his papers, flicking his wrist to steady the sheet.

Of course I can fucking sit, asshole. I wasn't waiting for permission I was just...

What was I doing?

I don't think I was ready yet to admit that I truly had no plan other than the end result. I knew that it would come in time, but for now, everything was a wild card.

And the vampires I've dealt with up until now have been difficult, to say the least.

Right now I was just irked that I may have come off as someone who waited for his beck and call.

"I'm not calling you master." I bit, sitting myself down right by the door and crossing my legs.

That was when the first hint of expression appeared on his face.

It was a very subtle upward tilt of his lips that didn't make it to his eyes but edged at his brows.

Not one of malice or dominance, this was more one born from amusement.

Which I didn't consider any better.

"That's fine by me," He replied, "I don't imagine you'll be referring too me that often anyways, Kiari-"

"Kira," The correction came before I could think to wait, "Don't call me Kiari."

That name was dead now along with the one who gave it to me.

No one else called me it anyways.

My friends as I grew up, Gabe, they all called me Kira.

The sudden silence in the cabin had my fingers pressing hard into my pants. That, mixed with those fully vampiric eyes now staring me down from where he sat had my disposition wavering.

There was ice in his gaze. I couldn't think of how else to explain it.

It was like beneath it, the atmosphere shifted and my body became alert.

Where others may have snarled or lashed out at me for the harsh interruption and commanding tone, his silence conveyed enough.

It was almost worse given that I didn't know what he was thinking. I didn't know what to expect.

"Kira." He repeated, though his voice dropped a tone.

I could feel the warning in just the single word, and couldn't understand how clearly that got conveyed to my brain.

But that was all he did. It was all he said before back to the papers he went.

Quietly, I released the breath I don't remember holding, slowly sinking back into the seat.

My spine rejoiced at the cushions behind me compared to a cement wall, but I could only celebrate for so long.

I had to concentrate to scatter away the lingering effects of what just happened.

Predators. These beings were predators and monsters. It was only human nature for me to be on edge.

I couldn't beat myself up for these moments of hesitation, for my own survival instinct rising fear out of me.

Take it, process it, and move on. I had more important things I needed to focus on.

I turned my head away from him and out the window to my right, taking in lights of the city I would belong to yet again here soon.

My thumb pushed and massaged against the underside of my left wrist, trying in vain to ease the all too familiar feeling of my blood turning against me.

I'd need to somehow take care of this soon too...

The castle captured my view, and from the looks of how far it was, this wasn't going to be a short ride.