I quirked a brow, eyes frosted with cold detachment, when Queen Kesla made the girl stay.

Queen Kesla had been looking for someone all these years, I understood that, why else would she be holding up such a routine? But how could it possibly be this girl? And why?

And I could feel my lips twitching to hold back my twisted smile when Kesla declared that she would be staying in the stables. I mean, it seriously called for some bemused reactions.

The girl's jade green eyes found me and I wasn't able to completely mask my surprise. Because this was certainly unusual.

"What's your name?"

My eyes whipped towards the Queen's whose attention was trained on the girl but this time, my eyes were narrowed. What the heck?

What game are you playing, Queen Kesla?

But I couldn't deny that I was curious to know the girl's name as well. After all, I couldn't just keep calling her 'the girl' or the 'onyx haired slave' or 'my captive', right?

"Cara." Her voice was composed and calm, unlike the frantic beating of her heart, but had a slight rasp to it. Probably because she hadn't talked in who knows how long. But it was a pretty name, for some reason, absolutely fitting her.

The Queen mysteriously smiled slightly and then gestured to her handmaid, "Get her a maid uniform. Take her with you and bring her back. Lucien will take over from there."

I blinked, my brows slightly raising and slowly glanced at Cara who was already staring at me.

Did she just say that I, the Vampire Army's General and a Shapeshifter, would deal with this slave girl?

My eyes narrowed further and a slight crease appeared between my eyebrows. I know I felt that things were going to start changing the moment I found Cara. I just didn't guess the magnitude or manner. Or how soon either. I mean, the very reason why I even found her seemed like the work of unknown forces pushing me towards her.

I watched as she was led out of the Hall and the turned to the Queen. I raised my brows silently questioning everything and tilted my head in the direction Cara just went.

The ghost of a smile played on her lips and her eyes traveled down to my waist, where my sword and---

"Give her the dagger back."

I didn't even process before I scoffed, "What?"

Yes, we don't give the slaves any type of weapons but even if they garner one, we all know how much more powerful the supernatural are and what the outcome would be. It could be that she was testing Cara perhaps, though that seemed highly unlikely and then the question would be why.

Though I'm not a vampire and don't crave blood, my race is unique and less in population. Scattered all around the world, we're prized and the epitome of unlimited strength. Having the ability to shape shift into any form, human or animal, makes us great spies and fighters. My high position in the food chain was a big thanks to that aside from my skills and the titles and fame I had gathered in the older days. After that court fell abruptly, I chose the Celeran court to be loyal to and serve solely because of Damien. Unlike the other, I hadn't had a court to return to being a Shapeshifter since we're nomads. Never staying too long in one place, moving in groups. Of course, I was an exception to that but still.

And it does have its perks.

I took a hold of the dagger and observed it in plain view of Kesla.

Sharp and shiny.

Beautiful and deadly.

"You do know this is a Silern dagger, right, Your Majesty?" I asked her, hoping she would divulge something useful.

She gave me an amused look. "Yes, General, I'm well aware that it is a Silern dagger. And Cara may have it back."

I shrugged, feigning indifference though it left me slightly intrigued and put back the dagger in my belt.

As I bowed and made to leave, I heard her mummer something that was most certainly not meant for me to be heard but I was blessed with sharper hearing being a Shapeshifter: "It's time..."

What the hell? I frowned internally. Closing the door behind me, my mind was still in a disarray of thoughts. I found Cara standing there in a baffled state holding the maid uniform that was.....in the crest colors.

I internally sighed. Of course.

She was under Milla's division after all.

Tough luck, pet, tough luck.

"Follow me."

She held my eyes, stubbornly and I found it much more amusing than I should've.

I walked ahead and soon heard her following me. I remembered what the Queen had said and decided to act upon it. Coming to a standstill, I held her dagger over my shoulder for her to take and looked over at her wearing an amused smirk. "You can have this back."

Cara blinked in confusion and surprise but her reflexes were still good enough that she quickly took it. Smart girl. The dagger would indeed help her survive in this Palace. I actually hope the poor girl won't have to come across Minister Gallum.

She took it and we resumed walking in tense silence until....she said something.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Lucien?" She sounded irritated and angry and I stopped walking.

Is it weird that I still feel amused, like she is this dose of refreshing air?

I slowly turned my head to look at her with a neutral facade. She must've realized her mistake and to whom exactly she had said those audacious words. Oooh she's got guts.

"Wouldn't you want to know?" I smirked and leaned in close, a dangerous edge to my voice and shot back.

I wouldn't punish her. No, but I could have some fun instilling fear in her. I'd like to see her cowering and afraid and apologizing to me. The girl who had been nothing but cool and calculated since the moment I met her had just seemingly lost her cool with me. This wasn't a daily occurrence for me and neither was she used to being so bold in front of others.

"I just said I do." She pointed out, apparently unfazed by my closeness. Her jade green eyes shone.

I'm sorry, what?

My eyebrows shot up and I gave her an incredulous look, internally seething at her daring nature to bring out such unfamiliar reactions, picking at my ice and cold.

"What?" I repeated, bringing my flailing emotions under control, stacking the bricks on my ice fortress higher and higher no matter their disagreement at staying there. Stubborn little blocks of ice. I felt a muscle in my jaw twitch as I exhaled slowly.

I thought she was going to apologize or something or....not this! What the hell?

"Are you deaf? I asked you what was wrong with you. I thought Shifters had good hearing?" She quirked a brow at me sarcastically.

Did I mention that I was a Shifter General, real high in the food chain and she was a mere human slave???

I composed myself and leaned back, face blank, "Shifters do have good hearing, pet. You should know your place. And I'm perfectly fine. Nothing is wrong with me."

She scoffed and resumed walking. I blinked in exasperation and decided to walk alongside her. How the hell did it come to this......

"I beg to differ." She gritted her teeth and I finally realized why she was having this outburst.

"Is this because I ruined your only chance at freedom?" I quizzed, languid ice coating my sentence.

She looked at me blankly, "No, its because you bought me to this wonderful palace full of bloodthirsty vampires where I can be a perfect little doll, at your service maid, and looking for a moment to kill you."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Is that sarcasm I'm hearing, pet?" We headed out into the vast maintained gardens and I started leading us to the stables.

"I thought you must have at least a few brain cells, but since you need to be told everything twice and you're apparently no brains and all brawn, I'll go ahead and answer you: yes." She snickered and folded her arms, her jade green eyes looked into mine and they looked poisonous.

I have a feeling she wouldn't waste a moment to poison me with her eyes if she possibly could.

I'm not feeling humiliated. Nope. Absolutely not.

I felt my eyebrow twitch in irritation and I sucked in a deep breath. I'm not a man of many words. I'm cold, I'm calculated, I'm distant and I'm intimidating.

Or at least so I thought....

"You have quite a sharp tongue, pet. Won't let you survive long if you keep that behavior up." I warned in a cold tone.

Cara scoffed as the stables came into view and replied. "Don't worry, you're the only one who'll get the privilege to be humiliated by my sharp tongue since I hold a very special place for you in my heart, General Lucien. Besides, I've survived just fine so far."

I'm also going to take a guess and say that it was loaded heavily with sarcasm. Although, hearing my name from her lips made me feel weird.

Is she in her right mind? The only reason she's still breathing is perhaps because I don't speak much, like I said, and therefore am not as good at comebacks. Especially since I've never actually been in a situation where a slave has had the audacity to let alone humiliate but talk to me. Hell, high born noble Vampires don't, so what's with Cara?

"And don't call me 'Pet'." She added.

I smirked. "How long have you been in the slave system, pet?" I ignored the rest of what she said.

She clenched her jaw, most certainly angry about me calling her 'pet' on purpose. Cara glanced at me suspiciously and then at the stables we had reached.

"Five years." Her voice was quieter than before and I narrowed my eyes.

So she wasn't a slave since birth. Then perhaps her life before could be a hint to what's happening?

We entered the stables and I led her to the very back.

"Here. Have a fun stay." I coldly looked at her and smirked. She smiled back sarcastically and I gritted my teeth. How can she possibly be getting on my nerves??

I turned around and called: "Theo!"

The stable boy came running soon and bowed in front of me. "General Lucien!" He remarked in surprise.

I gave him a slight nod and his eyes traveled behind me to look at Cara.

"She'll be staying here from now on." I informed him. Then, because I'm a spiteful person and I wanted to get back at Cara, I added, "And she'll be helping you with the stable work in the mornings. Show her the ropes and the other necessities."

I looked at Cara once and she had a neutral face but when her jade green eyes collided with mine, they seemed to fill with unbridled hate and anger conveying all I needed to know. I took a step closer to her and whispered in a low voice, "You better keep your mouth shut. Cara."

Her eyes widened for a split second before she slightly raised her chin and stood her ground. I shot her a cold smirk that was more like barbed icicles and then started to leave.

The Queen's last words to me in the Hall rang in my ears like a haunting hint:

"You do know this is a Silern dagger, right, Your Majesty?" I asked her, hoping she would divulge something useful.

She gave me an amused look. "Yes, General, I'm well aware that it is a Silern dagger. And Cara may have it back."

I narrowed my eyes, a sinister gleam in them. "What game are you playing, Queen Kesla?"

Her answering smile was too innocent yet nothing short of suspicious. "Oh, its not a game General. Just a Queen gathering her army."

•○•

AN~

Anyways, thank you for the votes and comments and reads, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget to leave a comment (or many) and a vote to let me know your thoughts! Also, those of you who have read but not voted, please go back and vote! It'd make me really happy! Thank you so much for sticking around with me so far, lol.

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~Skyler