Chapter 4 The Vampire’s hound
“You can have her! You are right, she's unimportant to me in the pack! Take her, do as you please. We are no longer tied to a claim or bond granted by the goddess,” said Ryker, his voice sharp, resentful and bland.
“Hm!” Valerio simply let out with a very tight, mischievous smile that left Evyths to her thoughts.
Was it dread? Was it torture? Was it hatred? Was it… peace, that he was offering? With a smirk like that, it defined her end—her doom, a new pain. Evyths debated in her mind.
The Alpha king announced that the meeting was over as everyone paid their respect and departed.
Valerio stared at his newly gotten hound, Evyths.
Although he was curious as to how and why she ended up a slave to her supposed mate, it did not change the fact that it was none of his business.
Valerio ordered his guard to take Evyths to a carriage when he strutted out with the Vampire king, his father.
…
Once they had entered their black carriage, the black horses dragged the carriage vigorously, their hooves rattling against the cobbled stone ground.
“That was not necessary, D’Arcy!” the king began, his voice icy. His gaze dark yet contemplative.
Valerio’s eyes looked beyond the greenery, they were slowly leaving behind the archaic humongous werewolf castle.
“She piqued my interest and it is to our advantage, Father!” Valerio spoke squarely, his tone was calm yet cunning.
“She is a dog, D’Arcy, a stark hound…”
“While that is true, I see something in her. Something that I have yet to discover. But… do not worry, Father, she will not cause us trouble. If she does, I'll offer you her blood to drink. Her blood’s warm and young!” he said as the king chuckled darkly, placing a hand on Valerio’s arm swiftly.
“I raised you well indeed,” the king declared.
Meanwhile, Evyths was still bound. Her throat was dry, not even her saliva could suffice for the thirst that she felt.
Evyths watched everything she believed was a home, a family, a pack, drifting behind like a bitter memory. Their territory, their smell, their instincts, their nature—all was left behind.
Something awaited her within the walls of the vampires, something she didn't know about.
…
Some hours later, the vampire guard pulled Evyths out of the carriage harshly as she whimpered, her flimsy legs losing their grip.
He jerked her arm tightly as they walked towards the ancient castle that sat in the middle of a foreign ground rumored to be the Ravencroft kingdom.
She smelled the expanse, it reeked of fresh flesh.
The castle was huge and tall, reaching the dark sky. Bats hung low, around the castle like their home. Crows cooing, the atmosphere thick with silence, darkness and eeriness.
The smell of fresh blood and flames lingered in the atmosphere, and the dark clouds were covered with reckless streaks of crimson rays that spelled hell.
Like a slave hound, like Ryker had concluded, she was taken into the castle, dragged by the chains bound to her.
In her thought, she thought she would be taken to a dungeon but the reverse was the case.
Her eyes darted from corner to corner, and portraits of past kings, clan members and nobles hung on the large walls throughout the hallways.
The marbled floor had black and red intricate designs and above her head were chandeliers beaming with warm dim lights, that barely illuminated their paths.
Strange chantings echoed in whispers, an ancient language that she couldn't interpret.
“A whole new world filled with mystery,” she said to herself. “I would rather they kill me than suffer in a castle that's tainted with darkness,” she added.
Pulsing through the long hallway that seemed unending, they burst into the heart of the hall that seemed like the throomroon.
Thinking that the throne was somewhere around, Evyths realized that the throne hung in the air, at the far end.
“On your knees,” the guard ordered sternly, his steely voice cutting through her thoughts and puzzlement.
Evyths went on her knees without complaining, the chains clanking which echoed in the room.
“Leave us,” she heard someone order with thick, unshaken authority in their tone. Without looking behind, the guard bowed and strutted away.
Valerio D’Arcy slowly walked toward her, his demeaning gaze staring down at her.
She could swear that she did not hear his footsteps when he first arrived.
He offered her a hand, his black nails like claws were sharp and filed, motioning with his gaze that she should rise.
Evyths struggled to stand as Valerio caught the chain that was linked to her neck.
Without an effort, he tore the chains apart, his actions catching her by surprise.
She's heard stories about the vampires while growing up. How strong, lethal, and cunning they were. Yet, no one told her how beautiful they looked behind those fangs that slightly surfaced.
“Th- thank you,” she managed to say. His face was vacant.
Evyths massaged her sore neck, her sheer, worn-out dress displaying her contour.
Valerio had been looking, his gaze darting to each corner of her body, each detail drawing his attention.
He noticed a mole on her neck, and the tiny freckles around it.
He quickly snapped out of staring at his hound.
“I will have someone show you to your room. Bathe, spruce up, and come down to the throne room. You shall meet with my clan, they need to know that I have acquired a hound that is proof that sealed our treaty. Thereby protecting you from any future harm,” he said without a tinge of emotion in his tone. Collected and direct.
Evyths swallowed up, nodding to his demands.
Prince Valerio left, his feet barely touching the smooth floor. She looked until she was out of sight.
Immediately, a guard and a maid rushed to Evyths. The maid said nothing to Evyths except motioning with her hand that they needed to leave.
Evyths followed without a word, yet her eyes picked the tiniest detail, her nose picking up scents that almost made her throw up.
Once they reached the supposed room that was entirely in a different wing, Evyths wondered if they truly heard the instructions of the prince.
The guard tucked the key in the hole, opening the prison Prince Valerio referred to as the room.
“Could there be—” Evyths’ words hung skeptically, her eyes dripping with confusion.
“The dungeon is your room in the prince’s terms.” said the maid whose face looked unfriendly and rude.
Given that they were naturally enemies, Evyths did not argue. At least the dungeon had a small bed, a wooden table and chair, and a chest of clothes.
“Look inside, you will find a basin with fresh water for your kind. Wash off your doggy stains, you reek of beastial sweat,” the maid said. “After an hour, I shall return to take you back to the throne room…”
With that, the maid left while Evyths walked into the dungeon as the guard locked her up and left the area.
All she heard was a loud thud, the gigantic door closing.
She looked inside the dungeon, torches hanging by the wall, warm enough to keep her alive. Otherwise, the castle was as cold as ice.
Evyths explored the small space, quickly stripping out of the torn clothes that she had worn for days.
Her fingers touched the warm water, and a part of her leaped with relief.
It only reminded her of the times that she was with Ryker, all he wanted to do was rid her. At all costs.
…
Exactly an hour later, Evyths was taken to the throne room where she saw several vampires in their regal outfits, staring at her like a piece of baked shit.
Their demeaning gazes said it all. To them, she was stank—reeking of hound’s urine and poop.
Meanwhile, Evyths was only wearing a furry dress made out of a bear’s skin to keep her warm and alive. She could smell it.
“What is this thing, Prince Valerio?” a woman fit to be his mother spat out bluntly, her disgust evident in her eyes.
“My new hound, mother…” said Valerio, his voice bled with authority and certainty, their eyes bled with shock.
Why did the crowned prince of vampires bring a weak werewolf into their territory?