"Take off your clothes."
"I beg your pardon?" Francine asked, slightly offended. "Did you say..."
Libby cracked a smile. "Yes, Miss Francine, you heard me correctly. Please take off your clothes. You must bathe before going to bed."
"You must be joking. "You expect me to strip naked in front of you?" The vampiress pointed at Lucas and Alex . "And them? I'd rather not!" she exclaimed as she stormed out of the large bathroom.
"Okay." The young servant sighed and shook her head. "Gentlemen?"
Lucas blinked at Libby before looking down at his jeans, which were smeared with blood and other filth. When he turned around, he saw two female slaves approaching them, each carrying a bundle of dark-colored linen.
Alex undressed with a sigh. When his cock sprung out of his boxers, Libby and two other slaves stared wide-eyed. One of the slaves cleared her throat and smiled. Lucas promptly followed and removed his shirt and jeans, thinking he could use a good, long bath after their time in the dungeon.
"Please…" Libby led them into the bathtub. She laughed as she watched Alex and Lucas's hesitant reaction when the female slaves raced to them as soon as they stepped into the tub. "Don't worry. Rea and Lovely will never do something as dumb as touch your cocks. It is forbidden for slaves and fighters to pleasure each other."
Rea and Lovely laughed and began washing them thoroughly with soap and oils.
"They don't talk?" Lucas asked, referring to the two slaves.
"When they are spoken to. However, as your sitter, they are merely here to assist me with giving the two of you a bath."
"How long have you been here, Libby?" This time, it was Alex who asked.
"To be honest, I have no idea. "As soon as you and Harper left the cabin, your father and sister arrived with the red witch," Libby replied.
"The red witch?"
"Mira," Lucas responded on her behalf. "What did she do? "What happened to Dr. Miller?"
"Mira tortured him. He refused to tell her anything, so she beheaded him. Alex's father took pity of me and allowed me to live. As a punishment for assisting you in hiding his own son from him, he urged Mira to banish me." Libby pursed her lips as a sad and unpleasant recollection from her former life came into her mind. "They didn't even let me say goodbye to my parents."
"I should have tortured her as well," Alex seethed.
"Mira's dead?" she asked, her face suddenly lit up .
Alex gave a slight nod. "Yes. I killed her."
"Good! That monster deserves to die."
"I'm really sorry, Libby..." Lucas's voice trailed off as he spoke.
Libby grunted. "I wandered around Moorland for weeks and nearly died at the hands of the red wolf's rogue pack. I got away. Nara found me and sold me to Master Gillen."
"Have you seen Harper around here?" asked Alex, his voice tinged with worry.
The young servant gave him an assuring smile. "Do you still think she's your fiancee, or have your memories returned?"
"He already knows the truth, but he refuses to accept it," Lucas growled.
Alex rolled his eyes and turned away, suddenly appalled to be sharing the enormous bath tub with Lucas. He was about to argue when the door to the bathroom opened and one of Gillen's guards entered, whispering something to Libby.
Libby cast a short glance towards the two of them before giving the guard a quick nod. The guard then quietly exited the room from which he had entered.
After a few moments, Libby spoke again, saying, "Master Gillen has a soft spot for humans. Y "You should be concerned with your own well-being and win every fight."
"You know a lot about him and this place," Lucas remarked.
"As the master of The Casa and the owner of the three combat champions, Master Gillen is unofficially the ruler of Velaris. He is the master of every household on this land, although he rarely meddles in issues that occur outside of The Casa. And, before I forget, never, ever call him Small Fry. Not unless you want to die right away. He despises that nickname."
"And as fighters, we just... fight for him?"
She nodded at Lucas, then to Alex. "As fighter slaves, your responsibility is to fight for him and uphold The Casa's status as *The House of Champions*. You'll also have to entertain his guests on occasion," Libby's voice faded.
Alex frowned. "Entertain his guests?"
"Dinner with them. Have a drink with them. And, if they so desire, please them."
"Wait! Are you saying we're basically his fighters and *transvestites*?"
"I apologize, Master Alex. But, yes. So, when we have guests, don't make the mistake of socializing too much with them, or you'll wind yourself in bed with them. And, to be honest, the majority of Master Gillen's guests are a little out of control. You'd rather be a good boxer since the luxury you'll have depends on how excellent you are in the ring and how well you're liked among the bettors. If you can become a prized fighter, you can have pretty much anything you want."
"Except freedom," Alex stated gravely as Lovely combed through his hair.
"I'd rather try." Lucas flinched as Rea yanked at a knot in his hair.
"All we can do is hope." Libby looked at Rea and watched the slave struggled to release the comb from Lucas' locks. "Rea is trying to tell me that your hair is a tangled mess."
"Well, Rea, I appreciate your candor."
The slave blushed and giggled softly.
"With all the servants, and I'm sure not all of Gillen's fighters want to fight for him, why aren't they going against him? Why aren't they fighting or trying to escape? Is it truly hopeless?"
Libby sighed and shook her head. "I believe it's because the majority of the fighters don't know any better. They were separated from their families as children, and nearly everyone here was born and raised as a slave."
He scowled. "This isn't right."
"I'm sure you've already met Clay." Libby lowered her gaze to her calloused palms. "Many have attempted but failed."
Rea and Lovely both had sad expressions on their faces as they gazed at her.
"Clay once told me about Gray, the first prized fighter in The Casa who led the first uprising. He was taken from his home and sold to Master Gillen. He and twenty other slaves managed to escape this place, but they all died horribly before reaching the border between Velaris and Amaryn." When she looked to her right, she noticed Rea staring at her, as if she was trying to gain her permission to speak. She gave her a nod.
"Gray was the best fighter this casa had ever had. He was also the kindest," Rea added.
"Enough of that." Libby rose to her feet. "I think you're both cleaned up now."
Rea and Lovely swiftly dried Lucas and Alex before returning them to their room and waiting while the two disagreed about what material to clothe them in.
"Goodness," Libby hissed before signaling to the slaves, "Try green."
When they were finished, she gushed, circling aroung the two men who towered over the three of them. "Master Gillen will be pleased. Come with me."
"I assumed we only needed to bathe because we were going to bed."
"Sorry. Master Gillen, I was told, wished to see you both."
Alex gave her a stern look but complied. He got a whiff of something tasty. If they behaved, they might offer him some food. He wasn't sure about Lucas, but he was starving. But when they got to the dining hall, it wasn't the food that caught his attention. Two women with the same long brown hair sat at the table with Gillen and his deputy on his side. They were dressed in long nude gowns that clung to their bodies flawlessly.
"Master Gillen, I present to you and your guests, Alex and Luca."
One of the women rose up slowly, her gaze fixed on Alex. "This one reeks of royalty. Is he?"
Gillen flashed a proud smile. "You're totally right, Kara. Lord Ramon's one and only son. Alexander Claude Carmichael."
"A son of a lord!" Kara cheered enthusiastically, raising her voice with each opening of her mouth. She took a seat close to the other woman. "I'd like to see him in his wolf form. I want him to bed me tonight!"
"He has yet to win a fight, my darling Kara. They can only give and receive pleasure after proving themselves in the arena, whether they are royalty or not," Gillen explained.
"Boo!" Kara scoffed.
"Rules are rules, Kara! Don't expect Master Gillen to bend it just because you want him between your legs," the other woman seated next to her snapped. Then she turned to face Lucas. "What about him?"
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Liv. That one is not of royal blood," said Gillen frankly.
"Really?" Liv, the more composed of the two, seems hesitant to believe it. "Are you certain?"
"Yes, darling, I'm afraid so."
Kara gave her a snooty smirk. "Why push it, Liv? It's not like it matters who fucks you from behind."
"Excuse me?"
"Now, now, ladies. Calm down. There's no reason for you two to get nasty," Gillen said. He made a motion for Alex and Lucas. "Come here, let me have a close look at you two."
As both guys approached their table, Alex caught a sight of two round, perky breasts when Kara's already revealing dress slipped off one shoulder.
"I am certain that everyone in Valeris has already seen you naked," Liv observed.
"When you have it, my dear cousin, flaunt it. And I'm loving the way Alex is staring at me right now," Kara replied.
"What a harlot you are." Liv sighed and rolled her eyes.
Gillen's eyes narrowed. "I'm sensing animosity between you two again,"
Liv was about to say something else when Kara burst out laughing. "It was never gone. We quarrel all the time."
"So, now that you've seen my upcoming champions ahead of everyone else on the red court, what do you think?"
When Alex heard Gillen's question, he wondered what he and Lucas were doing there.
Kara laughed. "Absolutely. Put me at the top of the list for Alex."
Gillend looked across at his deputy. "You heard the lady."
His deputy bowed in response.
"What about you, Liv?"
"For 8,000 aurum, he's fairly expensive," Liv commented after giving Lucas a once-over. But I'm curious. So put me at the top of the list for this one."
*What is the list for?* Alex pondered this internally.
Gillen clapped his palm and grabbed a glass of red wine for himself. "All is set then." He raised his eyes to Libby. "You must return them to their quarter."
Libby bowed and escorted Alex and Lucas out of the dining hall. Alex's stomach was already grumbling loudly by the time they arrived at their designated room.
"I'll get you two something to eat," Libby said, smiling.
He looked at her with trepidation. "What was that all about, Libby?"
"Remember what I told you about guests coming in and being entertained by Master Gillen's fighters? Those two women have simply paid one night with each of you after you have won your initial fights in the arena."
"Now that's fucked up!" Lucas roared.