Chapter 5

{Merryn's pov}

Samael placed me on my feet and wrapped his right arm around my waist, pulling me against his side as tight as possible. This was his way of staking a claim to let everyone know that I belonged to him. It was also his way of reminding me of that as well. I gulped, keeping my eyes glued to the ground as my entire body throbbed in pain. One of my eyes was swollen shut, while my other eye had cuts going across the eyelid. My lips were also bruised and swollen with bleeding cuts. It hurt to breathe, and I couldn't help but wonder if my ribs were bruised or possibly fractured. I was in a lot of pain, but the adrenaline kept me from falling unconscious. My fear was my biggest concern right now.

Tears threatened to spill out of my one open eyelid, but I quickly blinked them away. If I cried right now, what would that do? Nothing, that's what. It would only make me look weak and make Samael appear weak. Instead, I stood as still as a mouse and waited for this situation to pass. I stared down at everyone's feet, watching as they all trembled in place.

They were all terrified of Sam, rightfully so. They all broke his most significant rule, which was to keep their hands off of me. Nobody was allowed to touch me. Not even Dakota, but that guy had balls of steel. Still, I worried about Kota. I had a sinking suspicion of what would happen to him, but I tried not to dwell on it. If I could just get my thoughts together and get back to the castle, then maybe I could find a way to talk Samael down from whatever he planned to do. Foolish, I know, but Dakota was worth it.

"Which one of you allowed this to happen?!" Samael boomed, glaring at the crowd of petrified students. His eyes scanned over every person's face, looking for the one who looked the most guilty. Finally, after a thorough examination, his eyes landed on a very shaky and teary-eyed Llewellyn. Sam spared me a quick glance that read 'stay put or else,' and I nodded my head in understanding, watching as he walked over to Lou. "Lewd Lewie. Let me guess; this was your idea."

Lou quickly shook his head as pee slid down his legs. Samael's eyes followed the wet trail down to the ground, and a frown crossed his lips, noticing pee underneath his expensive shoes. "N-no, your majesty. It was only a…a j-joke." Lou stuttered as tears streamed down his cheeks.

"A joke? Do you find this funny?! Look at her face! Look at her stomach! You allowed someone to damage my property, believing it to be funny?!" Samael yelled in Llewellyn's face before he grabbed him by the neck and lifted him into the air with one arm. The rest of the students began to cry as their precious quarterback begged for his life. "I wonder if you would find this funny, Lewie," Sam hissed.

Then he slammed Llewellyn against the ground directly into the pile of piss, rubbing his face in the pee. I could hear Lou gagging and trying to spit out the taste of his urine that went into his mouth. He deserved it because if I had not escaped from his wolf, he would have done something much worse to me. Lou would have destroyed me in the worst possible way. After Samael was satisfied with smothering Lou's face with the bodily fluids, he pulled him back up and spat in his face. Llewellyn flinched, but he didn't bother trying to speak. Lou knew it was pointless and would only make matters worse.

"How is that for a joke, Lewie? Do you still find it hilarious, or are you ready to apologize?" Sam snarled in his face.

Lou nodded his head repeatedly. "Y-yes, I'll apologize to h-her." He cried.

Samael smirked in satisfaction, setting Lou back down on his feet, but he kept his hand fisted into the collar of Lou's shirt. He pulled Lou over to me and stopped him about a foot in front of where I stood. "Go on, mongrel. Apologize to her. Meri, I want you to look him in the eyes when he speaks to you."

"Yes, mi Rey." I obeyed, lifting my chin as I met Llewellyn's gaze.

I saw the defiant gleam in his pupils as he stared straight at me. He wanted to say no, stand up for himself, and not take back what he had done and planned to do to me. I could tell that he hadn't regretted a single thing. Of course, he didn't regret it. That's just the type of man that Lou was. A sick pervert. A psychopath. However, his will to live won out as he opened his mouth and obeyed Samael's order. "I apologize, Merryn. I'm sorry for attacking and harassing you. Please," he said, clenching and grinding his back teeth together, "please forgive me."

Before I could respond to him, Samael shoved his fist into Llewellyn's chest from behind and ripped out his heart before dropping it onto the ground at his feet. Everyone stood frozen, and I had no idea how to even react. The world fell silent for a moment until one girl in the back of the crowd screamed in agony, falling to her knees. Her hands gripped her shirt above her heart as she cried out. It was the most heartbreaking sound I had ever heard, and as I watched her completely break down, I wondered something. In most of the romance books I read, many of them spoke of soulmates. I was curious to know if that was what Llewellyn was to her. Maybe they were soulmates, and if it hadn't been for the fact he was a shit person, I would have felt bad for her. However, he deserved to die if he thought sexual harassment and rape were jokes.

Samael stepped back, allowing Lou's corpse to collapse to the ground. He clapped his hands together, dusting them off before wiping the blood on his pants. "This is what happens to those who disobey me. Let this be your final warning. From now on, that is the fate of those disrespecting my orders." Then he grabbed my hand and pulled me into the forest, dragging me away from the crowd of students. All of whom had started hysterically crying the moment we disappeared from their sight. 

I tried to tug my wrist out of his grasp, but it was useless. He wouldn't let me go, certainly not anytime soon. I was in a heap of trouble, and there was nothing I could do to change his mind. Once we were far enough away where the crowd wouldn't be able to hear us, Samael stopped mid-step before pushing my back against the trunk of a large tree. "Ouch! What the hell, Sam? That seriously hurt!" I shouted at him, trying to shove him off me.

He grabbed my wrist and pinned my arms against the tree trunk above my head. I could feel the rough bark digging into my skin and tried not to grimace from the pain. "I warned you, Merryn! I warned you not to disobey me, to not let another man touch you!" he yelled in front of my face, pushing my hands harder against the bark. 

A hiss left my lips as a stray tear slipped from my eyes. Samael glared at me, having caught sight of my stray tear, and I watched as the bright orange flames lit up inside his baby blue eyes. "Crying will get you nowhere! I should punish you for your insolence. I should whip you for disobeying me. YOU ARE MINE! Fucking act like it, or I will show you just how much you belong to me." He threatened.

"I-I'm sorry, Samael. Please, I truly am sorry. It won't happen again." I sobbed, trembling between his body and the tree behind me.

"No, it will not, and do you know why?" Samael replied, pausing as a smirk slowly stretched across his lips. I shook my head, flinching as he moved one hand down to my chin to lift my head. "Because you will never be allowed to leave my sight again. In fact, you can forget about having your own space. From now on, you will be staying in my room with me, chained to my bed. You will not be allowed anywhere unless I permit you to do so, and I will be with you during that time. Say goodbye to your freedom, Merryn. You just lost any ounce of trust I had in you."

His words sent a pang of guilt straight to my heart. The look of disappointment on his face hurt more than the physical injuries that covered my body. I watched and heard him mumble something in Spanish that I had never heard before. I didn't know what it meant, but from the look on his face, I could tell it wasn't good. He shook his head at me before lifting his wrist up to his mouth and sinking his teeth into it. When he pulled his wrist away, I saw blood flowing from the bite wound. His flaming blue eyes narrowed in on me, and I quickly shook my head at him, knowing what he was about to do.

"No, Sam, wait!" I begged, trying to turn my head away.

Samael ignored me, shoving his wrist against my lips, and I could taste his salty blood enter my mouth. I gagged on it, trying to spit it out before I would accidentally swallow it, but it was already too late. Years ago, he promised me that he would never force me to drink his blood. He promised it would always be my choice because of the risks. Vampire blood is magical, and it holds magical healing properties. I never wanted to cheat myself out of living a mundane human life, and instant healing is certainly not ordinary.

On top of that, it was a dangerous game to play. If Samael were to snap my neck between now and 24 hrs from now, it would turn me into a monster like him. If anyone were to kill me before 24 hours, I would be turned into a vampire. And being the King of vampires, Samael could easily control and manipulate me like one of his puppets. My gaze burned heavily into him, and he only rolled his eyes at me. 

"Oh please, do not look so upset, Meri. I am only helping you." Sam huffed.

"You betrayed me. You're a Goddamn liar, Samael!" I yelled at him, balling my hands into a fist and trying to pull my arms out of his grasp. "Let go of me. Let go of me now!"

"Calm down, Merryn! You are acting a fool."

"NO! Release me this instant! How could you? How could you make me do that?!" I screamed, feeling hot tears stream down my face. I wasn't upset; I was furious! Enraged! My body burned like frostbite, and I was sure I would explode. "LET ME GO!"

"ENOUGH!" He boomed, silencing me. Or at least he tried to silence me before a low growl rumbled out of my throat. 

Samael's eyes widened considerably at the sound that came out of me. I was also slightly startled until a cool soothing sensation slid down my entire body like a bucket of ice water poured over my head. Immediately after, a sharp pain pierced through my skull's center. It felt like my brain was being ripped in half. A scream forced its way out of my throat, which caused Samael to release me, stepping back with wide, startled eyes. He reached to touch my face before I slumped down onto my knees and pulled my legs to my chest. I buried my head in my knees, gripping my hair and pulling on it to try and lessen the pain in my cranium.

"Meri, what is wrong?" Sam asked with a worried tone.

"Go away! Get away from me!" I screamed at him, groaning as another pain shot through my skull.

^Merryn, stop fighting me.^ A feminine voice spoke into my mind, startling me into silence. This voice sounded oddly like mine but with a more dulcet and regal quality. ^You can trust me; I am here to help you.^ She added. With her calming words came the realization that I was no longer in pain. Almost as if the pain simply vanished into thin air.

^Who are you?^ I replied to her through my thoughts. It was the only thing that made sense. Samael would have looked at me like I was crazy if I had said it out loud.

^Close your eyes, and I will show you. But don't let the vampire know I am here yet. We need to catch him off guard.^ She answered me. 

I followed her directions, keeping my head in my lap and making pretend pained sounds. She was right. If I was going to get out of this situation, I had to follow her instructions. When I closed my eyes, it took only a few seconds before the darkness cleared away and revealed something genuinely remarkable. I tried hard not to gasp at the sight before me. It was a beautiful white-furred fox with gray furred paws and ears. Her poofy white tail also had a cute little gray tip, and she wagged it back and forth. Her eyes resembled mine, the same deep sapphire blue color, but they were glowing. In conclusion, she was absolutely stunning, and I was astounded!

^My name is Lumi, and I am your fox.^ She informed me, bouncing up and down in excitement.

^Wait? You mean that I… I am not a-a,^ I asked her, trying to get the right words out.

Lumi laughed, shaking her head. ^No, Merryn. We are not human. We are something extraordinary!^ She informed me, grinning proudly.

^What do you mean? I don't understand; my parents were both humans.^ I wondered.

^I'm not sure,^ She frowned as a thoughtful look crossed her face. ^but we will figure it out together. I promise!^

Sighing internally, I tried not to cry from this revelation, forcing myself to calm down. I had to get my mind out of the haze and focus on an escape plan. I took a deep breath, straightened my posture, and then looked at Lumi in her glowing blue eyes. ^Alright, what's your plan of action?^

^Do you trust me?^ Lumi asked. Even though I had just met her, I knew I did, so I nodded. ^Good. Now give me control over your body. By that, I mean picture yourself having an out-of-body experience. It will initially feel weird, like floating, but I will be here to keep you grounded the whole time. I won't let you float away.^

I snorted, picturing the clown movie called IT in my head. Lumi caught my thoughts and laughed as well, shaking her head at me. ^Okay, I'll try it. Please don't let me drift away.^

Then I followed her instructions, picturing myself stepping out of my body. I could feel it, too, the experience she talked about. It was almost like shedding skin as if I were a snake. A cold shiver ran down my spine once I had finished what she told me to do. Looking over at Lumi, I watched as she bounced around doing a little happy dance.

^You did it! Good job!^ She cheered. ^Now, watch and learn as I get us out of here and away from this leech!^ Then, her smile turned into a sly smirk before I felt her take over my entire motor system.

Samael jumped in fright as my head raised, meeting his weary gaze with a heated look filled with aggression. This fox of mine was indeed a courageous little beast. She twisted my lips into a coy smirk and cocked my head to the side, studying Samael like a cat looking at their caught prey. "What's the matter, Sammy? Samson? Samuel? I'm sorry, it seems that I have forgotten your name." Lumi spoke through my lips, interrupting the silence. Then she shrugged my shoulders and let out a humming sound. "I guess you weren't as important as you thought, King of Leeches."

^Oh my gosh, Lumi! You are going to get us killed!^ I laughed at her, shaking my head.

^Relax, he would never kill you. He is in love with you.^ Lumi stated in a matter-of-fact tone. 

I knew she spoke the truth, but I refused to see it as love. Love is not entrapment. It is a freedom of feeling, a choice, and a sacrifice. Love should not be forced upon someone, yet that is what Samael has tried to do my whole life. However, I was not about to argue with her. We had to stay focused. We had to get out of here safely. Alive, unscathed, and hopefully without having our neck snapped while the vampire blood was still in our system.

"Merryn, watch your tone, or I will not hesitate to smack you for disrespecting me." Samael scolded me, not realizing that my sassy fox had taken control.

"I would like to see you try, dickhead." Lumi barked at him. ^Hey, Merryn… Don't freak out, okay? This might hurt a lot.^ Lumi warned me before she rolled me onto my hands and knees, closed my eyes, and pushed a 3D image of her body into our mind.

That was when I felt it. The first transition. The first bone shifted out of its place, breaking and then mending into a new shape. I tried not to scream. I knew I had to be quiet but could not help the pained cries from spilling out of my mouth. More bones followed the first bone's actions. All of them breaking and mending into new shapes. My human hair retracted into my skull until my cranium formed a unique shape. Thick white fur sprouted all over my body, with gray on my paws, ears, and tail tip. The pain was too much for me to just ignore. It forced me back into my skin, forcing me to experience the first transformation. My very first shift from human to a fox. Then, when it was all over, I felt that icy calming sensation again and knew everything would be okay.

^Esmeralda, watch your 6!^ Lumi hollered, warning me just in time as I rolled out of the way from Samael's attack.

His usual baby blue eyes had turned crimson red, giving him the appearance of a newborn, bloodthirsty vampire. The ones that can't control their lust for blood. Samael shifted back and forth on his feet, huffing in annoyance as he realized I managed to dodge his attack. "Meri, stop acting like a fool! Turn back into your form now! We will go home and talk about this… this unfortunate situation." Samael frowned, running his hands through his dark hair.

I shook my head and released a loud bark, letting him know that I was not going back with him. Now that I had learned a piece of the truth, I wasn't going to go with him again. Not until I figure out where I came from. Not until I find where I belong. Maybe I was never meant to be raised as a human. Perhaps I wasn't supposed to be Samael's queen. This news changed things. It was not an unfortunate situation at all. No, this was a blessing in disguise. All that was left to do was escape and, hopefully, do it unharmed.

Samael must have realized it too. The change in my posture, the way I stood more defensive. I tried not to be so obvious, but I was 2 seconds away from turning and running into these woods. However, I saw his posture change as well. His leg muscles tightened, preparing to pounce the moment I ran. He watched me with a pair of cautious and calculative eyes, waiting patiently for me to make the first move. Then, he did something unexpected. His hand moved to his lips, sticking two fingers in his mouth before he blew out a loud whistle. My ears were ringing from the high-pitched sound from his mouth. Before I could try to process what was going on, five vampires sprung out from the trees.

^It's a trap! Get out of there now! GO!^ Lumi shouted at me, and I didn't delay a second longer.

I slid between two vampires, hopped to my feet, and sprinted through the forest. The ground was soft below me, allowing my paws to get a sturdy grip and helping me to gallop around the many obstacles. Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I could hear them hot on my trail. Two of them tried to be slick as they leaped into a tree before jumping out of it. Before they could fall on top of me, I rolled out of the way and resumed my sprint to freedom. I could hear Samael shouting orders to them, cursing as he realized I was getting away. Another vampire tried to shoot ahead of me to block my path, but I simply changed directions, avoiding his stupid attempt at a trap.

It wasn't until I started to feel my muscles cramping up and my heart pounding out of control that I realized the massive cliff ahead. When I turned around to find a different route, Samael and two vampires emerged from the treeline. I studied each of them closely, looking for the easiest target to get away from. One of the vampires had a slender appearance. His bones looked fragile, and he wore pants that were too big for his body. Lumi nodded her head in agreement, deciding he was the one we'd go after. After sucking up some of her courage, I darted straight at him. Samael hollered at him to grab me, and the boy foolishly stuck out his arms. I crashed straight into him, knocking him flat on his back.

However, I hadn't expected the bright silver crystal that fell out of his pocket. It shattered against the ground, bursting into a cloud of dust. The dust shot up in the air, forming a vortex around the boy vampire and me. I looked over to Samael, whose eyes had widened in fear, shock, and anger. He tried to run toward me, but the vortex spiraled out of control, blocking his path. 

A large gray cloud formed underneath the boy vampire and me. Sam shouted a curse before the cloud opened into a black hole, and the boy and I dropped straight down into it. The opening closed up, and we were wrapped in a blanket of darkness. My eyes soon felt heavy as my body continued to fall. I tried to fight the exhaustion for as long as possible, but it became too challenging.

^Safe. We want to go somewhere safe.^ Lumi whispered inside my mind. Her words seemed to trigger something, pulling us out of the darkness until we fell onto the hard wet ground. That was when everything faded to black.