His Human Pet

It wasn't a party, more like some kind of formal gathering for rich people—or in this case, rich vampires. I felt shivers run down my spine the moment I stepped into the room. In place of champagne and food, there was blood; the smell of it was disturbing.

I also saw some humans, all of them kneeling in front of their masters—that was what Deric had called them. Humans who had no memories of their life before the vampires now believed their sole purpose was to serve these bloodsuckers. I felt angry. The humans didn’t deserve this. It was unfair.

“Try not to look at anyone directly,” Deric told me, his hand on my lower back, leading me across the room.

When we got to a table, he took a seat, and I sank to my knees at his feet—just like all the other humans were doing. If I didn’t, it would draw attention to us, and the vampires would suspect that I hadn’t gotten my memories wiped. That would be bad. Still, I felt so pissed having to be at anybody’s feet. What the hell was this? The Dark Ages?

“You know,” Deric’s voice drew my attention. He was looking down at me with a smirk. “You look very good kneeling for me.”

“Cut it out. This isn’t the time for your stupid fetishes.”

“Not a fetish. Still, I want to keep you distracted. I know you’re uncomfortable here, but I assure you, if you keep a low profile, no one will suspect anything.”

“It’s hard not to suspect anything when you keep whispering in that tone. You’re drawing attention to us.”

I could already see some of the vampires seated around us glancing in our direction. I noticed that no other vampires acknowledged the humans beside them; they all ignored their existence completely, as if it was beneath them to address humans. It was disgusting.

I still couldn’t believe how fast things had changed. None of us had suspected that this was what some of the vampires had been planning all along. We were all so convinced about living equally that we let our guard down. Now we were paying the price.

“Well, seems like your brother came after all,” Deric said, displeasure evident in his voice.

I turned toward the direction he was pointing. Silas was dressed in a black shirt, ripped jeans, and a leather jacket. His hair was slicked back, showing off his handsome face. There was a seductive smile on his lips as he shamelessly flirted with the girls who flocked around him.

Yes, I always knew my stepbrother was a player; there was a long list of girls he’d been with before our parents got married. But seeing him now left a pang of jealousy in my chest. I quickly turned my eyes away.

Still, I couldn’t forget what had happened the last time we met—he had nearly killed me. I was terrified of what might happen if we met again. Would he try to drain me completely? The thought was too damn scary.

“Kerry, hey, are you alright?”

I buried my face in my knees, trying hard to fight off the surge of panic that threatened to overwhelm me. I was sure Deric wanted to hold me and check if I was okay, but such a gesture was considered too intimate. Humans were only food, after all, so vampires didn’t see any need to treat them affectionately.

“Kerry, talk to me.”

“I’m fine. I just don’t feel like doing this anymore.”

“You don’t want to meet him?”

“Every time I see him, I can only think about him trying to kill me. I’m sorry, Deric. I know you had this all planned, but I just can’t right now. If you can give me some time to recover properly, I’d appreciate it.”

“It’s alright; I understand. I shouldn’t have brought you here so soon. We can go back right away.”

Deric helped me to my feet. He walked toward the exit, and I followed behind him. I was lost in my thoughts, and as my eyes strayed toward Silas—still flirting—I didn’t notice someone walking right into me.

---

I felt something warm splash on me, followed by the sound of shattering glass. The noise alerted everyone in the room.

I had accidentally walked into one of the waiters. The glasses on his tray crashed to the ground, not without spilling their contents on me. The front of my dress was stained with blood, and the sight of it made me nauseous.

Deric’s arm wrapped around me protectively, pulling me close.

“Are you fucking blind? Can’t you watch where you’re going?” He glared at the waiter like he wanted to rip his throat out.

The waiter must have recognized Deric because he quickly tried to apologize. “I’m sorry. I didn’t notice your pet. I apologize; I’ll take her to the bathroom to clean up.”

“She’s not my fucking pe—”

“Deric. People are watching.”

Deric glanced around and noticed the several pairs of eyes on us. He didn’t want to let the matter slide, but he knew if he caused a fuss over a human, word would get to his father. His father wasn’t a fan of humans. Deric had to beg just to keep me, and his father might try to get rid of me if he thought his son was getting too attached.

Deric sighed. “Will you be okay on your own?”

“Yes, I’ll just clean up and come back quickly.”

“Don’t take too long. I’ll be waiting here. God, you look like you’re about to pass out.”

“I’ll be fine,” I assured him.

I turned and followed the waiter toward a flight of stairs. I could still feel eyes on me, but most of the vampires had gone back to their socializing. The waiter led me to a door labeled Pet in bold letters. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. They treated us like animals.

“Get in,” the waiter said, his tone anything but polite. He turned and walked away.

I sighed, pushed the door open, and stepped inside. The bathroom was luxurious—and thankfully empty. I went over to the sink and grabbed some tissue paper to dab away the blood. It had already started drying, caking on my skin. I felt like throwing up. I really hated blood, especially when served in wine glasses.

I managed to wipe most of it away, though the red stains remained. I washed my face with cold water, hoping it would help me relax.

Turning around, I froze. Someone was standing behind me.

I hadn’t seen their reflection in the mirror.

“Well, if it isn’t the little human who won’t die,” Silas said, a dangerous glint in his eyes.