Sully

I woke up the next morning feeling properly rested. Damien was not there. Actually, I did not wake up on my own. The maids woke me up.

They were eyeing my naked body like vultures. I felt uncomfortable. Some of them were even whispering between themselves.

I looked at myself in the mirror and understood what they were talking about. My whole body was covered in red sucking and biting marks. I blushed and looked away quickly. Before that, I clearly saw the two fangs marks on the side of my neck.

The maids bathed me. They did not talk amongst themselves much. Other than occasional whispering, they were puppet-like. They worked methodically as if being controlled by an outer force.

It was still early. The maids said I had to attend the family for breakfast. I had no idea who was who except for the head of Silverclaw family and Rose Silverclaw. I saw both of them at the Prince’s coming of age banquet.

Rezef told me they were as sly as snakes and I had to keep my distance from them. What a funny thing to say now that I was a daughter-in-law of that same sly family!

I wore a red and black dress with very low neckline. I had to work hard not to keep looking down to make sure my breasts would not pop out. They put a choker on my as well, perhaps as a sign that I was more like a slave.

I might be overthinking this, or not. Either way, I could not shake the thought off.

Damien came to his (our) bedroom after a while. He watched me intently. I blushed, thinking back on what happened the previous night.

“You look pretty,” he said. “Come.” He offered me his arm.

Since last night, he had been rather kind to me, which I had not expected from him. I thought he would be cruel. I truly believed he would force himself on me. But he did not do that. We did not even do everything. He simply drank my blood. That did not even hurt. Instead, I felt something else entirely.

My face felt hot thinking about all those things. It was hard not to cover my face with my hands.

“You will meet the whole family there. Whatever happens, don’t talk much. If you are asked something, give short answers. Do not elaborate. Do not talk back. And do not raise your voice,” he said.

“So, like a slave, I should keep my head down.”

“Not like a slave. But you need to keep your head down if you want to have a head at all,” he said. “We do not disrespect my father at any cost. It can cost you everything. In my opinion, you should barely say anything. I will answer for you.”

“Of course,” I grumbled.

“I don’t see the marks I made on your chest,” he said.

I went red again. “The maids covered them up. It’s not like I can go in front of your family with those.”

“They won’t mind, darling,” he said. “Just remember what I said and do accordingly. It’s for your own good.”

“You act like you are afraid of your own family,” I said.

He chuckled, but did not say anything.

Even then, I had no idea what his family was like. I found out soon enough though. And I did not like it at all. They were way worse than anything I thought of. Every moment I spent with them felt like a punishment. I felt suffocated.

Damien did not have to tell me what to do anymore. I automatically kept myself down in front of them. I did not want to see what they might do to me.