Chapter 26

It got worse, so much fucking worse, and here i am, stuck in the fucking dungeon bellow the mansion, shivering my ass off because there isn’t any heating down here in the bowls of hell. Fuck, you say hi to one fucking Nati vampire and Mihai goes all crazy on me and throws me in the dungeon.

If he had told me that i wasn’t supposed to talk to anyone then that would have been fine, but no, he goes insane and rips the guys heart out of his chest and then drags me down to the basement and locks me in a literal cell.

The guy has some trust issues, that’s for sure.

I jump when a sound of heavy boots coming down the stairs alerts me that someone is close, and i really don’t want to see anyone, not now. I want to be left alone to stew in my anger.

A blonde haired Nati comes into view, with the same dark eyes as Mihai, and sits on a small stool outside of the cell, watching me.

This has to be the creepiest shit I've even been through, is he trying to intimidate me?

He does realise i am the daughter of a hunter, right? Not much scares me, not anymore.

The fact that Mihai didn’t scare me when he tore that guys heart out speaks volumes, maybe in a way, my fear receptors are broken, I'm not entirely sure. But if this guy keeps staring at me, I'm going to throw the pot that i am supposed to piss in at his head.

 “Are you just going to sit there and stare or do you have something you want to say?” I ask him, crossing my arms.

All i wanted was to go for a fucking run, i didn’t realise that MR drama queen would literally rip someone's heart out because they shook my hand.

He's hot, but he’s kind of pathetic too, who the fuck even does that?

“So, you are the one my brother is so hung up on.” He says with a smirk, “I can see why.”

Brother? Well, shit. This can’t be good.

I scoff, leaning back on the scratchy mattress, “Yeah, me too, it’s because he’s a sociopath.”

“Oh, so you attract sociopath’s then?” Laughs the visitor.

At least someone around here has a sense of humour.

“I shook the guy's hand, i didn’t take his dick in my mouth.” i say, sighing as i rub my hands down my face.

I never thought I'd miss the bedroom but turns out i was wrong, I'd give my right foot to be back there, this cell smells of stale blood and rotten flesh. Not a great mix.

“Yeah, i heard.” He says slowly, “My brother was betrayed by a woman, it was a long time ago, but he still harbours those wounds, perhaps he believed it to be more than just a friendly hello.”

“Then I'm right, and he’s crazy.” I snap, fighting the urge to pull my own hair out, “And I'm stuck with him.”

“As i understand it, you were very lucky that he chose you when he did, the hunter council aren’t very happy with you, Mae Williams.” he says coldly, making me want to smack the smile off his face.

My eyes widen a little, but i try and hide it, “What do you mean?”

His smile turns into a grin, “They sent people to take you from the hospital, people that Mihai killed.”

I struggle to believe what he is saying, but it does make sense, i had failed my task miserably, and there are always consequences for those who fail.

I gave up a life of glory to spare Mihai, only to be taken the very next day by the same Nati that i spared. Though he likes to remind me that it was he who spared me.

What have i gotten myself into? Again.

“Well, its been great chatting to you, but I'm exhausted.” I murmur, forcing a yawn in hopes that he will leave.

The stranger who claims to be Mihai’s brother stands, stretching out his back, “My brother will come round, eventually, once he has calmed down enough to see some sense.”

“Oh my, i sure hope so.” I quip, rolling my eyes.

“it was nice to meet you, Mae Williams.” He says softly, turning towards the door.

“Wait.” i call, sitting up, “what is your name?”

Maybe curiosity forced me to ask, or maybe it is because i cannot trust anyone here, he might tell me that he is Mihai’s brother, but he could be anyone. He could be an enemy.

“Jarlen.” He says, not once looking back at me, “My name is Jarlen.”

I watch as he disappears back into the darkness, his echoing footsteps soon fading away and leaving with with the eerie silence that surrounds the dungeon.

I am the only one down here, and i cannot tell if that is a good or a bad thing. Perhaps the Nati would rather kill than imprison.

I know nothing about vampire hierarchy, and i don’t pretend to know, but my visit from Jarlen has me thinking that maybe there truly are family dynamics amongst the Nati. Ones that the council don’t realise.

We know the Nati can have children, but turned vampires cannot. But that turned vampires can walk in the sun whilst the Nati cannot. But that is all i know.

It used to make me sad when i learned that the hunter council kill the Nati children as well as the adults, or they use them for weapons testing. Which is worse than death. So much worse.

I'd take a quick death any day rather than the slow torture that comes to those who are taken below the council halls.

Mybe I’d forgive Mihai if he would apologise for treating me like a common whore, but I'm not sure that i can. He showed that i mean nothing to him, less than nothing. He showed me that he can lock me away whenever he wishes and there would be nothing i could do to prevent it.

He was right when he said that i belong to him, because i no longer belong to myself.

This is not how i wanted my life to be.