Chapter 8

The Nati vampire watches me in silence as I eat the toast and drink the coffee that he brought, they were both cold, but I didn’t mind. It isn’t like I had an abundance of food and drink choices lying around. Nor did I have the courage to ask for something else. I’d much rather deal with scraps than ask him for anything.

The way that he looks at me is different from anything I have experienced before, and it fills me with feelings that I don’t want to think about, feelings that will do nothing except get me killed.

I have to tread very carefully around this creature if I ever want to make it out of here alive, and I intent to. I will not allow myself to be destroyed by him, in more ways than one.

I place the empty coffee cup onto the window sill beside me and glance out of the window, I’d like nothing more than to go for an evening run to stretch my muscles and help my body heal, but I know that it wouldn’t be possible. He isn’t exactly going to let me run around his estate, and besides, I don’t know how many more of his kind are here, and I have none of my weapons to protect myself.

“I can practically hear the gears turning in your head.” He says with a short laugh, “What are you thinking about?”

I turn back to him, ignoring the urge to slam my leg into his crotch. “What’s your name?” I ask, “You seem to know an awful lot about me, but I know nothing about you.”

My questions seems to catch him off guard, though he recovers quickly, “My name is Mihai.” He says softly.

I look into his red-green eyes, “Why did you choose me? You could have taken any woman that you wanted to from that hunter hospital, why choose me?”

He leans back in the chair, watching me. “We have both lived very caged lives, neither of which we chose for ourselves. I thought that perhaps we could suffer together.”

“I am suffering.” I say, “But only because you brought me here, let me go home.”

“I can’t do that, little hunter.” He says, sighing obnoxiously loud, “The only way you will ever leave this place is in a body bag.”

“Good to know.” I growl, shaking my head, “But dying at the hands of a Nati isn’t exactly on my bucket list.”

He leans forward, “I’m not just any Nati, Mae, I am their lord.”

Lord? So, the Nati do have a hierarchy, just as my father always suspected, he’d be so happy to know that he was right. Not that I will be able to tell him anytime soon.

“That changes things.” I say, rubbing my hand down my face.

Mihai frowns, seemingly confused, “How does it change things?” He asks.

I shrug my shoulders, leaning back against the cool glass, “It means that I will have to kill you before I escape.” I say coldly, “Can’t have a vampire lord chasing me for the rest of my life.”

What the fuck did he think I meant? Just because he is lord to the Nati doesn’t mean I will shut my mouth and obey him. I have much better things planned for my life than being a vampire’s pet. I am not going to let myself be owned by him.

He may have defiled my body, but that was only because I allowed him to, I could have stopped him anytime I wished.

 A Nati lord can’t be much more powerful than a normal undead creature, I will find his weaknesses, and then I’ll destroy him. Just as my family has done to hundreds of years.

He laughs, a loud and throaty sound, “You are a wonder, Mae Williams.”

I lean forward, fire in my eyes, “Lets get one thing straight, Mihai, lord of the Nati.” I say, leaning forward, “I am NOT someone that you can own. I will get away from you, it is just a matter of time.”

Mihai's smile vanishes as he stands, appearing infront of me in the blink of an eye, his hand wrapping around my throat. He lifts me from the window sill and holds me a couple of inches above the ground, my nails digging into his wrists as I fight for each and every breath.

I try to pry him off me, but his grip is too tight, he’d tear my head from my shoulders with one flick of his wrist if i wasn’t careful.

I cough and choke, the Nati close enough to my face that i can smell fresh blood on his lips.