Chapter Three – Shadows of Hunger
630 Words
Elena’s POV
The halls were silent except for the soft shuffle of my bare feet and the faint clatter of a tray in my hands. The scent of stone, blood, and something metallic hung thick in the air.
Seraphine had told me to fetch water from the western wing — but somewhere between the endless corridors, I lost my way.
That was when I heard it — a low sound, like chains dragging across the floor.
Curiosity, the kind that always got me in trouble, nudged me forward. I pushed open a half-closed door… and froze.
Two humans hung from hooks, pale and lifeless, blood dripping into silver bowls beneath them. My breath caught. I wanted to run, scream, do something, but my body locked in place.
Then a voice — smooth, amused, cold — drifted through the room.
> “Well, what do we have here?”
I turned. A man leaned lazily against the wall, pale skin gleaming faintly under the dim torchlight. His eyes were a deep, unnatural red.
> “You shouldn’t be here, little lamb,” he said, lips curving. “But since you are… maybe you can stay.”
Fear clawed at my throat.
> “S-stay away from me,” I whispered, my voice shaking.
He laughed softly, stepping closer.
> “You smell… sweet. I wonder how long you’d last.”
My heart pounded so hard it hurt. I stumbled back, whispering through clenched teeth, “Monster.”
He grinned wider.
“Pretty little monster, am I? Let’s see if you taste as brave as you sound.”
He reached for me—
“Enough.”
The single word cut through the air like a blade.
Another man had entered — taller, colder, with an aura that made the air itself still. His eyes weren’t red but darker, older. Power radiated from him, quiet and lethal.
He didn’t look at me at first, only at the other man.
“She’s too thin,” he said simply. “You’ll kill her before she even bleeds.”
The playful one chuckled.
“Always ruining my fun, aren’t you?”
The cold man’s gaze flicked toward me — and for a second, our eyes met. Something in his stare made my breath hitch. Not warmth, not mercy — just interest, as though I were some strange insect he’d never seen before.
Then he turned away.
“Clean this up,” he said, and walked out.
Only after he left did the tension snap. My knees gave out. I would have fallen if Seraphine hadn’t appeared, eyes wide with horror.
“Elena! What were you thinking?!” she hissed, dragging me to my feet. “Bow! Now!”
I dropped to the ground, still trembling, heart slamming in my chest.
When I finally looked up, the playful one was still watching me — smiling like a cat.
“She’s got fire,” he said softly. “Maybe I’ll come back for it.”
Seraphine’s grip on my arm tightened until it hurt.
“Don’t even breathe near her again,” she snapped.
He only laughed and strolled out, unbothered.
When the door shut, Seraphine exhaled shakily.
“Do you know who they were?”
I shook my head.
“The one who almost fed on you—his name is Fayaaz. And the one who stopped him…” She paused, her voice dropping. “That was the King. Fayaaz’s elder brother. Thirty times more dangerous.”
Her words sent ice through my veins.
I stared at the floor, my hands trembling. I wanted to cry, but something inside me hardened instead.
Maybe I was too thin to feed on. Maybe I was just a slave. But something told me — I wouldn’t stay that way forever.
- Writer
