Stained Innocence (Severuz Vampires Saga Book 1)

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

The past was a painful place to visit, but Christel still found herself coming back to it every now and then since Yvann held her captive. From the memory of her childhood, to the days when she was the happiest with Kurt, all the memories came flashing on her mind like a tape she cannot stop from playing.

She had found herself remembering her mom and dad. Carla won a science contest on her seventh grade and their parents took them to a carnival to celebrate. How they loved the pink cotton candies and the exciting rides, the silly games and their family’s sweetness. Their folks were so in love with each other and all they could remember about them was the affection they wished for their children to have one day as well.

They were happy, not until their house got robbed and their dad tried to protect them from the intruders. Carla and she hid on their cabinet, her sister covered her mouth to keep her silent. They heard a couple of gun shots, and the next thing that echoed around the house was their mom’s plea for their dad to wake up. It was a painful lullaby that only lasted for seconds before they heard another gun shot.

The police was late, and the two were orphaned when she was barely nine and Carla just turned fourteen. None of their relatives had accepted them but their grandma Bonnie. She was the sweetest and the two had a glimpse of hope to have found a new home for them despite of their grandma’s age.

Bonnie had used the money left by their parents to raise them. They were sent to regular school to save some money so if something happens to her, they’ll have enough to start a life of their own. Christel never minded her grandma’s plan. She tried to live a normal life again, become free from the painful memories of their parents’ death.

She met Ynah on her seventh grade, so as Kurt. Ynah was a lonely girl who had found a crying shoulder in her. The two got along with each other pretty well, until they had finally welcomed Kurt in their circle. They’d become the best of friends, until they reached college and Ynah wasn’t able to go to school anymore. Christel and Kurt felt bad for their friend, but Ynah decided to work and move out from her alcoholic mother’s house.

A couple years later, Kurt finally confessed to Christel, and that was one of the happiest days of her life. He was her new hope to have the love she’d seen in her parents, and Kurt had never made her feel that she’d made a mistake of saying yes to his love.

Christel breathed deeply as the pain of yesterday’s happiness struck her heart once again. She cursed under her breath as her grip on the sheets tighten, and her lips pressed together as she tried to contain her emotions. The curtains were open, and the sun was already setting to give way to the gloomy moon. Another day had passed, but Yvann had never let her have another chance to escape. Whenever he’s not around, he puts the chains on her ankles. She can freely roam around the room and the bathroom but that was it. Her food was delivered by a girl named Jemimah, one of the servants of the monster who held her captive to fill his hunger and lust.

Trying her luck once more, she held the chains and tried to pull it off her ankles but it wasn’t a typical one. The chains Yvann used with her were thicker and inescapable. She was sure she looked pathetic while trying to remove her chains with her bare hands. If only she could find something in Yvann’s room that she could use, but Yvann didn’t seem to like having a lot of things in his room, making it look more spacious. He seemed to be a minimalist, judging by the few furniture he had in his room.

Minutes had passed and Jemimah finally walked in with a tray of steak. She placed the plate on the small table near the corner, took one glance at her, and then headed back to the door. Christel was sure she had noticed her trying to get her chains off her ankles, but she chose not to mind her as if she highly doubted that Christel would really manage to set herself free from Yvann.

She will just do her job, throw her a glance for a couple seconds, then that’s it. That was her usual routine, but Christel wanted to try her luck, no matter how impossible it may be.

“Jemimah…” She called in a weak tone.

The girl halted and looked back at her over her tiny shoulder. “What is it?”

Christel gulped. “C—Can you help me escape? Please…”

The servant’s expression darkened in a melancholic manner before it let out a sharp sigh. “I’m so sorry, but Senyor Yvann will go on a killing spree over my kind if I would.”

Christel’s brows furrowed. “Your kind?”

Jemimah’s lips formed a faint smile. “The lycans…”

She blinked, unable to process another mind-blowing truth that was kept from the humans. What else had been kept from their knowledge? How many creatures from the books really walk among them, feeding on them, putting them at the bottom of the food chain without them knowing?

She once believed in them…when she thought one of them saved her, but nobody believed her until she finally decided to forget about the wolf from the night when she almost died.

Her hand fisted the small of her hair in frustration as she inhaled the truth. The world was really unfair, especially to her own kind and the people like her. “So why don’t you just call for help? Are you weaker than them?”

She was surprised with Jemimah’s sudden laugh. She cannot remember when she last heard that sweet tune she almost forgot it existed.

“We aren’t, alright.” Jemimah paused to stop herself from laughing. “We’re just smarter. I noticed that Senyor was making you wear his own clothes. I got some in my room. I’ll bring it tomorrow morning.” She pulled the door open and looked at Christel once more, this time, with a genuine half smile. “If you wish to survive, eat. Get enough strength…and make sure that at the need of the day, Senyor wouldn’t trust anyone but you. I hear he’s an all-out lover anyway and that would really make a huge change here.”

Without another word, Jemimah shut the door, leaving Christel bemused with what she had said. What did she mean by that? Was she telling her to make Yvann fall in love with her? The idea of having him as her lover made her sick, considering all the things he’d done to her already.

Nevertheless, Jemimah had a point about surviving and getting her strength back. She pulled herself out from the bed and walked towards the table with the chain on her feet. She settled on one of the soft chairs and began eating the steak. She didn’t realize the food they were giving her actually tasted good and she enjoyed her meal. It would have been better if they gave her a glass of tequila instead of lemonade. God. She was craving for alcohol right now after getting full.

Her back fell against the seat and her eyes focused on the table knife. She suddenly felt the rush when she imagined how it’ll cut through Yvann’s chest if she’ll just give enough strength once she stab him. Without thinking twice, she took the knife and ran back to the bed to hide it under the pillow.

As she had expected, her captor was finally home a few moments after dinner. The door slammed open and a furious Yvann came in with a bottle of whiskey. His eyes were burning with rage and his jaw was clenching hard like a mad man restraining himself from destroying everything he’ll touch.

Someone’s having a bad day. She silently told herself as she watched Yvann settled on the chair where she was sitting moments ago. She can’t help but examine the walking abomination slouching in front of her. The man she despises and can’t help but admire at the same time. He was the face of doom, yet his symmetrical features made him look like the danger most women would die to get themselves into. A trouble in disguise. An evil with a God-like body.

She had noticed the blood stains on the back of his hands and a few on his face and silver hair but what bothered her were the holes in his black polo. “What happened to you?” She unconsciously asked while staring at his polo. It was too late before she realized what she’d asked, and Yvann’s lips were already flashing a familiar smirk before he got up.

“Someone’s finally got concerned…” He tauntingly arched his brow and sipped on his whiskey while staring intently at her.

Her cheeks turned red all of a sudden. She bit her bottom lip and bowed her head. “Forget about it. I don’t care about you nor if one day you’ll just die. That would make me happy anyway.”

The moment of silence between them made her more uncomfortable until Yvann suddenly threw the bottle against the wall. Its broken pieces were scattered on the floor, making a bloody mess of alcohol and glass. Christel’s heart almost jumped out of her chest. Her eyes gazed back at Yvann who’s now looking at her with so much fury.

She blinked, and before she could even knew it, Yvann was already pinning her against the bed’s headboard, his eyes were burning with anger and desire. “I’ll watch my mouth if I were you.”

Christel gulped the lump that’s clogging in her throat as she struggled with his grip on her wrists but her eyes stayed fighting the intensity of his gaze. Despite of the predatory behavior, she cannot deny how much Yvann had been affecting her. He was getting more and more capable of finding her sweet spots as much as her most fragile side. He was turning things around, making her forge another wall around her to save herself from him and his incinerating aura.

She swallowed all her fear and inhibitions, and showed him who she really was. “Screw you, Yvann.” She retorted, making his pools turn darker.

His eyes narrowed at her as he let one of her wrists free. He clutched her hair and revealed her neck that made her heartbeat raised violently. “You are not being a good girl, darling. This time, I’ll let you feel the real pain of crossing the line…”

Yvann’s face buried on her neck and her painful scream echoed inside the room as she felt the familiar pair of fangs suck the life out of her. She squirmed and struggled as she tried to push his body away with her free hand but looked like Yvann had another plan of punishing her.

It was as if he’s digging in her memories, finding her deepest darkest secrets and greatest fears. Her eyes watered as he wandered inside her head, diving into the debts of her despair until he halted and a familiar memory flashed in her mind.

The memory of her crying as blood gushed down her legs, her captors didn’t mind her plea for help. It was eating up her strength. The walls she had built to hide it slowly crumbled down and made her feel every bit of the past she buried along with her old self.

“Enough!” She sobbed and with all her force, she pushed him away and covered her face with her hands as the pain remained in her heart, making her cry her heart out. Tearing every bit of her limbs, searing unto her bones. It was the kind of pain she can never put into words. The pain of losing something that had meant the life to her.

Yvann was silent, and when Christel finally had the guts to look at him, she was surprised to see his eyes widely open as if he’d seen something that scared the s**t out of him. The next thing she knew, Yvann was already clutching the cloth on his chest while saying, “W—What have you done to me?!”