Bonded by blood

1. Kaelyn - A strange place

The smell of damp and the feel of something, cold and hard beneath Kaelyn threw her from her nightmare with a start.

It was dark.

Musky.

It was some time before Kaelyn's eyes adjusted to her surroundings.

I'm... I'm... In a cell. A prison cell and not like the ones in the police station back at home.

She looked at her clothes. The same clothes Kaelyn wore when she went to bed last night. She pinched herself.

It hurt.

I am not asleep, there is just no way I could be. So... How did I get here?

Kaelyn stood up slowly, unsure whether or not she should proceed further towards the iron bars that held her imprisoned.

She pushed and pulled what looked like the door of the cell.

It wouldn't budge.

"H-h-hello?" She paused."is anyone there?" She asked listened for a response.

Silence.

She asked louder,"is anyone there!"

"Shh, be quiet girl." A male voice croaked.

Kaelyn's eyes went wide. Adrenaline started pumping through her body. Hope -that she could find out where she was- ignited.

"How did I get here?" Kaelyn whispered just load enough for the man to hear.

" How am I to know!" The man snapped.

Jeez talk about rude.

Kaelyn decided against speaking any further to the mysterious man in the other cell.

She settled in the corner of the small room. Not comfortable, but not unbearable. She tried to remember what happened before she fell asleep.

Okay, okay... Get it together K. So, I went to sleep at aunt Melissa's, she was her usual cheery self. We went to the grocery store and brought dinner, it was quite delicious. Chicken supreme was my favourite dinner and today was...

My birthday.

Kaelyn had a good birthday. Her Aunt Melissa gave her a birthday card that read, " Happy 18th! Now move out... Just kidding. I love you, Aunt Melissa."

She had many presents, jewellery from rings to diamond earrings. She was always grateful for what her Aunt did for her since she wound up at her place with no memory of her past. Aunt Melissa said that she was in a car crash which her parents did not survive. Kaelyn read the newspaper which held the scene of the crash in black and white...

The sounds of footsteps halted her train of thought. A golden light came into view on the floor getting brighter.

"Do you smell that? " A man's voice spoke. It was a deep voice thickly laced with curiosity.

Footsteps approached faster the light became brighter with every second...

A growl rippled through the cell.

Holy s**t, a dog! Oh god, oh god... Please don't eat me!

" I am not a dog, I prefer the term, Lycan or werewolf, if you will. "

Shit I said that out loud! Wait... Did he just say werewolf... but...He sounded... friendly.

"My name is Douglas. Sorry for the growl, I get like that when I smell a female... Well I've never smelt one like you before... What's your na- ouch!"

Douglas was shoved forward out of kaelyn's view. What replaced him was a someone who would make Channing Tatum feel ugly, and she loved Channing Tatum.

He was very tall, height of around 6 foot 7" he was built like brick s**t house. His bulging muscles were barely contained in his white shirt.

Kaelyn stood up and hesitantly moved closer to him. Up close she could see his nose was straight, he had chiseled features, his jaw line was sharp and his eyes were a deep set of brown.

Mud pies...

A voice echoed in her head. Weird, but she chose to ignore it.

His hair was dark and long, cut just below his jaw. This man's eyes were... Intense.

"How did you get in here? I have never seen you before and I never forget a face... " His voice was deep and rough yet... Alluring. His Scottish accent made Kaelyn stifle a shiver.

What am I going to say? I don't even know how I got in here. Who is this angelic person standing in front of me?

Kaelyn sucked in a shaky breath. Her heart accelerated, it was so loud she was anxious that this man standing in front of her, would hear it.

"I... Don't know how I got hear s-sir."

She stammered.

"What do you mean you don't know!" He raised his voice which made Kaelyn stifle a whimper.

Shit!

" I just woke up in here." She mumbled.

He studied her clothing. She wore pajamas with unicorns on it.

Way to go on making me feel sexy Aunt Melissa.

"But... Why here? In my prison? I only patrol here... Are you a spy!" He accused me, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"What? No! Why would I need to spy on a prison guard? In pajamas of all things! God can someone be so stupid?" She asked.

"I am not a prison guard." He snapped. " I am going to the king to sort this out, you stay here. And watch your language." With that he locked Douglas in the cell opposite me and left.

"So tell me, how did you get in here? " Douglas whispered from his cell curiously.

"Like I said, I don't know." She was going to burst into tears at this rate.

Why am I being treated like this? I haven't even done anything wrong. All I did was wake up here. Oh, Aunt Melissa she must be worried....

What if she is dead? Oh god... No. Don't think like that.

Kaelyn shook her head to clear the thoughts of her Aunt lying in a pool of blood, her eyes staring at the ceiling unseeing-

No! Calm down k. Breathe just breathe.

A few moments later a man appeared in the cell. He had blonde hair,bright blue eyes and was wearing a tuxedo with an embodiment on it. His lips were set in a thin line as if annoyed to see her.

What the f**k! Holy hell, a man just magically appeared out of thin air. Surely this is a dream... This can't be real...

Kaelyn stumbled back, taken by surprise she landed on her backside.

He's a monster! The devil himself, oh dear lord...

"Come here, girl." He said sharply.

OH HELL NO! I ain't moving towards you and your weird vodoo shit...

Kaelyn didn't move.

She was literally going to have a panic attack.

"You will obey me if you know what is best for you." He raised his voice.

" f**k off! Get away from me demon. Go to hell!" She screeched.

When Kaelyn didn't move he vanished and appeared right in front of her. He grabbed her wrist and she squinted her eyes shut... all of a sudden she wasn't in the cell anymore.

She was in a room full of books. The ceiling was high, with golden spirals etched into the walls. It was enthralling.

A desk at the very end was mahogany brown with beautiful carvings etched into it with a chair to match. The chair had a plush red cushion to support the back.

Can I sit in the chair when I grow up...

What is with that voice?

Kaelyn turned to look at some books, when she turned her head, a man was sitting in the chair.

Hold on he wasn't there before! He must be a demon as well. A good looking demon... Really k. Just shut up.

His hair was black, his eyes were an icey blue. He was familiar in a way, his eyes spoke a thousand words, seen many worlds and has a thousand stories to tell.

"Right miss, let's see if we can find out who you are."

With that searing pain shot through Kaelyn's mind making her scream, clutching her head she doubled over gasping.

Her eyes turned black and tattoo like spirals covered her hand trailing up her arm...

What the f**k is happening to me! What are these markings... I have never seen them before... Ouch, ouch they are burning!

"Stop it! I can't ... Breathe... " she trailed off. The pain was excruciating.

" What is this sorcery?" The man whispered.

The man who appeared in her cell let go of her wrist as if burned by her.

The pain ceased and Kaelyn fell as she sucked in gulps of air like a fish out of water.

"Who are you witch." The man in the chair hissed.

"My name is Kaelyn... And I am no witch... Demon." She spat.

Things like this only happens in books... This isn't real... THIS ISN'T REAL!

Kaelyn screamed mentally.

She was yanked back up by her long black hair and forced to stand up by the handsome blonde man.

" You will address the king with respect. " He hissed in Kaelyn's ear.

The king studied her markings, they were black as midnight, swirling spirals disappeared under the sleeve of her pajamas.

A shiver ran up Kaelyn's spine and she was very aware of someone standing behind her. She smelled honey suckle mixed with the scent of the earth, masculine yet familiar...

She jumped only to be pulled back by her hair. She yelped.

" We are not demons." The king spoke," we are what you would call... vampires, night walkers... And so on and so forth. Demons are darker creatures from the Domariel realm, in the fourth dimension. The realm of the damned. "

The Domariel realm? Fourth dimension? What is this nonsense? Vampires... This is just stupid.

Kaelyn just managed to stop herself from laughing.

The king's eyes filled with rage, as if reliving a memory that tormented his very soul.

He stood there fixated on one spot on the bookshelves.

His thoughts became clearer once again. He looked at Kaelyn then at the dark sexy man standing behind her.

"Darius, escort this woman back to the dungeon. "

Not back to that place! I can't go back. It's not home!

Darius appeared in front of her, towering over her slight frame.

He peered over his shoulder at the king, the silence between them spoke a thousand words.

The king nodded, and with that Kaelyn was picked up and thrown over Darius's shoulder. Not that she wouldn't enjoy this if it were different circumstances, she was held a captive.

A position she loathed. She was always the cat in a cat and mouse chase when she was in little school. Now she was the cheese for that mouse who was hunted.

Darius took Kaelyn's arm and before she knew it she was back at that dungeon cell. Darius put Kaelyn down gently. He stared at her face frowning. His eyes held Kaelyn's, hypnotizing her.

Mud pies...

His eyes dragged themselves from her eyes and peered at her lips. Kaelyn's lips were plump with a deep red rose colour.

He shook his head and glowered at her.

"Don't use your black magic on me, you will regret it witch."

I am not a witch. I am a human...

" I don't know what you mean.' she said.

"You know exactly what I mean-" he cut off abruptly.

A woman appeared outside the cell.

"Darling what are yo-" she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Kaelyn.

"What are you doing here..." She whispered. Her eyes were wide with shock and a hint of fear...

" She just appeared here this morning, with no memory of how she got here." Darius explained.

" Kill... her..." The woman whispered.

What. The. Hell.

" I SAID KILL HER!" She screeched so loud that if there was any glass in the windows, they would have shattered.

She reached for Kaelyn, but as she was about to grab her, her hand began to burn...

The woman yelled in pain all the while Darius stood there, his mouth agape. He quickly snapped to attention and yanked Kaelyn back. Throwing her on the floor, he disappeared and reappeared outside the cell less than a heartbeat later.

Pulling the woman closer to him he gave one last glance at Kaelyn and disappeared again.

Leaving Kaelyn alone with her thoughts. She looked over at Douglas. He was sitting in his cell opposite her his face half casted in shadow... He was smirking.

She went to the little bed that was made up whilst she was out... It wasn't comfortable in the slightest, but there was a blanket that at least kept the cold out and concealed her in her own warmth.

It must be night time... Need to sleep... Too much to take in... Surely soon...

I'm going to die.

She closed her eyes embracing the darkness pulling her under...

Kaelyn pried her eyes open, the scene that greeted her was pleasant. The meadow was beautiful, full of wild flowers and tall grass. She could lay there forever... She listened to the birds chirping in the distant trees, she could smell the different scents of the flowers.

Kaelyn inhaled deeper and caught the scent of another person. She got up and ran to the scent. She could hear the trees whipping past her. Could feel the earth under her feet. Her white dress flowed behind her.

She came to a halt at the river bank. She could see the fish in the crystal clear water. She felt... Free. She walked along the edge of the river bank, humming a song her mother used to sing...

My little princess,

Don't say a word.

The queen is going to hunt a deer for her girl...

Mummy...

The river turned red, getting thicker. The day turned to night.

Orange and red lights darted across the sky, gone as quickly as they came.

Screams from the nearby village were carried by the wind. Kaelyn ran towards the town, trying to run faster.

Suddenly she was running on the spot, not moving forwards. She tried to run faster... Nothing.

Crack...

A twig on the floor snapped somewhere in front of her.

Snap!

The sound was closer...

Hissss...

A snake like sound came from the darkness that surrounded her.

Kaelyn squinted her eyes to see better...

She froze.

A creature with grey skin, skull like face, long limbs and long sharp black claws creeped closer. It's yellow eyes were fixated hungrily on Kaelyn. It's mouth opened revealing rows of sharp pointed fangs.

It roared! It picked up its pace until it was running towards Kaelyn. She remained rooted. Her heart was pounding in her ears, her palms were sweaty, her arms felt like spaghetti.

It stopped just as it's mouth opened to strike as little as two feet away. It smelled like death and decay.

It bursted into flames. What replaced it was a little boy. His eyes were hidden in his long dark hair. His lips were set in a line.

"Who are you?" Kaelyn asked.

" You know me... You have known me all your life. Bound together our fate is set, for you it leads to... " His voice trailed off.

" Leads to what?" Kaelyn asked, her breaths became shallow. She started panicking. "LEADS TO WHAT!" She hollered.

The boys mouth spread into a wicked smile. He started to laugh.

Alraya morte lest vitsiere juiliar...

To break the mortal chain you must...

Kaelyn jolted awake. There was a shadow standing in her room. Kaelyn stared at it hoping that it would fade away as she became more awake. It didn't go. Kaelyn tried hard not to, but she blinked. When her eyes focused again. The shadow was gone.

There was no light when she woke up.

Is it still night?

Kaelyn got out of blanket and skirted her way to the iron bars.

Douglas was snoring in his little cell. His leg was twitching and kicking out as if he was running.

She whispered, " Douglas..." Kaelyn paused. " Douglas." She spoke louder.

" Eh? Wh- oh! Hello little girly. " He beamed.

" Hi, was it day or night when they dragged you in this place?" Kaelyn asked.

" They dragged me here in the night, it's now morning. "

It must be really early in the morning then...

" Do you know roughly what time it is? "

" It's around 9 am."

Nine in the morning? Surely it would be light outside.

Kaelyn nodded and waited in her cell. A few hours had gone passed before chaos erupted. Men were shouting all up along the dungeon.

Let me out or I will rip your throat out...

I will kill all your loved ones...

Please...

I will escape and when I do...

All of their voices jumbled together. A laughter so vile echoed in the dungeon. Silencing all that spoke.

" I know what you are... I will have you one day... I will make it painfully good. You will be writhing under me begging me for my touch. I will punish you wickedly. Oh, just you wait... human. " A menacing voice slithered its way to Kaelyn's ears.

Whispers filled the dungeon...

Human...

Here?

What is a human doing in the vampire kingdom...

Human...

Human...

Snap. Kaelyn closed her eyes and threw herself at the bars head first.

Stop the noise! I can't take it!

Suddenly Kaelyn felt weightless. She held her eyes shut afraid to see what would be before her.

Her feet touched solid ground and she finally let out the breath she realised she was holding.

" This will be your new sleeping quarters." A stern Scottish voice came from behind her.

Kaelyn whipped around to find Darius standing outside on a balcony. The French doors where thrown wide open letting in a cool breeze. He was gorgeous, his hair was black and long. He was...

Shirtless!

His back muscles were defined, his shoulders were broad, made for a woman to sink her nails into and bite whilst riding him.

K, don't get turned on. Get a grip.

His skin was an olive colour...

I thought vampires had pale skin?

He was standing in the sun.

"Shouldn't you be burnt to ashes?" Kaelyn asked curiously before she could stop herself.

" No I get seriously burned if I am out there for too long without my ring. A ring infused with powerful magic. Only a few vampires possesses the rings... And only one I know of that can walk in the day without one." He paused. " I said too much. "

He turned and Kaelyn's mouth went dry due to all the moisture in her body going down south. His eight pack of abs were tight and sculpted, his pecs were hard and kissable. His v was just above his jeans with crisp black hair trailing down from his naval.

He stepped into the room closing the doors and pulling the thick curtains closed. The room was beautiful, the bed was huge. Covered in silk sheets and many plump cushions, fit for a king and queen. There was a grand chandelier hanging in the middle of the room, it's crystals danced in the sunlight. Kaelyn stared at it in awe.

Darius cleared his throat. "I will be checking in on you every hour to see that you are behaving... Civilised.

Mark my words woman, you do anything to harm this kingdom and I will not hesitate to kill you. " He growled menacingly and with that he left Kaelyn to wonder around the room.

Whoever this man is... I will be seeing him a lot. I don't know if that is going to be a good thing. Why is this happening to me? Why the hell don't they just keep me in the dungeon- not that I am complaining about it- instead of this luxury room?

Questions were swirling around in Kaelyn's head making it impossible for her to think straight.

She sat on her bed just as a voice clear as day whispered in her mind...

Burdened to bare the mark...