Alone

Chapter 12

I woke up in a cage. No, it is not a metaphor. I was in my father's private torture chamber. I recognized it from when I was preparing to take the throne. When people came in here, they never left.

And I wasn't alone. There was a woman in the cage next to me. She looked familiar, but I couldn't place her face.

That moment was when Damien chose to enter. He was wearing white robes, his typical torture attire. He enjoys seeing the blood of his enemies stain them. His words, not mine.

"Luca, what are you doing? You know you can't trust Damien."

"He's fighting for someone he loves. Sorry, Scarlett, but that's not you." Scarlett was my middle name. Chosen by me father. The color of blood. My mother always hated it.

Luca looked toward the other cage. "Mom! Are you okay?" That's where I'd seen her before. She groaned in response.

"Now, Luca, what you deserve." My father unlocked the cage with his mind. He levitated Luca's mother toward them. 

In one swift motion, Damien pulled out a dagger and slit her throat. With an ear shattering scream, Luca fell to the floor where her body lay bleeding out.

He used his powers, and the cut on her throat sealed up. She took a gasp of breath, and Luca started crying tears of joy.

"Remind me why I gave you powers?" His scowl grew. "Luca, you will regret doing that."

Al of the sudden, her chest caved in with a sickening squish.Luca choked, and turned away from her unmoving body.

"Luca, you stupid bastard, what did you do?"

"I'm so sorry. I just didn't want him to kill her." Welp, you failed. But I didn't voice my thoughts. 

My dad threw Luca in the open cage, not bothering to clean up the body. He had left, with the stench of death lingering in the air.

I streched out on the floor of my cage and closed my eyes. "Are you just gonna wait for him to come kill us?"

"Do you have any better ideas? Me personally, I would like to spend my remaining time peacefully. I've accepted death."

"Honestly? No, I have no better ideas, but my sister? She would never accept defeat. Never surrender."

"Shut up, Luca. You're just pissed about what happened to your mom. Well, guess what? It's not my fault, so stop taking s**t out on me. Besides, as far as I'm concerned, I stopped being your sister the second you gave me over to die."

"I didn't want to do that. You know I didn't. But I didn't have a choice."

I laughed humorlessly, "You know, Luca, one thing 100 years has taught me is, you always have a choice. But most of the time, whether that choice is good or bad, it will come back to bite you in the ass."

He hung his head not wanting to look at me or his mother's body. 

The door opened, "Finally. Were you planning on starving us?"

"Sorry, Scarlett, but I'm actually here to introduce you to a friend of mine." He nodded to the person next to him and smirked wickedly.

A scowl covered my face. "No need. I already know who this son of a b***h is." His name is Ronan. My mother had told me about him. After my father had shown an interest in my mother, Ronan kidnapped her, raped her, and used her as his slave. 

He walked up to my cage, "She really is a beauty. I almost regret promising her to my son."

"Damien," I asked cautiously, "What the hell is he talking about?"

"Me." An incredibly hot guy walked out from behind Ronan. His beauty was inhuman, unnatural. He was a vampire.

"Who the f**k are you? And why should I care?"

He smiled, "I'm your fiancée, Sebastian."

"Like hell you are."

"Scarlett, you will marry him."

I was tired of people telling me what to do. "MY NAME IS ALEXIA!" Damien looked surprised at my outburst, "My mother named me. She deserves that respect." I blinked back tears, "And what kind of daughter would I be if I married a vampire b***h. Ronan's son no less."

Sebastian and Ronan didn't look the least bit offended. 

"Scarlett," Damien began, "you need to see what's best here. For you, and for-," he pointed at Luca. "For his sake, this marriage must go through."

"Fine." I let my body sag, but the glare never left my face. 

Damien laughed, "After all, he's done to you, you'd still give up your life for him. You always were weak."

"At least I have feelings and understand the meaning of family. Because that's what he is. Always." I didn't care what I had said to my brother earlier. I loved him, but I was just hurt. He had betrayed me. It would take more than a few hours to get over that. "And you know, I'm happy I'm not reduced to being an immortal asshole who doesn't give a rat's ass about anyone." 

He scoffed and turned away, "-That no one cares about, that will suffer till the end of his endless days, forever alone."

"SHUT UP!" He released a power surge, pushing everyone to their knees, but I forced myself upright.

I smirked at his outburst. "I won't fight you on this, Damien, for Luca's sake, but if you touch a single hair on his head, I swear on my mother's soul, your death will not be quick."

"You will never be able to kill me. You are one of my most pitiful creations. You are weak, stupid, useless, and you will never amount to anything. If you ever think anything else, always remember that you   are my greatest mistake."

"Coming from you, that's a compliment."

I turned my head and looked straight into my betrothed's eyes, "Now, darling, don't we have a wedding to plan?"