The Vampire Prince's Pet

Silent mystery

Elias

This woman who is now in my care is increasingly confusing me. I am a vampire and like many vampires of royal blood, I have a gift that allows me to sense the feelings of others. No living being can hide their feelings from me, only this woman, Lyn, has somehow managed to do so. I doubt that she is immune to me, because I have never experienced anything like this. I think it's more likely that she has become so numb. Something in her past has caused her to be so broken. Her will to live and her hopes are destroyed, and someone did this to her. I can't stand that much injustice. That someone absolutely must be held accountable. Lyn makes me strangely curious. I desperately want to know her story, to know what happened to her. I don't even know why she fascinates me so much. Is it because of her looks or because she already has given up on life. I still stand and look at the cage. I don't really want to lock her in it, even though it's probably bigger than the cages slaves are usually kept in, but I'm worried that she would try to kill herself again. I can't let that happen. I don't know how yet, but I hope I can give her freedom one day.

She has curled up in the cage as best as she can. I can hear her breathing and her heartbeat. It is still going much too fast. I sit down in my armchair and lift the book of the side table. I don't need a light to read in the dark, actually I should be asleep, but something makes me wait. I read without really understanding the words, because my thoughts are still focused on Lyn. Her heart is still beating too fast to sleep. Apparently, she is afraid to fall asleep. Is it because of my presence or because she is generally afraid that something might happen to her? I don't know, I can't even say for sure that she is afraid. I stroke my hair in frustration. Actually, I already have more than enough problems, so why does this woman bother me so much?

I sit all night listening to her heartbeat. Several times she rolls around in her cage, obviously wanting to lie more comfortably, but she never falls asleep. Just before dawn, I make my way out of the room. I go to the door, open it and disappear. I wait behind the closed door and listen to her heart. Still, it does not fall to rest. Sighing, I make my way to the kitchen and get her something to eat. She urgently needs to put on some weight, or she would surely die of starvation.

I return to her with a bowl full of porridge, buns and fruit. I put everything on the desk and turn to her cage. Slowly, so as not to frighten her, I walk towards the door, pull out the key and unlock the lock. I open the door wide and step aside. But she does not come out of the cage as I had expected. Pressed tightly against the back wall, she remains sitting there.

I don't understand what is going on. Why doesn't she come out? Should I force her?

"Come out, I have brought you something to eat," I try to lure her out.

No answer, and no movement either. I frown. I'm completely at a loss, I can't feel any emotion coming from her, so I can't gauge what's going on inside her at all. The only thing I can rely on, is her frantic heartbeat, which is much too fast for a healthy human being. She is terrified of me, I can say that much, but other than that? I sigh deeply.

Lyn

I don't move and just hope he forgets my existence. If I don't move or say anything, he might forget me. I completely forget that he could very well just take me out of this cage by force. He breathes in and out deeply and then steps back, turns around and leaves through the door. I am only alone for a short while because shortly afterwards another man enters. I know him. At least I have seen him once before. In the dungeon.

"Hello Lyn," he says kindly and steps away from the door. I don't answer.

"Prince Elias sent me to look after you."

"As if we need a chaperone," I hear Lia snort in my head.

"I prefer his company to Elias's," I retort.

"You don't have to be afraid of me," Levis says into the silence. I am afraid, I can't deny it. I'm afraid of someone finding out what I really am. I am afraid of being bitten and sucked try. I am afraid of being raped or tortured. I am afraid of all that, because I have already had experiences with many of them. Not nice ones.

"I give you my word not to hurt you," Levis says, "here's breakfast for you, you should eat something."

My hungry stomach makes grumbling noises and Lia licks her lips in my head.

"Please Lyn, we really should eat something, let's just eat for a very short time and then we can ignore him again," Lia begs.

I sigh inwardly but crawl out of the cage anyway. I blink at Levis, who is sitting on the floor in front of the bed, watching me. Nervousness comes over me without me quite understanding why.

I spy the food immediately and take both the rolls and the fruit. I stuff everything into me as quickly as I can. My stomach hurts. I haven't had a proper meal in a long time and certainly not enough to fill the emptiness in my stomach.

"Take your time, no one is taking anything from you," Levis interjects casually, concern showing on his face. I don't understand why he's concerned. He couldn't probably care less about me.

I have eaten so much that I feel sick. Still, I don't regret it. I retreat to the bathroom and wash thoroughly. The nausea gets worse and soon I am hanging over the toilet bowl, retching. I know that Levis is standing in the open bathroom doorway watching me, but I can't do anything but continue to puke my guts out.

When I'm finally done, I retreat exhausted into the cage, curl up and close my eyes. I had been awake all night for fear that he would attack me in the night. But my worry was completely unfounded. Levis sits down again on the floor with his back against the bed and remains silent. I don't know what it is, but the strange calm he radiates gives me enough security that I fall asleep after a short time.

Four days pass, during which I am awake at night and sleep in the room with Levis during the day. He doesn't say much, just keeps asking me to eat something. I eat little, but more frequently throughout the day. The vampire prince always returns to his room late at night and disappears again early in the morning. Only when he is gone does my fear gradually disappear.

"Will you tell me what happened to you sometime, Lyn," Levis asks me on the afternoon of the fourth day. I sit in my cage with a book in my hand that I borrowed from the prince's cupboard.

I shake my head. I haven't spoken a single real word to him yet, even though he has tried again and again to get me to talk. But I don't want to tell him what happened to me. I don't want to think about it again or relive what happened. Besides, it's none of his business either.

"Who sold you to the slavers?" he asks cautiously, glancing at me. He sits so that he can see into my cage as he ducks. Again, I don't answer his question.

"All right, if you don't want to tell me, then don't," he says dejectedly and remains silent for the rest of the afternoon.