The Vampire Prince's Pet

Bathroom misconception

Lyns POV

I am huddled up in a corner of the room. While the bed is more comfortable than anything I've had in the last few years, I'm also free and vulnerable there, like on a silver plate. Also, I don't want to give him the impression that I'm keen on having s*x with him. I don't know what time it is or how long I'll be crouching on the floor, but eventually the door swings open, almost hitting the wall. The Vampire Prince enters the room. He is followed by two women who carry a large rectangular piece. On closer inspection I can see what it is. A shiver comes over me and fear creeps up inside me and constricts my throat. A big cage. Without thinking twice, I know who it is intended for. I'll probably spend the rest of my life in this cage. But what did I expect, after all I'm nothing more than a pet to him and as long as I follow his rules, hopefully he won't torment me too much. Oh what do I think, he is the dreaded cruel vampire prince, he draws his life energy from tormented souls and the screams of innocent people. He enjoys killing and torturing humans and vampires. Being locked in a cage becomes almost a wonderful idea.

Elias walks through the room and looks around in the twilight. He asks the women to light the candles and turn on the light. He approaches the bed and furrows his brows when he finds it empty. My heart is beating faster in my chest and is probably giving me away as his eyes travel to my corner of the room and lock in on me. His cold look makes me sink deeper into the corner.

"You're awake, good," he says in a cold, emotionless voice. I don't answer, just look down.

"We're done, My Lord," says one of the women. I look through my lashes and see them both curtsey and pause in their bows as if awaiting to be release.

"You can go," he orders and the two of them leave immediately. They can't seem to leave the room fast enough.

"Go wash yourself, you stink worse than a mangy mutt," the vampire prince speaks to me and takes a step towards me. I can only see his black shoes stopping a few meters in front of me. I swallow hard because he's standing between me and the bathroom. My heart is still beating so fast that I can hear it thud in my ears.

"I gave you an order," he says emphatically, "I expect verbal confirmation."

"Yes sir," I whisper, my voice faltering. I am very familiar with this rule. Only speak when addressed and confirm orders, I learned that very quickly from the slave traders. The scars on my body still bear witness to my carelessness at the time.

I brace myself against the wall and stand up. Still pinned in the corner and staring at the ground, I wait for him to clear the way. I can feel his eyes on me even without looking up. A shiver runs through me and with every minute that he doesn't move, I get more restless. I tangle and knot my fingers together until he finally lets me out of his gaze and steps aside. I quickly rush past him and open the door to the bathroom. The room is big and bright, very different than expected. It has a shower and even a very large bathtub, which could easily be described as a swimming pool. The water is let in and rose petals float on the water surface. A large floor-to-ceiling mirror is embedded in one wall of the bathroom. It shows my whole pathetic form. Looking at myself like this, I'm just a shadow of myself. My skin is stretched taut over my distinct bones. My sunken cheeks and the circles around my eyes are evidence of the last few years and the countless scars on my body do the rest. My long hair is brittle and greasy and stringy in my face.

"Clothes are ready for you, take a bath," Elias' voice sounds through the bathroom door. I look around and spot dry towels and a black dress on a small chair. I hold it up and look at the soft fabric. It's a tight dress, barely reaching above my thighs. It has a deep neckline and no sleeves. All in all it is very simple and unassuming. I set it aside again and turn to the tub. I dip one of my fingers in to feel the temperature. To my surprise, the water is pleasantly warm. I can't even remember the last time I took a warm bath. I hurriedly climb into the pleasant wetness before the vampire prince can change his mind and regret his generosity. I slide into the water and enjoy how the flowers float around me and give off a wonderful scent. I take a bar of soap and wash myself thoroughly, first my body and then my hair, then I sink to the bottom and close my eyes. At this moment I am happy. I imagine being in my own house, coming home after work and having a nice refreshing bath. Of course this is just a dream, ridiculous, because it will never be like this. I will never be free and I will never have a future. My thoughts darken like black clouds gathering on a summer's day to create a storm. Before I can continue to pursue my dark thoughts, however, someone grabs my neck and drags me out of the tub.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Elias yells at me. He's pinning me against the wall, his hand still around my neck and squeezing. His face is inches from me. I can hardly breathe and I tremble with fear, and jet my limbs hang useless to my sides. What happened? Did I do something wrong?

"One suicide attempt wasn't enough for you, was it?"

I don't understand what he's talking about, my vision blurs and gray dots dance in my field of vision. I claw my fingers into his hand and gasp for air.

"Tell me what you were thinking," he yells angrily.

"I-I, I-I," I try to explain to him, but I lack the breath and the concentration. My head is pounding with pain.

"What," he asks, loosening his grip slightly.

"I-I... out of breath," I choke out, looking into his dark eyes begging for help. Awareness shows on his features and then I think I see shame or something like regret for a moment, but it's gone so quickly that I could have been wrong.

"I-I wasn't trying to k-kill m... myself," I whisper, stuttering. He scrutinizes me, but doesn't seem to believe me.

"I hope so, because you're mine and you won't get away from me that easily. If you dare to attempt suicide again, you will wish you had never been born,” he threatens me with a scowl, “I will find and stop you before you can even dream of killing yourself, do you understand me?”

"Y-yes sir," I reply hesitantly, lowering my gaze to the floor.

"Okay, go get dressed. You will sleep in the cage by the door."

"Yes Sir."

With that he exits the bathroom, leaving me trembling. Fear still creeps through my veins and leaves me in shock for a few more minutes. With trembling fingers I get dressed and realize that I'm even too skinny for the tight dress. My non-existent breasts and hips that are way too narrow don't fill out the dress properly and let it hang limply on me. I dry my hair as best I can and trudge back into the room. Elias sits cross-legged on his bed and looks at me. I quickly lower my gaze and walk over to the cage. It is unexpectedly large and much more spacious than the last one I was trapped in. This one is also not made of iron, but woven from willow, as I see on closer inspection. There is even a thin blanket inside. I'm afraid of being locked up again, but I have no other choice. I climb in carefully and try to somehow make myself comfortable in this small cage.

Elias closes the small door of the cage and hangs a large padlock on it. He puts the key in his pocket. The cage is woven in such a way that it gives me some sort of privacy, as only the door has openings to see out, the rest is woven so tightly that only very small gaps remain. I curl up and lie on my side. At least I'm safe from attackers at night.