Servitude [BoyxBoy]

Chapter 2

Silvian is portrayed by Chris Hemsworth (without facial hair)

[Soliel]

That evening I finally fell asleep, curled up on a fur rug after tidying the entirety of the study's papers. For once, my sleep was dreamless, and once I had opened my eyes I was back in my room in the servant wing.

I blinked, confused for a minute, before looking around and realising where I was. Everything was the same - the four walls with no windows. However, this time, the door to the hall was open.

Looking down, I noticed that I was no longer wearing my working clothes, but a pair of braies I had not worn the day before. Holding back the urge to vomit, I sat up and eyed the door suspiciously, trying desperately to avoid thinking about who had changed my clothes.

Giggles sounded throughout the halls outside, and I bolted up from my bed before running to the wardrobe. I pulled on my clothes - the same outfit I had worn yesterday - and peeked my head out of the door just in time to see a group of maids turning a corner at the end of the corridor.

Without much thought, I followed them with haste, keeping as far back as possible so that they wouldn't notice. The room they entered smelled like a rich broth, I noticed, as I stood next to the doorway.

I could hear the sounds of bubbling liquid and simmering vegetables. The familiar roaring of flames in a large open fireplace, along with the clinking of fine plates.

A kitchen, probably used to prepare meals for the Malums and their guests. A sudden shriek of laughter has me interested in their conversation, and I listened in with curiosity.

"...and whilst he was fast asleep, I walked into his room and changed his clothes." The maid stopped to laugh once again. "Stripped him all the way down to his birthday suit." At that, the other girls squealed in delight and excitement. I felt bile rise in my throat, burning my chest so that I had to close my eyes for a minute.

"Well, what did ye do afterwards?" Another voice inquired, this one in a thick Scottish accent. I kept my eyes closed and sunk to the floor, unsure of whether I wanted to hear the answer.

"Of course I touched him, for a bit. You should've heard him, mumbling and crying out in his sleep like an infant." The other girls giggled like schoolgirls before the maid continued her story. "It sure shut him up when I grabbed his co-"

Suddenly the door next to me flung open and crashed into something behind it. My eyes finally opened and I looked up to see Silvian Malum standing in the doorway to the kitchen, his body heaving in anger.

Standing up as fast as I could, I looked around the hall I was in for a second. When had he arrived? I hadn't sensed his presence in the slightest.

"You," that deep voice of his boomed, and I followed him into the room as he walked into the kitchen. As he strode forwards into the group of young girl, I hung back near the door frame and watched the scene play out in front of me in shock. "I want you out of this house. Pack your things and leave." He shouted in the girl's face, and she broke down into tears.

She ran to the doorway and bumped straight into my chest, making me go rigid. Her red face tilted upwards, and the maid's bloodshot eyes widened in surprise before they narrowed into a hateful glare. Holding my breath, I watched as she walked past me and into the hall - stomping on my foot with all her might.

My teeth pulled at my bottom lip in worry as I looked up at Silvian, whose eyes had now turned on me. They were a vivid red before, but now they were silver once again.

"You will be moved to the west wing. I will inform Kaida and you can follow her to your new room." He spoke softly this time, as if he were talking to a child. Instead of rolling my eyes at his tone, I simply nodded, lowering my head and stepping into the hall so that he could leave the kitchen.

When he did, he stood in front of me and stared into my eyes, squinting his own slightly as if he was searching for something. I met his hard gaze with my own and straightened myself up, standing taller with newfound dignity.

I'll be alright.

With that, he turned and walked back down the hallway into the main foyer, and I watched him leave, listening to the thud of his shoes against the stone slabs.

"Follow me, Soleil." A woman's voice came from behind me, and I let out an almighty shriek before turning to face the lady who had shown me to Silvian's office. Her sharp and delicate features were twisted into amusement, and she offered me a small bow.

One of the first things I noticed about her was that she was wearing men's clothing. A white shirt tucked into tan trousers, and a dark green tailcoat. On her feet were long brown boots, travelling up until they almost reached her knees.

The other day, she had been wearing something far more feminine, and I quirked a brow at the change.

Noticing my confusion, the lady let out a short lived laugh before speaking.

"These are the clothes I wear around the house. What you saw yesterday was my outfit for meeting clients." I frowned at that, slightly baffled.

"Surely you would prefer to work in something more flattering?" At that, her expression sobered completely, and she met my own eyes with her dark ones.

"I am a busy woman, Soleil. I do not have time for frills and pearls - nor do I have time for people who feel the need to question how I live my life." She paused, lifting the corners of her mouth into a smile once again. "I do, however, have time to settle you into your new room in the west wing. After that, I will return to my regular business." With that, she began to walk.

Her movements were quick and nimble, I could barely hear the sound of her boots against the stone floor. It explained how she managed to sneak up on me before. I struggled to keep up with her as she ducked down twisting corridors, avoiding the main halls as if she were taking me down a secret passage.

She abruptly halted in front of a wooden door, and I bumped straight into her. Her feet remained planted in the floor, and her body refused to move despite the entire weight of my body slamming into her. Shocked, I stepped back and looked her up and down.

What the hell is this woman?

Completely ignoring me, she opened her notebook and flicked through the pages. Curious, I tried to take a peek at what was written there, but she moved the book away so that I couldn't see a thing.

"Right. This is your room." The lady said, and reached into her tailcoat to produce a small black key, seemingly for the lock on the door next to us. She handed it to me, and my eyes widened at how cold her fingertips were when they brushed mine.

"Ah, yes. Before I go..." she tucked her notebook away before stepping back slightly and bowing deeply to me, sending a wave of unease through me. She shouldn't be bowing to a slave. "My name is Kaida. Just Kaida. On behalf of mine and your master, welcome to Malum manor."

I nodded awkwardly before turning to the door and slipping the key she had given me into the matching black keyhole. Turning it clockwise, and listening for a deep, resounding click.

I pushed the door open and my jaw dropped. A large, canopy bed sat against the opposite wall, covered in layers of red and gold silk sheets and pillows. An entire wall of glass windows overlooked the front garden of the manor, with deep red curtains hanging on them for privacy.

Startled, I turned back to look at Kaida and ask her whether she had made a mistake, but she was nowhere to be seen. Hesitantly, my feet carried me into the room, and my shoes thudded against the wooden floorboards.

There were sheepskin rugs on the floor, but I avoided standing on them, and turned to see that on the wall opposite to the windows was an unlit fireplace, fully stocked with coal.

This place was too extravagant for a slave who had slept in a cage or on the floor for most of his life. I wasn't even sure where to begin with sleeping in such a massive bed.

I'd already slept most of the day, it seemed, as I watched the sun setting outside of the windows. My body still seemed to be tired though, I noticed. For a while, I eyed the bed, until the sound of footsteps along the floor broke my gaze.

Turning my head, I saw Celeste walking into the room, looking around with a scowl set on her lips. She was wearing no makeup today, it seemed. Though, because she was a vampire, it meant that her skin was blemish free and smooth anyway. Dressed in just a baby blue silk dressing gown, with her hair flowing carelessly over her shoulders, she still managed to look like a goddess.

Looking at her always made my skin itch.

"So this is the room my husband gave you?" She asked, looking around before fixing her eyes on the bed. I nodded, even though she wasn't looking at me. "He's very... generous."

I chose not to speak as she sat herself on the bed, folding one leg over the other and placing her interlocked hands on her knee. She looked up at me and patted the material next to her.

When I didn't move, she rolled her eyes and used a finger to beckon me. This time I walked over and sat down next to her, about a foot away.

I didn't like the way the bed sunk underneath me, taking all of my weight into it as if it was about to collapse at any moment. My body tensed as I felt Celeste scoot closer to me, sitting so that the sides of our bodies were pressed together, and she gave me an easy, warm smile.

"Were you planning on sleeping in this bed?" She asked, still smiling at me. I didn't know what to say, so I stayed silent, just watching her nervously.

She played with the fabric between her fingers for a moment, before urging me to do the same. Looking down at the silk beneath me, I slowly reached out to take it between my fingers. The tips of them grazed the smooth surface, and for a moment I relaxed.

Before a hand flew across my cheek so hard that my head snapped to the side. When I turned back to Celeste her face was blank. Void of all emotion, but her eyes bore into my soul.

Quickly, I got up off of the bed, leaving the silk sheets and sinking mattress behind. Celeste did the same, but lethargically, as if savouring the feeling of the material against her skin. Once she was on her feet, she stood in front of me, a few inches taller so that I had to crane my neck upwards.

"If you know your place, you'll sleep on the floor." She said, her tone low and dangerous. As she spoke, her white fangs flashed in the light. "Don't dirty our silk with your filth, mutt."

Then she left.

I stood the for a while, stunned into silence. Even my thoughts had paused.

When I looked outside again, it was completely dark - save for the bright glow of a full moon and the white pinpricks of scattered stars - and I yawned in exhaustion.

For a moment, I eyed the bed, and subconsciously reached up for my cheek.

Don't dirty our silk with your filth, mutt.

I walked over the the wall and lowered myself to the floor, leaning my back and head against the cold surface with a sigh.

And then I fell asleep where I belonged.