Chapter 4 ∣  A Dying Breed

-Annika

"You'll regret this day, bitch," the vampire snarls with venom laced into each word before he turns away from me and takes off in the opposite direction, two more falling in behind him, one with long fiery red hair that falls in curls down her back while the other's brown hair shields his eyes as they make their escape from the warehouse.

Perhaps a small part of me is holding onto the idea that this is all a dream, that everything around me is nothing more than a vivid hallucination. I want to wake to the smell of my grandmother's freshly baked cinnamon pancakes; the syrup is poured over the stack of three as I enter the kitchen with my stomach growling.

My stomach does growl, but it's not because of my grandmother's doing.

No, I'm living a nightmare now. The reality of the dangerous situation I find myself in causes me to second guess every choice I've made in my life up to this point in time.

My eyelids flutter open, waking slowly while my eyes quickly scan the dungeon around me. The cold of the still air seeps through my flesh and freezing my bones. The icy feeling that floods my arms is not from the dungeon's unforgiving temperature, lifting my gaze to see that my wrists are still bound together by the chains.

All of this is real...

The chain hardly gives when I give a quick tug. Regret floods my aching body from the punishment it has already endured. It wasn't much what Locaine had done to me, but I'm sure there is far worse planned for the future, and I need to find a way out of this situation before any violent actions escalate.

Wincing while a grimace spreads across my face, the faint sound of the chains clinking from the links rubbing together meets my ears. My stomach throbs with a dull pain, my hip sustaining a far worse injury, knowing the bone is slowly healing from within, but I can feel the deep bruising lingering behind.

Is he going to beat me every day until he decides to kill?

What's his true end goal if I'm to be abused like this, knowing I'm here because of my father and his actions against Enos along with also ending my sister's life.

When I glance at the cage, the one holding women like cattle, I notice that they have fallen fast asleep. They huddle together for warmth, clutching onto one another like a security blanket. In my same field of view, I notice two of the women who had previously been chained to the wall by their neck are no longer within the space of the dungeon. The one left behind is the young woman Adam had been assaulting earlier, repeating horribly nasty things to her, degrading and making her feel worthless.

Did they kill them?

Have they drained them dry?

These thoughts are no stranger to me, knowing humans are only usefully for few things for vampires. A few of those include: a light snack or a large meal, taking care of their home and let's not forget the apparent use as a sex slave because let's face it...apparently, they can't find many willing to sleep with them.

When I take a few steps to the right, it feels like I'm treading on pins and needles, my feet have fallen asleep as I had with the position I had been left in. My boots clicked softly against the stone flooring, attempting to pull the chain with me, however, it hardly budges, and my efforts are entirely wasted.

"Fuck..." I mutter under my breath in irritation.

My voice draws attention from the young woman chained to the wall across from my cell. She must have been asleep, the tired look in her eyes clear and the pain from what she's endured past and present surfacing.

She gasps at my sudden vocalization by asking, "Hello? Are you awake?"

No...I just mutter obscenities in my sleep.

The young woman is searching for me in the darkness, the lights having been turned off with little visibility for that of the normal naked human eye. Thankfully, my hunter sight places me right at home in the darkness, staring at the young woman while she turns her head in different directions attempting to find me.

"Who are you?" She questions me from the shadows, her voice a fearful quiver while I see a few unshed tears visible at the brim of her eyes.

My arms once again feel the numbness slowly returning, the amount of time I've been chained to the ceiling is beginning to take a toll on my limbs restrained above me. My legs are weak, relating to what gelatin must feel like from standing so long. Exhaustion clouds my body's judgment, wanting nothing more than to curl up on the ground and take a nice long nap to recuperate. The bed at my grandparents' house seems tempting at this moment, the covers pulled back and welcoming me to a blissful sleep as the sweet smell of lavender pillow spray consumes my senses.

I'll be lucky if I ever walk free from chains again, let alone take a catnap.

The thought of my grandparents suddenly terrifies me...

...do they know about my grandparents? Surely, they must...

"Hello?" Her voice breaks through the silence of the room, the only other sound is that of the rhythmic breathing coming from the women in the cage. The young woman's voice is slightly louder this time around, and a small amount of confidence follows behind it.

I whisper back to her, "My name is Annika."

In her sudden rush of excitement, finding it within me as her companion, she tries to rise to her feet. Her efforts are wasted though, forgetting about the chain that is locked securely around her neck while it forces her back to the ground with a vicious yank on her neck muscles. The force makes her groan when her ass hits the stone floor, furrowing my brows as she thinks about doing it one more time, but makes the better judgment to remain seated.

Instead, the young woman introduces herself, "My name is Carly," she pauses a moment, a noted hesitation in her voice when she asks, "What was the Master saying about you earlier?" It's almost like she's speaking from a myth when she asks, "Are you a hunter?" Her voice seems to lighten as the last word rolls off her tongue.

"No," I reply flatly back to her, and I glance up to the ceiling. Narrowing my eyes at the point where the chain embeds into the ceiling, I once again yank hard on my chains, watching at the way it gives ever so slightly before snapping me back into place. When I realize I won't be able to simply muscle my way through any of this I take a moment and sigh, "Alright...technically...yes, I am a hunter."

Admitting something is the first step to recovery...

"I didn't think there were any more vampire hunters left alive," she is almost starstruck and in awe at my very presence, something I am entirely not used to feeling as I love my quiet personal me time that involves no one staring at me in a manner such as she is, "Master Locaine has been killing off hunter families," she lowers her head, her eyes fixating on the ground in front of her. I can see the tears reaching maximum capacity, ready to fall down her cheeks at the thought of what Locaine has been doing. I would think she'd be more sympathetic to her own kind, but here she is about ready to shed tears for a species she has no association with.

She lets out a shaky and rattily breath when she admits, "That means...no one will save us. When all the bloodlines are killed, they will take over. The vampires will fear nothing..."

My heart skips a beat at the mere mention of Locaine's intentions. He isn't randomly striking down whoever he pleases, there is a method to his madness and the way he selects his targets.

Killing vampire hunter families...is this pureblood indeed that powerful to take on a task such as this?

"I know my family is alive...at least a couple of members anyways," my eyelids close shut, the image of my grandparents waving goodbye to me as I left with Susie to celebrate my twenty-first birthday comes flooding back like a slide show. They can take care of themselves...having been through more life experiences then I have, they know how to kill vampires with far superior knowledge then I possess.

"Are your eyes..." her voice trails off, a hesitation on the beat of the last word and she finishes, "...you know?" She questions me as if expecting me to tell her everything. I can't help the feeling I get when others speak of the difference in my irises, the judgment, the reactions...it's hard to live a healthy life among the humans I walk among.

A small smile makes its way onto my lips, understanding that she knows a lot more about hunters than I give her credit for. I answer her question with a continuation of her own question, "Are they white, do you mean?"

With a quick reply and a slight nod of her head she says quietly, "Yes."

When I take a moment to pause, collecting my thoughts before thinking through everything I am to tell this simple human woman, she continues, "Can you really see in the dark? Just like the vampires?"

To confirm her suspicions and lay to rest the rumors she has been told I reply simply, "Perfectly," letting that one-word roll right off my tongue, a twitch at the corners of her lips turning them up into a small smile of her own.

"You are just like them..." her voice sounds slightly afraid, and the once smile that graced her lips fades away in the next second. She realizes that what I have been telling her is the genuine truth. Her tone alters once I answer her, my own confusion unseen in the cover of the shadows surrounding us.

I can't see it...the presence around us, but I have the feeling that we're being watched but by who...that's a mystery even I can't see with my enhanced eyesight.

What she says does bother me though...how can I have anything in common with the vampires?

She's entirely out of her mind, more than likely have been down here for some time to even bring up a statement such as that. If only she knew that the real meaning behind the hunters' existence...is to destroy the ones who seek to control what isn't meant to be ruled, to let freedom be carried out on the winds of change.

With an icy tone to my voice, I state, "I am nothing like them."

I hadn't even noticed or heard the dungeon door opening before Locaine's voice unnerves me by asking, "Really, slave?"

My body stiffens when he does make his presence known, my eyes directly locking onto his form while the door shuts silently and solidly behind him. There is a startled gasp that leaves Carly's lips when he speaks, huddling closer to the wall and pretending to meld into it.

"Adam will be down to take care of you soon enough," Locaine's attention briefly falls on Carly, her tears now falling freely from her eyes, "next time, I'm sure you'll remember your place before speaking or acting out of turn again."

Lovely...

Carly cowers away in fear, turning her face to hide away against her shoulder. It is when she brings her arms up around her knees, hugging them tightly against her chest do I notice the many scars she bares on her arms. Each one is different from the next, a lasting story engraved into her flesh and reminding her of the pain and torment that awaits a simple act in her judgment to follow the commands of a vampire...or to deviate from their wishes.

In the next moment, Locaine's attention drifts to me and away from the frightened girl, choking on her sobs as if they might offend him. His outfit had changed in the time I'd been asleep, light khaki pants fall over the top of dark dress shoes, a red and black flannel button up shirt left with the top button undone covers his muscular body. When his gaze locks with mine, he begins to stride toward the cell, his hand diving into his pant pocket and retrieving a key when he pulls it back out.

It's hard for my eyes to pull away from the entrancing aura that he exudes. From his enchanting icy blue eyes that captivate me, staring into the darkest depths of my soul to the sharply cut features that have my angel and devil arguing atop of my shoulders...

The curiosity within me draws my attention to the key he holds between his fingers, opening the cell door and calmly placing that key back out of sight in his pocket.

Damn it...

Unfortunately for me...Locaine noticed the way I had been staring at him and asks with a sly smirk on his face, "Do you like what you see?"

Yes and no...although you would look a whole lot better if you were dead.

The attraction can't be helped...the uncanny charm of a vampire working its own magic on me when I should be turning away from the temptation they bring. It only ends in lustful entrapment...and I don't want to fall prey to his game. Instead, I shake my head, hoping it will clear the images taking up residence within and avert my eyes quickly to the stone floor.

The distance between us is quickly closed, Locaine taking a few short steps before a cold shiver runs down my spine. He places his hands on my hips, pulling me close to him. A gasp leaves my lips out of shock and pain, his grip none too gentle in the process of drawing my body to his. I can feel the wound still lingering from the force he'd used to punch me, asserting his first attempt at dominance and declaring I am nothing more to him then what he wants me to be.

"It wasn't that long ago that you were practically giving yourself to me on your birthday," Locaine muses more to himself as he lifts one of his hands. His fingers roughly grasp my chin, forcing my gaze to meet with his and I return it with a cold glare. I don't want to be reminded of the way I had been so carefree...a hunter should never act like the way I had...

"I didn't know who you were," I scoff angrily at him, attempting to pull my chin from his grasp.

He holds me still, his grip tightening and forcing me to fight back the grimace that wants to work its way up onto my face. With a chuckle, he asks curiously, "And that would have made a difference?" I remain silent, not taking the bait carefully laid out before me. When the silence lasts long enough, he says, "No? Apparently not."

Shifting under the way he holds me I state, "If you're not going to kill me, what do you want? What is your revenge plan...?" I ask him what I am dying to know...literally.

Locaine tilts my chin slightly, exposing the soft flesh of my neck to his hawk eyes. When his lips touch my skin, I inhale sharply, my heartbeat starting to accelerate. The tips of his fangs brush against my flesh, another shiver traveling down the length of my spine and leaving me uneasy. My breathing appears to stop almost altogether, readying myself for if he decides that maybe he should have killed me before even bringing me to this dungeon.

Instead, my eyelids slide shut when I find him drawing my earlobe between his teeth. He gently nibbles on it, his tongue flicking out and capturing it into his mouth. I can't stop the way my body reacts to his touch, a warmth rushing through me and pooling in my core. Trying with all my might, I can't bite back the light moan that slips past my parted lips, his voice on a seductive whisper as he says, "It is quite tempting, but that's not what I have planned for you, slave."

As my head comes down from the clouds, his lips leaving me. He reaches into his other pocket and quickly retrieves a syringe, my eyelids snapping open while my eyes continue to grow wide. I'm completely and utterly powerless with that crap running through my veins, forcing me to not even attempt my hand at controlling blood should I spill it of my own free will.

"Be still, or you're going to hurt yourself," Locaine's whisper is somewhat...concerning? The precaution he is taking and allowing for me to safeguard myself startles and throws me completely off guard.

Wouldn't he want to hurt me at every chance he gets?

In my own irrational irritation and knowing that there is absolutely no way he'd give me a chance at freedom, I growl lowly, "No..."

My hips push against him, sliding one of my legs back to balance myself in the process. It happens very quickly when I suddenly thrust forward, attempting to knock him off balance and topple him to the stone floor. With faster reaction time then I possess, Locaine releases his hold on me, stepping to the side as I fling myself forward and into dead air.

A cry leaves my lips.

His elbow connects with my ribs, and it forces the air from my lungs. The impact leaves me in a daze, the gathering of my thoughts slowly returning and when I finally reach my limit I scream, "Fuck you!"

He eyes me mischievously, "If you're going to behave this way every time, I will simply chain your arms and feet to that table over there," he makes a point of motioning to said table. My gaze follows his direction, passing the cage with the women being held like cattle and my eyes rest on the form in which he wants to restrain me next.

I'll be better off just hanging here...at least I have better movement, and I'll figure out a way to tear these damn chains from the ceiling if I must. If I'm chained down to that table...my movement is entirely restricted, and I risk any form of escape my mind can formulate.

Inwardly I cringe, knowing this sadistic son of a bitch would like me not able to move in the slightest. I refuse to give up without a fight, that soul of a hunter within me stirring and coming alive...something I haven't felt for such a long time. A part of me that is missing seems to enter every fiber of my being.

My life is on the line...so of course, my natural instincts are beginning to kick in. This is who I am, someone who fights for their freedom and if I am to match Locaine's resilience...there is so much more I need to learn before I can break free...permanently.

He reaches for me once again, however, this time I wrap my fingers around the binding chains above my head and pull down harder than I have up to this point. My feet lift from the stone floor, and I swing at him.

Once again...I am reminded of the speed and agility of a vampire. Not just an ordinary vampire though, a pureblood unmatched by those I have seen. Before I realize where he has gone, I feel his breath fan my neck, the warmth of it causes the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end. His grip is much tighter on my body, and he growls dangerously from behind me, "I'm losing my patience, slave."

Without warning, my dress is completely stripped away from my body. The cold air stings my exposed flesh, and I inhale sharply at the feeling of it chilling me to the bone. Leaving me in my bra and underwear, I try to steady my irregular beating heart, my eyes lifting, and I catch the horrified look on Carly's face from across the room. I had almost forgotten about her, but with how dark it is...I know she is basing our encounter on the sounds we make.

"If you move one more time," the threatening tone laced in his words makes me freeze on the spot, "I will bite you."

He's toying with me, and my heart continues to race under his touch when I state, "You said you weren't going to kill me," because apparently, he has other plans for me...ones I'm not sure are going to be much better than death itself.

His cold hands run over my stomach, shivering against his touch and shaking the thoughts coming forth and to the front of my mind, "If I can't control your blood magic, then I really will have no other choice."

If he can't control me...he loses, and he's not going to risk his own life when he thinks I'm this mighty hunter when in truth...I'm hardly more experienced than a human.

The way he says this brings forth a promise within me...

...I will not die like this...

...I will destroy this coven...

...just like my parents would and his life will be mine for the taking.

With disdain, I retort firmly, "Fine."

Locaine's right-hand removes itself from my skin, withdrawing the syringe once again as his left-hand holds me against him, my back flush against his chest. I can feel him lean his chin over my shoulder, my own gaze flickering down to see the moment the needle breaks through the surface of my flesh. A groan surpasses my lips, seeing the liquid slowly being injected into my body and continuing to weaken me further, the process only lasting a few moments.

"Good slave," he whispers directly into my ear as if his praise means anything to me. He places the empty syringe back into his pocket. My breath is shaky, regretting even allowing for him to pump that nasty crap into me...

One thing rings through my mind, and I reply coldly, "I am not your slave."

I may be many things...an individual to be beaten and angrily abused upon, to have the will of others forced upon me...a tool to be used in a revenge scheme...

...however, I am nobody's slave.

Locaine thinks otherwise, his grip tightening on me when he chuckles as if my words are a challenge that he has accepted, "We'll just see about that."

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The Slave That I Am by K. A. Young.

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