I woke up with a cold splash on my face. Waking up with a painful jolt of awareness, my watery eyes opened to see the bright light on my eyes. It wasn't pleasant.
I gasped sharply, feeling the cold water on me, and I saw the same vampire yesterday who led me into the prince's room. He was smiling with a cheerful grin at me, and he said in a sing-song voice. "Time to wake up!"
I woke up feeling more miserable than ever. All I wanted was to sleep. Looking out the window signals that it's too early for this chirpy vampire to wake me up. I almost held back my annoyance and asked, "What are you doing?"
Despite holding back my annoyance, the chirpy vampire wasn't annoyed by my attitude, and he said with a friendly smile, but the seriousness in his eyes was real, "You need to get dressed. The prince won't wait for you. He's not as patient as he looks."
The chirpy vampire turned away, pointing at the silky black robe on the closest door, and he said with a smile, "Get dressed now."
He leaves the room, leaving me alone.
I felt the bed shaking, and I realized I wasn't truly alone. I looked toward Kaden, who was shaking badly, and then I was worried he was going to get sick. I grabbed a dry blanket and wrapped it around his body after getting the rest of his wet clothes off him.
Kaden said with a faint complaint in his voice, "W—Why did they do that?"
I shook my head and said nothing. I don't have an answer for that except for one. Vampires are strange and weird.
I dressed him in new clothes I found in the closet, and I dressed myself in the new silky black robe. In the mirror, my skin was pale like the snow, contrasting with the black robe, bringing out my skin more.
I grabbed Kaden's smalls, and then I felt a momentary tremor. I looked down at the boy, and I realized he was afraid. He has good reasons to be afraid; he's surrounded by dangerous, deadly monsters that can drink your blood anytime they want.
I wore a confident smile on my face, hoping to ease the boy's fears. "I will protect you."
Kaden must have seen something on my face. He clenched my hands with a tighter hold, and he nodded his head like a good boy.
We went down the stairs, and I felt the burning stares of humans and vampires on me. It was a reminder of the world I found myself in, always going to be watched by them. Then I found the prince at the end of the table, with a white cup in his hands.
A plate was on the table, but it was filled to the max. I gathered myself to take a deep breath, and I walked to the prince, ignoring the rest of the people's stares. When they saw where I was heading toward, I heard rather than saw sharp gasps around me.
"Is he crazy?! Why would he head to that prince? He's nothing but a tyrant."
I felt my heart pounding from all the voices around us, and I pushed Kaden down in the chair next to me. I looked at some people's faces who were staring at me in curiosity, but some carried a hidden contempt. A contempt for mingling with a vampire.
I turned away despite my chest burning with a bitter feeling. I asked in a low voice, "Are you going to eat that plate?"
That prince stared at me with his red eyes filled with intensity. He shook his head at me, and then without a word, I grabbed the plate from him, and I saw the prince narrowing his eyes at me.
I pushed the plate toward Kaden, who looked at the prince with a hesitation on his face. His hands were itching to eat the food on the plate, but he kept his hands clenched on the table. Afraid to get his hands chopped off for touching the scary man's food.
The prince only stared at me, but he said to the boy, "Eat."
Kaden, getting the prince's permission, went to grab the one fruit, an apple on the side, and he took a large bite. The prince crossed his fingers together on the table and, with a menacing smile towards me, "Before we leave, you need to remember only one thing."
I raised my brow.
"Always listen to me, and when I ask you to do something, you'll do it without any questions."
I frowned about the protest, but he raised his hand, silencing me on the spot. "Only when we are truly alone can you speak out your mind, but when we are before other people, you'll do as I say. Is that understood?"
With a reluctant nod of my head, he smiled at me like I made a good choice. Then his eyes looked up at a man behind the counter. A terrified man behind the counter who had his head lowered. When the prince said with a friendly smile, "I want you to bring me some of the best food you got for my good slave."
The man knew the prince was talking, and he was doing everything not to shake in his boots. It was the first time he met a vampire prince known for his cruelty throughout the city, and he said with a big smile, "Of course, my highness!"
He went behind the curtain like a flying scaredy cat as if someone was after his tail, then the prince turned toward me with his red glowing eyes. "You should know one more thing, my name. Alexander Heiz, but I go by many names: the tyrant, the ruthless one, and many other names."
Staring at the prince, who continued to smile, only unnerved me more. The more his smile looks sweet like a flower, the more it seems fake. A deadly snake hiding its sharp venom.