Self
Chapter 4
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Chapter 4
night when I awakened. A sharp pain
shot through me, not only from my back but from my head.
different. A desire to throw myself at
Dante’s mercy ran through my mind. I shook
my head, trying to drive the thoughts away.
They wouldn’t leave me, wouldn’t stop their incessant bombardment of my
mind. An hour passed and the door
creaked open, I prayed that it was Dante but I was sorely disappointed, Alex
walked in, dressed in an old fashioned tuxedo.
“Dante decided to wait until you were awake before calling for you.
chain.
softly, ashamed.
we don’t have time to talk, Dante and our guests are awaiting us.”
feet. He didn’t even have to pull me
along; I followed after willingly, looking forward to seeing Dante.
seated in his usual seat at the head of the table, Cyrus was to his right and
Hunter, his left. At the other end of
the table sat a man dressed all in black, most likely Xavier.
shoulders and his deep blue eyes looked across the table at Dante.
cent, co, completely at peace, a fragile peace though.
and deal with it in a most gruesome manner.
To his right sat a young man, handsome but not beautiful.
scarred and in no way pretty. Her
features were hard, her eyes empty. As
led led me, I felt their eyes on me, watching, waiting.
Dante. Without a word Alex handed over
the chain and I dropped to my knees, not even having the think about what I was
supposed to do. Leaningwardward I laid
my head on his right leg. His hand
gently came to rest on the back of my head; his touch drove away the pain, the
suffering that came from being away from him.
but the cost was great, was it not?” It had to be Xavier who spoke.
every step of the way. Not only that
but it seems that Areval wants her for his own, I cannot allow that.” He
paused, “My sentence is finally past and the one who I have chosen, someone
else desires.”
sounded thoughtful and because I couldn’t see him I had to rely on his voice.
stroking my hair.
better. That her being your pet is what
is best for her. I know that you had to
use her vow against her; I know why you did as well. I am flattered that you think you had to.”
coldly.
understand that. I propose that you
turn her over to me for a week. I shall
deal with her training. She is your
first pet after all, did I not do that with your first slave?”
cannot rely on you for everything. I
must take care of things myself sometimes.
Many would see it as a sign of weakness on my part if I gave her over to
you. I already have a plan, which I
fully intend to carry out. If it does
not work the way I wish it to then I shall be left with three options, none of
which I care for.”
your methods myself, the second to turn her over to you, and the third is to
destroy her. I do not like the final
option but I must be ready to carry it out if it comes to that.
dead.” Xavier said softly, his voice hollow, as if remembering some distance
time and place.
should show weakness in this case? That
if she does not learn her place I should allow her to run rampant, destroying
all that I have?”
have?” Dante was silent, “Do not allow her to destroy anything, if she does, or
even comes close to it take it out of her hide. She will learn quickly that you are not to be trifled with.”
he stopped running his fingers through my hair. His hand just sat there, cold and lifeless.
to remember that.”
who you are. You see pet.” He said,
turning his attention to me, “Your master was my slave before he was my
vampire. For two years he served
me. He learned quickly who was the
master. Quite headstrong but a week
apart from me with the vow being called taught him that he could not function
without my presence. Not only that
but…” He started but Dante cut him off.
pounding his fist on the table.
gave to you? The attention that I gave
to your body?”
that information.”
bounds. I apologize Lord, forgive my
intrusion.”
master.” He replied.
softly.
up, “Go to him.” He ordered, handing me the chain, “Show him the proper respect
he is due, just as you did for me when you entered.”
closely as I moved. All I wanted was to
run back to Dante, I didn’t want to go to the handsome blonde at the other end
of the table. Finally I stood beside
him. Without a second thought I dropped
to my knees and laid my head on his leg, just as I had done with Dante.
should do I remained still, unmoving.
Slowly Xavier bego bro brush his fingers through my hair, drawing it
away from my throat. A shiver ran up my
spine as his fingertips ran down the back of my neck.
brand.” He ordered softly. Slowly I
complied, standing so that my back was faciim.
Dante softly. I looked over at him and
he nodded. Xavier laughed quietly, “You
deserve to be rewarded my dear.” He said, warm breath danced over the raw flesh
of the cuts. Suddenly something warm
and wet flicked against my flesh. His
tongue began to trace a swirl in the design, “I could do many things to bring
your body pleasure, I realize that this stings but I can do so much more if
Dante allows.” He said, resting his hands on my hips. His tongue danced across the brand, “Will you allow me to
plee the this young girl?” He asked, causing me to gasp.
up to you pet, it is your master’s decision.”
“No.” I whispered, “I’m still a virgin.”
something I would have expected to hear from you, especially with Dante as a
master.” He paused, “He did acquire my sexual appetites after all.”
des.” D.” Dante replied.
your charms on her? How thoughtful.” He
said pulling away from the brand, “It is your decision, will you allow me to
ravish her, to take her in a way that she will never forget?
do not really want that to fall to my second, although he would be more than
willing to comply with my wishes.”
give you Sylvia or Alex for the time you are here. Damien should be arriving soon so I will have no immediate need
for either of them.”
well, although I would prefer to take your pet. I would, if you were the one who had come to visit me.”
changing the subject.
misbehaving as of late, she does not deserve my attentions.”
not allow me to take yhis his night but you can be sure that one day I will
have you.” He said, removing his hands from my hips.
to feel his touch. I kneeled at his
feet, returned to him the chain, and laid my head on his lap.
seeing my pet what has brought you here?”
unavoidable. There have been signs that
the human government of this country is making plans to corral the vampire
nation. To keep them under some
semblance of control so as to sate public fears.”
public fears?”
days. Fear that they will be killed in
the dead of the night, that they will be taken away and sacrificed.
devil.” He chuckled softly, “How utterly delightful. Humans can be so simple.”
to be dealt with but how do you propose to go about it?” He asked softly, “What
is it that you expect me to do?”
responsibilities here but it would be best if you dealt with this.”
do? I still must take care of my pet,
she has not learned her place, has learned very little in fact.” He said,
gently running his fingertips down my cheek, “I cannot just leave her to go
deal with other matters. For a limited
amount of time yes but not for extended periods, she must be taught, her spirit
calmed and her will to resist removed completely. I cannot do this if I am away, I cannot give her the attention
she needs and deserves.”
“You are the most powerful of our kind in this country, that is why you must
deal with the human problem.” He paused, “And I shall take care of your pet.”
“No.” I whispered.
down at me, “Silence pet. You will not
disobey me if I decide to send you with Xavier for training.
is the course of action I decide to follow.” He sighed, “I did not wish for it
to come to this.”
your pet until this is over.”
myself. Why me?” He asked, his voice
calm, collected.
you are the most powerful in this country, not only that but the best
trained. I spent many years teaching
you how to deal with humans. You are
the best qualified to deal with this problem.”
you. She is mine, not yours.
are not grasping the situation. It is
necessary at this time…”
him off, “It is not necessary to turn her over to you for training.”
show of defiance against a member of the ruling body is not what I would call
recommended.” He said calmly, “It is the desire of the senate that you perform
this task for us. If it means turning
your pet over to me for training then so be it.” As he spoke, the door opened
and a young man walked in. His short
black hair was spiked up and his soft brown eyes looked from Xavier to Dante,
“Damien, welcome.”
paused, “master.” He said, turning to Dante, “What is it that you desire of me
master?”
Xavier and I discuss the matter at hand.
I shall give you further instructions later.” He said, not taking his
eyes off Xavier.
towards him, “Come pet.” He said, taking the chain, “I shall draw a bath for
you.”
“Do not disobey your master.” He said softly, “He does not take kindly to his
orders being ignored.”
go.”
growled, grasping the arms of his chair tightly.
longer being called but I wanted to stay, I wanted to hear what he intended to
do, “No.”
at the table, “Damien, give her to Xavier.
If she is left with me I will lose my patience and destroy her.
is well taken care of.” He paused, “I shall perform this task for you, I shall
deal with the humans.” He sighed, “Damien, get her out of my sight.
with him, do you understand?”
the chain tightly, “I shall draw her a bath and await further orders.” He bowed
deeply before pulling hard on the chain, dragging me out of the room.
going to stay here.”
stay here, you and I are going with Xavier when he leaves.” He said with a
quiet laugh, “You shall soon feel the pleasure and the pain that he can
inflict. I was trained by him to serve
Dante and I have done so for hundreds of years.” He paused, “Soon, very soon
you shall be trained.”
into a large bathroom.
shall have you at any cost. He would
have killed you this night, you angered him greatly.” He turned the brass knobs
to start the flow of water, “You really should have done as he ordered.
Xavier, at least the chance is there that you wouldn’t be.” He sighed, “Go
ahead and get undressed, I’m supposed to stay with you.
said, removing the collar.
sinking into the running water. I took
in a hiss of air as the cleansing liquid brushed over my brand, “I’m not going
to go anywhere.” I said softly.
Xavier. Because we are being sent with
Xavier we shall be for for the duration of our stay. Rayne will stay in our stead and act as Dante’s pet.
least not forever. You bare his mark
and nothing can change that.” He sighed, “In all reality Dante still belongs to
Xavier.”
and brushing a lock of hair out of my face.
and closed his eyes, “You bare Dante’s brand, correct?” I nodded, “That shows
who you belong to. You have a vow,
correct?” I nodded again, “Well, there’s your answer. Dante has both of those things with Xavier, not only that but he
has a bond of blood, a pact.”
a vampire and his creator. Normally it
is not performed as the child vampire is bound for an eternity to his master,”
He paused, “I shouldn’t even be telling you this.” He laughed quietly.
softly.
I rolled
deep breath, “A pact is much stronger than a vow, It can never be undone, can
never be removed. I do not know the particulars
because that is not information that I am privy to. Dante is essentially Xavier’s until one of them dies.
ho
him, to let him take you right then and there, ind hed he choose to bargain
with him. Xavier does not like to use
the pact against Dante, never did, well, at least not to my knowledgep>
p>
his sentence was up? Why didn’t he have
a pet?” I asked, crossing my arms and leaning against the edge of the tub.
simple as that. I am not at liberty to
inform you of the reason, besides, it hardly concerns you.” He said, tipping
his head back, “You are much better off as Dante’s pet than in your old life.
for nothing. Trust me on this Eva; you
are much better off in this situation than in any other.
resist. You cannot escape, this is your
destiny.”
“Yes. In the beginning I wanted nothing
more than to be free, to go back to the way things were.” He looked at me, met
my gaze, “But within my first two days under Xavier’s care my views changed dramatically,
one day under Dante’s care after I was given to him and my views wset set in
stone. You have not seen the side of
Dante that I have, but you will.
Tonight you saw a mere piece of it; he can be a cruesterster if you do
not play your hand correctly. You
pushed his limits tonight; he would have killed you without a second thought.”
sure exactly what I thought.
you didn’t think. You just rushed into
it headlong, not looking at the repercussions.
You must learn take a step back and look at everything, every piece of
information given to you, if you do that then you may well survive the
experience.”
Xavier’s care. You could very well lose
your mind to pleasure or pain.”
would drive them mad. He will not
though, at least not to you or I. He
enjoys doing it to humans, not people he’s training.” He smiled, “He is quiet good
though, I believe you shall enjoy being in his care. Dante rivals him in sexual prowess but, sadly, he does not have
the experience that Xavier does.”
take me.”
“He uses the reward and punishment system.
You shall see soon enough. It’s
time to get out, taterater’s getting cold.” He said, getting to his feet and
pulling out a fluffy white towel.
feet. Stepping out of the water I dried
off before covering myself with the large towel. Without a word he handed me a black robe.
“Thanks.” I whispered.
rest.” I scowled, was in shock that he hadn’t put the collar back on.
if you don’t I’ll put the collar on.” He said, walking towards the door.
beside him, “I don’t want to leave but I don’t want to stay here either.
I said as we walked, “What did you do?
How did you get over it?”
you, do not. Sink into eternity and
never return. Remain in this world;
don’t struggle to break free because you already are. You’re free just not in the same way. You can’t escape Eva, no one will let you.
will become as much a part of you as your old life was.” He said, turning a
corner, “Eva, you need to learn, you need to feel all that this life has to
offer you. If you cannot escape you
might as well learn from the experience.
Leave your old life behind, don’t look back.”
help but remember what I had before. I
was free to do as I pleased, to remain in my solitude.
thought I loved.” I paused, “I was free, truly free, now I am nothing more than
a prisoner, bound by a vow I was forced to make. I don’t want to be here, I cannot stand remaining in this world,
this insatiable darkness, inescapable night.
Bound to a man, no, not even a man, a creature that has the desires of a
man, the body of a man, but the mind and powers of a demon.” I stopped and
slumped to the floor, softly I began to cry, “I-I don’t even know who I am any
more. What am I?
“You are the same with one minor difference.”
him.
offering me his hand, “Come now, you don’t want me to put the collar back on
you. Without it I’m sure you feel at
least a little less confined.”
permanently?” I asked softly.
are his pet you wear it. If you were a
slave you wouldn’t wear it hardly at all.” He said as I slowly got up.
bedroom, “You may rest here.” He said closing the door, sealing us inside, “We
may leave tomorrow or we may not, either way you will not be seeing Dante.
it’s only temporary. If we do not leave
then it shall be made.” He said as I sat down on the bed.
back.
must have a connection with you.” He sigheI wiI will most likely be retrained
while we are under his care.” He paused, “I have been testing my bonds as of
late and they know it, especially Xavier since he has had the most contact with
me.”
over onto my side and curled up, “I wish there was a way out of this.” I said
softly as I closed my eyes and fell asleep.