Page 11 of The Exiled Dragon

Too many nights, when they came down to pick their favorite blood bag, they would hide. We would all whisper, jokingly placing bets on who would get called out first, second and third. It was a sick, twisted joke that I always lost. I always got picked first when the Duke was hungry.

"I need to tell you why I was running. I may have inadvertently put you in danger, and if they come, I can't let you get hurt. You are too kind for that." Biting the inside of my lip to keep it from quivering, the blood pooled in the pocket of my cheek. Looking in Prince Charming's eyes right now would make me crumble, and I couldn't.

Not once did I cry in front of the Vampires; I didn't show them any weakness. Now that I was rested, away from the horrors, the screams, the monsters of the night, I couldn't help but bring down my walls. This poor man didn't need to see that. He didn't need to see what a pitiful woman I was.

Prince Charming took his index finger, and traced my lips, pulling the bottom lip out. My eyes still didn't meet his, looking down the passage. His patience was great, and he waited for me to calm the heavy heaves of breaths that I panted. "The Duke is what they call him," I sighed heavily. "He's a Vampire; the place where I ran from was the Duke's home. The big mansion that looked like a castle." Prince Charming got up from the floor, sitting on the bed beside me. He didn't even need a stool to get in as I would need; it almost made me laugh.

Pulling my hands in his, he squeezed them, giving me enough courage. "I was kidnapped after my dad died; my mom was a witch, found me shortly after his death, and sent me there to pay off debts." Prince Charming's chest thumped. "Master Enoch was in charge of the blood bags and debt repayment. My mother paid him, with me. I was to stay at the Duke's place until I died, basically. The other humans and I stayed in cages. Witches bring them in, same as me.”

I licked my lips. "The Duke liked me most, said I tasted the best, and I didn't squirm or make a mess. On day one, I was compliant. I never fought when they took my blood because I heard it hurt worse from one of the older humans. When other Vampires heard about this, they would pick me specifically, be rough and tear the skin. They never used their venom to numb it, nor would they seal the wound. Just a cruel game." I shook my head. Prince Charming's hand gripped mine tightly. The thrumming in his chest became louder.

"Then last night, there was trouble around his land. Many guards were gone, but the Duke remained in his chambers. I was to be dressed up in his favorite color and be put in his bedroom. Blood bags don't go into the bedrooms; we were too low for that. One of the girl Vampires, Emily, warned me what would happen. He wanted a strong mate, and seeing how I took the pain so well, he said I was perfect. Emily found a dogwood stake and sharpened it for me. I slit his throat when he wasn't looking, but I wasn't strong enough to stab his heart, so I ran. I ran for two days until I got to the tree." My body was stiff with fear, reliving the accounts of that night. Explaining any more detail to him would twist me to pieces.

The pulls of skin, the blood that dripped down my forearms. Their slimy, cold tongues licked parts of my body no one should touch. Luckily, it was only on my extremities where they sucked blood from me, but the humiliation and revulsion were there. "He touched me places," I hiccupped, "while he fed." His hands would roam my breast and try to cup the flesh between my thighs. I sat so still, not fighting back, hoping that it would eventually become a bore to them.

I choked; I couldn't tell him anymore. He'd think I was dirty.

My heart had fallen into a sullen state of despair. It made me look up at Prince Charming, seeking comfort. Something about him made me feel safe, even the day he found me in that lonely tree. He had been nice to me so far; he may want me to leave after this confession, however. I couldn't blame him, but a small part of me hoped he would give me a bit of reassurance.

Solace was the last thing I found from Prince Charming when I looked up. A fire burned in his eyes, far more frightening than the Vampires that came to me while I slept, that forced their fangs into my skin ruthlessly. Mouth set to a grim line, I swore I saw fangs peer over his chapped lips. If my eyes were correct, they were far larger than any Vampire fangs.

I couldn't control the spasming fear in my body. I shook in utter terror for the first time seeing Prince Charming with an emotion I didn't want to ever see from him. His body was hard as stone; the growl in his chest reverberated within the cave walls. His braided hair turned scaly, and white smoke began to pour from his nose.

I jumped, pulling my hands away, losing the warmth it brought me. "I'm sorry!" I trembled, and my eyes teared up. I didn't want to make him angry, just be honest. "Just take me outside; I'll go far away from here; they won't find you. I won't tell them where you live." My voice shook.

Or he could just kill me.

Prince stood up abruptly, not gathering his supplies like he usually did when he left the cave. The grumbling, growls, and snarls filled the cave. He wasn't human, I thought again, pulling at my fingers. So what was he?

My tears couldn't be held back anymore. They built up inside my eyes until they flowed with intense vigor. They didn't bother to hide behind my lashes; they came down freely. A roar came from outside; it shook the cave. Small rocks fell onto the ground, into the bed, and on the table. I didn't know what he was, but I had to leave. It was clear he didn't want me here.

Fluffy had trailed after him, slinking like a scared cat but continued to follow obediently. I hiccupped again, trying to turn around in the bed, getting down like a disobedient child not wanting to go to bed. The shirt pooled around my knees; I tightened the top of the tunic to hide any part of my chest.

I couldn't take anything with me; he had given me enough. The salve from my wounds, the cloth for my ankle, and even a stomach full of food. Glancing one last time at the cave, I hobbled out as best I could, putting my hand on the damp cave wall.

It wasn't long before I reached the end. Prince Charming and Fluffy weren’t anywhere to be found. Taking a sharp left, I would continue around the mountain instead of further up. Who knows when the snow would begin to fall, and with bare feet and a thin sheet of a shirt, I would be in serious trouble.

Hobbling along a non-existent path, my feet tracked over the purple moss. Small glitter flew out from it, making me smile despite the loneliness I felt in my heart. It was pretty and thus deserved to be admired. My steps were small, my ankle throbbing with pain. The further I got away, the better. He was obviously mad with me, but at least I told him now instead of days down the road. The Vampires wouldn't think twice about looking there now that my scent would fade away.

The jagged rocks became less while I continued to the east; at least, I thought it was the east. I couldn't go by the sun because there was not one sun but two. One was brighter than the other, and I wasn't sure which I should follow or if this world followed the same pattern. I sighed in frustration. Anything I had learned while being homeschooled was useless. I was stuck in a world that made no sense. Might as well be Alice trudging through the massive chessboard gawking at all the wildlife.

The forest remained quiet; I hobbled for a good hour until I needed a break. My stomach growled angrily at me, sitting beside a tree. Who was I kidding? I was stuck. I have no friends here, and Vampires were hunting for me. Hopefully, they gave up, but I seriously doubt it. They were vengeful creatures, often fighting over which blood bag they wanted to feed off of.

The tinkling of bells rang through the air, disrupting my thoughts. They were panic rings, ringing fast, hard until it stopped altogether. The evening sky was falling fast; soon, I would have to find a place to stay. The ringing continued until a raindrop dripped on my nose.

I didn’t think my luck could worsen until a complete downpour rained down on me. The thin tunic stuck to my body. The bells were louder than ever while I leaned on each tree to get some relief from the rain. The ringing stopped, and little pants of breathing were heard near me, but I couldn't see anything on the ground. Looking up, a tiny little person hung in a swinging cage. The cage was no larger than a basketball with small arms reaching toward me. The ringing was, in fact, the creature's voice. The cage held it inside. The bars close together.

"Hang on," I uttered more to myself. I wasn't even sure this creature could understand me. The bells rang repeatedly until I pulled it loose from the hanging branch over my head. The creature jumped up and down in the cage, hitting its head on the top. Wrestling it free was easy since it was made of branches and vines. Out crawled a tiny Fairy.

Breathing heavily, he became drenched with water. It was a male, with long hair, wearing a shirtless chest. Pointed ears, chin, and cheekbones decorated his face. His wings were translucent until they started to wilt because of the rain. They were like an insects. The Fairy looked up at me with grateful eyes. Taking my hand, I covered its head so it would not become more saturated. The rain would ruin its wings.

"Are you a Fairy?" I whispered. The male shook his head. I didn't know what it was then; I didn't have a collective list of species in my back pocket to reference. Not like he could tell me either, but he did understand me.

"Do you know a place where we can get dry?" I asked hopefully. Looking at its wings, he sighed, defeated. He crawled out of the cage and pulled my hand closer, nodding his head. He was going to sit while he pointed out where to go.

My hobbling didn't help him stay seated in my hand. I had lost my only way to stay upright by holding on to trees that go by. He looked at my ankle and shook his head again, pointing to it. "It's all right. Let's just get to shelter." The bells rang again not a minute later with his finger pointing up a tree.

A treehouse.

---