Page 2 of The Lost Siren

“I’mterriblysorry, thenext timeyou kidnap me I’ll be sure to be properly prepared!” I froze as soon as the words left my mouth, unsure what his reaction would be. To my relief, he merely snorted in amusement and kept walking. I hung lamely over his shoulder, quickly bored with the endless expanse of darkness behind me. Were we going to some secret, underground ritual chamber? Why was I better suited to his purposes than Bella? Was he some sort of humanoid demon? The questions wouldn’t stop, and I had no way to distract myself from my racing thoughts.

He stopped suddenly, breaking me from my dark musings. There was a loud metallic sound, and the floor underneath us groaned, lurched, andmoved. He dropped me heavily, and I crossed my arms as the walls shook around us, refusing to reach out again to my captor to steady myself. After what seemed like a lifetime, a door rose in front of us, and the movement ceased. I sighed in relief as flickering torches lit the way, however dim they were.

“There is one last thing before you enter the great hall.” My head tilted to the side, curious. If I had to guess, he looked...nervous.

“I can’t have you walking into the hall injured.”

I froze as I felt his hand brush my lip; he was close enough that I could feel the heat from his body. I shivered unconsciously, and he jerked forward without warning, his teeth biting down onto my bottom lip. He muffled my cry as he seized my mouth, his tongue tracing the outline of a split lip I had honestly forgotten about. It was over as quick as it began, and he drew away with a burning look in his eyes. My fingers danced across the skin, but no trace of the injury remained. What magick could heal with a kiss? It couldn’t be bad magick; not if it helped, could it?

“There would be a revolt if I brought you in there bleeding.”

Bleeding humans were quite common at the breeding house. In fact, it was rare for someonenotto be. My captor handed me a small vial, and my fingers clasped the cool glass in reflex.

“Drink this; it will heal your back. I doubt you want my tongue all over it.”

I cringed and blushed, unnerved by his bold words. How could he possibly know about my back? He glared at me until I drank the vial, and I grimaced at the bitter, metallic taste as it went down. I shrugged my shoulders, pleasantly surprised when the sting of the cane marks disappeared. I stood straighter, feeling fully relieved and pain-free for the first time in ages. He pushed me ahead of him as the iron gates parted, revealing a heavy wooden door with iron slats. I stumbled forward, my legs heavy.

“Wait!” I protested.

“What is it?” He demanded, back to being irritated by my presence. I twisted my skirt in my fingers, noticing how damp my palms were. The guilt was suffocating, and I had to at least come clean tohim, if I were to truly take Bella’s place. He needed to know I was nothing special; a nobody slave with nothing to offer to anyone.

“Why am I here?” I whispered, refusing to meet his eyes. “You could have had Bella; she’s a great dancer, singer… I can’t do any of that.”

Silence met my declaration, and I risked a glance up. His eyes were narrowed, as if he couldn’t tell if I was serious or not. Then his features smoothed out, and a cruel smirk curled his lips. The massive doors opened, and he shoved me forward.

“Welcome to Dark Haven: home of the Drakens.”

TWO

The heavy door swung open, creaking loudly in the absolute silence that greeted us. My captor took advantage of my shock, easily prodding me through the massive beauty of the vast, stone hall in front of me. Gazing around, I was in awe. Large stone pillars supported the magnificent architecture of the vaulted ceilings, while designs in precious metals decorated the floor, the patterns mesmerizing as the torchlight reflected off its surface. Gemstones were embedded tastefully, creating accents around the gold and silver beneath my feet. I had never seen such decadence in my life; only the halls of the Demon Overlord himself could be as grand! My eyes shifted, and then I noticed thepeople.

They lined the velvet rug we walked down, silent and inhumanely still. I kept my gaze solidly ahead, my cheeks warm as I blushed under their scrutiny, and the sight of so many half-naked male bodies. The only male I’d ever seen regularly was Crullfed, and the men that came through the breeding house to impregnate the women. Like my captor, the men in front of me shined oddly, their skin a kaleidoscope of different colors that reflected off their bare chests. My eyes lingered on their sharply defined muscles, and the scars proudly worn with various tattoos and jewelry. Some of them wore vests, but most stood in nothing but leather pants and boots, like my captor. Did the women behave in a similar manner? I shifted uncomfortably, noticing with a jolt I couldn’t see any. I looked through each face, but it was true: there were no women.

“Are Drakens an all-male species?”

He ignored me, shockingly.

“D’ARCY!”

Another man was at our side in an instant, his eyes slithering over every inch of me. His blonde was hair long and intricately braided like my captor’s. His eyes were ice blue, sitting high above a protruding, beak-like nose.

“Please ensure she is ready for the ceremony. I will not wait.” my captor grunted, and he disappeared into the crowd. One of the men near me took an involuntary half-step forward, his eyes undressing me with a fierce intensity. I took a step back towards the man named D’Arcy, and two other men grabbed the first one by the chest and hauled him backwards. My pulse raced. Was I not welcome here?

“A bit dirty, isn’t she?”

D’Arcy’s voice was dry, with no trace of warmth or mirth. I started to deeply regret my decision to come here.

“Wren,” I said, pretending he had asked my name. It was a trick I had picked up from the breeding house; if you pleaded ignorance, it was harder to find an excuse to beat you. The man named D’Arcy bowed mockingly.

“Wren. Allow me to escort you to your chambers.” I nodded frantically, eager to get away from their watchful eyes and shimmering skins. I didn’t even register what he’d said, my mind was racing with the number of men surrounding me. Lord Crullfed’s face flooded my mind, and my hands shook with anxiety.

“Drakens of Dark Haven! We have a guest!”

The hall broke out into cheers, and shouts of joy. I shrunk further into myself, afraid of the attention. I was more aware than ever of the stains on my dress and the rat’s nest that was my hair.

“The ceremony will commence in three hours! I remind you all to remember therulesgoverning our guest, lest anyone getsfoolishand finds themselves dead, or worse,disqualified.”

It sounded like a terrible joke, but no one in the hall laughed. There was a deadly seriousness that was more concerning than the words ‘guest’ or ‘ceremony’. I had no idea what he was talking about, but I wanted nothing to do with it. I turned to bolt, but sharp claws dug into my shoulder, warning me to behave. I went still. What was that word he had used, Draken? I’d never heard of them. Was it a type of demon? I clamped down firmly on my panic as images of my gruesome death ran rampant across my thoughts.

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