6. Company

I sat uncomfortably on my knees next to Dimitri’s armchair. We had now moved to another sitting room, this one bigger and more informal. Personal items were on display as more electronics.

A big flatscreen hung on the wall in front of me, and playing on it was some old movie. Nobody was watching, however. I couldn’t because Dimitri forbade me and the others were too busy talking amongst themselves.

He had interesting company. Quite eccentric. I noticed quickly they were all vampires as well, their fangs and odd-colored eyes gave it away. There were six in total, Dimitri included. 

As I was kneeling there on the ground while listening to these strangers I finally realized what I got myself into and to say my nerves and anxiety were growing was an understatement.

The fact alone that I was now involved with the mafia was bonkers, let alone a supernatural one. Fear consumed me, making me stiff and not moving from my position, how uncomfortable it was, I stayed put.

I was a fucking angel for accepting this deal to get my father out of his shit once again. I should have asked if my dad could be held captive instead of me. I doubted Dimitri would have accepted that. Probably not. He didn’t call me beautiful, but pretty enough to look at and that was what mattered.

Dimitri wanted to be entertained, he said it himself in the throne room. He wanted something to relieve him from his boredom. A middle-aged man was only entertaining to maybe use as a punching bag for a guy like Dimitri but nothing more than that and it would get tiresome real fast.

This thought fumed me. Anger and fear both filling my body, making my fist clench and kept my body rigid. I hated how I felt so useless and pathetic.

Again I was in a position where I had to obey, it felt like I did nothing else in my life than obey. First my stepmother and half-sisters, then the rich wives, and now a vampire lord. It was almost funny.

The woman sitting on the ground her, head in some man’s lap suddenly laughed loudly, making me curious and I looked up for a second. Her brown skin glowed in the candlelight, almost giving her skin a golden shimmer. She was by far the most interesting figure in this group.

Her name was Moira, I believe. She often spoke up or giggled away as some gossip was shared and kissed her lover a lot. If it wasn’t on his lips it was on other body parts, clearly not afraid to show affection in public.

She teased others many times but never had to cash it back. Everyone seemed to let her be. Only one person she let alone, Dimitri. Even in this informal setting, the power dynamic was very much present.

Time went on and these people wouldn’t do much other than lounging, drinking, talking, and dancing – mostly done by Moira. My legs started to hurt greatly. At first, I didn’t feel them anymore, but now my legs were overwhelmed with my weight it seemed. Exhaustion started to creep its way in and a small yawn escaped from me.

This didn’t go unnoticed by Dimitri, unfortunately. Within a second he grabbed me by my hair and pulled it downwards with so much force my eyes started to sting with tears from pain.

By his actions, I looked upward to his face. “You just did not yawn, my pet.”

“I-I am s-sorry, m-my lord,” I stammered, hoping he would let go already. My scalp started to burn from his grip.

In the background, I could hear Moira snicker together with the others.

“’I am sorry, m-my lord’,” Dimitri mocked. “You humans and your annoying habits. I don’t want to see any of that, am I clear?”

“Y-Yes, my lord.”

When the last word left my lips Dimitri let go and pushed my head down again and spoke, “It’s going to be a long night if you already yawn by now,” He chuckled darkly and others joined in laughter as well.

I had to fight the tears from the humiliation and pain. Never had I experienced such degradation in my life and that said a lot seeing who my stepmother was. She just loved to put me down with her harsh words in front of company, often using my mother as leverage. 

“How cute they are in the beginning, aren’t they dear?” Moira said. Her lover, Sasha, nodded his head. “Yes darling, they are indeed.”

“It’s been a while since we had a new pet, how about we get another one?” Sasha laughed and pulled Moira on his lap. “Don’t think so, they look cute when it's somebody else’s problem, but they become too much work when they are your problem.”

I couldn’t see Moira’s reaction, but from the sound of it, it was a disappointing one.

“Well, Lord Dimitri, if you need some help taming this one, I will gladly do so,” Moira offered. If it weren’t for the pain and humiliation I felt I would look up and make a remark or just give a stern look, something to show how displeased I was and how they treated me.

The longer I listened to their conversation the more I felt like a thing, an object or animal to be owned. It was awful.

“Thank you, Moira, but as you know I am not a patient man and I only expect the best. I tell you within two weeks I have her rolling over every time I snap my fingers.” Again laughter.

When they quieted down, Sasha spoke up. "I see you haven't marked her yet."

"Right, she just arrived early this evening and didn't have time yet. But don't worry, next time you see her she is marked. I can't have such a specimen running away from me, although I doubt she would seeing as someone else's life is on the line for this."

"Oh, do tell!" Moira cheered. 

I really should have bargained for something better because this will be a long, long year.