8. Ranks

“Tell me, what’s your name?” One of the women asked.

“I-It’s Ravenna.”

“And whose pet are you, Ravenna?” The other one asked.

“Dimitri’s,” I said without hesitation, intimidated by them and not daring to lie. But once his name left my lips, it felt like a mistake. Something the maid warned me about.

The woman with her soft voice gasped as she put her hand over her mouth. “You never call your master by just his name. Never.”

“Don’t be dramatic, Ivy,” The other woman chided. She then turned to me, “It’s not wise to call your master by just their name, these walls have ears and one of the gravest rules to break is to call them by just their name.”

She put a strand of hair behind my ear. “You look exhausted, lay down with us.”

I couldn’t ignore or decline as she pulled me by my arm and lay my head in her lap, softly caressing my hair and cheeks.

Never was I a person who enjoyed physical contact, not even from my biological mother. We hugged at times, but she always respected my need for space. This never changed, only right in that moment, it felt heavenly.

It was a stark contrast from my treatment early that evening and night. The gentle touches instead of the firm grip of the maid, the soft voices instead of the harsh yelling, the caring instead of the threatening. It made me feel at ease, finally.

“Don’t cry, darling, don’t cry,” The woman hushed.

Did I cry? My hand carefully moved to my cheek and indeed I could feel the wetness of the tears. “I a-am sorry.”

“Don’t be, first days are always difficult… Oh gosh, I forgot to introduce myself. The name is Angela, and that gorgeous man over there is Ethan.” He winked at me. “And you already know this is Ivy.”

Ivy waved with her fingers at me. “It’s nice to meet you Ravenna, you are very beautiful and you have a beautiful name too.”

I furrowed my brows but before I could even open my mouth to question it, Angela grabbed my chin and spoke up, “Don’t even think of denying it. I hate when people deny compliments when they are true. You have a subtle beauty, it’s natural. Someone with a keen eye can see it within mere seconds… Darling you are already a pet, don’t put yourself down even more.”

“She is right, Angela, you are indeed very beautiful Ravenna,” Ethan agreed.

“I can see why Lord Dimitri would choose you to be his pet,” Ivy remarked while playing with my hair.

“Lord Dimitri didn’t particularly choose me,” This made Ivy giddy with curiosity.

“Please tell us!”

Angela chided again at Ivy. “You don’t have to tell us, Revenna,” Angela assured me.

“It would be more entertaining than hearing Ivy’s jokes over and over again,” Ethan muttered, which resulted in getting a slap on his arm from Ivy.

***

“Your father is a d*ck, that’s for sure,” Ethan remarked when I was done explaining.

I sighed. “It’s the only way I have known him… Anyway, how did you all become pets and-and to whom do you belong?” I redirected the conversation, not wanting to speak any longer about my father.

All three of them got quiet. “That’s a bit too soon to explain, darling,” Angela finally answered. “How about we all make each other feel good?”

Ivy and Ethan both shot up and nodded their heads in agreement. “Do you like to be touched and kissed?” Angela asked me.

I contemplated giving an honest answer, but seeing how kind they were and understanding I slowly shook my head.

“That’s alright, there’s another bed behind that door,” Angela directed her hand to the door on our right. With some help from Ivy I got up and walked my way over to the door.

When I entered the other room I could see another humongous bed, I didn’t think and rushed my way over and curled up in the middle under the blanket.

***

I didn’t get any time to wake up as I was violently dragged out of the bed by the maid. “What’s-what’s going on?” I asked groggily. Sleep was still evident in my eyes, voice, and body.

“You need to hurry, lord Dimitri is already waiting for you.”

“Huh, why?” My legs had a hard time keeping up. I kept on stumbling in the hallways.

“I don’t know, I am not his personal assistant.” She came to a sudden halt and knocked three times, once given permission, I was pushed through the door, leaving me standing there alone in front of the door in another strange room. Another sitting room.

How many were there?

Darius sat on the couch, Dimitri standing next to fireplace, looking into the fire that was burning brightly, shining light in the room. Without turning around Dimitri snapped his fingers and pointed at the ground next to him.

When I didn’t move, Darius spoke up. “If I were you, I would be a good girl and kneel next to my master when he indicates so.”

I now clearly understood and rushed my way to the place and sat on my knees.  

“Being a pet,” Dimitri started, “Isn’t just a degrading term like you humans use it in the bedroom, kinky lifestyles or misogynistic and sexistic ways. In vampire society it also means status and rank. Pets are one of the lowest ranks and are seen as property. Therefore pets need to be marked to be recognized to whom they belong. Stand up.” Dimitri commanded.

I did as he told me, even though fear coursed through my veins. What was this marking all about? Sasha made a remark about it as well earlier. My breathing picked up.

As I stood there, only two feet away from Dimitri, I noticed Darius stood right behind me. I turned my head, but he grabbed it and made sure I would be looking forward. “W-What are you doing?” I asked scared.

“Don’t move,” Dimitri ordered me. Then his gaze shifted to Darius behind me. “Keep her still.”

Then I saw his eyes glowing more powerful and his fangs flashing.