The thought of him was a constant ache. I knew better. I had to know better. Men like Rhael did not love and even if they did, they did not choose women like me.
Whatever heat burned between us was not meant to last, once the game was over and all thepieces fell into place, I would be sent from this castle into the world and would soon be forgotten. If I did not protect myself I would end up a ghost, my soul left behind whilst Rhael crushed it slowly.
“You wear his shadow so well,” the voice came from behind me, smooth and cold, as I cursed again turning to face whoever it was that now stood centimetres from my back.
She stood a few paces away. Partially hidden by the shadows overcrowding the balcony. Her face was beautiful, impossibly so, with delicate features that resembled that of an elf, but there was something wrong.
Her face almost seemed hollow, her eyes pale, almost colourless as if they were made with glass. I could see that they would have once been green but now they just looked empty.
“Who are you?” I demanded, my shoulders squaring as I pushed myself against the balcony's edge, I kept looking around to see if there was a way for me to get to the door. But the woman stood, deadly still, blocking my only exit.
“That doesn't matter yet, it will though. In time,” she smirked, her eyes taking on a devilish glint that was almost unnerving. I tried to step back, but the smooth stone of the balcony's edge trapped me in place. If I moved any further back I would be falling from the second floor
“And how do you know who I am?” I asked, my knuckles turning white as I gripped the cold stone. It was supposed to be summer,but here during the night, the temperatures would drop cold enough to bite your skin and leave it blue.
“You are Rhael’s newest plaything. That is easy to see. We have been watching, learning, and I come to you with a proposal.” The woman stepped closer still, her hair catching the light exposing the soft point of her ears. Confirming my suspicion that she had once been elven.
Although, what caught my attention most were the two small fangs that poked out from her mouth as she spoke. The realisation made my blood run cold. She was a vampire, one of the creatures that had chosen power and the need to feed on blood rather than the lineage she had been born into.
“You are from Noctharis.” I stated, the words weaker than I would have liked. I didn't bother making it a question. The way she moved, how I did not even hear her footsteps made it clear what she was.
“You could say that” she smirked, stepping closer, close enough that I could smell her perfume.
It wasn't pleasant, a sweet floral scent masking something that was almost rotten. Like flowers laid over a dead body left out in the sun.
“What do you want?” I demanded standing up a little straighter. Even though I knew she could kill me in an instant I would not shrink away from her.
“Tell me Elara. Do you really know the fae King who you serve so diligently?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. Her eyes grew wider as she looked me up and down, as if my very existence was a foreign concept to her.
“He keeps his word, I keep mine,” I said, keeping it simple. If she was serving Noctharis then she was an enemy not a friend.
“You say that as if you believe he has any redeeming qualities, beneath that hollowed crown of his.” Her lips turned into a sneer, dark and dangerous.
“And you know him I suppose?” I laughed looking around. The laugh wasn't genuine, more like a mechanism I had developed to escape the fear that threatened to rise up and swallow me whole.
I had survived cruel owners, cold treatment and men who would not take no for an answer. However, none of them would snap my neck and drink my blood within seconds.
“I did. Not anymore. I decided I wanted more from life than the confines of the Vaetharyn castle. The same ‘more’ I would like to offer you,” she smiled and I had to pause, the look on her face genuine.
As if she truly believed she was offering me something better than the life I led. Perhaps that is what she thought her choice had been. A chance at a better life.
“What do you mean?” My eyebrows rose, letting go of the ledge and stepping forward. Getting closer to her as I tried to understand exactly what she was offering and what it would mean.
“Give us the information we need, and I can offer you freedom. True freedom with power like you would not believe,” she whispered, her words sounding melodic as they came from her lips. As if they were pulling me down into a trance.
“Betray Rhael?” I asked, feeling my eyes beginning to glaze over. The will of my limbs was fleeting as I felt my shoulders relax. My mind told me to do what she wanted, to give her everything.
It was an entirely surreal feeling. As if my mind no longer controlled my own body. Warmth spread down my arms until I no longer felt the night's chill. Everything felt weightless and pins and needles broke out over my skin only it didn't hurt. If anything, it felt almost pleasurable.
“Yes.” She whispered, at the same moment a sound came from inside, shocking us both into taking a step back. The moment I looked away reality crashed into me like cold water. The warmth disappeared and only then did I realise what had happened.
Compulsion. It was a vampire's greatest tool. They could get inside your mind, bend your will and have you take your own life if they deemed it reasonable. You would smile whilst doing it too. It didn't work on most creatures, especially not powerful ones, but as a human I was all too susceptible to their games.
“Never,” I snapped angrily. I was angry at her, and at myself. I should have known better than to get too close, but then again she was the one who had trapped me out here with no way to escape.
Some part of me was also angry at Rhael. He hadn't even noticed I was gone. Or if he had then he did not care enough to come looking. Proving every self doubt I had to be correct. It didn't matterwhen I wasn't in his sight.
“Feisty. I like you. You remind me so much of myself. Defiant to a fault. But easily persuaded by the guise of a King who would never care for you. Has Rhael even kissed you yet? Told you that you mean something to him? Or has it all been pretty words promises, perhaps a deal that if you do as he asks you will be rewarded. Yet he has done nothing to prove that has he?” She laughed again, this one less genuine and I couldn't help the pang of sadness I felt at her words.
