The Vampire King’s Captive

MARIA

“Do you see now that testing me is a terrible idea?” He sneered, tightening his hands until she choked and she was sure that her face was turning purple from the lack of air. “Do you see now how easily I could end your life? I could just snap your neck like a twig, make it look like an accident. Maybe I wouldn’t even have to pretend because no one would be able to find your body.”

With those words, he threw her onto a couch and Maria coughed, finally able to breathe again. She laid on the couch, breathing and struggling as she tried to gather her scattered thoughts.

“I’m going to put guards at your door, make sure you’re watched every single second of the day.” Then he spun on his heel and faced away from her. “Hell, I’d even put two inside your bloody room. We’ll see how you’ll be able to escape when you have people breathing down your back everywhere you go.”

She heard his words. She could hear them. But…

“Did you just strangle me?” She asked, a feeling of hurt settling inside her no matter how hard she tried to shove it down.

“Believe me, I was two seconds away from fucking killing you.” He barked, his eyes flitting to the window, before turning back to her.

“Gods, you’re such an ass.” She breathed with slight wonderment in her tone.

Maria wasn’t naive. She knew that one stupid kiss hadn’t changed anything, but did he still have to be such an asshole to her after everything?

How could he even want to kill her?

She couldn’t even stand the sight of the burns on his skin. She deliberately avoided them by looking into his eyes. Eyes that stared back at her with nothing but anger and frustration in them.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

“If you’re just realizing that, then your heart isn’t the only problem you have.” He delivered dismissively, walking away and Maria watched with open fascination as he went over to a table, grabbed a jug and poured a hefty dose of its content into a glass.

Blood.

He tipped his head back and threw the entire thing into his throat then slammed the glass back on the table. When he turned back to her, his throat was working on a swallow.

“There’s nothing wrong with my heart,” she told him, suddenly remembering what he’d said.

She pushed off the couch slowly and stood, watching him walk towards her.

“Nothing, except for the fact that it’s as black as a night.”

He was wrong. So wrong. And in that moment, she wished she could prove it to him.

Knowing that she couldn’t, knowing that he’d never believe her, frustrated her to no end.

The mean glint in his eyes didn’t help matters either and before she knew it, she was lashing back at him. “It’s your heart that’s as black as night, vampire, and I am never going to stop trying to escape.” She fisted her hands by her sides to stop them from shaking as she continued. “You might as well kill me now because I’m never going to stop trying until I’m free.”

Maria caught movement out of the corner of her eyes and saw that a few men had actually gathered and they were now watching the two of them fight in the living room with wide eyes.

She didn’t care, and the vampire didn’t seem to give a fuck either.

“Careful with your words, sorceress, because I’m very tempted to make good on my promise right this fucking moment.” He sneered, his nostrils flaring as he breathed out fire. “It’s been a hell of a day today and you’d be smart to not fucking testing me.”

“I don’t care if you’ve had a rough day,” she enunciated each word slowly, so thoroughly pissed that she could just lunge at him and bite his head off. “You could’ve spent your day in hell with the devil and I wouldn’t give a quarter of a fuck because it’s none of my fucking business!” Her voice rose with the last seven words, bouncing off the walls of the living room.

The vampire’s eyes flashed and he made to lunge at her. “You vile-”

She slapped him. Hard.

The sound rang out loud across the air and there were collective gasps from the men watching.

But she didn’t look at them. She kept her eyes trained firmly on the vampire’s face, her chest rising and falling with her laboured breaths, adrenaline coursing through her veins.

The vampire’s face had turned to the side with the force of her slap and as he turned back to her slowly, a voice at the back of her mind telling her that she’d overstepped. If she loved her life, she should probably be cowering and apologising to him.

But Maria was livid and apologising was the last thing on her mind.

When the vampire turned back to her, his eyes flashed black, a color she’d come to associate with his anger, and a muscle popped in his jaw. When he spoke, his voice was low and dangerous.

“Did you just…” he trailed off, eyes narrowing. “Did you just slap me?”

Maria let a cold smirk touch her lips, one of those ones he wore so well. “If you’re having a hard time remembering, I’ll be more than willing to refresh your memory.”

Surprise flickered in the vampire’s eyes and his anger seemed to pour off him in waves.

She should be scared.

She should probably be scared.

But, for the life of her, she couldn’t find it in her to be scared.

He took a step back, took another one, and another, his jaws bulging. All the while, his fists clenched and unclenched in his battle to fight back his anger.

He was retreating.

Oh, so now he wanted to back off? Too bad she was in the mood to fight.

“Running away, vampire?” She taunted, smirking evilly. “Are you suddenly too scared to fight me?”

The vampire ignored her and turned to face the men watching. “Take her back to her room.” He told the men. “I want every one of you to keep eyes on her all the time. If she somehow manages to escape these walls, you’re all as good as dead.”

She bristled.

How dare he treat her like she was a child? Talk over her like she wasn’t standing right there?

Before she knew it, the men descended on her and proceeded to drag her out of the room.

She cackled, succumbing completely to the waiting hands of insanity as they pulled her out of the room.

“By the way, those burn marks look good on you, vampire!” She called before the men dragged her into the hallway at the same time the vampire traced away.

She threw her head back and cackled even more.

He might think that he had won this round, but he hadn’t.

Maria was going to escape.

She vowed it.