The Vampire’s Servant
Chapter 51

[Echo]

Though I was awake, I didn't want to open my eyes. I didn't want to be in the place I knew I was. How long had I even been here?

There was no window, so I couldn't tell what time of day it was. All I knew, was that the man would be back with another bottle of blood at some point. Tears formed in my eyes.

I hadn't fought back the last few times, but he still pinned me to the floor and ground himself against me while squeezing the blood from the bottle. I hated how it made me feel, dirty and disgusting. Especially with the things he was saying to me while he did that. How many times had it been now? Ten? More? I lost count. I just wanted to go home. I was starting to think I never would.

I heard muffled voices coming from somewhere. Opening my eyes, I got up and tried to track down where they were. As I got closer to the far wall, I could hear them more clearly.

"Please, master, I'm so sorry." A woman pled.

That voice. It never sounded like that in my entire life. My mother was in the other room. She sounded terrified and pitiful.

"Do you honestly think 'sorry' is going to get you out of trouble? I gave you and your husband a simple job. Take care of my property. And you stole them!" A man shouted and I heard a smack and the sound of my mother hitting the floor.

"I... I can't apologize enough. I know. Thom made me take them. He told me we could raise them for you and return them when they were eighteen. You wouldn't have to do anything. He made it sound like you'd be grateful." She whimpered.

"Funny. That was what he said you did, Verity. Right before I killed him. But, I won't kill you. You will get to live knowing you caused your husband's death and you will be punished every day for stealing my property. Now, tell me where you hid the other two." He growled. "Thom's dead?" She wept.

"He was thinking of saving his own life, just as you were. Did you think that blaming him would cause me to let him live? You're just as stupid as everyone warned me when I picked you. Stupid and selfish. You had money, a nice home, anything your greedy little hearts desired, all you had to do was take care of them for me until they were five. Was that it? You didn't want to give everything up? You can't tell me you loved them. Neither one of you is equipped to love anyone or anything that doesn't give you something." Mom sniffled. "We wanted a family, but I couldn't have children. It wasn't until we were here that we realized what we'd done. Master, I swear. I'll do anything. Please forgive me."

"Where. Are. You. Hiding. Them. Verity!" He yelled.

"They left. They ran away after they found out we...." She stopped.

"Found out you what? Found out you sold their sister. Of course they did! You said you wanted to be a mother, but Thom told me what you did to Emily. Starving her, beating her, degrading her, letting vampires feed on her, and finally selling her to the highest bidder!"

"She was evil. I caught her biting her sister when she was five. I couldn't just kill her. The other two would never forgive me. I kept her away from them. I kept them safe. They're important and rare, too. It made her easier for your men to take her anyway, master. She probably knows where they are. That vampire used hypnosis to make us sell her. I just know he did. We were going to give them back once they turned eighteen. We were going to tell you where to find them and run. I swear." Mom cried.

"What do you mean, 'when they turn eighteen'? They turned eighteen three weeks ago. You stupid cow. Did you forget their birthdays?" He said in a snarling tone.

"No. You said May thirtieth and thirty-first. We kept it the same."

"MARCH thirtieth and thirty-first, you idiot. That was when they would come into their full power. I was only able to track them because whatever you used to bind them started falling apart. Their power is more than you could ever imagine. You stopped me from being able to have them properly trained. It will take even longer to enact my plan now that they don't know who I am. You will suffer for what you've done, Verity. You will beg for death long before I grant it to you."

I wanted to stay there and listen to more, but familiar footsteps sounded outside the door. It was the man with the blood. I moved from the wall to the middle of the room.

I hated the idea of drinking blood, but I was starting to crave it. It was the only thing filling my stomach for so long. I was almost excited for feeding times now. Except for what the man would do to me.

Last time, he licked the blood from my face. It was disgusting and I couldn't get the feeling of it off, no matter how much I scrubbed. He groped my chest for a while after I was pinned.

His hands were rough and he wasn't gentle with me at all. He told me his boss told him I was born to be a whore for vampires and he didn't see any reason I shouldn't be one for werewolves too. I knew what happened to female dhampyrs, but I thought I was safe from that future.

The door opened and the man stood there. He looked at me slowly, his eyes trailing up and down my body. It made me sick.

"Got a new plan for this feeding." He chuckled and closed the door behind him before crossing to me. "Get on your knees, bitch."

Terror ripped through me. I had no idea what he was planning, but the tone in his voice was frightening. I shook my head and stepped back, but he grabbed me and forced me down.

"You do what I tell you to or I will make you. You're prettier with tears in your eyes, you know?" He grinned.

I was already on the verge of crying before he said that. I worked as hard as I could to not give him that satisfaction. I wanted to keep some of my dignity.

He moved the bottle in front of his groin and grabbed my hair, pulling my mouth to it. The bottle hit my lips and teeth hard. I opened my mouth and he shoved it into my mouth until the flat top pressed hard against my mouth. "Good girl. Once you get used to this, we'll try it with the real thing, then you can drink something other than blood." He laughed. "Now s**k."

His grip on my hair was tight, but I managed to move enough to start drinking the blood. He reminded me of some of the vampires I used to feed. The memories flooded back. I put my hands against his legs to try and push away.

As I was struggling against him, I felt him stiffen and there was a sickening crack sound. The man fell to the floor and the bottle rolled away. I fell backward and tried to scurry away as quickly as I could.

A different man was standing over the man who had been feeding me. He wore an expression of disgust as he picked up the man and tossed him out the door. The man turned back to me and his expression softened.

"Emily, are you alright? He's dead. He'll never hurt you again, precious."

"My name is Echo." I said softly.

The man sighed. "That's the name Verity gave you. Your name is Emily. I've been looking for you since you were a very little girl. For all of you. You and Hannah and Johnathan. I'm here to take you home."

"My home is with Victor. Please, let me go home to him. I promise I won't tell anyone anything." I pled.

"No. Your home is with me. I'm Daniel. Your owner. I have been since you were a baby. You were stolen from me. They told me what they did to you. You should have been treated like the precious gem you are, not a buffet for every fanged piece of garbage who could scrape together the money. You never have to worry again. I'll protect you and care for you. I have a lot of friends who are eager to meet you. You are as beautiful as your mother was." He smiled softly. "My mother?" I asked.

"Yes. A witch named Melanie. She left her coven for your father." Daniel picked up the bottle of blood. "Drink this and I'll tell you about them. Now that you're looking a little better, I'll get you more human food to eat. I promise, none of the other wolves will treat you like this one and the one who hit you. I killed him as well. No one harms my little sweet."

He held out the bottle to me. I wanted to learn more, I craved the blood, but I was afraid of the man in front of me. He looked kind, but his words frightened me.

"Blood will help you heal faster. That's why I have you on a strict feeding schedule. I just want you to be healthy, Emily. Then you can tell me where your sister and brother are. We can collect them before we head home. You never have to be without them again." He promised.

I took the bottle from him gingerly and drank. It cooled the burning in my stomach. I still watched him carefully.

"Your parents were Melanie and Adam Williams. You are Emily Williams. Your father was a werewolf, your mother a witch. Her coven disapproved of her accepting the mate bond with a werewolf. The water witches said they saw great loss if they mated. Your mother didn't care. She wanted to be with your father. Their love was immense. I still remember seeing them together. Then, she became pregnant with you three and they were ecstatic. It was too bad that the visions from the water witches was true. A supernatural triad with vampire blood. It drew the attention of the master of the territory. He is a man who always gets what he wants. They should have just given you to him, but they refused. It caused a war between the werewolves of the pack and the vampires of the territory." Daniel explained.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Finish up your blood." He smiled.

I did as he said and handed him back the bottle. He nodded his head and walked back to the door. Before leaving, he turned to me.

"They were killed. Your parents, your pack, and your mother's coven, just for good measure. You were claimed by the master of the territory. You are the property of Master Daniel Darknight. And I've come to collect what I earned. Rest now. I'll send human food to follow your next feeding. Soon, you won't feel hungry for it anymore, but I can allow it for now. Goodbye, Emily." Daniel said and exited the room.

My stomach turned as I heard the locks clicking. I crawled back to the mattress and curled up under the blanket. I'd always dreamed that my parents weren't really my parents, but I never thought it could be true.

"Victor. Please. Hurry. Daniel Darknight is going to take me away. Gray. Please hide my sister and brother so they'll be safe. I need you two to help me. Please. Please. Don't give up on me. I want to go home." I whispered with a sniffle.

I laid there, curled up until I heard several sets of footsteps hurrying past my door. I could hear my ex-mother scream a little. My hearing seemed to be getting more sensitive, because I didn't need to be next to the wall to hear what they were doing to her. What they told her Daniel had given them permission to do to her.

Her screams and cries were hard to block out, even with my fingers in my ears. I shook with tears, not because I loved her, but because of how pitiful she sounded. This person who had hurt me, had given me to vampires, had been the one I feared for most of my life was crying, begging, and screaming.

I squeezed my eyes tight and begged sleep to take me so I wouldn't have to hear anymore. It made me even more afraid of what he planned for me, my sister, and my brother. He was a monster and I couldn't escape him.