I thrash and flail and writhe in Ohan’s grip. He releases my hand, causing me to lose my balance and hit the ground.

He stares at me like I’m a wild animal, and Rahlan appears beside him.

“Ya’ little human got lost,” Ohan says. “Not so chatty anymore.”

“Lost?” Rahlan shoots me a look, as if I committed a crime.

I get back on my feet and dust the dirt off my sleeves. “You’re the one who disappeared,” I grumble.

“Oh, there she is chatten again,” Ohan says. “She must’ve just missed her master, ‘ey?”

“Must’ve,” Rahlan smirks.

I glare at him.

Ohan becomes distracted by the roasted pork being taken off the fire. He heads to a table, leaving Rahlan and I to ourselves.

The meat catches Rahlan’s attention too, seemingly causing him to forget about my supposed transgression. He grabs a portion and signals for me to follow him back to the tent.

He takes a seat on a rock, and I sit beside him. A large piece of meat is torn off and handed to me.

“Thanks,” I say out of habit. It’s twice the serving I’m used to. I take a bite of the salty pork, and a groan escapes my lips. It’s good.

“’Tis rare to see you thankful.”

“Sorry my bad, it won’t happen again,” I say between bites.

Right as I’m about to take another mouthful, he pinches the meat out of my hands.

I jump to my feet, but he holds it up out of my reach.

“Give it back,” I whine, clawing at his arm.

He smirks, again.

“Please, give it back.”

He lowers his arm, allowing me to grab onto the delicious meat. I try take it, but his grip stays tight.

“Don’t you have something to say?” he teases.

I let out a sigh. “Thank you, I am grateful…” I say in the most monotone voice I can.

He releases his grip, the smirk still plastered on his face.

“I am grateful that you’re so easily fooled,” I finish the sentence.

He reaches for my food again, but I spring away. I was ready this time, and now I’m the one smirking.

His eyes narrow. “I’ll get you for that one,” he says.

I munch down on the pork, only returning to sit beside him once I’m full enough that I wouldn’t mind if he snatched it away.

My eyes wander around the camp as I finish my food. The fires’ warm glow illuminates the vampires, all eating and chatting together in small groups. It reminds me of the Harvest festival from home.

“Is this your everyday life?” I ask.

“As of recent. Why?” he says.

“It’s very different… but also the same in some ways.”

“Just wait until you see the dragon.”

I choke on my food. “The what?”

“The dragon. We’ll pass him tomorrow. Fire breathing, wings, the lot of it.”

My mouth hangs open.

The corners of his lip twitch, like he’s trying to keep a straight face.

“You’re lying,” I say.

“Possibly.”

“Prick,” I grumble, rubbing my eyes.

A yawn escapes me, and I rest my chin on my hands. My body’s still recovering from the grueling traveling over the last two weeks.

“Sit here.” He points to the grass by his feet.

“But my pants will get wet?”

“It won’t be long.”

I oblige and sit facing him.

He’s hands snap to my ankles, and he hoists me up into the air. I squeal as my whole world flips upside down. He’s carrying me by my boots.

“Rahlan, put me down!” I whisper-shout.

He ignores my plea, taking me towards a large tent. I have to tuck my arms in to keep them out of the dirt. My head swings left and right with his steps while long strands of grass tickle my face.

He lays me down on the sleeping pouch inside the tent, and I yank my feet away from him.

“Now who’s foolish?” he teases.

I brush my hair out of my face. “Clearly me for trusting you.”

He takes off his boots, and I do the same. Five other sleeping pouches lay in a row beside ours, but the tent’s empty.

I crawl inside our pouch and snuggle up. My leather clothing is a bit stiff to sleep in, but I’m not comfortable being in my underwear with a thousand vampires around.

Rahlan slides in behind me and wraps his arms around my chest, hugging me tight to warm up.

“Goodnight,” I say with another yawn.

“Rest well.”

* * * * * * * *

Rahlan shuffling out the pouch wakes me up. He stretches by the tent’s curtains, the morning light illuminating his tall frame.

A hairy foot appears over my head, and I tense. It steps over me, a vampire heading out. Another two follow, narrowly avoiding my small figure.

It’s way too early. I pull the pouch back up to my nose and shut my eyes. All the extra layers from my leather armor keep me toasty.

“The sun won’t wait,” Rahlan says.

I pretend to be too deep in sleep to hear him.

His hands dig into the pouch and latch onto my sides. I’m lifted up out of the warm nest and placed on his lap.

I yawn, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

His fangs poke into my neck, and the pinching pain jolts me awake. He starts drinking, and a stray trail of blood travels down my skin. I catch it with my finger, not wanting to mark my new outfit.

This is definitely the worst part of being a vampire’s captive. A battle is the perfect place for me to slip away, but how many more drinks will I have to endure until then? I’m about to ask him when the fight will happen, but then I remember his mouth is full.

He pinches the wound, satisfied with the blood he’s stolen.

After a minute, he nudges me off him and rises to his feet.

“When will we reach our destination?” I ask.

“Why?” he raises an eyebrow, suspicious of my question.

“Wouldn’t you wonder if you were me?”

His lips make a thin line. “We will meet your people at tomorrow’s evening.”

His tone makes me feel uneasy, like I’m considered an enemy informant who has infiltrated their ranks.

The curtain falls behind him as he steps outside.

“Let’s not forget that it was you and your people who dragged me into this war,” I call out after him.

A breeze pushes the curtain open. He’s gone. I’m not going to stay here like a glass of wine waiting for his return. I exit the tent and scan the camp, not yet sure of where I want to go.

Everything is visible now that it’s daytime, and I can get an even better view by standing on the rock from last night.

A group of humans catch my eye. Their torn and dirty rags make them stick out from the rest of the camp.

I weave my way over to them, making sure to stay clear of any wandering vampires, though they seem pretty preoccupied with taking down their tents.

The closer I get, the further my heart sinks. The humans sit on the wet grass, chained to one another. They’re a random mix of men and women of different sizes and ages. A few are still asleep, huddled together for warmth. They look pale and sickly.

Their gazes fall on me, and I spot a familiar face. It’s Jaclyn, from the cells. “Jaclyn?”

“Julia,” she smiles.

I kneel on the grass and embrace her. It catches her by surprise, but she returns my hug. Us humans need to be there for each other.

A thin chain connects her ankle to another woman’s, and there’s a fresh bite mark on her neck, just like the one hidden under my collar.

“How did you end up here?” I ask, “I haven’t seen any vampire women around?”

“My mistress sold me to the regiment. She always hated my guts, but to be fair, the feeling was mutual.” She shrugs. Her perpetual apathy bewilders me.

“Well I suppose then this is an improvement?”

She smiles. “I can tell you haven’t been a pet for very long.”

“I’m not a pet,” I mumble.

“Humans dragged along to feed an army don’t tend to live very long.”

Her words make me frown.

She lays back on the grass with her hands under her head as if she’s relaxing under the sun.

“Your master feeding you?” she asks.

My gaze drifts back to the boney group. They’ve probably been walked for miles with little-to-no food.

“Give me a minute.” I rise to my feet and head back across the camp. The vampires seem to ignore me, but I’m still careful not to step too close.

I arrive at the smoldering fires. There’s a burly vampire cutting up the leftover pork from last night’s feast.

I stand opposite his table and hold my hands together to try appear respectful. “Um… excuse me, sir.”

His gaze lands on me, and he rises to his full height, well above my head. I resist the urge to look at the huge meat cleaver still in his hand. His expression says that he’s less than pleased that I interrupted him.

“You should be chained up, human.”

Author’s Note:

Please tap the heart to like if you enjoyed the chapter :)

- Cre