The prince followed her movements, stepping back as she stopped before him. She could see herself reflected in the dark lens of his glasses, and she was relieved to find that she did not look terrified. Even though inside she was a trembling mess of confusion and fear. He was large, powerful, overbearing, and despite her intense hatred for him and all of his kind, she could not help but acknowledge the fact that he was also magnificently handsome.

What the hell did he want with her?

He remained unmoving, his gaze focused upon her for a long while. Then, he turned abruptly away, leaving her stunned and motionless. She didn’t know what to do, what was going on, what was expected of her. Her gaze slid helplessly back toward Max. His jaw was locked tight, his disbelief and shock evident on his face. He turned slowly toward her, his bright blue eyes wounded and fearful.

‘I’ll find you,’ he mouthed silently.

Arianna wanted to believe him, wanted to trust in his promises, but she did not see how she could possibly escape the powerful monster that owned her now. She shuddered, her fingers digging harder into her elbows. The wolf slipped silently past her, plodding slowly after his master. “This way.”

Aria jumped slightly at the forceful command. The two men that had accompanied the prince came toward her, their hands outstretched. Aria took a small step back, frightened by their massive size and hard eyes. The prince turned slightly back, his dark eyebrows drew sharply together over top of his glasses as his full mouth pinched tight.

His men seemed to sense his sudden irritation as their hands fell limply back to their sides. Arianna stared at the prince in surprise, startled to realize that he seemed truly irritated at the thought of them touching her. “Move,” one of the men commanded softly.

The prince did not turn back around as he walked swiftly down the street. The wolf, and the three of them, trailed silently behind.

Chapter 2

Aria couldn’t stop gaping; she could not get her mouth to close for more than a few seconds at a time. Everything was so amazing, so wonderful, and so strange. She had never seen anything like this, had never imagined it could even exist. And now she was standing smack dab in the middle of it, being openly stared at and whispered about as she was ushered into the large, rambling entry room of the massive palace.

She’d heard stories of palaces and the exquisite beauty and elaborate designs, but she’d always assumed that they were just that, stories. She had never dreamed that such wonderful, opulent places could exist, let alone that she would actually be walking through one of them. Everything was sparkly and bright, huge and wonderful.

She glanced at the roof far above her, her mouth parted even more as she took in the wonderful artwork upon the ceiling. She had never seen anything like the beauty of the colors and detail above her. She had never even seen a painting before. She had seen drawings, as Daniel loved to sketch things when he was not busy hunting for food, planning attack strategies, or fighting for his life. He created wonderful things with the charcoal they scavenged from the caves, but they had no color, and they were not as large and spectacular as this. For some strange reason she felt tears burning her eyes at the sight of the magnificent art above her.

She blinked them rapidly back, dropping her head down as she was hurried across the white, sparkly floor. “Braith!” Aria jumped in surprise as the word was barked harshly out. Her head snapped up, her eyes widened as she took in the woman striding purposely toward them. She was dressed lavishly, her golden hair pulled back in a tight braid that highlighted her beautiful features. Aria stopped instantly, unable to move or breathe as she stared in wide eyed disbelief at the stunning woman. A woman that had never known hunger, fear, rags, or dirt. A woman that was staring at her with open disgust and scorn. “What is this?” she demanded coldly.

“It’s a blood slave Natasha,” the prince replied dryly.

The woman blinked in surprise, her gaze raked disdainfully over Aria. Though she wanted to shrink from the woman’s scathing look, she managed to throw her shoulders back, narrow her eyes, and hold the woman’s gaze. The prince, Braith, did not look at Aria but simply stared silently at the woman.

“I can see that Braith. What are you doing with her?”

He turned slightly toward Aria, his eyebrows drawing sharply together as he took her in. Aria stared defiantly back at him, refusing to back down, refusing to let them see the fear that was coiling through her. “What is normally done with a blood slave Natasha?” he inquired, his deep voice rumbling softly out of him. “I thought you would be happy that I decided to finally take one.”

The woman’s light eyebrows shot swiftly up. Aria felt her mouth part slightly again. Was she the first one that he had ever taken? But no, that couldn’t be possible; these creatures loved their blood slaves. They loved to torture and use and abuse people until there was nothing left of them. It was what she had always been told, so it had to be true. Didn’t it?

“You could have cleaned her up first. The girl is a mess Braith; I cannot believe you brought her into our home like this. I could smell her from a mile away, and she probably has lice.”

Anger shot through Aria, her hands fisted at her sides as she glared at the blond woman. She may not be at her cleanliest, but she most certainly did not have lice. “I will take care of it immediately.”

Aria’s glare turned toward the prince. There it was, that awful it word again. She was most certainly more than an it, but not here, and not now. She was fairly certain she might never be more than it again. “I should hope so,” the woman retorted.

The woman brushed swiftly by them, leaving Aria glaring after her retreating back and fuming over the conversation. It was the soft nudge from the wolf that alerted her to the fact that they were moving once more. She hurried forward, eager to catch up with the prince, suddenly terrified that he would leave her alone in this place. A place that she was not welcome in at all, and did not seem nearly as magnificent now as it had two minutes ago.

She didn’t stop to think about the fact that the only thing that made her feel safe in this strange world was the creature that now owned her. It was far too disturbing of a thought.

Arianna’s hand trailed across the ornate, shiny wood of the banister as they moved slowly up a large staircase. She had never seen a staircase like this before as it wound and twisted its way up to the second floor. They had stairs in the caves, where she spent a fair amount of her life, and she had been on raids to abandoned houses, she had even been in a few people’s homes before, but none of those stairs were even remotely like this. These were glorious, overwhelming, and beautiful.

“Gather some servants.” The prince ordered over his shoulder.

“Yes.”

One of the men broke away, heading the other way down the long hallway before disappearing up another set of stairs. Aria stared in awe as they moved slowly forward. She didn’t know if she wanted to stare at the beautiful paintings and pictures lining the wall on her right, or gape at the amazing room beneath her to the left. Though she had just walked through the grand foyer, it was even more stunning from up here. The chandelier was spectacular, the glass radiated with sparkling colors from the thousands of lights within it, and the swirling shades of artwork overhead.

The open balcony ended abruptly as walls closed in around them once more. Aria swallowed heavily, a crushing sense of impending doom settled over her. She was stuck here, trapped within this world of decadence, greed, brutality, and death. Though Max wanted to rescue her, she did not hold out much hope for that, just as she did not hold out much hope that she would find her own escape.

Hell, she couldn’t even remember how to get out of this vast place, never mind try to escape from it, and everyone within it.

For the first time true fear for her life began to take hold. She had been too stunned, too shocked and confused to truly grasp the reality of her situation. It was sinking in now, and it was not good. Her heart raced in her chest, it pounded heavily against her ribs. She swallowed nervously, folding her hands before her as she tried to remain as docile and inconspicuous as possible. They didn’t know who she really was, she reminded herself. She would not be punished because of that at least.

The one thing she had going for her was that her thin build made her appear weak and helpless, when she was anything but. If she remained docile, then maybe they would let their guard down around her and she would be presented with an opportunity to escape. It was a slim hope, but it was the only one that she had to cling to. What she didn’t want to think about was what would be done to her until that time came.

The man with the prince stopped before a door, he swung it open, and stepped back to allow the prince entrance. Aria froze, hesitating within the hall, her hands folded before her as she stared into the darkened room. The prince did not turn on a light as he disappeared into the shadows, the wolf trailing behind him.

The remaining man stared hard at her, his dark eyes burrowing into her as she swallowed heavily and repeatedly. She could not get enough saliva to wet her parched throat. “Go.”

Aria jumped slightly at the man’s command. She wanted to turn and run, wanted to flee swiftly down the hall. It didn’t matter if she didn’t know how to get out of here, she didn’t care anymore. She simply could not just walk into that darkened room and throw herself over to a fate worse than death.

Aria backed up a step as the man came slowly at her. Panic tore through her, she felt like a cornered animal as she backed into the wall. A scream of terror built within her, her chest constricted tightly as her heart leapt wildly. A large hand came at her; Aria knew instinctively that if it touched her, she would lose complete control of whatever composure she was barely clinging too.

“I have made it clear I want no one touching her.” The dangerous words, growled from the doorway of the dark room, caused the hair on Aria’s neck to stand up. Her gaze traveled slowly toward the prince. He had returned to the open door and was leaning against the frame, but the tension in his body belied his casual posture. “If I have to tell you again, I will kill you.”

Aria’s mouth dropped, her heart flipped wildly, she could feel the hard beat of her pulse fluttering rapidly in her neck. She didn’t know what to make of this whole, awful, bizarre situation. The man’s eyes widened slightly, but it was the only sign of emotion he showed as he stepped swiftly away from her.

“Come inside.”

Aria glanced wildly around the hall. The prince had told the man not to touch her again, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t come after her, and she had a feeling that if the prince had to chase her down the hall it would not end well. She swallowed rapidly, trying to gather her swiftly diminishing courage as she stepped slowly toward the darkened room.

The prince stepped away, blending within the shadows again, disappearing into the darkness for only a brief moment before light flooded forth. Aria was unable to suppress the gasp of wonder and astonishment that filled her. Without thinking, she moved slowly forward, drawn by the beauty and splendor of the room. She stepped into the lavish room, taking in the artwork, the hand carved furniture, the wonderful color and light that seemed to be reflected everywhere.

Tears sprang unwillingly to her eyes as she moved slowly forward, looking everywhere at once, and unable to take it all in. Large bay windows faced out on the most beautiful gardens she had ever seen, flowers bloomed and spilled everywhere, flowing forth in a wave of color that was staggering.

The paintings within the room were all landscapes, beautiful mountains and rivers with animals and sunsets that were so realistic that she almost believed they were real. Beautiful lamps and colorful and clear vases were spread throughout the room. The three sofas within the room looked cozy and inviting.

Aria took a few more steps forward, unable to close her mouth as she took it all in, trying to absorb as much of the beauty as she could. She was staggered, overwhelmed, enthralled by the splendor surrounding her. For a moment she didn’t know fear, or hunger, or filth. For a moment she knew only beauty and peace, and a sensation so profound that she could hardly breathe through the wonder of it all.

The soft click of the door drew her attention back to the prince, and the harsh reality of her life now. She may be surrounded by beautiful things, but she was also encircled by the vilest creatures that roamed the earth. And one of the leaders of them was watching her intently, his eyebrows drawn sharply together, and his mouth pinched in a hard, tight line.

Aria blinked at him in surprise, only then realizing that there were tears rolling down her cheeks. She wiped them hastily away; she didn’t want him to think that she was crying because she was afraid. It was the last thing that she ever wanted him to think. Straightening her shoulders, she defiantly met his gaze. He turned away from her, looking slowly around the room. His forehead was furrowed in consternation. Aria frowned at him, unable to understand the strange expression on his face, or what had caused it.