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I was hesitant as I turned from him and gathered my dark tresses on the top of my head. None of this seemed quite real. It was like I was in some sex dream I couldn’t wake from… and didn’t particularly want to wake from. I could feel his breathing, those deep aroused breaths caressing my neck as he leaned forward and slipped the collar around my throat. He groaned softly as he fastened it and placed a kiss on my nape.

“You’re all mine now.” He breathed triumphantly as I let my hair drop and turned to face him. I opened my mouth to say something and then the door opened and a blast of winter air entered the limo. I gasped from the brutal chill. “Welcome to Crimson Hill, Autumn Darling.” Aleksi purred softly. He kissed along my shoulder and bound my hands once more with that long ribbon before slipping out of the limo—leaving me alone in the cold.
What the hell have you done, Autumn.

I always wanted to go to Versailles.
That was the only thought to cross my mind as I scooted out of the limo and into the chilly, March wind. From what I could make out in the dark, the massive building before me was a replica of the famed, French palace. The limo had pulled up into the middle of the massive courtyard that was surrounded on three sides by one enormous building in that great, French baroque style. I glanced behind us to see that famous gate crafted from what looked to be pure gold.

Elizabeta was on her cellphone again, pacing as she snapped at someone about leverage and a board of directors. I sheltered against Aleksi as we made our way up the stairs and over that slick, checked marble tile that lead to the door. My body was still humming from what happened in the limo, but it was clear that Aleksi’s mind was focused elsewhere. His cerulean gaze was a million miles away. When we all were inside, Elizabeta hung up her phone and sighed loudly. Within seconds people appeared to take her stole, gloves, and purse.

“They’re ready fo
r you in the ballroom, Mistress.” A very tan, zaftig blonde murmured as she knelt beside Elizabeta’s feet. Her eyes were brown and seemed too big for her face, making her look like a Tim Burton character.

“Thank you, Lyra. Do take Aleksi in. I would like him strung up nearer to the middle of the room this time.” She tilted her head from side to side. “Bound spread eagle, but with the chains loose. Those pants, however, won’t do. I want them to have no question that he’s still under my protection.” My eyes trailed to Aleksi as Elizabeta spoke about him like he was some trinket or a pet. He seemed far from pleased. I couldn’t help but to remember what he said, he capitulated because he had respect for her. At that moment, however, he looked as though that respect might be waning. The others shoved Aleksi on and he grunted. “Aleksi dear, you’re forgetting something important. I know you’re not used to having a human under your protection, but this is something rather vital.” Aleksi turned at her voice and walked back to us.
See he forgot about you already. This was a mistake.
He attached the lead to my collar and kissed my forehead.

As if he could read my mind he whispered. “I didn’t forget about you. I just don’t like the idea of trusting you to someone else.” He stroked my jaw with those pallid fingertips and trailed his hand over the lead before turning to Elizabeta. “If you think I’m a pain to deal with now…” He trailed off, keening his eyes at the smiling redhead.

“Oh I know, dear. I promise not to harm a hair on her head, and I will protect her to the best of my abilities. But as I said
, Aleksi. You chose a very stupid time to disobey me.” Her mouth twisted for a moment and she snatched the lead from him. “Now run along.” She shooed him off and the vampires shoved him towards the far doors again.

“What’s going to happen to him?” I implored softly. Elizabeta turned her eyes from Aleksi’s shrinking form to me.

“No matter what I told you, it wouldn’t prepare you for what you’re about to see. Having been in your shoes—granted it was almost three-hundred years ago—I know there is nothing I can say to prepare you for what will come next.” I swallowed at her words and she forced a bit of a smile. “Trust me. Whereas it usually delights me to coax a scream from such lovely lips—I’m not going to enjoy this. But I want that council seat, so I can’t just kill Gregory—no matter how much it
would please me. So here we are.” She sighed heavily. “And I am struck with an unsettling case of déjà vu—beating the shit out of Aleksi for the millionth time.”

Then it was our turn to thread through the halls. Weaving our way through the elaborately decorated corridors. Elizabeta had kept with the original style, but what I knew had been described as silver furniture was gilded with either gold or a darker metal. When we turned into the Hall of Mirrors, I paused and Elizabeta tugged hard on the lead, making me stagger forward. The room was filled with vampires, all in what appeared to be formal evening wear. There were humans spotted throughout the crowd, and those humans were far more scantily clad than I.
What use does a meal have for clothes?

All eyes turned to us and the room silenced as Elizabeta stepped over the threshold. She paused for a moment and pointed to the ground. I froze for as I spied Aleksi in the middle of the room. He was staring forward at us, kneeling with his hands on his thighs like he had been in the restaurant. Those startlingly blue eyes burned with rage. Elizabeta yanked hard on the lead again, this time sending me to my knees. When she tugged on that leather strap, Aleksi jumped, his chains rattling to echo that staccato movement stopped short. She walked slowly for my benefit as I trailed behind her on my knees. With my hands bound it was actually hard to keep my balance.

Fear ate at me. My pulse fluttered like a small, cute animal trapped in a hunter’s snare.
Just do what they say and you’ll be fine.
I took a few deep breaths but couldn’t calm myself.

“Sit.” Elizabeta barked at me, pointing to the floor beside two ornate black lacquer cabinets. I sat back like Aleksi was, he glanced at me and nodded slowly. “Here you are, Gregory. Aleksi.” She turned and gestured to his chained prone form. One of the vampires in the crowd clapped and stepped forward. I couldn’t help but to realize a lot of the vampires there didn’t seem very pleased.

“Bravo,
Zabeta. I did not think you had the stomach to bring him in. You’ve always been full of surprises.” That smiling clapping vampire chuckled out as he approached the statuesque redhead. There was nothing to be said for the vampire. He had a faint accent, but then again so did most vampires. His hair was short, medium brown and business casual, his skin pale, and his eyes golden in color. He was very average looking, with one of those faces which could seem very forgettable.

“Shall we negotiate?” She tilted her head to the side.

“Who is this
pretty, docile, unmarked thing.” The vampire turned from Elizabeta to me. “A gift?” He touched my hair.
Don’t provoke him.
I swallowed, my attention fixed on the tiled floor. It was so shiny, I could see my reflection in it. Aleksi’s chains rattled again.

“No, Gregory. Aleksi has chosen her to be his servant. In fact, he had chosen her before you strong-armed your mortal Progeny into
my
Ballet Company and then into his bed.”

“It is still a slight, Zabeta!” He bellowed, his voice echoing off of the mirrored walls.

“As is showing me di
srespect.” I could watch her eyes keen in that shiny tile. “In the spirit of diplomacy I have tied up my favorite prodigal son. I am ready to spill his blood to keep relations between our territories in good standing. What are you willing to do, Gregory?”

“In my territory, I would have gifted the girl to the offended party and killed the boy.”

“Ah, luckily we’re not in your territory, Gregory. Also, this is the twenty-first century and mortal authorities do tend to frown on slavery. I am willing to beat Aleksi—rather severely in fact. As you can
see, I brought out all of the most painful toys at my disposal.” She gestured to those ornate black filigree covered cabinets.

“I know of Aleksi’s beatings, Zebeta. They do nothing. You take him inches from final death and he still offends again and again. You are too soft with your people, Za—“

“Princess Elizabeta.” She snapped, and for a moment that almost cornflower blue of her eyes burned crimson. “If you are going to insult me lets drop with familiarities, yes?” She took a slow breath.

“You’re not a full Princess yet, Zabeta, this proves it. Kill the boy.”

Her lips twisted again and she took a slow breath. The
n after a brief pause, she said. “This is what I’m willing to do. Aleksi will give the girl the first mark now, and then he will be punished. After he is recovered, I will ban him from the girl’s sight for three months. Could you go three months without Margot when the mark was still fresh?”

“During the three months he continues with my mortal Progeny.”

“Deal.”

“You said you wouldn’t hurt her!” Aleksi yelled, rising. Elizabeta turned to him and slapped him hard across the face. She grabbed his jaw in her small hand and glowered up at him. I started shivering again.

“You did this to yourself, Aleksi.” She shoved him away from her. Then, she stormed towards me and seized me by the
O-ring in the collar, dragging me across the slick marble floor to kneel in front of Aleksi.

“Why the sudden change in heart, Elizabeta? In
Paris, you didn’t let Gaston fuck me in front of the council as punishment, but you’ll make me do this—our most intimate act—in front of a room full of people?”

“Aleksi!” Her voice was thunderous with rage and tempestuous with warning. Even though I wasn’t a vampire, I knew why she was doing this. Anything to keep Aleksi alive. Elizabeta’s rage was plain, and the other vampires in the room shied from her. Even Gregory looked somewhat shocked. “Now, Aleksi!”

His body was taut as a spring, but even he jumped at her voice. With a swallow he nodded, and moved towards me. I felt my bottom lip tremble as he loomed over me. I was like the girl in the stupid video that showed in Sex Ed all of those years ago—alone in a room full of vampires and in over my head.

“I’m so sorry.” He whispered into my hair. His soft voice lost that edge of arrogance and was full to the brim with sadness. He swallowed, and his voice came out just on this side of audible, “This is going to hurt. Tonight… you’re going to experience pain that you should never have had to. I’ll understand if you never want to see me again.” The concern was clear in his voice, apparently Mr.I-Love-Control-So- Much-I-Will-Stalk-You actually had a form of feelings for me.
Or it could just be that he doesn’t want to see someone else hurt for his fuck up.

“Aleksi.” I sighed his name and leaned back to look at his face. He looked pained, his thin brows furrowed. With a deep breath, he placed his hand over my heart. My eyes raised to his and I was paralyzed. My body felt like it was strung up by silks and satins as I was tossed on a sea of cerulean blue.
Close your eyes!
I couldn’t listen to Miss Manners—I didn’t have control of my body as I felt myself fall limp against Aleksi’s chest. My vision was a fog, I couldn’t make sense of the fuzzy shapes around me. But I could certainly feel as he kissed my pulse, and then closed his fangs around that dancing flesh.

Before that moment, I hadn’t experienced much pain before. When I took Ballet, my feet and legs would ache, but I never had a real injury. I was lucky—until that moment. My blood felt like it was on fire. I felt my back bow as my body fought that all-consuming pain. Hands were at my back and the smell of gardenias, those hands pressed me against Aleksi. That oh so soft ribbon cut into my wrists and arms as I struggled. As it went on, Aleksi’s body seemed to grow warmer with every passing moment.
No, you’re getting colder.

Just when I felt I couldn’t take anymore, it was like the world sucked in on itself. There was suddenly nothingness. No sound, no sight, no sensation. It only lasted for a moment until that darkness was replaced with bright white, warm light. Through that blinding light, the room came into focus. I felt my face pressed against Aleksi’s chest, but I could see Elizabeta. How could I see Elizabeta? I blinked again and was met with the whiteness of Aleksi’s chest. I felt euphoric almost as I pressed myself against Aleksi, but that didn’t last.

As I became more and more aware of my surroundings, that euphoria faded and I became more and more aware of a burning at my wrists. Aleksi leaned down and kissed the bite and licked up a rivulet of blood that was headed down my collarbone. Then those hands holding me up released me and I fell back to the cold floor with a thud.
Click. Click. Click
.
My eyes searched the room for the origin of that noise.
They’re raising Aleksi for his punishment
. I turned my attention back to him. With every click of the mechanism, Aleksi’s body was pulled into the spread eagle position. He looked startlingly beautiful even as he was hoisted up with his muscles straining. Those beautiful eyes of his were nothing but cerulean, there was almost no pupil at all.

With the final click, a soft cry escaped my lips as my shoulder and hip joints suddenly ached. Elizabeta was busying herself in front of those black lacquer cabinets. The ache slowly dulled but that burning at my wrists was now accompanied by burning at my ankles.
You can feel his pain.
My stomach twisted as Elizabeta produced a rather lethal looking bullwhip from the cabinet, and something that looked almost like a horse bit.

My mind was a flurry, I didn’t have the slightest clue what to do. I slid back into the position on the floor Aleksi had assumed before. At that moment, my fear was so tangible I could have named it.