Be Careful When You Bite Me

Chapter 7

Sleep was out of the question. I stayed restless and much like my initial days here, I spend my time gazing out the window, watching the sky go from midnight blue to a light coral color before finally transitioning into the bright arctic that is tomorrow.

I spend my morning stressing about the events to come and wondering what to expect. I hoped and prayed once again that Xavier would come through on our deal. I prayed that he would convince the witch to help me before Seth and Isabelle decide that it was a mistake to let me live. I wondered why the King had requested my presence tonight at the quarters if it doesn't mean they had found me a witch.

At around ten am I felt my body finally crash and enter a deep sleep despite my racing brain. When I woke up, I was glad to find a tray of food by my bed.

Without thought, I scarfed down the sandwich and the fruit and chugged the glass of water like it was the first thing I had put in my mouth for days. I stretched my legs and walked down the hall, and after a quick shower and a change of clothes, decided to kill a few hours doing some more exploring.

I debated going to visit Gremlin again but decided against it because I had already finished all of my food. I decided to take the stairs up for a change and internally prayed I wouldn't find any more dungeons.

Dungeons are strictly underground, right?

I let my legs do the leading and wondered if I subconsciously wanted them to lead me somewhere.

The castle was quiet as usual and I remembered to make a mental note to be back in time for whatever it is that the King had needed me for at nine pm.

I heard strange noises coming from one of the doors and grew curious as to what is inside. I located the door with the noise and pressed my ear up against it. It sounded like large pieces of furniture were being moved.

Curiosity began to eat me up as the noises grew louder followed by the sound of moaning.

I noticed the small metal slit through the door that I could lift the lever to use as an envelope dispenser into the room. I got on my knees and kneeled forward, pulling the metal handle up and keeping one eye squinted to reveal what's inside the room. I caught sight of a naked Damon, his big muscular back glinting as if he were shinning. In front of him, facing away and towards the wall was a naked Isabelle.

I almost gasped out loud when I realized what they were doing.

Damon had her held in his embrace, his hands wrapped around her throat as he thrust harder than I thought was possible. They looked so in sync together, they were both so incredibly perfect and flawless.

I felt my cheeks heat up and no doubt turn a bright red color.

I watched as Damon turned Isabelle's head to face him and plant his lips on hers, capturing her in a passionate kiss. I felt something drop to the pit of my stomach and suddenly felt sick. A sudden intense feeling of disappointment and distaste held my body captive and I couldn't watch anymore. Instead, I stood up and ran back to my room, hoping to forever erase that image from my head, and wondered why I felt so betrayed.

Back in my room, I tried to search my thoughts for a reason to why I felt as bad as I did. I knew I was never great at figuring out how I feel about something let alone why, but this was no doubt a feeling that draped over my body in complete misery. I wanted to cry out loud and I had no idea why. At this point, I would accept any applicable answer as long as I knew what I was feeling. I needed an explanation from somebody, someone who could look at the bigger picture because I knew I couldn't. I remembered my best friend back home, and how she would always be the one who would help me in figuring out my emotions.

Ok, breathe...Sit.

I took a seat in the middle of my bed and crisscrossed my legs.

Is it that I felt bad that Isabelle was using him? Is it because I knew what she was planning with Seth?

Could it be the other day at the closet when he had almost been kind to me? Or the fact that he tried to save that human man?

Or maybe I liked him.

If there was any part of me that had grew feelings for Damon without my consent or even my weariness, then I was much more naive than I had presumed and I definitely deserved to be taken hostage and be played like a pack of cards by a bunch of vampires. I thought about how handsome Damon had looked. He stood behind Isabelle in all his glory with enough power to outshine the sun.

I sighed out loud and let myself fall back onto the bed, head first.

I wanted so badly to tell him about Isabelle. More badly than before but I had to remind myself that this is their world and I need to get back to mine, if ever.

If I tell him now, Seth and Isabelle will kill me.

Drain me dry and feed my corpse to the werewolves.

I began to wonder if those existed as well and shuddered at the thought.

Nine pm couldn't have rolled by slower and I jumped out of the bed as soon as it was time and ran towards the door. To my surprise, as soon as I flung the door open, there stood Damon, fist lifted as if to knock.

I felt the heat rise quickly to my cheeks.

Dammit.

"Hey," he began awkwardly.

"Hi," I couldn't bring myself to look him in the eyes.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I just want expecting you to be there, behind the door," I mumbled," I can go downstairs on my own, I'm not a child."

I walked past him and began my journey downstairs.

I heard him march behind me and ran down the stairs. It was a couple of minutes later until I realized that I had no idea how to get to the quarters. It seemed as if I only knew how to get anywhere in this castle is if I did so by accident.

I was hesitant to turn around to check if Damon was still behind me, but as if he had read my mind, I heard the deep sound of his husky voice lined with amusement as he asked," Lost?"

I rolled my eyes, still facing away from him.

"No, I just don't trust you," I snapped," you walk in front of me first."

"You didn't have a problem with me walking behind you before," he said, walking past me, so close I could almost feel his skin.

I let out an irritated sigh and silently followed. He finally led me to the big wooden doors that I immediately recognized as the quarter. Guards stood at either side and pushed them when they caught sight of Damon and me.

The room never failed to impress me. The size alone was bigger than my house back home. The maroon carpet underneath us rolled out for about 20 meters before finally stopped at the feet of the throne where the King and Queen sat, patiently waiting.

I wondered if they sat here all day or if they did anything else and decided it's better I don't ask.

"Damon," the King greeted, his eyes landing directly at his son.

"Father," Damon bowed his head slightly as he stopped a couple of feet away and I mirrored his action.

"Holly," the King continued.

I tried to smile, but it was clear that it was forced, and bowed my head slightly as Damon had done.

"H-hi," I greeted, for an odd reason more nervous than I had been before.

It felt strange, meeting up with the King and Queen as if it was routine. I wasn't sure why I was expected to bid them so much respect, it wasn't like they were my rulers.

"Hello Holly," the Queen's deep yet soothing voice could almost melt a person," how have you been?"

"Could be better," I answered truthfully," I could be at home."

She smiled, almost sympathetically. Her big blonde curls were pinned up in a bun and she looked even more majestic than before.

"Are you not enjoying your stay here at the castle?"

"No," I began to stammer," not that, I just miss home."

"The guards said you spend an awful lot of time in the garden," her eyes glistened with something different.

"Yes, it reminds me of home," I answered truthfully.

"What part of home does the dungeon remind you of?"

I was caught completely off guard by her question. I thought that Isabelle and Seth would have kept it a secret that I was down there but I quickly realized that this was their way to get rid of me.

"I don't understand," I muttered," I didn't mean to find it, I just..um.."

The look of confusion on Damon's face told me that he didn't know about this and that this was news to him. I realized that this must have been Seth and Isabelle's plan all along, to expose me to the King and Queen so they would have to eliminate me, without Damon finding out a thing about their plan.

I wondered if it was too late to tell him.

The King didn't allow room for any more words, instead, he called out to the guards.

"Bring out the jester," he demanded.

Two guards marched in with the human man from the dungeon. They halted right in between Damon and me and I wondered nervously what this will unroll.

"Father-" Damon began but the King didn't let him speak.

"Is this the villager that you tried to help escape?" His gaze was directed at me.

I didn't know whether to lie or tell the truth. Whatever hole Isabelle and Seth had dug up for me seemed irreversible.

"Yes," I muttered.

Damon's disappointed eyes met mines for a brief second and I wondered what it was about this man that made both Damon and I both attempt to rescue him.

"This man must be special," said the Queen," because even my son, who knows better, had tired to spare him."

I remained silent and so did Damon.

The King stood up from his seat and walked down the three steps it took to get to the ground.

Now that he was at ground level, I saw that he resembled Xavier a lot more than the rest of his children. He was taller than even Damon, hovering at a couple of inches above him. He reached his hand out towards a guard who presented him with a wooden sword.

Silently, he handed it to Damon who accepted. I turned to look at the human man. His sad eyes were barely open. He struggled to breathe and I could see the fresh bite from last night had hardly healed.

They didn't have to torture him to prove a point.

I knew this was their way of teaching Damon a lesson but they could have killed him a long time ago and saved the poor man all of this pain.

I looked at Damon who now looked sad.

"Father-" he began, his voice soft and apologetic," what do you want me to do with this, it's a stake."

The King took his seat back at the throne," I want you to stake him as he would us, keeping in mind the thousands of your ancestors that had been staked at the hands of a human."

"Damon," I whispered," you don't have to do this, Seth and Isabelle-"

"Shut up," Damon snapped, his angry gaze now locked with mines," if it wasn't for you I wouldn't be in this situation in the first place."

My pained expression turned into one of confusion.

What did he mean if it wasn't for me? I wasn't the one that forced him to spare the jester.

"What?" I asked, knowing that I wouldn't get an answer.

"Damon," the Queen began," it really isn't that hard honey. How do you ever expect to be King if you can't even punish a silly jester."

"You aren't punishing him," I was surprised at the strong tone of my voice," you're using him to teach Damon a lesson. He didn't do anything-"

"Shut up!" Damon hissed again.

"Damon, just listen," I continued," you won't be King if you do this, Seth and Isabelle-"

Damon didn't give a warning before plunging the sharp wooden sword into the heart of the jester. His bloodcurdling scream echoed within the walls of the castle and for minutes later, he continued to cry out in pain.

I screamed out with him and felt myself begin to sob endlessly. I suddenly felt like a helpless little girl in a horrifying place. It was suddenly all beginning to feel way too real. I wanted nothing more than to run away and hide and sob until I had no more tears.

Damon twisted the sword inside the man and he began to cry out even louder. He fell to the ground and twitched his body uncontrollably. It was no doubt the most horrid and horrifying thing I have ever witnessed in my life.

I watched the hateful look on Damon's face grow into evil as he called out for the guards.

"Take her to the dungeon," he demanded.

My eyes widened in panic as I registered the words that came out of his mouth. I had no idea what had brought this one, surely this was about more than just proving a point.

"Damon! No, please-" I started to sob even harder. My hair was now wet and tangled on my face but I couldn't reach out to dismiss it because the guards had now held me in their embrace.

"Stop!" I struggled with the men," let me go, Damon please!"

"You will serve the rest of your time here at the dungeon," Damon looked at me as if I was someone that had betrayed him. The soft look in his eyes now drowned by complete evil and I was shocked that I almost didn't recognize him.

I looked towards the King and the Queen and the last thing I saw before the guards carried me crying and kicking trying to get away from their grip was the satisfaction that Damon's parents now had on their face.

Almost as if they were proud of their son.