Even though it meant working for the devil

KIRA'S POV

I quickly buttoned the maxi gown that I had found in the armoire while trying not to think of of how they had gotten my exact size of everything down to the white cotton panties and matching lingerie set that had made me red.

And honestly, now I thought of it, I doubt I was that enthusiastic to know. The crown prince was a very busy man and the chance of him doing the shopping himself was very slim yet, just the thought made me shiver. The dreadful type.

I stared at the mirror I had covered with a cloth feeling ridiculous at the thought of how I had stopped myself from peering into any reflective surface because honestly I was scared of what I might find. Who might be staring back at me, I was scared of not recognizing her or knowing if she was brave, good or plain evil.

She had a brother she had completely forgotten so it wasn't like she was doing much to help her case. She was a selfish older sister that had not thought of her brother for three years and it had taken her what she thought was a near death experience to remember him.

I was ashamed of her. I didn't want to see her, else I will have to acknowledge that she was me and I was not brave enough to admit that I am such a cruel and insensitive older sister. I am a coward.

A rap on the door interrupted me from my self-pitying party.

I sat on the edge of the bed acting like I haven't been sleeping on the floor all these while because I refused to accept their charity and luxuries. I had been eagerly awaiting my death but I couldn't exactly die now when I had a younger brother waiting for me somewhere.

He deserved a better life, a warm bathe, clean clothes and well-cooked hot meals and I plan to find him and give him all of that even though it meant… I closed my eyes. Even though it meant working for the devil.

"Come in," I finally said and I was glad that my voice came out more sure than I felt.

It was Conrad.

He had told me his name the last time he had tried coaxing me into eating some food. His eyes were glinting with mischief as he peeped into the room first and then cocking his head to the side making a show of looking me up and down, he entered the room smirking.

"You look good." He beamed at me and I stared straight at him unblinkingly. "You know you can say something to me. I am no Crown Prince but I know you can talk and it hurts that you hid it from me for a week."

"I didn't have anything to say to you for a week so I naturally didn't, besides, I never said I was dumb. You all believed what you were told without seeking my affirmation so the blame should fall on you both," I smirked and then said truthfully. "But if I am being honest, it was entertaining watching you try to gesticulate at me." I shook my head amused, "I was supposed to be dumb not deaf. Was that supposed to be sign language?"

He blinked at me. "You just smiled?"

I rolled my eyes. "Don't you?" I asked.

He smiled at me as a reply of sorts.

"I was confused. You were staring at me unblinkingly and not replying any of my questions so I thought that perhaps you couldn't hear me too," he scratched the back of his neck and wrinkled his nose in embarrassment and I would have thought it was cute if I didn't know what he was.

He looked at me as if remembering I was in the room which was funny since this was supposed to be my room. "I totally forgot. I'm here to escort you to the dining table,"

"I forgot you don't have a name," his eyes roamed my face and when he stretched his hand towards me, on impulse I slipped my hand into his. "I had a human girlfriend when I first got here. Her name is Kira." We walked past the door and into a long endless narrow corridor with white walls that made me think of an asylum. "Can I call you Kira?"

I nodded. "It is just a name, it means nothing to me," he grinned and I wanted to ask him what happened to Kira and why he sounded sad while talking about her but I didn't care about him and asking will hint that I was doing just that. They were bloodsuckers, they had killed my kind and I hated all of them yet I found myself repeating the name in my mind.

Kira. I like it more than I wanted to admit.

When we got to the spacious dining room with a mahogany table that could fit thirty people and that was clustered with food that will be a feast for more than fifty people.

I turned to Conrad. "Expecting guests?" I asked and he smiled amused.

"Yes." He moved towards the room and when one of the guards stationed at the side of the wall like the rest of the ones that had stood in the lobby we had just passed through like statues, pushed out a chair and Conrad led me towards it. I almost released a sigh of relief that at least they had not forgotten how to move as I relaxed into the black polished chair staring right at Conrad who was sitting adjacent to me.

"For a murderer you look so spirited," I quipped not able to help myself any longer.

He grinned showing off his dimples. "Let us just say unlike my brother, I didn't sell my smiles and chuckles just because I killed a couple nobodies."

I fisted my hand on my fork knowing that it was a direct insult to my kind. He had killed thousands of us but of course we were nobodies.

"Eat what I eat," he warned and then removed a goblet in front of me with a suspicious red liquid in it and then grinned at me. "It will be carnivorous don't you think if you end up drinking that."

I choked on the first forkful of pasta in my mouth and he waved his hand in the air like him parading human blood on the table was a joke that I was taking too seriously. But he was a sadist after all, so he thought this was funny. He expects me to be bent over laughing hard while I wanted to hit him with something hard and preferably pointed.

"The Pasta is fine and contaminated free," he flashed his teeth at me and refusing to show how uneasy he had made me, I shove a huge forkful of the pasta into my mouth.

He piled more into my plate while staring me dead in the eyes.

A soft thud against the floor interrupted us from our stare off but I took my time before I look up just in time to see Damien drawing a chair backward for a stunning blonde woman who although appeared to be my age, had something about her that made her seem almost frightening.

I knew she wasn't human and was a vampire since Damien couldn't possibly stand my type and considering the affectionate way he stared at her before settling in a seat right next to his brother and across her she couldn't possibly be another filthy intruder like me that was to be used and disposed of.

I was doing all of this for Rad I told myself again and again as with effort I swallowed the thoroughly chewed Pasta in my mouth even though my appetite was toast but I know that walking out of this room will be a defeat of sorts.

The blonde woman stretched her hand for the goblet and Conrad placed it in her hand and after taking a swig, she frowned like a spoilt child that was about to throw a tantrum. "I prefer them warm-blooded. I hate blood bags." She smiled at me with her fangs out and elongated then purred. "You smell delicious by the way."

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat because although I was eager to get killed a few hours ago, I'll rather drown than serve as food for Damien's girlfriend, wife or fiancée.

"No," Conrad looked at her pointedly and I could tell that something had transpired between the three of them that I wasn't privy to. "she wasn't brought in for that so don't even think about it," he warned.

I waited for Damien to reprimand his brother for talking to his significant other like that but he sat perfectly still cutting his meat that I hoped was not a human's into little pieces like a pretty lady.

The woman beside me pouted at him and then angling her head to look at me with a proud tilt of her head she smiled, "I am Evangeline, Damien's betrothed and I hope we could get along,"

I wonder how she expected that when she had just few seconds ago been interested on feeding on my blood but I didn't ask any question. I wasn't stupid and I know that this was all for show. It was obvious that just like the man she was going to marry someday she resented me.

"I am Kira," I simply replied back ignoring Damien's raised brow and when he turned to look at his brother for a few seconds before turning back to his plate of food, I knew he had made sense of who had named me.