WHAT IF’s?

Everything had gone weirdly back to normal in the castle, weirdly back to normal as far as I could tell. No one seemed to be talking about the ritual that took place or pissed that they were used as a human blood bag for the vampires. If anything they all looked to be happy and more cheerful.

But what they didn't seem to forget was the theatrics I had performed, my unwillingness to partake in the stupid party. Everyone cast me dirty look as I walked by, even going as far as to call me a thief!

Katrina had come by and told me I was going to be excused from the maid quarters soon because the other maids do not feel their things are 'safe' with me.

Safe? Like are you fucking kidding me right now? It's not as if they have any properties worth stealing and even if they do, where will I get a buyer for it?

I explained this to Madam Katrina and begged her to allow me to stay here. Madam Katrina had ignored my pleas, look me in the eye and claimed it was either a separate quarters or the dungeon.

So I guess I get my own room now, still don't know where that is but I'll be finding that out in the night.

I walked the castle grounds a basket full of clothing in my hands. Today was laundry day and the clothes were much due to the previous night's event. I tried not to notice some had bit of blood in them as I washed. When I was done, I went to the line to spread them where I met Flora, humming a song to herself. She looked really happy even though I saw a vampire latched his mouth to her neck like she was an orange instead of a person.

My eyes couldn't help but drift to her neck. There should have been puncture marks, signs of the attack, but her skin was smooth and unblemished. No bruises, no scabs, nothing. The more I looked, the more it puzzled me. And she wouldn't stop humming, which only made my unease grow. I had never seen her this happy before, not in all the years I'd known her.

Flora noticed me staring and turned to meet my gaze. I knew it was useless to try to hide my concern, so I held my head high, determined not to let her see my confusion.

"You look well," I said, my voice steadier than I felt.

"Aneesa!" Flora's face lit up even more, and before I could react, she ran to me and wrapped me in a tight hug.

The gesture was so unexpected, so out of character, that I froze. I didn't like being touched—well against my will but Flora clung to me like I was her only anchor in a storm. Her happiness was infectious, and for a moment, I almost forgot about the events of last night. Almost.

I pulled back slightly, not wanting to push her away completely, but needing space to breathe. "Flora, are you… are you okay? After what happened?" I let my voice drop to a whisper.

She stepped back and looked at me with bright eyes, almost laughing at the question. "Okay? I feel wonderful, Aneesa! Better than I've ever felt."

Her response sent a shiver down my spine. How could she feel wonderful after what I saw? How could she be standing here, unharmed, so full of life?

"Flora," I began, my voice hushed, "I saw that vamyre that night. He… he bit you. I saw the blood."

Flora's smile didn't falter, but her eyes took on a strange, distant look. "Oh, that," she said lightly, as if it were nothing more than a minor inconvenience. "It wasn't so bad. It's like… like I'm part of something bigger now, Aneesa. Something amazing. You wouldn't understand."

Heck yeah I wouldn't understand! I'd plunge a dagger into any of those blood thirsty fuckers if they try to take a bite of my neck!

I was still thinking those murderous thoughts when Flora suddenly gasped.

"Oh goddess above, I totally forgot but are you okay?"

"Me?"

Flora's expression softened into something that looked dangerously close to pity. "Yeah, I heard what happened. It's all anyone seems to be talking about anyway. They're calling you a thief… of course, not that I think you are one, but it's just, well I…"

I decided to put Flora out of her misery. "It's okay, Flora, I really am fine," I said with what I hoped was a reassuring smile.

Flora didn't look convinced. She frowned, her eyes searching mine as if looking for some hidden wound."Well I had thought you were going to be dead for sure! What were you thinking challenging a vampyre Aneesa?" She scolded me, sounding more like an elder sister than the girl who had almost been drained dry the night before.

"That I wanted no part in whatever blood ritual you all were partaking in!" I retorted, my voice sharper than I intended. The anger still simmered just beneath my skin, the memory of those red eyes and sharp fangs too fresh. Before I could say more, Flora smacked my arm—hard.

"What the fuck was that for?" I hissed, rubbing the sore spot.

"Don't ever let anyone hear you call it that, and it's not a freaking blood ritual!" Her voice dropped to a harsh whisper, her eyes darting around as if she feared someone might be listening. "To be chosen by vampyres is an honor, once you are favored by them you will never know a life of suffering, blessed with gold, finest of clothing and you get to attend the grandest of hall and all the other events."

"Gee, what a life," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. The idea of spending my days dressed up like a doll for some vampyre's amusement made my skin crawl.

Flora shot me a sharp look, but she didn't stop. "But the best part is you feel really good about yourself. It's something I can't explain. I mean, sure, there's pain at first, but the pleasure that comes afterward—oh, blessed oracle, Aneesa, it's simply the best!"

"Come now, Flora, you don't really believe that do you?" I asked unable to keep the disgust from my voice. The thought of her, of anyone, being reduced to a blood supply for those monsters was more than I could bear.

Flora's smile faded slightly, her eyes growing sad. "Aneesa, you don't understand. They don't just take; they give. They give so much more than you can imagine. It's like… it's like being seen, truly seen, for the first time in your life."

"Seen?" I echoed, disbelief coloring my words. "They see you as food, Flora!"

"No," she insisted, her voice trembling slightly, as if she were trying to convince herself as much as me. "It's more than that. It's…fuck I don't really know how to explain it but it's the only time any one of us here has ever truly felt so alive!"

I'm pretty sure by now I was staring at her with a 'what the fuck?' expression on my face because I still don't understand how she could say that.

Fuck, do they all think that? I thought my gaze darting around at the other maids.

Flora's hands reached out to take my hand. "You'll see, Aneesa. One day, you'll understand. And when that day comes, you'll thank me."

I pulled my hand away, the gesture quick and instinctual, as if her touch had burned me. "I don't think I will, Flora," I said quietly. "I don't think I ever will."

She looked at me, her expression a mix of pity and sadness, as if I were the one who was lost. "Maybe," she murmured, turning back to the laundry. "But I hope you do. For your own sake, I hope you do. Because when you've come to stay as long as I have here, you will start craving some sort of escape and you will find out that there are worst creatures than the vampyres and that even the monster you are running from, lives within these very walls!"

As I watched her, a part of me wanted to believe that she was right, that there was something more to all of this. But I could find none, they were all terrible creatures, every single one of them. But something else nagged at the back of my mind. Something Flora had said about the monster I'm running from that lives within these walls.

My eyes then moved to the castle, towards the prince's window. I still don't know what sort of creature he is but it's clear he is no ordinary werewolf.

But what if he is something more? Something worse and perhaps the very thing that could end my life!