Exchange With The Devil

Her lips were almost tightly pursed as she thought the words she was thinking twice before she said it out loud. She wasn't going to dig her grave again and again since these vampires thrive from her innocent mistakes, "It was supposed to be healed." 

"Supposed," he spread his arm, cueing her to continue her words, "Then why isn't it healed yet? I can smell the fresh blood." 

"Your maid stepped on my feet with her heel," she said stubbornly, "Wounds can heal with time but not as quick as a passing one second. I'm not a monster..." she muttered quietly before realizing how it could have offended this big bad vampire in front of her. She blinked and looked upward. Then those red eyes stared at her intently, making her body straighten. The predatory eyes were amused staring at her as he seemed to be thinking of something in his head and entertaining the dark thought while staring into her face. 

"Do you remember her face? Her name?" He asked her and she shook her head, "What a shame," he then walked backward, "I could have killed her to make a perfect example of what would happen when someone harm my little birdie." 

She shivered as she stared at him with wide eyes. What did he just say? Kill?! 

Alright, that maid really did went out of her ways to hurt her and that made no sense at all as they were both humans striving to live in a castle. She was also irked by how that maid was doing it on purpose out of jealousy when she would wish she didn't have to be here entertaining all the vampires as it wasn't something "impressive" or "noble" as these people think it was. 

But to kill someone!? 

No, to pin the death's cause on her name? 

No! That was going too far. 

She lowered her gaze and muttered, "Don't you remember her face?" She knew she shouldn't question him but she felt the urge to do so. 

"Why would I remember her name?" Came the scoff from his mouth as he cracked his neck, "I don't bother remembering the names of unimportant people." 

Should she be grateful? Should she not? 

Arabella had always believed that she was raised with integrity and morals but the past few days, her morals had been tested again and again. She doubted that she could live normally following a civil rule. But she still wants to regain her humanity. She didn't want to become real pets of these vampires and forgo her own self. Deep inside her, she's brave and righteous. That would surely not be enough to protect her life in the royal castle but she wouldn't necessarily let go of it. 

She's a human and if she was going to die, she wants to die as a human. 

Not as a monster in human skin. 

"Birdie," Cassius's deep voice was like trumpets. It was heavy, melodious, but also stern. It sounded like a noise you would hear before the start of a war and that was enough to bring her on her guards again, jumping on her own skin. He stared at her and seemed to have laugh seeing her reaction, "You should know how to behave yourself as my toy from now on. I don't like slow-minded creatures, they annoy me to no ends. If you want to survive know what you should do." 

She pulled her gaze up back at him and knew she should enter the room but her feet was weighing heavily to the floor, fearing what could happen again in Rueben's office to be repeated.

She pursed her lips, "To entertain you?" 

He nudged his chin and this time it was an order, "Enter." 

Her bare feet padded to the cold floor. When she stepped in, she was once again greeted with his room that she had entered last time. The floor was warmer inside his room as if the entire floor was covered with a slow burning heat. She then watched Cassius carefully like a hawk, fearing what could this crown prince of a vampire would do to her. He had took off his shirt and she jumped seeing it, turning her face deeper down the ground in fear that he would call her name. 

She knew that vampires were also very lustful but she wasn't going to let herself be used sexually. But was that better than dying? She still needs to find Ariel after escaping from this castle! 

Her ears picked up on each noise of the clothes rustling, him taking off his maroon tunic and then grabbing a new tunic to wear, doing it all in a slow five minute while she listen to the noise of it. He then sat down, she was sure he had sat down with how the chair creaked. Crossing his leg he then called her name, "Birdie." 

It wasn't her name but she knew that was her name to him from now on. 

Like he said, she wasn't someone who was worthy enough to be remembered and that somehow annoyed her. Not that being remembered by him is any of a good thing but it peeved her a little.

Her feet walked toward him and she saw him pointing down the floor and she pressed her knees down to sit there, struggling to position herself because of her wounded feet. She wanted to complain about her feet but the crown prince of the vampire had quite the terrible mood swings. Who knew if suddenly he felt irked by her existence and her words that he would cut her like the little birdie on the palate. 

When she looked up however, from the corner of her eyes, she caught a crow that had been silent throughout the time. The crow eyes were oddly green instead of black which took her attention. 

Cassius eyed the human girl. Thin, weak, and though she seemed more sparkly than other humans perhaps because of her lively eyes, she wasn't in any condition to be as brave as she was. Yet this human was so brave and bold even toward him, demanding others to bend to her moral ideas even though she wasn't in position to ask. 

"Why are you silent?" Cassius asked. He wanted to see her mouth speaking again and that voice taunting others so innocently devilish. "I thought you're healed and you answered me earlier but every time, your mouth is pursed already." 

She carefully look at him. Crimson eyes contrasting with his black lashes, his lips forming a smile that seemed overly delighted but his eyes and movement of his hand was lazy. He didn't seem scary, just a lazy big crow with red eyes that could somehow turn murderous if something didn't fit to his humor. 

"If I say something that offend you, wouldn't you kill me?" She didn't want to bite back but she knows she should test to where his patient would grace mercy toward her. 

"So you aren't speaking because you fear I will kill you," Cassius then looked into her questioning green eyes that seemed sneaky as she was trying to get him to promise not to hurt her. What a clever birdie. But he didn't dislike that. "If you amuse me birdie, no matter how much your words would hurt my poor heart, I won't ever be mad to you. Offending me is more delightful than being a boring little bird." 

She gulped. So no matter what she needed to entertain him. 

"But how do you want me to entertain you?" She asked him and he looked at her with eyebrows raised a question were written on his face saying out loud without words, 'isn't that something you should figure out on your own?'. She cleared her throat and added, "I can sing and dance but that isn't the entertainment that you're looking forward from me." 

If she wants to live, she needs to be proactive to the crown prince. 

He is now her lifelines in this dangerous castle of the noble bloodsucking monsters. 

"Out with it," he reached out his hand and pressed his index finger under her chin, lifting her face upward toward him. When he got closer her skin prickled. "So what is it that you want to help you entertain me?" 

"I don't know," she answered, pursing her lips, "But I can't simply entertain you without anything that could help me." 

"So you need a stage to work on," he nodded and chuckled, mirth flying from the tone of his laughter. Those lazy eyes were now filled again with amusement, "I see. So my bird needs its stage to work a beautiful performance. But what if I provide you a stage and you bore me out to death? I had enough of living in this play pretend castle like a pretty doll." 

"I won't bore you," Arabella gritted her teeth. If you want entertainment, vampire. Fine so be it. I'll entertain you forever! As long as she can survive and get back to her sister, entertaining this odd vampire wouldn't be that difficult. He basically enjoy her struggling to stay alive and that was the entertainment he was looking forward on seeing. But she didn't have to worry as he promise he would protect her. 

So she simply needs to make a mess outside, entertain him, and make sure that "mess" won't be something that goes too far and instead garner more attention on her. 

"I won't bore you," she said it again, promising it to him as so she saw as those pale pink lips pulled wider with crimson color that spread from the inner corner. His crimson eyes brightened as she saw him pulling his hand away from her face. He then stood up and walked over the door.

"Then come with me," he sang to her, "I'm quite bored today and need my entertainment. I want to see how far you would go to make me smile, my adorable birdie."