"Stop, please!!" I begged for my life as I struggled with all my might, desperate for air. But the more I struggled, the stronger they held me under the water.
I was going to die... like really going to die. Drowning wasn't the way I thought I would go.
I could feel my life slipping away from my grasp. Everything began to fade away and turn black.
The women must have noticed that I was beginning to lose consciousness because they immediately let go of my limp body.
"Is she dead?" I faintly heard one of them ask, her voice a mixture of fear and panic.
"Who cares... I'm sure Lord Darius and Lady Hilda wouldn't care. They'll even thank us for getting rid of this filth," another said casually.
"Thank us!!! How idiotic can you be!? Half-breed or not, she's the daughter of The Great Rafael Bloom. And we've just killed her. Mere vampire maids. We'll be staked alive for this," another declared in panic, making the others start to panic as well, realizing what they had done.
"I-I don't want to die," one of them muttered in fear. She sounded like a child.
"I knew this was a bad idea."
"This was all your fault," one said, pointing a finger at another.
At this point, they were all panicking.
But their panic was short-lived as I gasped loudly, regaining consciousness. My lungs burned as I struggled to breathe, coughing violently and wheezing painfully.
"She's alive," one of them muttered.
But I was already dragging myself out of the water, my arms trembling, nails scraping against the wet stone floor. I coughed again, every breath painful. Water streamed down my face, mixing with tears I didn't even realize I was crying.
They all backed away like cowards.
I slowly got out of the water and made my way to where I left my clothes.
I quickly wore the dress my aunt had given me. I used my hand to smooth my hair back before quickly braiding it down. Very simple and efficient hairstyle. I rubbed a little bit of the perfume, picked up my old clothes, and left the bathhouse like nothing had happened.
Like I wasn't almost killed... I could feel the women's stares on me. They probably thought I was insane. But I didn't care. It wasn't like I could do anything else. Walking away was always best.
That's what my mother always said.
I made my way back to my aunt's bedroom. Sucking in a deep breath, I knocked on the door.
She opened it and stepped to the side for me to enter. I hesitated at the door before slowly walking in.
I froze as I fully entered... because seated in the room was my uncle Darius and another man. A stranger. I had never seen him before.
My stomach suddenly tightened. I immediately knew something was wrong, something was very very wrong.
"Is this her?" the stranger asked. His voice was smooth and deep. He was old, probably centuries old. His clothes looked expensive; perhaps he was another vampire lord.
"Can't you smell her tainted blood?" my uncle sneered in disgust.
I just stood there in the center of the room, wondering what was going on. My heart beating so fast I thought it would explode.
The stranger rose to his feet and approached me slowly. "She looks nothing like the great Rafael Bloom," the man said, circling me as if examining every inch of me. My heart tightened at the mention of my father's name.
"Well, that's because she takes after her dog mother," my aunt spat.
I swallowed back the bile rising in my throat.
"Now that you've seen her, do we have a deal?" my uncle asked the stranger.
A deal?
My heartbeat increased. What did he mean by "do we have a deal"?
The stranger smiled. "Well... I haven't seen all of her," he snarled his voice darker, and my eyes widened in horror.
My uncle turned to look at me.
"Take off your clothes. And this time, if you disobey me, I'll rip them off myself," my uncle barked.
I turned to look at my aunt. I knew it was hopeless, but I thought maybe she could save me again. But instead...
"Didn't you hear him!?" she hissed at me.
My chest collapsed.
I wanted to say no. But I didn't have the strength to. Plus I knew I couldn't run.
My hands were shaking as I slowly loosened the buttons and ribbons on the dress, letting it fall to the ground and pool at my feet. Tears stung my eyes.
I was completely naked.
I could feel their eyes burn my skin. I wanted to disappear or just die at that moment.
"Hmm..." I heard the stranger mutter as if he were in deep thought. "Not too much flesh on her skin, I see."
"She eats when she needs to. That's more than she deserves anyway," my uncle replied, his eyes fixed on me.
I still didn't know what was going on. But I knew I hated everything...myself, them, this world.
"Is she untouched?" I heard the stranger ask, and the pieces started to fall in place.
The food. The bath. The new dress. The perfume. My aunt saving me earlier....were they... selling me off to this man?
"Yes. She is very much still untouched," my uncle replied smiling.
"Then we have a deal," the stranger said, digging his hand into his pocket and taking out a heavy pouch. He handed it over to my uncle, who eagerly opened it up.
It was filled with millions of tiny blood red diamonds. My uncle smiled sinisterly before handing the pouch to my aunt, who also smiled.
I just stood there, naked and trembling, wondering what had just occurred right in front of me. But I couldn't even say a word.
My aunt walked over to me. "At least something good came out from keeping you alive," she sneered.
I slowly looked up at her, eyes beginning to fill with tears.
"Oh, you poor thing. Don't cry. You've just made your uncle and I lots of money," she said sweetly, taking both my hands like we were sharing a tender moment.
"Look at you," she said, staring at my body. "I'm certain you'll have many customers in the pleasure house."
My world turned upside down.
"Pleasure house!?"