Part 16

"Get up."

The command was harsh and cold. The man was so big that he looked like a giant in Dafne's eyes. She was only 6-years-old and she had just been sold to a new master. She didn't know what had happened to her mother and she was terrified. Her new master had just beaten her up and she was so weak that she could barely breathe.

"Now, girl, unless you want another round of pain."

Dafne's skinny legs were shaking violently, but somehow she managed to stand up.

"First lesson, girl. I will not tolerate lazy little cunts in my house. When I tell you to do something, you will obey immediately. Is that clear?"

She let out a sob, earning another hit.

"What was that? I did not quite hear you."

"Y-yes," she squeaked.

"Yes what?"

"Yes, master."

"That's a little better." He paused and roughly grabbed her arm. "You are nothing. Just a worthless little cunt. I will decide if you will live or die. Do you understand?"

She was shaking and tears were coursing down her cheeks.

"Yes, master."

"Say it," he demanded. "What are you?"

"Nothing."

"That's right. Now get back to work…"

Dafne's eyes flew open; she felt the same terror she had felt so many years ago. For a brief moment she thought that she was still that child. Where was she? The first thing she registered was the soft bed and the warm blanket. Quickly she pushed herself into a seating position and looked around. She was in a very nice looking bedchamber, but she didn't recognize the place. What had happened, how had she…

Suddenly she remembered. The man had attacked her and… Quickly she lifted the blanket. Her dress was torn, but she was still wearing what was left of it. Thankfully she was also wearing knickers. But where was she and how had she ended up here? The last thing she remembered was the pain. That bastard had hit her. Had he… No. Someone had stopped him, she was almost sure of it. But who? She was just about to stand up when the door opened and a dark-haired young man entered the room. He was carrying a tray.

"Oh, you are awake," he said. "That's good."

Instinctively she backed away to the other side of the bed as he approached her.

"It's alright, I am not planning to hurt you," he continued. "I brought you something to eat; I thought you might be hungry."

She looked at him cautiously and pulled herself together. She was in control again.

"Thank you, sir," she replied, managing to sound completely calm. "You are very kind."

He smiled.

"The pleasure is all mine, I can assure you. I have no problem saving lovely ladies."

"You helped me earlier?"

"Yes. It seemed to me that you had some…shall we say unwanted company."

Dafne was starting to remember the rest now. This man had given her his blood, which meant that he was a vampire. She needed to be extremely careful now and not to provoke him.

"Thank you. I am more than grateful for your help, sir."

He was still smiling as he placed the tray onto the table next to the bed.

"As I said, the pleasure was all mine, darling."

She smiled too as she looked around.

"This is a very beautiful room. Are we in your house?"

"Yes," he replied. "You were unconscious and that nasty man was dead, so I did not think it was very smart to leave you in the tavern."

"I see. That was very kind of you."

"Yes, I am a very kind man," he stated and burst into laughter. "I'm sorry, but I am really not a kind man."

Dafne swallowed and forced herself to stay calm.

"Of course I wish to repay your help," she said quickly. "I have money…"

"No, no, that is not what I meant. I apologize if I scared you, but the truth is that I am hardly a nice man."

"You did help me," she stated.

"Yes, I did."

"Why?"

He shrugged.

"Well… I am many things, but even I have some standards."

"I see. Are we far from the tavern?"

"Yes, but even if we weren't, I highly doubt that you want to return there."

"I have to," she replied. "Everything that I own is in that room…"

"Oh, no need to worry about that, I brought all your belongings here." He paused and pointed at a wooden chest. "It's all there, I can assure you."

She wasn't sure what to say, but all her instincts warned her to be careful. There was something very dangerous about this man.

"Thank you again, sir. You have been more than kind, but I do not wish to bother you, so I think I should leave."

"Of course you can if you want to," he replied. "I am not planning to keep you here against your will, if that is what you think."

"No, no, I did not think that," she lied.

"Good. You are free to go, but I do however have a question for you."

"A question?"

"Yes. I heard that you are looking for work as a scribe. Is that correct?"

"Yes," she replied cautiously.

He smiled.

"The thing is that I would like to hire you."

"Oh… That's very flattering, but would you like to know something about my skills first? I am not sure if I am qualified enough…"

"I am sure you are. I actually heard about you from an acquaintance of mine, Sir Richard Bayle."

Dafne remembered him, he had practically laughed at her.

"With all due respect, sir, is it really a scribe you are looking for? I do not offer other…services."

"I see," he replied smiling. "I bet many men have treated you disrespectfully, but I can assure you that I am not one of those men. And be honest, do I look like the kind of man who has to pay for having a woman in his bed?"

No, he didn't. Dafne couldn't deny that he was a very handsome man, but that didn't mean anything.

"I did not mean just that kind of services," she stated.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? What did you mean then?"

She looked at him calmly.

"I think you know, sir."

He looked amused and curious.

"You know what I am?"

"I do."

"And it does not scare you?"

"I have served your kind before and with all due respect, I do not wish to go back there."

"I see. Did he feed from you? Your employer?"

"I wish to work as a scribe," she replied. "That is all."

"Well, that's good because a scribe is exactly what I need. I do not require any other services from you and I am willing to pay a fair compensation and offer meals and accommodation. However, I travel a lot, so you would have to be ready to travel as well. How does that sound?"

"I… May I think about your offer?"

"Yes, of course. As I said, I have no need to force you into anything. You can stay or leave, however you like. And feel free to look around and speak with my staff if you want to know what kind of an employer I am."

"Alright, thank you… forgive me, I do not know your name."

"My goodness, where are my manners?" He paused and bowed.

"The Lord Lucien Castle, at your service."