[CONTENTID1] Fire [/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2] Chapter 1 [/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

"Wake up babe." Three words that any normal girl would dream of waking up to.  

If only I were a normal girl.

Blinking back into consciousness, I resisted the urge to slap the handsome face in front of me. As I raised myself up to a sitting position, my chains clinked against the ground, metal against metal.

"Why are you here, Kris?" I demanded. The edges of his drew back in a smirk, exposing his two unnaturally long canines; at the sight of them, I inwardly shuddered.

“I thought you needed a change of scenery,” he replied. “Besides, who wouldn’t want to see my beautiful face in the morning?” I groaned; my question, of course, was rhetorical.

Muttering a slew of curses, I reluctantly held out my arm. Pleased, Kris took a needle filled with gray liquid out and pressed it against my vein; its contents swirled and caught glimmers of the light.

Biting down on my lip, I forced myself to watch as he injected the serum into my blood, unable to stop the trembles that shook me as soon as the iron entered my system. For a split second, Kris’s expression softened in sympathy. Just as vampires like himself were not meant for the sunlight, the Fae suffered from even the slightest contact with iron. Though I was supposedly “immune” to the effects, the pointed tips that adorned my ears were a reminder that even I was not invincible.

Putting the needle away, Kris unshackled my cuffs before  standing up and turning away. "Be ready in 5 minutes for training," he ordered before heading towards the door. I hesitated.

“Wait,” I called out and Kris stopped mid-walk.

“Yes?”

“Thanks… Kris,” I whispered. Sure, I resented him for delivering my daily dose of poison but Kris was one of the few vampires that talked to me; for all his snide remarks, his visits were a much needed respite from the pangs of isolation and loneliness that often consumed me.

“Don’t be late,” was all he said before shutting the door.

Grateful for the release from my shackles, I stretched out my limbs and tossed on my training clothes. Though I had hated it at first, sword training was one of the few remaining sparks of hope that fueled me in this cold, god-forsaken place. Lovingly running my hands over the cool metal that once burned me to the touch, I closed my eyes and let thoughts of sword fighting run through my mind.

A quick tap on the door reminded my that I was going to be late if I didn’t hurry and I sheathed my sword.

“Coming!” I called and opened the door to find Kris there waiting.

“Took you long enough,” he complained and began heading towards the training pit. Sticking my tongue out in protest, I jogged to catch up.

“Wait up!” I whined, matching my pace to his. Kris simply smirked.

“I heard the old man is going to let us practice against one another today,” he tossed out, looking for a reaction. My heart leapt in joy. His mouth curved upwards in a small smile as he observed the dumbfounded expression on my face.

“Are you serious?” I shrieked and a smile escaped my lips in my excitement.

As we walked through the city, the inhabitants bowed their heads to Kris and looked at me with something akin to curiosity, especially the Fae that worked here. The pointed tips that adorned my ears clearly marked me as one of them, yet I was not. I was treated differently and they knew why.

“Blood ,” Kris muttered under his breath, catching the glances being sent my way. My heart clenched. Living amongst the vampires were many Fae, who provided both labor and blood for their masters; they were commonly referred to as blood or blood slaves. What Kris seemed to forget, however, was that I myself was nothing more than a blood .

Before long, we reached a large outdoor stadium where vampires practiced their technique and sparred with the others on the field.

As we walked past, the vampires bowed their heads respectfully to their prince; I, however, didn’t miss the glares being sent my way.

“What’s a little fairy doing here? Are you lost?” a male vampire teased. I clenched my fists. Henry, I thought with disgust, he was the son of one of the vampire nobles.

“I might’ve been mistaken but… I thought this was a place for warriors but, if it was, you wouldn’t be here,” I coolly responded, trying my best to control my