The Diamond Crown Casino was in a 45-story building. The gambling games were placed on two floors, but they were merely a part of the entertainment the Diamond Crown Casino was providing. There was an enormous theatrical part of the building with five stages prepared to accommodate over ten thousand people in the audience seats. The rest of the building was taken by banquet halls, conference rooms, swimming pools, wellness and beauty salons, and, of course, the grand, luxurious hotel. Knowing that it was easy to imagine how much money was running through this place every day. The sum surely had a number of zeros that could make a head spin.
Carla met me right outside the building. The casino's crew for the event took all of the dishes out of Carla's truck. She prepared every dish carefully in advance, putting it all on separate, ready-to-serve plates. All of her appetizers, finger sandwiches, and sweets simply needed to be unwrapped and taken by the waitresses.
After
We all put down our trays, mostly still filled with food, on the big metal table standing in the kitchen area, and wondered if our work was over. Suddenly, we became surrounded by the casino workers. "Is the event now over? Do you want us to do anything else?" Carla asked someone who looked like the staff's manager. I could see that she was trying to stay composed, but at the same time, she kept clenching her fists just to prevent them from shaking. I stood right beside her, trying to help her keep calm, but I was trembling inside as well. The manager looked Carla up and down and smirked. "You all have done an amazing job. Now, we need you to go through the door on the other side of the room," he said casually. "And what is it behind that door?" Carla inquired nervously. "Your only way out," he stated, grinning. That smile of his was soaked in pretended courtesy. His eyes were cunning and cold, and those other casino employees
I felt uncomfortable. My arms hurt, and I could barely feel my fingertips. As I was slowly regaining my consciousness, I realized I was kneeling on some dusty floor with my hands chained high above my head and attached to some kind of vault. I had handcuffs that were severely hurting my wrists. I was unable to tell how long I had hung in such an unbearable position. I must have overstretched my arms several times while being unconscious because I could barely move them, but at the same time, I was completely unable to stand on my feet. I could only hang, hoping that my strength would return quickly… I was cold. I looked at myself and saw that my costume was gone. I was wearing a simple white dress with shoulder straps, and I was barefoot. The dress's fabric was light and airy, which made me shiver as if I was naked. When my vision became less blurry, I saw I was inside something that looked like a human-size round birdcage. The place where I was looked like a basemen
The rest of the evaluation proceeded in silence. All the caged girls were trembling in fear, and those whose blood was examined prayed that they would prove themselves worthy to be placed at this cruel auction. I kept clenching my teeth and fists. Anger overflowed from every cell in my body. "This isn't right! We are not some merchandise they can sell or throw away if something is below their expectations!" I fumed inside my head. I could smell the stink of blood slowly drying on the basement ground. It was nauseating and horrifying at the same time. I couldn't stop thinking of the girl's last words, and about her daughter who would grow up without her mother. The sound of her pleading voice rang inside my head. She was ill, but she wanted to live. She had chances to prolong her life. She deserved to live! What kind of monsters would do something like that?! Even the wolves I met had never been this calculated and cruel! I was full of rage on the insi
Instantly, the murmurs filled the audience hall. As the commotion increased, I could see the evil sparks in the eyes of those who were invited to the auction. Their gazes were filled with a horrifying desire to devour me. They made me uncontrollably shudder. The fear paralyzed me to the point I couldn't breathe, and I could barely hear the distorted sound of their laughter that sometimes overpowered the auctioneer's voice through the microphone. The numbers they bid on grew fast. I could hear the auctioneer calling for one million dollars, two million, three… Those bidders were standing up, fighting each other, and I kept wondering why. I used to read once about rich, old people giving themselves blood transfusions of younger ones just to prolong their lives. Was that what it was about? Seriously, I couldn't let myself think of anything else, although my mind kept wandering around with strange thoughts, ones I was unable to come to terms with… I learned about the exi
It looked like my only chance was to surrender. I knew that my mental and physical state didn't give me any chance against those people. Besides, were they even human? Mr. Gotha and those around him kept staring inside the room full of corpses, but there was something strange in their eyes. They didn't seem to be looking at a scene of a horrific murder, but more like a pile of spoiled food that had to be thrown away. There was also some kind of terrifying superiority in the way they were looking at me, yet I certainly found their company much safer than being around those people from the casino… I slightly nodded my head, agreeing to go with them. Mr. Gotha smirked, then grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room filled with blood. He looked me up and down and clicked his tongue. I certainly didn't look presentable. The simple white dress, the only piece of clothing I was wearing, was painted in red, as well as my feet, most of my body, and hair. I stood there looking int
It took me more than an hour to wash off the blood from my body, then to wipe the stains I left on the floor. Afterwards, I wore a night gown that was prepared for me in my chamber, and I lay down in bed. It was a restless and mostly sleepless night. This wasn't the first time I was haunted by nightmares, but this time they were far too vivid. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Carla's face covered in blood and her expression distorted by an agonizing grimace. In my nightmares, she kept calling my name, begging me to save her while I was locked inside my cage, using all my strength to break the bars. After waking up screaming for the third time, I kept my eyes open until dawn. I got up from bed at 6 AM and spent half an hour washing my face in cold water to reduce the swelling in my exhausted face. Afterwards, I sat on the bed and anxiously waited for someone to come for me. I didn't even grab the door handle by myself. I figured that walking out of this room wouldn't be a g
I gasped and turned my head away from Sariel, unintentionally exposing my neck. He smirked, and leaned even closer, nearly touching my skin. I could feel his cool breath. It gave me a tickling sensation that quickly flooded my entire body. "Your smell… It makes me want to devour you whole," he whispered seductively. His words triggered my heart. It began pounding, uncontrollably. He chuckled. "Don't get too excited or I won't be able to stop myself from sinking my teeth into your neck," he said, smirking, then moved away from me. I blushed. I couldn't help it. Everything about him was captivating me, to the point where I ignored all my fear. "When your heart is rushing, it increases your scent. It makes me want to mark you…" Sariel snickered. "To m-mark me?" I asked hesitantly. "You know, to leave my teeth marks and make you mine," he explained casually while gazing straight into my eyes. Chills ran through my entire bo
I nervously played with a strand of my hair while looking for words to describe my situation. I didn't know if I could trust Sariel, and I didn't know what he would do with the knowledge I was about to give him. Every fantasy book about werewolves and vampires pictured them as mortal enemies, and as I could recall, Sariel, as a vampire, wasn't fond of werewolves either. How could I now tell him that I was actually a daughter of two alphas and that my father was the leader of the pack?! "My story is… complicated," I began, laughing hysterically. He stayed persistent. "I'm quite certain that I will understand," he said. "Well, as you know, I am a human, but…" My hesitant speech was suddenly interrupted by someone knocking on the door. Sariel clicked his tongue. "Come in!" he called out harshly. A servant hurriedly walked into the room and bowed in front of Sariel. "Master, there is an urgent message from the council," he conveyed