#Chapter Two A Handsome Stranger

The journey to the castle was tiring and painful.

Bound by iron shackles, all of us were kept in a trailer, where we were separated into individual cages. The world whizzed by through the barred windows, allowing only a glimpse of the countryside with rolling green hills and clusters of trees in the distance.

Mr. Cliff took more precautions with me than the others, tying my wrists to one of the bars so I couldn’t move. The ache in my shoulder had steadily increased with every bump and jerk of the trailer, the joint threatening to pull out of its socket by the time we reached the castle.

It was a monstrosity so large that I could only relate it to one of those paintings I’d seen as a child that used to be hung above my mother’s fireplace. Stone spires towered towards the sky, casting gloomy shadows upon the earth as the trailer came to a stop beside a drawn bridge. It crossed a moat that led into the belly of the castle, boisterous laughter filling the silence from the plethora of nobility inside.

One by one, Mr. Cliff unlocked the cages, holding the children by a leash wrapped around their necks. The collar hung loosely along their collarbones, but mine was kept so tight it was hard to swallow at times.

Mr. Cliff paused before my cage, leering over my physical state. I had changed into a cotton gown that was hardly as fancy as the others, and I was allowed to bathe to clear the dirt from my skin. My curly hair hung in a tight braid that ended just beneath my breast, but the humidity outside on the ride over caused the frizz to take over.

“You will remain here until the deal with the noble is finished,” he sneered. His beady eyes ran over me again, clucking his tongue with distaste. “Even when you try your hardest, it still isn’t enough.”

My heart remained in my throat as Mr. Cliff led the rest of the group out, despising how he knew just what to say to strike me where it hurt the most. The girls' gushings of the prince faded into the distance until only soft music filled the tiny confines of the trailer.

Since I arrived at the orphanage when I was six, I’ve had the unfortunate privilege of watching the Selection process more times than I’d like to admit. The prince was the first descendant of the Vampire King. Heir to his throne. Because of that, the royal family had tried countless times to find him a pet he desired, only to draw up short.

My stomach was raw from how empty it was, the burning sensation only worsening at the thought of who the prospect was that had interest in buying me as their pet. This was my first time at the castle, and soon enough, I’d belong to someone else to beat and punish in ways far worse than Mr. Cliff had.

With panic consuming me, I attempted to jerk against the chains, wincing when they dug into my skin. It only caused the ball beneath my feet to roll against the metal floor, banging loudly against the bars.

“Dammit,” I muttered.

I refused to conform to the same fate as everyone else. I wouldn’t allow my blood to be sucked dry, to be beaten, raped, and used like a ragdoll for another’s pleasure. It revolted me. It infuriated me. It—

“Why aren’t you inside?”

At the sound of a deep voice, my head popped up to find a man leaning against the door of a trailer with a pipe in his hand. He frowned at the chains binding my wrists, blowing another drag of smoke into the air as he awaited my response, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t form a coherent sentence.

This man…

He was the most attractive person I’d ever seen. That sounded ridiculous when vampires were known for their intoxicating appearance. They were created to lure and entice humans they came into contact with.

Brown hair curled at the nape of his neck, which matched the color of his eyes, except… Normally, where a vampire’s eyes were crimson, his were a caramel brown with only a red ring encircling the iris.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the fullness of his lips as they formed an O shape to blow another ring into the air. His tall, muscular body leaned against the door like he didn’t have a care in the world, wearing only dress pants and a crisp linen shirt with two buttons left undone at the top. If I wasn’t mistaken, I was pretty sure I caught a swirl of ink beneath—

“Do you speak another language?” he asked.

It wasn’t demeaning the way he said it, but it had irritation bubbling up my throat until I snapped, “Isn’t it obvious why I’m not inside?” I jerked at the chains again, mentally cursing myself that the man before me was clearly nobility. Pet prospects were forbidden to talk back.

My face paled at my abrasiveness. “I’m s-sorry,” I stammered. “I didn’t mean to—”

The man snorted, waving his hand to halt me. “Don’t stop on my account. It’s…refreshing, if I’m being honest.”

“As opposed to…?”

He smiled, showcasing a set of pearly white teeth. “People walking on eggshells rather than speak their true feelings.”

My brows furrowed at the peculiar, devilishly handsome man. Most vampires viewed pets as objects and nothing more. They weren’t allowed to be given a voice, certainly not an opinion, at that. To hear his perspective revolted against everything I’d been taught as a prospect.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

I knew better than to lie or withhold information, especially from nobility.

“Aria,” I replied.

“Aria,” he repeated, as if testing it out. “I like that. Now what’s the real reason you’re in here?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

His lips quirked up. “You’re fond of that response, aren’t you?”

“What? No. Sorry, I just meant…” I glanced down at my dress, frowning at the dirt stain that had already formed from the bars. “I am not suitable to be a pet.”

“Because you speak your mind?”

I shook my head, smiling sadly. “No. Because I don’t look like the rest.”

The man narrowed his eyes, as if baffled by my response. Why was he out here? Everyone was bidding on pets, and he clearly wasn’t the noble interested in purchasing me when he didn’t even know my name.

“No, you don’t,” he admitted, stepping into the trailer. He approached the bars, and without lifting a finger, the iron bent to his will, creating an opening for me to pass through. Next, the shackles were released from my wrists, leaving only the collar around my neck and the dangling leash. “Some would debate that not looking like the others is an attribute rather than a hindrance.”

“What are you doing?” I asked, refusing to acknowledge his advice. He bent iron without so much as breaking a sweat, which meant he was a powerful vampire. “You’ll get in trouble for this. Mr. Cliff has a buyer interested in me, and they’ll be sure to come looking for me soon.”

The man laughed and grabbed my leash, loosening the collar around my neck until it hung around my collarbone like the others. “I highly doubt that. Now come. We have a Selection to attend.”