Bloody Roses

@ FallenHope95

Alaric grabbed the plate out of the air before it hit him, turning to look back at her with a raised eyebrow. "You're close with that other girl, no?" He asked, boredly examining the plate. If she was, he could use her as leverage.

---

Alma frowned as he mentioned his brother, looking up at him with wide eyes as he threatened to kill Aelia, shaking her head a little. "Y-You wouldn't.." She whispered weakly, tensing in his arms, her lower lip trembling a bit in fright.

@ katahdin
The fact that Alaric caught that plate mid-air caused Aelia to freeze. Her eyes widen in surprise and her lips part in awe. "Woah." She murmured quietly, staring at him in awe. Then, at his words, she shook her head and cleared her throat. "Y-yes?" She murmured quietly.

--

"Oh love, I would and I would enjoy it oh so much as well." He murmured quietly as he looked down at her. "Although, I won't lay a hand on her in one. Tiny, condition." He murmured as he used the hand that was on her shoulder to gently caress her jaw. "Obey."

@ FallenHope95

Alaric hummed a little in thought, glancing up to look at her for a moment before looking back at the plate. "I see. Well, may I suggest you control your temper and tongue. After all, it would be a shame if anything were to happen to your friend." He said, snapping the plate in two as he spoke before tossing the halves back to her on the bed.

---

Alma frowned, her eyes welling with tears, causing her glasses to fog up a little because of the moisture. She whimpered as he took her jaw in his hand, biting her lip nervously. "O-Ok.." She whispered reluctantly, voice trembling.

@ katahdin
As soon as the plate broke in half, Aelia felt her whole body flinch. A sense of fear filled her body as well as they want to protect her friend. "Y-yes, sir." She murmured quietly, watching silently as the plate landed on the bed. "Sorry, sir."

--

"Pledge to me your loyalty," Salem said, smirking at the reaction that he was getting from Alma. He loved that he was getting through to her. "Pledge your life to me." He gently stroked her chin once more to calm her down again.

@ FallenHope95

Alaric smirked a little at her reaction. "Good. I'll send someone in shortly to help you bathe." He said before turning and leaving the room, heading down the hall to his small personal study, finding it more comfortable than the one he shared with his brother.

---

Alma's lower lip trembled as tears leaked down her cheeks, sniffling a little as she pushed her glasses up to rub at her eyes, nodding a little. "I-I promise.." She whispered, looking up at him nervously. "I-I promise I'll be good.." She whispered.

@ katahdin
Lia stayed frozen in her spot as she watched Alaric leave. She had no idea what to do now, she needed to protect Alma. As a girl came in to help her bathe, Lia didn't say anything as she followed her to the bathroom to get cleaned up. Paying extra care to the bruise on her beck before she dried off and changed.

--

Salem grinned as Alma submitted to him. Although, it wasn't against her free will, still. She had just agreed to be a good little pet to him. "Good girl." He mused as he leaned over and placed a soft kiss to her cheek, then, he pulled away slightly. "Now, why don't you stop crying? You're too pretty to cry."

@ FallenHope95

Alaric looked up from his reading when he smelled her step out of the bathroom, able to smell the fresh blood pumping through her skin. He asked that one of the guards bring her to him, wanting her to see more of the castle than just her lousy room.

---

Alma sniffled, trembling as he pressed the kiss to her cheek, moving away from him when he told her to stop crying, looking down at her lap as she pulled off her glasses to wipe at her eyes, nodding quickly as she tried to get herself under control before he hurt her or something. "I-I'm sorry.."

@ katahdin
It felt nice and relaxing having taken a shower. Lia felt clean, not to mention she got to wash away any bad bacteria she could have had on her from Alaric's bite. "I missed showers." She murmured quietly as she stepped out of the room.
Only to freeze as a guard came to take her somewhere. Lia didn't argue, instead, she grew a little fidgety. Not sure if she was in more trouble. "I swear I didn't do it." Was the first thing that left Lia's lips as she saw Alaric once more.

--

A snort left Salem as he watched Alma, amused that she was listening. Maybe she wasn't so hard to tame after all. "Good girl." He murmured as he leaned back and just watched her silently for a moment.
Dark eyes roamed the girl in front of him. So pretty, so full of life. "You know, you're quite lucky." He mused, licking his lips as he started to feel a little hungry, but held the want to bite her back. "Want to know why?"

@ FallenHope95

Alaric chuckled at her words, leaning back in his chair as he looked at her. "Oh? And what are you supposed to not have done?" He asked curiously, grinning at her as he gestured for her to take a seat wherever she wanted in the study.

---

Alma sniffled as she wiped at her eyes, unable to quiet get her tears under control, but who could blame her. She was terrified, and half convinced she was going to die, so of course she was crying. She glanced over at him when he spoke again, looking at him nervously before speaking softly. "Wh-Why..?"

@ katahdin
"Uh, uh, um," Lia mumbled, her hands fidgeting slightly in front of her. "Being...bad?" She finished. Not really sure where she was going with her words, to begin with. Then, she slowly walked into the study, taking a seat on a chair that was to the right of the room. Her gaze looking around as she took in the grandness of the study.

--

"Because of darling." Salem murmured quietly as he reached out and played with a strand of her hair between his pointer finger and thumb. "You are a pet to a king." He grinned as he said his title. "For, if you were simply given to the soldiers, I'm sure your body would have been pillaged already and you'd be nothing but an empty shell."

@ FallenHope95

Alaric laughed, running his hand through his hair as he watched her sit, grinning a little. "I never accused you of anything. Why would you deny something if you weren't guilty?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. He knew that she hadn't done anything, but thought that it was fun to mess with her, especially if she thought that she would get into trouble.

---

Alma shuddered at his words, biting her lower lip to keep it from trembling as she thought over what he said, feeling like she might vomit if she weren't careful. She glanced over at him with fearful eyes, resisting the urge to swat his hand away, not wanting to anger him.

@ katahdin
Listening to Alaric speak, Aelia opened her mouth to respond but couldn't think of anything. Instead, she just closed her mouth again and looked away. He got her, she didn't really know what she was doing or talking about. "Why am I here?" Lia asked, changing the subject, her hands moving to fiddle nervously with the end of her dress.

--

"Imagine, yourself. Lying on a cold floor, naked. Hungry vampires all around you." He pulled his hand back as he relaxed in his spot. "Your blood dripping from multiple lips," Salem smirked. "Thank the heavens you only have to satisfy my hunger. That's so much easier to do." He mused, watching the girl cowering in fear.

@ FallenHope95

Alaric chuckled as he watched her mouth gape like a fish, giving a little shrug when she asked why she was in his company once more. "I assumed that you wouldn't want to be cooped up in your room the entire time. It's a large palace, plenty of rooms to explore." He said, leaning back in his chair.

---

Alma shuddered as he spoke, she buried her face in her hand as little sobs shook through her at the image he placed in her head. She was terrified that if she pissed him off enough he would send her to the very people he was describing now, but she was also terrified of what he would do to her, imagining it would be just as bad.

@ katahdin
At Alaric's words, Aelia arched an eyebrow. Becoming a little interested in the possibility of exploring this large place. "So, then are you giving me free rein or something?" She asked, hoping he'd say yes so she could just walk out of the room instead of staying and having an odd conversation with him.

--

The King vampire sat silently, allowing for the girl to cry to her heart's content. Letting her dry up before he would try and get her to have some fun with him. "Now, are you done crying? Or are you going to make yourself sick?" He asked, his growing boredom evident in his tone as he looked at her.

@ FallenHope95

Alaric smirked a little and shrugged. "Within reason, you're free to explore. A guard will be with you at all times, as there are certain rooms and areas that are off limits to you.. Such as my brother's wing of the castle and the dungeons." He explained as he watched her, knowing she wanted to be away from him. "However, if I want your presence I expect to receive it."

---

Alma sniffled, quickly wiping her eyes as she took a deep breath, clearing her throat to try to calm her nerves. "Y-Yes Sir.. I-Im sorry.. Sir.." she stammered, accidentally knocking her glasses off in her rush to wipe her eyes, freezing as they clattered to the floor. She didn't dare move away from his side to pick them up, worried he would be more angry with her.

@ katahdin
The thought of being able to explore on her own pleased Aelia greatly and she couldn't help but jump up in excitement. "Okay!" Lia said excitedly as she felt like she was a little bubbly with excitement. Maybe it was something Alaric was doing, but, Lia was really interested in exploring. Even though she knew she should probably be terrified.
The instant, Alaric mentioned she'd have to come to his presence when he wanted her though. Caused Lia to roll her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Can I go now?" She asked, slowly backing away to the door.

--

A heavy sigh escaped from Salem as he rolled his eyes at Alma's reaction. Sure, he was happy with her finally calming down, but now she was a mess again. Reaching down, Salem grabbed her glasses. He breathed on them to make them foggy and then wiped them with his shirt for her so that she could see.
"Good, now come here." He murmured, motioning for her to lay against his side. He wanted her to relax, so as soon as she'd touch him, he'd try and help her feel better. "I've not dealt with a wild human in so long, do you all cry so much?"

@ FallenHope95

Alaric rolled his eyes before waving her off, glad that she was at least excited about exploring her new home, hoping it would make it easier for her to live here in the castle. The tricky part was getting her used to the idea of her being his.

---

Alma thanked him softly when he returned her glasses, doing as she was told and scooting closer to lay against his side, relaxing instantly as she did. She shook her head a little at his question. "No, they don't.. I'm sorry." She didn't understand why she was apologizing for being terrified, but part of her wanted him to like her, and couldn't help but feel like she was just a disappoingment to him.

@ katahdin
As soon as she got the okay, Lia was out the door and looking at everything with wide eyes. There were a tall dark and well-built man following her, but she didn't care. She got to explore. "Wow." Aelia murmured as she stumbled into the lounge on Alaric's side. Taking in the grandness of the room. Then, she slowly started to make her way to other parts of the wing.

--

A slow nod was Salem's reaction to Alma's reply. Wondering how he got so unlucky to have taken in the crybaby of the bunch. "Do your people practice witchcraft?" He asked, moving along on his questioning. Wanting to learn about the mainland that he had missed out on in the past couple of years they had been banished to the island. "Or do you have any apothecary?"

@ FallenHope95

There were numerous bedrooms in Alaric's wing, including his own, although he didn't really use it to sleep much anymore. There were also rooms that were just filled with art or books, as well as the rooms of his other pets, which the guard prevented her from going in. Alaric remained in his study, assuming that once she got bored or had enough questions she would return.

---

Alma shook her head a little, finding the idea of witchcraft silly. "No, we have doctors and medicine.. Why? Are you sick?" She asked before realizing she probably shouldn't have. She frowned a little in thought, unable to help but notice his displeasure with her. "Are... Are you going to send me back to the dungeons.. exchange me for someone else?"

@ katahdin
The castle was so big, it was like a history nerds wet dream. "This place is actually kinda cool." Aelia murmured quietly, dragging her fingers against the cool stone wall as she walked. Her dark blue gaze looking up at the pretty paintings that decorated the wall. She had seen most of the wing, growing kinda bored being on her own.

"Alaric?" Aelia asked, knocking on his study's door. The guard let out a small growl of disapproval, which caused Lia to jump slightly as she looked at him then to Alaric. "I-I mean Sir Alaric?" She really didn't know how to address him.

--

Being asked if he was sick caused Salem to snort. He's been around a couple hundred years, drinking blood from humans, and she wondered if he was sick? That was too amusing. "No girl, I'm dead. I don't get sick." He mused as he looked down at her in amusement. His lips twitching into a smirk as he looked at her.

"Now, why in the world would I give up all of my hard work? Just to have to deal with another wild human?" Salem asked, arching an eyebrow. "Do you want me to send you back there?" He asked, licking his lips. "Do you want to feed multiple vampires?"