World So Cold

Waking up I stared around the room. I cast my senses out looking for Richard but did not feel his presence. I felt the presence of his maid though. Getting out of bed I put on the simple dress that was waiting for me and made my way downstairs.

“Good morning, Miss Medici,” said the maid as a greeting. “Would you like some breakfast now?”

“If you would please,” I said thankfully. I had never learned to cook before. We had servants for that. Now I wished I had. I felt guilty for having Charlotte, the maid, do all of the work.

Later in the day Richard came home. He sent Charlotte to the store to fetch some more food and clothes for me. I was very grateful that they had let me stay here. It had been about two weeks now. Last week I had just snapped out of my spirit state.

Before I hadn’t remembered how to talk, read, or even walk for that matter. I had floated everywhere, unbound by gravity. Then I woke up one day and I remembered everything. My view of the world wasn’t so naïve either.

It was during the time that Charlotte was away that I began to hungry. Since she wasn’t here I decided that I was going to make myself something. Going into the kitchen I decided to make myself lunch. As I was using a knife I managed to slice my finger.

Immediately I dropped the knife and looked at the blood swelling out of the cut. It was deep red and seemed to be spilling fast. Suddenly I heard Richard at the entrance to the kitchen. He had probably heard the clatter or smelled the blood.

I turned to him my eyes wide, about to ask for help, when I saw the look on his face. He stared straight at the cut on my finger, at the blood still coming out. It was now dripping on the floor. Immediately I tried to hide it behind my back.

When I did that Richard’s head snapped to my face. His face wasn’t the same one I was used to seeing. It was still the same handsome features, but all the kindness and compassion had disappeared. I saw him now as the monster most people would.

Quickly in the blink of an eye he was standing in front of me. He grabbed my arm and forced me to reveal the wound. At the sight of it and probably the smell I saw his face change. He was no longer Richard. He was a monster, an animal. And I was the prey.

He stuck my finger in his mouth where I could slightly feel the graze of his fangs. He sucked the blood off my finger, closing his eyes in bliss. He then dropped my hand and his eyes immediately shot to my neck. “Richard, please don’t do th—.” My protests were cut off as he bit into my neck and I screamed.

“Juliet,” said Stefan touching my hand. I hadn’t realized until he did that my hands were shaking. Quickly I stopped it, fighting to remain in control. Don’t let your emotions get the best of you. That was what I always told myself. It’s what I lived by.

“So Richard turned you into a vampire then,” said Damon. He didn’t phrase it as a question but acted like he knew exactly how it was going to play out. But, no. My fate was worse than that. Compared to what I went through, being a vampire wasn’t all too bad.

“No,” I said shaking my head. “It couldn’t ever be that simple,” I said. A smile appeared on my face even though the least I felt like doing was smiling. “He managed to just gain control before I truly died,” I said bitterly.

“So he fed me his blood to keep me alive. Richard wasn’t stupid. He knew he could just tap my blood whenever he wanted. After the first taste, the first smell, he was gone. The Richard I knew was gone and in place was an animal, a vampire.

“From that day forward he’d take a little of my blood every day. He’d force it out of me.” I could feel tears begin to form. I didn’t remember those days, I’d blocked them long ago. But the pain, the feeling of blood being forcibly drawn from me, that’s stayed with me. It’s something you don’t forget, you can’t.

“Everyday Richard grew more powerful,” I said pushing on with the story. I was determined to get it out now. “After a month he was probably one of the most powerful. And he got greedy. He didn’t just want Power, he wanted wealth. So he took me to a city. There he rented a house, one that was sure to have a basement. He didn’t want anyone seeing me.”

I didn’t dare protest, or make a sound as I was thrown into the basement. I desperately gripped at the railing to keep from falling down the stairs. The door slammed behind me and I was left in the dark, gloomy place. Luckily I could channel Power into my eyes and I made my way down to the bottom of the basement.

At the bottom lied a bed, more like a cot. It wasn’t in good condition and I missed the bed I had grown used to before. I even missed my luxurious bed back in Florence. But that was years ago and there was no going back now.

Other than the bed the place was virtually empty. I pushed my hair away from my face. I winced as I felt the dirt and grime in it. I knew dirt must have smudged my face and dried blood had to be on my neck and clothes.

My clothes were ripped and torn, tattered from fighting back. Where Richard had forcefully held me down, pinned me and drank from me. Sometimes his nails would act like claws and he’d tear at my skin in his bloodlust.

I was left with only a dress that ended at the knee leaving me terribly exposed. It was nothing lavish or expensive. Just a plain thin layer of cloth, if not for my own Power I would freeze during the nights.

I sat down on the bed and curled into a ball. I shut the Power off in my vision and stared off into the darkness. I couldn’t even see the hand in front of my face. Laying down I prayed for sleep. My dreams were my only escape. They were the only thing that kept me going.

But before I even got into a deep sleep I was woken up by the basement door opening. I sat up immediately. Some light shines down the stairs and I can see a shadow but nothing more. Slowly and methodically I hear steps coming down the stairs. I can feel my heart beating erratically in my chest.

Who steps into view is not who I expected. It’s neither Richard nor Charlotte. Instead it’s someone entirely unexpected. It’s a man with black hair and dark brown eyes. He’s handsome and moves with grace. Upon seeing me a smile lights his features.

“Well, hello there pretty,” he says. Then I was sent backwards, pushing up against the headboard of my bed, as hard as I could. I was hoping, praying that I’d melt into, dissolve, anything but be stuck there with him.

His voice was predatory, his smile was sickly sweet and held malice of such I hadn’t dreamed. And as he was talking his fangs had protruded from his mouth, his eyes becoming bloodshot. He was a vampire. And I could tell he wasn’t here to play.

In a blur of motion he was standing right in front of me as I tried to make myself as small as possible. He breathed deeply in through his nose while closing his eyes. He made a satisfactory noise before opening his eyes again and looking at me.

“You smell even better than he described. A gold mine of Power.” He put a finger under my chin and tilted my head up. He gazed into my eyes before moving to my exposed throat. “Gorgeous too,” he mused. He seemed to be talking more to himself than me.

His finger traveled along my jaw and eventually to my throat where he kept stroking it and staring. I moved to push his hand away when lightening fast his other hand grasped mine in a vice grip. I could practically feel my fingers almost breaking.

His whole demeanor and attitude shifted then. No longer was he content to just stare and wonder. Now he wanted action, blood. He wanted blood. Lunging for my throat his fangs pierced my artery and I could feel the blood being pulled from my body. I felt it in my neck, my veins, my heart, and my soul. Having something taken from you, something so precious, so private, was agony.

And despite the pain, despite all that I’ve gone through so far, I refused to surrender. I refused to give in and allow him to take my blood. I fought him all the way. I tried to pry him off me though it was useless. And just before I was to pass out he pulled back. His face still a vampire, his mouth and fangs covered in moist blood made darker by the shadows.

I tried to move away from him them but was unsuccessful. The instant I moved his eyes locked back onto me and his grip held me in place. “Beautiful, beautiful maiden,” he murmured quietly once again seeming to speak to himself.

His hand traveled down my side resting on my hip. Something seemed to shift in his eyes, some decision made. His hand moved from hip to the hem of my dress, pausing for a second before beginning to push it up.

I began to struggle with renewed virtue. There was no way that was happening. I tried everything I could. But he still held me and if anything my efforts were just pushing my dress up further. Looking at him I could see his arousal. “There’s no use fighting it,” he said to me. I gave a loud scream that seemed to echo in the space around us.

Suddenly there was a loud bang. Before I had time to wonder what the noise was Richard was standing behind the man. He pulled him off of me by the neck and I quickly tried to fix my dress, covering myself as much as possible.

But Richard’s eyes were not on me. They were on the man he was holding above the ground. The guy struggling to get out of Richard’s death grip. Richard’s gaze held such rage that it made me look away for an instant.

Taking the man Richard slammed him into the hard stone wall. I heard the crack of bones and the man’s efforts to get free stopped. “I told you not to take advantage her,” hissed Richard.

“She’s just so…magnificent,” said the man, his gaze straying to me. Richard slammed him again into the wall and the man’s gaze snapped away from me.

“I should tear you apart right now,” snarled Richard. “But I’m going to let you off with a warning.” He released his grasp from the man and stepped away from him. Bewildered the man stared at him wondering if he really was off the hook. “Be gone,” said Richard making it clear that any second he could snap. The man took off so quick I couldn’t see it.

Richard stood there in the dim light seeming to collect and reign in his anger. “Thank you,” I said suddenly speaking up. Maybe the old Richard was still in there, the one that had seemed to care about me. Maybe I could be saved and out of this mess. But just as quickly as the thoughts came they vanished.

Richard looked at me, disgust written in his eyes. “If you weren’t pure your blood wouldn’t be as good,” he said simply, matter-of-fact. There was no remorse at all. And then I knew it was over. I was stuck like this.

Richard hadn’t saved me from that man because he cared, he’d saved me because it was better for my blood, better for him. He didn’t want his Power compensated in the least. I was nothing to him. Nothing but a tap of Power he’d take whenever he’d want.