Chapter Five

“Ahem.” Zari cleared her throat, trying to catch her Master’s attention as she came to stand behind him.

But it was as if he had lost all his powers and was now a mere mortal, with the way he was unable to sense her presence or even hear her. He continued to survey his men in practice, calling out occasional pointers to rookie soldiers.

“Master, I know you’re just pretending.” No answer. “Master, you’re being so childish. You’re five hundred years old, not five.”

A cold voice in her mind snapped, And you should keep in mind you are contracted as MY pet, not his.

Zari’s eyes lit up. “Exactly what I want to talk about. Because it’s what I want to change—-”

He spun around, his face hard. “You no longer want to be mine?”

This time, she had to bite back a smile. “No, Master. It’s about the contracts.” Looking down, she mumbled, “I still want to be yours. I’ll always want that.”

He didn’t answer, but a moment later, her cheeks burned under his pinching fingers. “You are just too damn cute.”

ONE MOMENT, ALEXANDRU appeared a hair’s breadth away from committing murder. Another second passed, and he was suddenly back to normal, the dangerous light in his eyes fading and the cruel slant of his lips disappearing. Everything was back to normal, too. There was no longer that creepy, electrifying feel in the air, like a nuclear dynamite was about to explode any minute.

Her Master stepped forward, placing Zari behind him like a target to be shielded. Slowly, she looked up at him, but his face was as bland as always. Her gaze moved to the other vampire. He was slightly easier to read, with the way he held himself so stiffly, his stance vigilant for any possible recurrence of danger.

She asked finally, “Master? Is something wrong?”

Zari jumped when she felt Alexandru reach for her hair, curling a lock around his fingers. The gesture felt odd and possessive at the same time, as if her Master wanted to see if she knew whom she belonged to.

Alexandru waited for his pet to move away. Despite all his efforts to teach her, he knew that Zari was far from being used to any display of ownership. He expected her to dodge his touch, but he was stunned instead to find herself striving to keep still, as if she instinctively understood his need to show possession of her.

His gaze locked with hers. “Nothing is wrong, pet. Or at least not on my part.”

The sly smile that followed Alexandru’s words made her feel nervous. When he smiled like that, bad things always tended to happen—-

Still playing with her hair, he said slowly, “But as for the other vampire staring intently at us...” He turned his head to face Erou, and Zari found herself doing the same. “He definitely has a problem.” Not waiting for an answer, he continued, “He told me he wants to claim you as pet. Because I think he has a crush on you.”

Alexandru expected the younger man to deny the words. “Isn’t that right, Lord Erou?”

But he didn’t.

Erou knew what the other vampire was planning. Alexandru wanted to shame him into rejecting the words and thus kill off all chances with the girl. Well, two could play this game. And so he said coolly, “It just may be so.”

At the words, Alexandru’s head immediately snapped towards his pet, just so she could see how fucking serious he was as he growled, Don’t you dare blush. Don’t you dare.

But it was too late—-

She had already blushed.

And with it, she had shown her cutest face to another vampire.

Alexandru immediately pinched both her cheeks, hard, hoping it would distract the other vampire. Disobedient pet.

I’m sorry! I couldn’t help it!

You will pay for this, he told her ominously. Go wait for me in your room.

She started. B-but—-

No buts. That is an order. And hold your cheeks as you go. That is an order, too.

Zari’s mouth opened and closed. Are you serious?

If you do not leave as I say and in the manner I have asked in five seconds, I will go to your class tomorrow and have you come right in front of—-

Zari didn’t hear the rest of her Master’s threat. She took a quick step back, covered her cheeks, and turned to face Lord Erou.

Alexandru’s eyes narrowed. Zari—-

I can’t just leave so rudely, she protested just before she gave Lord Erou a handless curtsy. “It was nice meeting you, Lord Erou,” she mumbled just before racing away.

Alexandru glared at his pet’s fast retreating back. Stubborn and disobedient as ever. He really should punish her soon.

“Why do you not want her to know you care for her?”

Alexandru was grudgingly impressed that the younger lord still had not backed down even after seeing him lose his control. Erou was a strong vampire, and he would get stronger as the years passed. That was a fact, but also equally true was that Erou would never gain enough power to defeat him.

Alexandru said mildly, “You won’t be able to steal her from me.”

Erou inclined his head in acknowledgment. “I know that. But I also know I don’t have to. I have a feeling it’s all a matter of time before you push her away. Before you lose her and only have yourself to blame.”

ZARI FINGERED THE HANDWRITTEN note from her Master. She had been hoping they could enjoy a meal together on his first night back, but apparently that wasn’t to be. She glanced back down at his note.

Something has unfortunately come up that requires my attention.

Rest well and I will see you tomorrow.

Your Master,

A

The note didn’t sound like Alexandru at all. It was too formal, too impersonal. She read it again and again, trying to read between the lines, but there just wasn’t anything she could glean from it except for the fact that her Master appeared too busy for her.

Forcing herself to temporarily set it aside, she moved on to the packet of papers that came with it. Every week, Alexandru would send her new information that his men were able to compile from the ongoing search for her parents.

Going through the papers, she saw with a heavy heart that nothing new had come up – not a single clue about whether they were even alive or dead. Closing her eyes, she prayed for the strength to keep hoping. They’ll come back, she told herself. One day, they’ll come back and everything that happened would just be a bad dream.

A knock sounded on the door, a servant bringing dinner to her room as ordered by her Master. Zari forced herself to finish the meal quickly. She hated feeling weak, and more food in the stomach meant being stronger.

When the vintage alarm clock on her bedside drawer told Zari it was already nine in the evening, Zari decided to take matters in her own hands. Leaving her room, she asked for directions to Alexandru’s room and was directed to the tower housing the teaching staff’s quarters.

On her way, Zari noticed all eyes following her, none of them friendly. She caught bits and pieces of their words, and what she managed to understand made her hurry even more.

I really don’t understand what Alexandru sees in her.

She should be ashamed of herself, letting another vampire feed on her when she’s claimed.

I heard she’s also seduced Lord Erou—-

By the time she reached the other building, Zari was ready to cover her ears. All entrance gates of buildings in LSL were guarded by enforcers. She slowed down, nervously waiting for them to bar her way, but the pair only glanced at her cursorily before letting her pass.

When she reached the door to Alexandru’s room on the third floor, Zari paused, her hand raised. She took several deep breaths, trying to figure out what a good excuse would be—-

From inside the door, she heard Alexandru speaking. “Yes? Is this the enforcers? I would like to report a security issue. Someone is breathing loudly outside my door—-”

Gasping, Zari hastily opened the door. “Master!”

She found Alexandru inside, his chair facing the door, a sly smile on his face, and his phone lying unused on the desk. He had fooled her – again!

“Master!”

His smile widened at the way his pet growled at him like an angry kitty. Legacy pets would never have done that for they would have grown up hearing about him and thus be too in awe of Alexandru. Other human pets wouldn’t have dared, either. They would only think of the billions in his bank account, something he had easily accumulated over the hundreds of years he had lived, and they would never say or do anything he didn’t care about.

But this stubborn, disobedient, cute pet of his?

He patted his lap.

She knew what that meant, knew it would be futile to resist because his powers were no doubt at work now, but even so, she tried anyway. Glaring at her Master, she shook her head.

Come close and let your Master pet you.

No.

What’s the name of that girl in your class? The one who hates you? Maybe I could call her and let her know how you’ve just refused your Master—-

She hurriedly shut the door at the threat and went to him.

Alexandru’s fingers closed around her wrist, pulling her to him until she tumbled against his chest. He caught her in his lap and he immediately took her lips for a kiss. His pet yielded to him at the first touch of his lips on hers, her body softening as her arms went around his neck. Unlike before, he didn’t have to coach her to open her mouth. She welcomed his possession, and possess her he did, thoroughly and passionately, his tongue claiming every inch of her mouth.

When he lifted his head, she was dazed. Normally, that was a good thing, but since she was still recovering from blood loss, it worried him instead and he regretted taking advantage of her immediately.

“Are you all right, pet?” His voice was rough with concern.

The way her Master was looking and talking to her made Zari look down as she muttered awkwardly, “I’m fine.” She remembered what the other girls said and at that moment, she found herself wondering the same thing. She remembered this morning’s reporting, which felt so long ago. What kind of bond did she share with her Master? Was it the kind that could never be broken?

It had her asking in a small voice, “Are you angry with me, Master?”

Alexandru answered readily, “Very much.”

Her head lifted sharply, and she looked like she was about to cry.

It almost tempted him to smile, but he forced himself to maintain a stoic facade. He wanted his pet to pay. For daring to let another vampire feed on her, for actually even listening to another man offer to claim her, and most of all, for making him say ridiculous things because he had, for one very, very short moment, felt that his ownership of her was threatened.

He did not want to feel like that again. She must be made to understand that, and so Alexandru said in his iciest voice, “Do you know the last time I learned about a woman who had not been faithful to me?”

Eyes wide with trepidation, she whispered, “No.”

“I gave her to my men to eat.”

“No!”

“And they ate her, all at the same time—-”

Zari gasped. “You’re kidding...right?”

“I swear on my blood, I am not lying.”

“I see.” She had turned white at the words, knowing that Alexandru did not say such things lightly. If he said that he wasn’t lying, then that was it.

Alexandru watched his pet turn away and start for the door. “Where are you going?”

“To the nearest window.”

His lips twitched. “Why?”

“Oh, I’m just going to kill myself—-”

A laugh escaped him, and a second later, he had blocked her way to the door with the use of his race’s preternatural speed.

As he swept her up in his arms, she demanded worriedly, “Did you really mean what you said?”

Slowly, he nodded, and he laughed again when she struggled anew, trying to get out of his arms. “Zari, relax. I did mean it – but not in the way you think.”

She wailed, “Eating is eating even if they don’t chew before they swallow—-”

He laughed harder. Making his way to his bedroom, Alexandru gently laid her down on his bed. Then he flicked her forehead. “Idiot. Do you really think I would let any harm befall you?”

She didn’t answer, her gray eyes filled with apprehension.

He flicked her forehead again. “They were eating her body...for mutual pleasure.”

It took her a few seconds to understand what he meant. “Oh.” She shook her head, the images his words invoked making her swallow convulsively, and she blurted out, “Like...a buffet?”

He choked, managing to say, “I suppose you could say that.”

Gnawing on her lip, she asked haltingly, “And...you...Master? Did you...try the buffet, too?”

His smile turned sly. “If I said yes?”

She thought hard about it. “I’m going to cry.”

His jaw dropped at the unexpected response, but when she only continued to look at him with a mulish expression, his smile slowly returned, but this time it was one of approval. “You are getting as good as me at blackmail.” He pinched her cheek, hard enough to make her squeal. “I’m not sure it’s a good thing, though.”

She reminded him, “But you still haven’t answered my question, Master.”

He said solemnly, “I did not, as you put it, try the buffet.”

“Why didn’t you?” She held her breath as she waited for his answer.

He said simply, “I hate sharing.” He was about to say something else when they heard his phone ring from the outer room.

When a frustrated look flittered over his face, she asked, “What is it?”

“A call from one of my men. They are the only ones who know my number.” Reluctantly, Alexandru pulled away from his pet, leaving one knee on the bed as he straightened.

The sudden distance between her Master and her was painful. She wanted to call him back to him but bit her lip to keep the words inside her. A thought occurred to Zari, and sitting up, she asked, “So...when you wrote the note about something needing your attention, you really weren’t lying?”

He flicked her forehead. “What do you think?”

“I think you like avoiding giving me straight answers, Master.”

He rolled his eyes. “Between you and me, which of us do you think utters more lies?” He shook his head in exasperation. “Of course it was true.” His voice gentled. “We had been parted for a long time. I wouldn’t have given up the time I have with you if it was not something important.” He paused, as if realizing what he had just said.

Dammit! What had he just said?

She gasped. “Master, you’re blush—-”

“Don’t. Say. Another. Word.” He glared at her. “I think you’re also a bully yourself, pet. You like making me say the most ridiculous things.” Turning away and walking to the door, he said over his shoulder, “I must leave the room for a while and let the headmaster know that I’ve received the call we’ve been waiting for.”

“I don’t want to,” she said automatically.

But he only laughed and closed the door behind him.

Alone in his bed, she tossed and turned but couldn’t make herself fall asleep. She opened his bedside drawer, hoping to find something to read, but instead she found a piece of parchment with her name written below.

It took her a while to understand the words since it was written in Chalysian. It was a contract of claiming, with her name and Alexandru’s – but unsigned. Did it mean she was not his pet, after all?