Chapter 33

Olivia’s POV

The blunt, and rather rude, question caught me off guard and I blinked, trying to right myself mentally. Was this fellow slave really asking me if I was whoring myself out for my power and privilege?

Some memories surfaced in my mind, mostly of the pleasures of Damien’s bite, which made me blush even now. I hated myself for this. I didn’t want to admit to this kind of thing, especially because my body mostly reacted on its own in those cases.

It wasn’t as if I sought Damien out because I wanted any of this. I didn’t know why I had caught his attention really, nor did I really understand why he kept me alive.

“I think he just likes the taste of my blood,” I said.

“Don’t answer her,” Angela told me, then glared at the other woman. “What the hell kind of question is that? We’re all slaves here.”

The woman who asked the question frowned. “She’s not like us, Angela. She’s up loafing in the tower while we slave away down here.”

“She’s a blood well for the vampire Duke,” Angela snapped. “That’s not as glamorous as you think.”

“I don’t know,” said the other girl, and a few more around us also seemed skeptical. “She gets all these special privileges. The guards should have at least taken her to the dungeons. Instead, they let both of you go, and we got fed.”

“Olivia is taking on the dangers to benefit the rest of us,” Angela said. She frowned at the other girls, who did seem slightly cowed by her scolding.

I watched her, feeling somewhat amazed myself. Angela was genuinely standing up for me in a way that I was certain she never would have done before a few moments ago, when I had stepped in for her, to save us both from the guards.

Something between us seemed to have changed now. The anger and hurt was muted, and in its place, there seemed to be a spark of friendship and maybe, hopefully, forgiveness.

The other girls backed off then, at least enough for us to return to our own meals. I could still hear them snickering, whispering to each other.

In a way, I could understand the confusion. From the outside, they must have looked at my position and saw how good the positives were. They didn’t know the negatives. They didn’t understand that I might sleep in the tower but it was on the floor.

They could only see the advantages.

After a bit more whispering, the girls looked back to me. Angela immediately started glaring at them, but they remained bold.

“My question was rude. We didn’t mean any offense,” said the girl beside me, perhaps her way of apologizing. Before I could decide what to do with that, she continued, “It’s kind of the opposite actually.”

“We’re jealous,” said another girl.

The first one nodded. “If you could give us any tips on how to attract a high-ranking vampire of our own, we would be so grateful.”

I looked at her like she had grown a second head, wondering both how she could actually want something and also how she could have the nerve to ask me something like that.

“You shouldn’t want what I have,” I said. “I’m a bird in a gilded cage. There’s nothing to be jealous about.”

The girl shook her head. “So you won’t share your secrets?”

I had no doubts that, even though Damien kept me as a pet for now, allowing me these special freedoms, that this entire situation was temporary. Someday, probably soon, he would grow tired of me, and that would be the end of it. The end of me.

It was only a matter of time.

At least, it would be, if I allowed it.

I planned on escaping before that could happen.

The girls clearly didn’t listen to me, and before long, it was time for the slaves to return to work. They moved a little faster now, their stomachs full and their spirits lifted.

“Will we see you tomorrow?” Angela asked me as she cleaned up her things.

“Unless Damien needs me, I’d love to eat with you all again,” I said.

She nodded. She didn’t quite smile at me but I felt a sort of comradery between us. “See you then.”

After she left, I returned to the spot outside that I preferred to work out, behind the garden. My determination was increased now, after being reminded of how lowly the vampires thought of our kind.

I had to escape before one of them snapped and finally killed me, or before Damien grew bored and drained me dry.

I started with some stretches, hoping to make myself limber. Then, I did some lunges, a few squats, and a few pushups. On my back, I started to do some crunches.

That was when I heard a rustle in the brush. Glancing to the side, I saw the moment Damien walked into the small clearing I used for my exercise spot.

Stopping at my side, he glanced down at me. “Don’t stop on my account.”

I waited a moment, hoping he would lost interest and leave right away. Instead, he continued to look down. An expectant brow rise high on his forehead.

“Well?” he prompted.

I needed to work out and I wasn’t going to let him affect this for me. Only by improving my muscle tone would I be able to scale that wall and finally find my freedom once and for all.

So I started doing my crunches again.

Damien’s brow lowered as he continued watching me. After a while, he tilted his head to the side. “Is this the best you can do? No wonder you asked me for permission to train. You are as frail and weak as a rotted plank of wood.”

I didn’t want to talk back, knowing that wouldn’t end well for me, but I couldn’t help but glare. Here I was, pushing myself to my own physical limits and he wasn’t just unimpressed, he was outright mocking me.

His lip quirked in response, nothing near a smile but still showing a hint of amusement.

“I think you could do better, Rose. You are barely even sweating. You sweat more when I drink your blood. Although I suppose you have different reasons for straining yourself in that case.”

He knelt down beside me and I stilled a moment.

“Don’t stop,” he commanded.

Swallowing hard, I continued.

He reached out a hand and placed it over my stomach feeling clenched tightly with each crunch.

His hand was steady and cold. The chill felt good against my straining muscles. It gave me the comfort to push myself even harder than I had been already.

My entire life was riding on how hard I worked out here. I couldn’t let myself be distracted. I had to stay strong and focus, and not look at Damien’s face as he watched me, not see the length of his long eyelashes or stare at the perfect bow curve of his mouth.

Gods, he was so handsome, it was practically otherworldly. All vampires were gorgeous, but Damien put them all to shame.

His gaze flicked back to my face then. “You stopped,” he said.

I blushed, not wanting him to know why.