Cassie's POV
"Father, please don't do this!" I begged, tears streaming down my face. I couldn't believe my father could sell me off.
I struggled to break free, but my strength was no match for the vampire soldiers. Their grip on my hands was like iron, binding me painfully.
"Mother, please do something!" I shouted, now looking at my mother, who was crying alongside my little sister. She could not do anything because my father had the final say in our house.
I looked at my father, his cold face staring at me without any emotion. I cried, begging for him to change his mind. Now, I was the scapegoat, used as bait for my father's illegal dealings with the vampire king. He had cheated the vampire king, and now the king had sent his soldiers to raid our village and burn it down. But my father stepped up and demanded they take me instead and spare the whole village.
The soldiers told their king, and of course, he accepted the offer. I really didn't want to have anything to do with other creatures. I had actually planned to get married to a normal human like me in the nearest future, but now it was impossible.
"Any last words?" the soldiers asked my father, but he didn't say anything. He just gestured with his hand that they could go, which made me cry louder. My chest heaved as I sobbed and struggled.
The two soldiers that held me pushed me into the carriage and locked the door. I banged on the door, pleading for help, but no one came to my rescue.
When the carriage started moving, I looked at my father through a little hole. He stared at the carriage without any emotion until it disappeared from his sight.
I felt betrayed and angry. "Please let me go..." I begged, my voice now low, my body tired from the tantrums.
The soldiers didn't even bother to answer me. They continued riding, and I didn't know when exhaustion took over and I fell asleep.
.....
When I woke up, it was almost evening. My surroundings were calm, and I could hear birds chirping. The carriage had stopped, which made me confused. I peeped through the little hole and saw that we were in the middle of a thick forest, and the carriage was slightly tilted.
"Why aren't they moving?" I asked myself, wondering what was going on.
I pushed the carriage door, and it opened immediately, almost making me fall. I steadied myself and looked around, only to find the dead bodies of the vampire soldiers with their heads missing. The horses were nowhere to be found.
I almost screamed but held my mouth tightly, not wanting to attract any danger lurking in the forest.
My stomach immediately churned, and I retched, feeling nauseated. I silently walked back to the carriage and stayed inside, my heart beating with fear.
I locked the door from the inside, afraid of any harm. "Is this how I'll die?" I muttered under my breath, unable to think of what to do next.
The truth was that I wasn't familiar with anywhere outside my little village, let alone a thick forest filled with dangerous creatures.
I was still lost in my thoughts when I heard a loud bang on the carriage. My body jolted, electrified. Immediately, I started feeling my energy drain from my body.
"Electro?" I muttered under my breath, remembering the tales about the deadly creature that paralyzes its prey with electricity, draining their strength until they die.
I started feeling dizzy. "No! I can't die like this!" I shouted, my strong will keeping me awake.
"Stop!" I yelled, and like magic, it worked or so I thought. I heard the creature shriek and a loud thud, like it had fallen to the ground.
I looked at my hands, wondering if I had magical abilities, but I didn't see any trace of magic around me. I leaned on the carriage seat, my body weak, my breathing slow.
Even though I was now weak, I still thanked the heavens I wasn't dead.
I then heard footsteps approaching the carriage, and my heart began to race.
"Are they coming for me?" I thought, closing my eyes in frustration. My mind began to race through everything I thought I'd achieved in life—my education, training, and experiences—all of it could end today in this forest.
I concluded that this was it. I waited for the worst to happen when I suddenly heard a calm, soothing voice.
"Are you alright?"
I felt a strange sense of safety, but I couldn't be sure. I remembered stories of creatures like the "Mimica," which could mimic loved ones' voices to lure you out and then feed on your flesh.
But this voice wasn't familiar, and yet, it felt welcoming. Still, I didn't respond, afraid of what would happen.
Then I heard another voice, deeper this time.
"Are you sure she's still alive?"
That surprised me. How did they know I was a female?
They tried to open the door, but it was locked. I heard a click sound, and then the door opened! One of them must have been a wizard.
The first man who spoke carried me out of the carriage and laid me on his chest. I almost flinched but stopped myself. I kept my eyes closed, pretending to be asleep, not wanting them to speak to me.
"Is she breathing?" the second voice asked.
"Yes, she is, but her breathing is faint," the first man replied.
He began walking away with me in his arms, and oddly, I didn't feel scared. Instead, I felt safe. His scent filled my senses, and I listened to his steady heartbeat until exhaustion overtook me, and I fell asleep.
.....
The next time I woke up, I found myself in a tent, my body covered with a warm cloth. Crawling to the entrance, I opened it and saw the two men sitting a bit far from the tent. A fire crackled before them, smoke rising into the air.
It seemed they were cooking something.
I watched them closely for a while, studying them. "Can I trust these guys?" I asked myself.
The aroma of their food reached my nose, and my stomach grumbled loudly. I realized I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday afternoon. The hunger hit me hard.
As if they noticed, both men turned and looked at me, laughing. Embarrassed, I quickly went back inside the tent and lay down, unsure of what to do next.
A gentle knock on the tent's wooden frame startled me.
"I got something for you to eat," the first man said.
His voice sent a strange warmth through me. I didn't respond, still hesitant about trusting him.
"I won't hurt you," he added softly.
Before I could stop myself, I found myself at the entrance of the tent. I opened it quickly, surprising even myself.
Our eyes met. His sapphire gaze locked onto mine, and my breath caught. His face was captivating handsome, yet gentle.
We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before he chuckled, revealing deep dimples.
"How can someone be this handsome?" I muttered under my breath, quickly looking away before I made a fool of myself.