Chapter Five: Life in Hell

I had never known before what it was like to live without freedom.

Perhaps I had felt restricted when I couldn't spend the night at a friend's house, or when I didn't have enough money to buy something I really needed or wanted. That was simply not having freedom of an adult or being able to afford something financially. That was not the case here.

This was actually being a prisoner in another person's home.

Steph had guided me to the kitchen and given me a plate of food to eat. I found myself starving and ate much of the sandwich he had obviously prepared for me before coming up to rape me again.

Soon after, I had regained a lot of strength and he had led me to the room he had set aside for me in his mansion. His parting words had been horrible, at least to me. I had found them causing me more dread than anything else had in my life.

"Don't worry; you won't be staying in this room forever. Once we things tide over, we'll be sharing the same room. Then we can have fun every night."

My room didn't have a handle from the inside, and it locked from the outside. Once the door was shut, I couldn't do anything and I hadn't really tried to.

The room was an average sized room, complete with a bed, a bureau, and a bookshelf. There was no closet, mirror, window, or attached bathroom. The closet thing I could find to a weapon was a heavy book, but even then Steph would just be able to dodge it and I would only get into trouble that I didn't want.

I sat down on the bed and exhaled softly. Tears threatened my eyes but I wanted to stop crying; I was done with crying. All this was so much to handle, and yet I was going to be strong. I promised myself I would put an end to the crying, if nothing else.

I also knew I was going to have to find some way to get back to California, away from Steph. That was my only option; to get somewhere sunny where I wouldn't have to deal with vampires.

Then I realized that I wouldn't be able to afford a plane ticket; everything up until now since the marriage between Steph and my mother, I had mainly relied on Steph's financial aid. Now I truly was trapped and there was nothing, truly nothing I could do about it.

Hating myself and everything around me, I ended up crying again. I couldn't stop. This was unbelievable, unacceptable.

Finally I lay back and drifted off into a semi-conscious state of mind.

It wasn't long after sitting up again that I found myself going stir-crazy. Even though I was thankful that Steph had left me alone and wasn't interacting with me, I couldn't help but wish that I could at least not be left to sit alone in a room with nothing to do.

When I sat up to walk around, I was dismayed to feel a distinct pain in between my thighs. This alone was enough to bring me back to what had happened only hours ago, if even that. My cheeks reddened at how I had reacted and I hated myself for not being strong enough to keep my composure.

But oh, how I hated Steph so much more!

I sat back down and noticed the bookshelf. While it was more or less empty, there were a few books here and there that I could probably read if I could muster up the focus.

Walking over to choose a book, I realized that I couldn't read the language they were in. It looked like some sort of Slavic language; nothing I could remotely decipher.

As my hopes for some kind of escape were dashed, I found tears streaking down my face. Why couldn't anything go my way, even if it was as simple as just allowing me to read a book?

Was that really so unreasonable?

I sat back down on the bed and silently cried, covering my face with my hands so as to hide the fact that I was so weak.

In the middle of my tears, the door creaked open. I froze, barely daring to peek out from between my hands. I was terrified of Steph and I really didn't want to see him, especially in a moment of weakness.

However, it was not who I expected it to be.

A stout red-haired woman walked in through the door. When she looked over at me and gasped, I immediately closed the peepholes I had created through my fingers and turned away. I wasn't in the mood to be analyzed and judged.

"You poor thing," the woman said sadly. I tried to curb the tears that came faster when she spoke, the judgment and truth in her words hitting a soft spot in my heart.

Before I could react next, I felt warm arms around my shoulders. I was surprised at first and I almost pushed her away. This was a stranger; who was she to touch me, try to comfort me? Even worse was that she probably worked for Steph, or else she wouldn't be here.

"It's going to be okay," she soothed. I wanted to scream out in anger at her, tell her it was not going to be okay, that nothing would ever be okay again. To the complete contrary, I found myself sobbing, heaving in heavy cries portraying the truest, deepest pain I had ever felt. She stroked my hair, gently, like a mother.

My mother had never been a physical person and that had been one thing I had always longed for. She hadn't ever been interested in hugs or much contact at all with me, but I had ignored the fact that it bothered me. My mother had always been so busy anyways. Sometimes it had felt like she didn't have any time for me. But she had been a good mother, despite what Steph said about her.

Steph was evil, and therefore, by definition, could not be a good judge of character.

Finally my tears exhausted me and they stopped coming. When the woman seemed to feel as though she had sufficiently comforted me, she released me from her warm hug and looked at me. It was only then that I realized she had red eyes and had obviously been crying as well.

"I'm sorry for whatever he has done to you," she said in a hoarse whisper. Then, she suddenly snapped to attention, wiping her eyes and clearing her throat. The woman looked completely compose within seconds and her face brightened to a deceptively cheerful smile.

Her eyes were still sad, though. I didn't know what I had done to bring out such compassion in her, but it soothed me to think that someone else was there and felt for me. I wasn't alone.

"Come on now, honey. The Master wanted you bathed and dressed in something appropriate for dinner."

I nodded mutely as she led me out of the room. I wanted to run at first chance, but I knew that running would be futile. I had gathered that the mansion was huge after Steph had guided me through it to the kitchen. I had no idea where I would go and Steph would most likely find me before I made it anywhere close to freedom. Then I would have to undergo punishment, not to mention that I might get the woman who had comforted me in trouble.

Yet again I felt the horrible feeling of being trapped.

"Here we are," the woman said to me as we approached a mahogany door. She stuck a key in it and unlocked it from the outside. I frowned and she looked at me sadly.

As she led me inside the bathroom, I found myself feeling a bit better about the situation. The bathroom was extravagant, with a deep bathtub and separate shower. The tub was granite and already full of steaming water. I suddenly felt dirty and wanted to clean all of Steph off me.

Scents of lavender and vanilla were filling the room and I desperately wanted to clean myself up. I glanced at the woman, who had taken a seat on the bench, looking away from me.

A few minutes passed before I realized she wasn't going anywhere.

"Am I…allowed to take a bath?" I asked, my voice trembling even as I tried to steady it.

"Yes, of course, honey. But I have to stay with you. It's the Master's orders. He doesn't want you trying anything."

I felt a tear threaten my eye, but I steeled myself and began to undress. The woman stayed looking away from me, giving me as much privacy as she could.

When I got into the bath, I felt my tight, sore muscles relax and I sighed softly. I lay in the tub for a good few minutes before I was reminded of the last time I was naked. The memories of Steph's merciless raping brought me into a state of fear and I began to scrub myself fervently.

I cleaned myself until my skin felt raw and was about to continue going when there was a rap on the door.

"Amy, is everything alright in there?" came Steph's expectant and stern voice.

I froze, terror seizing me. What if he came in and saw me like this? What if he…?

However, the woman who I assumed was Amy, replied calmly, "Yes, she is almost ready, Master Stephano."

So Steph had a full name, beyond just Steph. Stephano Romanov, my most hated enemy; the person who had raped me, killed my mother, and ruined my life.

"Good," he said curtly. "I want her to be out in five minutes."

"Yes, Master Stephano."

Amy waited for a few minutes until Steph was gone before motioning with her hand, still not turning away, for me to get up out of the water. She passed me a towel and I quickly dried myself off. I wanted to be clothed as soon as possible.

After I had wrapped myself in the towel, Amy turned and opened a closet I hadn't noticed before, as it had been almost molded into the wall. Inside was a full wardrobe.

"You can choose from these outfits. I'm sure you want the most concealing, so I would recommend this."

A black turtle neck with burgundy designs on the back was presented to me, as well as a long black skirt and leggings. Glancing at the other outfits, I had to agree with Amy. At least this one didn't show cleavage and wouldn't leave me as an easy target – especially because of the leggings.

Amy turned again and I dressed as fast as I could. I was afraid that if Steph got impatient one of us would have to pay for it, and I wanted to avoid anything like that, whether it was Amy or me.

"We'd better hurry. I still have to serve the food."

Half-running, Amy led me downstairs to the dining room, where Steph still hadn't shown up. I almost sighed in happy relief, even though I knew he would certainly be there soon.

However, before I sat at the table, strong arms wrapped around my waist and yanked me into a cold body. I was paralyzed as I felt Steph breathe in my scent, nuzzling my neck sensually.

"You're so delicious, my dear Cecilia," he whispered in my ear before nipping it with an elongated fang. It drew the slightest amount of blood and I inhaled sharply from the pain.

Steph didn't release me and allow me to sit down on my own. Instead, he moved me over to sit on his lap, holding my waist tightly. I shifted uncomfortably on his lap and he pinned me down harder until I couldn't move.

"Sit still, my dear," he commanded as his hand ghosted up my waist, the other wrapped around my hips to keep me in place. His hand found my breast and cupped it. I stiffened and he noticed, giving a slight growl and pulling me harder into him.

Amy suddenly came in, bearing a steaming plate of meat, vegetables, and bread. Steph was served a glass of wine but nothing else.

I frowned as I observed Steph one-handedly sip the wine. I had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't wine like I had originally imagined, as it was a thick crimson red. I frowned and tried to ignore the thought that he was drinking blood right in front of me and focused on the meal.

I could not deny that the food was good, but out of the corner of my eye I could see Steph eyeing me hungrily, even as he sipped his 'wine' in front of me.

Soon I was done with the meal, even though I kept trying to eat to slow down whatever inevitable fate I had waiting for me after dinner.

"Are you finished?" Steph asked when I finally gagged from eating too much. Wearily I nodded, closing my eyes. I was exhausted and just wanted to go to bed. Whatever was coming next I knew I wasn't going to appreciate or want in the slightest.

Steph quickly stood, dragging me with him.

Leading me through the mansion, he stopped at the room deemed my prison and led me inside.

"Unfortunately, this is where you'll be sleeping until the funeral. Don't worry, that's only two days away," he smirked as my face fell in horror. "Then, after everything has settled down, we'll move forward with our plans. But for now…I must say, I think I'm going feel your body just once more for the day."

He began to advance on me and I backed up against the wall, my body shivering in fear. This time there was no speed that evaded the human eye; instead he moved forward like a predator stalking its prey. I tried to run away from him when he got too close, but he caught me and dragged me to the bed.

"You shouldn't have chosen such prudish clothing," he admonished. "I'll just have to leave you with nothing sleep in, hm?"

Before I knew it, he was shredding through the clothing and I let out a strangled sob.

"Please, Steph, stop!" I begged, my voice broken from crying all day.

He simply claimed my mouth with his own, effectively quieting me. Before I knew it he was roughly kneading my breasts and pressing himself inside of me. My fear kept my body from becoming aroused, even though it didn't seem he cared too much about my reactiveness at this point.

"Mmph!" I whimpered as he thrust into me deeply. "MMPH!"

How could I be crying again?