Chapter 4 Doll Face

Adriana's POV

As we walked up the spiral staircase, the girls started whispering. I was expecting Draven to get pissed and snap at us, but instead, he kept walking us through the hallways that seemed to stretch forever.

"He is so handsome. Guess they weren't bragging about his looks," Ferra whispered.

The other girls agreed as I kept silent. From the corner of my eye, I caught the girls scowling and scoffing at my silence, but I didn't bother to explain myself. I was well aware that vampires were able to hear very clearly and from a fair distance, which meant that Draven could be eavesdropping on our conversation at any time.

His footsteps suddenly came to a stop, and we all halted in our positions before he turned around to face us. "What's the real reason why you all attended this ceremony?" he asked.

We all exchanged glances before growing silent for a few seconds. "Because I intend to be your keeper," Ferra spoke up. I noticed that she was probably the most confident one out of the five of us. Good for her.

The remaining three girls agreed as well, but I remained silent. I looked up to face Draven, who was now glaring at me, and that's when I realized that I was supposed to come up with a response as well.

"I intend to be your keeper," I stated quickly, with no emotion in my voice.

He didn't seem to buy my lie anymore. Instead, he took a step forward, and I cowered in fear as he straightened his posture in front of me. "You're quite the liar now, aren't you?" he asked, slipping his hands inside his pockets.

I opened my mouth to say something but then decided to keep it shut. Nothing good seemed to come out of my mouth tonight, so I might as well keep it closed.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you!" he snapped.

I gasped when he grabbed my already sore cheeks, lifting them up to meet his gaze. His eyes were now fixated on mine and, for some reason, I wasn't able to break eye contact, no matter how badly I wanted to. It felt like I had a compulsion to keep looking him in the eyes, getting more and more drawn inside them as he studied my orbs, searching for the truth.

"I want to know the real reason why you're here," he said softly.

Before I could even realize what was happening, my lips started to move on their own. "I was forced to attend the ceremony."

My eyes widened at my own words. It shocked me that I wasn't able to control them. That wasn't the response I wanted to give.

"It's nice to tell the truth for once, hunh?" he asked softly, his eyes growing a shade darker as he released me from his grip.

"No way... he compelled her?" I heard the girls whisper.

That's when I realized what he had just done. Vampires are famous for their power of compulsion, one of the many powers they possessed. It was then that it hit me: at the very least, I wouldn't even be able to get away with a simple lie.

"She's not sincere with her feelings like we are," I heard Ferra hiss. I bit my bottom lip at her obvious statement.

"Perhaps you're all getting the wrong idea here," Draven started in a cold voice, slipping his hands inside his pockets before frowning down at all of us. "None of you are fit to be my keeper and will never meet my expectations. The only reason why I went along with this ceremony is to please my brothers. Your job is to entertain them, not me. I have no interest in pathetic and weak humans like yourselves, unless..."

He trailed away, lingering his eyes on me before a sadistic smirk appeared on his face, causing me to flinch.

"You're willing to fulfill my hunger."

"Your room," Draven confirmed, opening a door to reveal a spacious and luxurious room with vintage yet contemporary furniture.

The first thing that I noticed about my new bedroom was the large window, which seemed like the perfect way out for me to escape this godforsaken mansion. Everything was in black, including the painted walls and the luxurious chandelier that hung over my king-sized bed. The bed, however, was neatly wrapped up with a warm, peach-colored blanket with at least five pillows surrounding the headboard.

As I stood gawking at my new room, I heard Draven grunt before giving me a slight push inside, sending me stumbling forward. I swiftly turned around and stood up straight before regaining my posture, realizing that I was still in a mansion full of bloodthirsty vampires. There was no time to admire or gloat over my new bedroom.

"Your luggage only has the basic necessities; the clothes are provided by us, which are inside that wardrobe," he said, pointing his finger to a huge wardrobe that stood in the corner of the room, next to a door which I assumed was the bathroom. "Dinner will be ready soon. Eat if you want and..."

"No, thank you. I'm not hungry," I cut him off, earning a glare from him. I quickly hung my head.

"Scratch that; you don't have a choice," he corrected, his tone remaining harsh and rude.

I slowly nodded, praying he would leave already so that I could at least take a shower and strip off this gown.

"By midnight, you're going downstairs where my brothers will be waiting for you all," he instructed, causing a shiver to run down my spine. What was that supposed to mean?

"You're going to..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I cut him off again. This time, he took a step forward, clearly irritated by the fact that I was interrupting him. I bit my bottom lip to shut myself up.

"Last chance, doll-face. Don't interrupt when I'm talking," he warned.

I nodded obediently, not even the least bit bothered by the new pet name I had just received.

"You're going to please them until I return," he finished his sentence. My jaw dropped open at his words.

"You..you mean..."

"Yes, let them feed on you," he cut me off with no emotion in his voice, his face remaining unfazed by his own words.

How could he be so disgusting and cruel? Forced to be his keeper was one thing, but in the meantime, I have to please his sick brothers as well?

"Okay," I lied, turning away. I heard the door close shut before he disappeared. High speed: another power that the vampires possessed.

As soon as he left, I walked over to the wardrobe before opening it and staring in awe. Clothes filled the entire closet and, on the bottom of the wardrobe, were a line of shoes and slippers. I opened two drawers and blushed furiously upon seeing the undergarments. They sure had everything planned and ready within a few hours. Were they planning to win us over with clothes and food?

I rummaged through the clothes for at least fifteen minutes before a frustrated sigh escaped my lips. Although they were the trending fashion style, almost all these clothes were too revealing or short. Not that I mind short clothes or anything, but when you're living in a household full of bloodthirsty, most likely horny vampires, then yes yes I do mind.

With a soft grumble, I grabbed a pair of white, ripped, high-waisted shorts with a light pink tank top and a white cardigan, finally giving in. I decided that the knit cardigan was just to conceal my bare arms. As soon as I was done, I rushed to the bathroom to take a shower. I was relieved to finally be able to get out of the tight and sweaty gown I was still wearing. I hated wearing this.

As soon as I poured the water into the bathtub and stepped in, my body melted into the water. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths before biting the inside of my cheeks to force myself from breaking down again. It's been such a lonely night, so why can't it end already?