Chapter 6
Ethan
The courtyard went dead silent after I spoke. It was not just quiet; it was as if every person there had stopped breathing at the exact same time. There was no more whispering and no more shifting of feet. The only sounds left were the steady crackle of the torches on the walls and the heavy thud of my own heart. Felix stood frozen in front of me. His crimson eyes were locked on my face, and he looked like he was caught between laughing at my nerve or tearing my throat out right then and there. Desmond's lips curved into that dangerous half-smile of his. It was the look he gave when he was deciding exactly how much pain he wanted to cause.
System: Shock Points +2000.
Current total exceeds previous threshold. Healing Potion purchase is still available.
I barely noticed the red text floating in my vision. I didn't care about the potion. Two thousand points just for telling a prince to kill me? That was a lot. If this kept up, I would be the richest dead man in history. I would have enough points to buy anything I wanted, but none of that mattered if I couldn't get back to my real world. I needed someone to finish the job.
Before Felix could move or say a word, a new voice cut through the silence. It was deep and cold, and it carried a sense of command that made the other two princes look like children.
"What is going on here?"
I turned my head toward the sound.
A man stepped forward from the shadows at the edge of the crowd. He was taller than Felix and Desmond, and his shoulders were even broader. His dark hair was swept back from his face, and his eyes were as black as oil reflecting the torchlight. There was an aura around him that felt heavy and suffocating. It wasn't like Felix's hot rage or Desmond's sharp cruelty. This was something different. It felt like cold iron pressing against my skin from all sides.
System: That is Prince Max. The First Prince. He kills without hesitation. He hates it when victims talk back or show defiance. He offers no mercy and no second chances. Host—this is your best opportunity yet for termination.
A slow, wide grin spread across my face. I felt a surge of genuine excitement. "Finally," I whispered. "A professional."
Max walked straight toward me. He didn't have to ask people to move. Every vampire in his path stepped aside immediately without saying a word. The slaves who were already on the ground pressed themselves even flatter against the stone, their bodies trembling with a new level of terror. Max stopped just inches away from me. He was so close that I could feel the unnatural chill radiating from his body. It felt like standing next to a block of ice.
He was carrying a slim black book in one hand. He closed it with a soft snap that sounded like a gunshot in the quiet courtyard. Then, his black eyes met mine.
For one second, the entire world seemed to disappear. It was just me and him. His eyes were deep and endless, like two pits of ink. I felt frozen in place. I wasn't scared, exactly, but I felt caught. It was like looking too long at something that was both beautiful and lethal. I felt like if I stared for one more second, I might burn from the inside out.
Max opened his mouth as if he were about to speak, but I didn't give him the chance. I knew I had to move first if I wanted to stay in control of the situation.
I stepped even closer to him until our chests were almost touching. I lifted my hand and pressed my index finger gently against his cold lips, silencing him before he could start a speech.
"Do not," I said quietly. I kept my voice calm. "Do not speak. Talking will only drag you down to my level, and you are better than that. Can you not see that I have made a complete mess of things? I am a slave acting like he has rights. It is disgusting. It is wrong. You should not have to listen to it. So just accept the situation and give me the punishment I deserve. Just kill me. End it clean and fast."
I dropped to my knees right there on the hard ground. I didn't do it because I was submitting to him. I did it because I was waiting for the blow. I bowed my head, exposing the back of my neck. I was finally ready. I had found someone ruthless enough to actually do it.
The silence stretched on. It felt like minutes, though it was probably only seconds. The weight of the moment was heavy.
Then, Max spoke. His voice was low and sounded almost puzzled.
"What is going on here?"
I blinked in confusion. I opened my eyes and looked up at him. He wasn't reaching for his sword. He wasn't even looking angry. He was just staring down at me as if I had suddenly grown a second head.
I shot back to my feet, my frustration boiling over. "What do you mean, what is going on?" I shouted. "I did all this! I am the one who caused the trouble! I just told you—I told all of you—to kill me! Are you blind? Can you not see what is right in front of your face? I am insulting you! I am being a bad slave!"
Max's black eyes narrowed. Slowly and deliberately, he reached out his hand. His fingers wrapped around my throat. He wasn't squeezing yet. He was just holding me. His skin felt freezing against my bruised neck.
I smiled. My heart was racing with hope. This was it. This was finally the end of the road.
"Who strangled you?" Max asked. His voice was quiet and deadly calm.
I froze. Everyone else in the courtyard seemed to freeze, too. It felt like the entire world was holding its breath.
"What?" I choked out, confused by the question.
Max did not repeat himself. Instead, a wave of power exploded from him. It was a raw, dark energy that slammed through the air like a physical shockwave. The force of it was so strong that every vampire in the courtyard dropped to one knee. The slaves flattened themselves completely against the ground. Even Felix and Desmond bowed their heads in respect to their older brother's power.
Max's gaze swept across the crowd. It moved past the other princes and the buyers until it landed on the huge guard who had grabbed me by the throat earlier.
In the blink of an eye, Max was gone. He didn't run; he just moved so fast that he disappeared from in front of me.
The next second, he was standing directly behind the guard. He placed one hand on the man's shoulder and gripped his jaw with the other.
Snap.
The sound of the bone breaking echoed through the courtyard. The guard crumpled to the ground, lifeless. His neck was twisted at an impossible angle. He was dead before he even realized what was happening.
I stood there in the middle of the courtyard with my mouth open. I couldn't speak, and I couldn't move. I was in total shock.
That was supposed to be me. That death was mine.
What the hell was wrong with these princes? Why did they keep doing the exact opposite of what I wanted? I had insulted them, touched them, and begged them to end my life, and all I got was a dead guard and more confusion.
"System," I whispered, my voice trembling with rage. "What is going on? Why am I still alive?"
System: Apologies, host. There is an unknown variable in the princes' behavior. Perhaps the provocation threshold has not been met yet. Recommendation: Intensify your efforts. You need to be even more offensive.
I took a shaky breath. A hot rage began to boil up inside me. It felt hotter than the whip marks that were still burning on my back. I was tired of being ignored. I was tired of this game.
I marched straight over to Max. I didn't care about his power or his black eyes. "Hey!" I yelled, standing right in front of him. "What the fuck is wrong with you? I am the one who is supposed to die here! I am the one who has been mouthing off all night! Why are you killing him instead of me? Make it make sense! Kill me!"
Max turned slowly to look at me. Those black eyes fixed on my face again. Before I could back away or think of another insult to throw at him, his hand reached out and cupped my face. It was gentle. It was much too gentle. His thumb brushed against my cheek as if he were touching something fragile that might break.
I tried to jerk my head free, but he didn't let go. His grip was firm without being painful.
Then, without saying a word, he lifted me up. He did it effortlessly, as if I weighed nothing at all. He tucked me against his side, one arm wrapped around my waist and the other still cradling my jaw.
I started to thrash around, kicking my legs and hitting his chest. "Put me down! Kill me, damn it! Put me down and end this! This is not what I wanted!"
He ignored me completely. He didn't even look at me.
With me still struggling in his grip, Max turned around and started walking away from the courtyard. He walked away from the bowed vampires, away from the body of the dead guard, and away from the stunned slaves who were still watching in silence.
No one dared to follow him. No one even looked up as we passed.
I was being carried away by the most dangerous man in the mansion, and for the first time since I arrived, I had no idea what was going to happen next.