Bought by the Vampire Prince: His Forbidden Blood Slave

Anna's Pov

My hands were still shaking when the car pulled up to the manor gates.

The smell of the sanatorium still clung to the inside of my nose—disinfectant layered over lavender aromatherapy, doing nothing to mask the rust-like tang underneath. The fresh bandage around my neck was blindingly white, making me look like a corpse that hadn't been buried yet.

I got out of the car on my own. My legs buckled under me like I was walking on cotton.

The moment I stepped into the main hall, I heard my father Lian's voice booming from the direction of the banquet room—full of vigor, carrying a kind of excitement I hadn't heard from him in a long time.

Of course, Lian wasn't excited about me. My name is Anna. I'm his stepdaughter. The only reason I ended up in the vampire zone was because I followed my mother, Dailin.

Humans and vampires were once sworn enemies. A century ago, they fought a devastating war that left both sides in ruins. The leaders of the two races negotiated a peace, dividing the world into a human zone and a vampire zone, each governing itself. That uneasy truce was the only reason we had peace today.

When I was six, Dailin got divorced. She took me away from our old home to a strange little town. We were happy for a while—until that vile Lian lured her in. That poor woman thought she'd found love. Instead, she'd found death. She became pregnant with a vampire's child—Eunice. As the pregnancy progressed, Dailin wasted away before my eyes. And I watched, in the end, as Lian cut her open without so much as a blink.

My stomach lurched. The image surged up again: Dailin's blood, the raw stench of exposed organs still haunting my nostrils. That was why I'd always been terrified of dying the way she did—wretched and hollowed out. And every time I thought of her death, the hatred for Lian burned hotter. After Dailin died, I became a blood slave.

For years, I'd lived in this house in utter degradation, constantly afraid I'd bleed out and die here. And that fear was far from irrational—just days ago, Eunice had nearly drained me dry for the sake of her so-called "evolution."

"At least thirty cases of champagne, and hire a band from the city," Lian was saying. "Eunice's first full Awakening—everyone must remember it."

I knew exactly what that word meant. When Eunice nearly killed me, she had "evolved." And the blood that fueled that evolution was mine.

I stared down at my hands. Adhesive residue from the IV tape still lined my fingernail beds. How ironic, I thought—I'd just staggered back from the brink of death, and they were already throwing a victory party.

Footsteps came down the staircase, light and deliberately bouncy.

"Anna? You're back!"

Eunice floated toward me in a lake-blue dress, the ends of her hair still damp, as if she'd just woken up. A smile was plastered across her face, but her eyes went straight to the bandage on my neck first—the way someone might inspect merchandise for damage.

"I had no idea you were coming home today. If I'd known, I would've sent someone to pick you up." She wore an apologetic expression, though her eyes held not a shred of guilt.

I laughed bitterly to myself. Acting. All of it. She knew exactly when I was being discharged. She'd probably timed her entrance to the second.

"It's fine. I managed on my own," I said, my voice steadier than I expected.

She let out a little "oh" and drifted closer, reaching for my neck. I flinched back half a step—an instinct born from the moment I'd nearly died. She terrified me now.

"Don't be scared." Eunice smiled, her fingers hooking under the edge of the bandage and peeling it back to reveal the bite marks beneath, still not fully healed.

Pain. Real, sharp pain—a dull tearing sensation that shot from my neck straight to the back of my skull. I clenched my teeth and said nothing, my nails digging into my palms.

Her fingertip came away dabbed with fresh blood, vivid red. I stared at that drop. My heartbeat spiked—not from fear, but from a pure, visceral urge to slap her hand away.

"Thank you, Anna." Eunice slipped her fingertip between her lips and licked it slowly, her eyes never leaving mine. "Really. I couldn't have evolved without you."

There wasn't a trace of gratitude in those eyes. Only amusement—like a cat watching a mouse still twitching.

My throat tightened. I said nothing.

What was I supposed to say? "You're welcome"? I wanted to put my fist through that smiling face.

If you're wondering why I didn't just run—in the vampire zone, no human could ever escape. Vampires are faster than any human could ever hope to be.

"Eunice." Lian walked over, his pace unhurried, his gaze landing on me for exactly half a second. In that half-second there was no concern, no guilt, not even a flicker of emotion—clean and blank, as though he were looking at a piece of furniture that had been returned to its spot.

"You're back," he said, his tone as flat as confirming a package delivery.

I opened my mouth. Nothing came out.

You're back. Three words. Not "How are you feeling?" Not "Is the wound healing?" I'd nearly died at Eunice's hands, and he couldn't be bothered to squeeze out a single word of concern.

I parted my lips, my voice dry and cracked: "I almost died."

Lian looked at me. His expression didn't change. He only tilted his head slightly, the way one might regard a child who'd said something foolish.

"But here you are, standing in front of us. That's good enough."

My nails dug into my palms again—this time hard enough to leave marks.

"Your evolution is remarkable." Lian turned to Eunice, his tone softening instantly, rich with undisguised pride. "Reaching this stage at such a young age—even I wasn't this fast back in my day. You may carry human blood, but your First Embrace was given by Prince Anderson himself. Nobility truly does make a difference."

Eunice tipped her face up, beaming, her eyes crinkling with delight.

I swallowed my resentment and rage, barely wrestling my emotions under control. When I finally looked up again, my gaze collided with Lian's.

At some point he'd stopped looking at Eunice and had turned to study me instead, his eyes sharp and probing, as though trying to read exactly what was going through my mind.

I dropped my head immediately and smoothed every trace of emotion from my face.

"What are you thinking?" Lian asked casually—but I knew that kind of casual was the most dangerous.

"Nothing," I said. "Just tired."

"Is that so." He didn't press further, but took a step closer. Close enough that I could smell the cold, sharp scent radiating from him—like metal on a winter night. Not a hint of human warmth.

He reached out and lifted my chin with his fingertips. The pressure was light, but I couldn't pull away.

"I know you're unhappy," Lian said, his voice dropping to almost a whisper. "Your face gives you away. It always has, ever since you were little."

My heart skipped a beat. My throat locked up. I couldn't speak.

He sees right through me.

"But I'd advise you," he continued, his tone still calm, carrying a patience that was almost gentle—the kind of patience far more chilling than any outburst, "to keep that unhappiness tucked away. You're allowed to feel it. You're not allowed to show it."

"If you don't behave—" Lian released my chin, his voice suddenly light, as though discussing something perfectly mundane— "I might consider having Ryan move in with us."

The blood drained from my face.

Ryan. My little brother. Dailin hadn't taken him when she left. Before we came to the vampire zone, we'd been close.

"He has nothing to do with this." I heard my own voice shaking. "You can't—"

"Of course I can."