I lay stalk still in bed next to the leach lord, unable to sleep and unable to move due to his arm around me.

With nothing to do but feel the cold of his body seep into my skin I stared off into space. counting backwards from a thousand on repeat, trying desperately to keep from drowning in my own thoughts.

Lying in a bed wearing nothing but skimpy underwear next to a vampire was something I had always wished to avoid. I may be young but from the moment I understood what it meant to be captured by the 'night creatures' as my mother always called them, I had sworn to myself that It would never be me.

I would never be a woman who wore a collar.

Yet here I was collar and everything.

I wondered if she would be disappointed. She had tried her very best to protect me, leaving me behind only when death stole the last beat of her heart. And here I was beginning a life she tried to avoid for me.

My mother was a kind and wonderful woman with a 'stick it to the man' attitude, the man being vampires these days.

'the man' had been Vampires since before I was born.

They took over almost a century ago, I wish I could say how but I cant.

I never went to school because my mom didn't want to register me as a human she didn't want to make it easy for them to take me away if they wanted.

According to records my mother died ten years before I was born. She was a smart woman with a high sense of right and wrong and she knew the vampires were wrong.

So she raised me by the sun rather than by the night like humans are raised now, switching me over when I got a bit older and we had to start moving.

We were always moving, drifting from place to place and stealing to survive. She taught me how to read and write along with the necessity's of survival but could not do much else for me. Still she would bring me old text books when she managed to find them and let me listen to whispers on the street so I could learn about the world around me and what it used to be.

I wish I could say I was a smart girl, I like to think I am. I can survive in any environment and lie through my teeth if I need too but I'm not the most book smart girl, although I did read the dictionary once to help my vocabulary, my lifestyle hadn't allowed for it. The way I see it I traded my smarts for my freedom.

But now I don't even have my freedom, so what am I?

The vampire Lord shifted in bed next to me, pulling me closer, "what the hell are you thinking about?"

Shocked I yelped a bit, struggling in the bed to face him. By the time I was looking into his odd dual colored eyes I had successfully tangled myself in the sheets.

He was staring at me, one dark brow raised, a small smirk on his face, and amusement dancing in his eyes, "I asked you a question pet."

I blinked at him, I hadn't glanced at him since we entered the room for fear he would get some ideas but this was not what i was expecting. His formally slicked back hair was now a shaggy yet somehow interesting chaos of wavy locks, the dyed red streak clearly visible as it swiped across his forehead with the rest of his bangs.

He looked younger. Less vampiric lord and more dangerous if that made any sense.

I wiggled away from him a bit, "uh thinking?"

He hummed a bit to himself, "Yes little flower, thinking. Just because I haven't tasted your blood does not mean I cannot feel your thoughts if I desire I am a lord for a reason. they are fuzzy but very annoying I assure you."

I blinked, "you can do that?"

His lips formed a stern line, "..you were unaware? it is a skill all vampires acquire after drinking someones blood and one powerful vampires can tap into without having a drink first."

"That's common knowledge?"

He sat up a bit watching me closely, "it is something you should have learned in school from a very young age. It is taught to children so they don't go letting vampire adults drink from them. it helps keep order."

Shit. I was supposed to learn that in school...which I never attended. "Uh..." I gave him my very best yawn, "oh wow I'm exhausted! goodnight sir, lord, whatever the hell I call you!"

It wasn't very shocking when two cold fingers slipped into my collar and tugged me head up from my pillow, "Where did you go to school pet?"

I looked away from his accusing eyes, "uh wow, when I was little? gosh i was so young I don't even remember."

He stared at me for a second longer, "Why did you not have your papers when they found you?"

"I forgot them."

He leaned back against the headboard, "so if I was to look you up in the international database you would be there?"

...they have an international database? "of course?"

I small growl I didn't even know vampires could make vibrated in his chest, "good. is Calla your real name?"

I looked at him, offend, "of course it is!"

"and your last name is?"

I went pale. along with my mothers faking of her death she changed her name and never bothered creating a last name, besides I wasn't going to be in any database, "your really going to check?"

Cold red eyes stared at me cooley, their difference in shade making it even harder to look away, slowly they narrowed, his smooth voice filling the air, "first thing after the sun sets."

My own eyes closed.

A small tug on my hair caused them to open again. He looked me over once, "would you like to change any of your answers Calla? and give me your last name perhaps. lying to me is a punishable offense pet."

I glanced at his hand, still holding part of my pale blonde hair. His grip tighten slowly and I felt my lips part without my consent, "I may not be in the database."

He looked at me for a second but did not question me further, "that will never be mentioned to anyone else understood?"

I nodded slowly.

"and pet."

"...yeah?"

"Its Lord Dawson or my Lord in the presence of others, but in private you are permitted to call me Kaden."

oh so that was his name. Part of me was happy he wasn't so much of a bastard to make me address him as master or whatever and that he wouldn't degrade me when we were alone. But most of me was still reeling in disgust from having to be anywhere near a human shaped leach.

Still I found myself tasting his name on my tongue, "...Kaden"

It was strange the way his name felt coming from my lips, dangerous and somewhat seductive.

A small smirk made its way onto his lips and he smoothed out my blonde hair, "atta girl. Now go to sleep, Im fucking tired."

I stared at him, mouth slightly ajar, did a vampire lord just cuss at me? wern't they supposed to be old as dirt and super proper? You know like he had pretty much been like until five seconds ago?

His smirk grew, "Goodnight Calla."

I sat there still in shock even as he lay down and turned away from me in the bed, finally after god knows how long I regained my senses, "goodnight...Kaden.."

I could have sworn I heard a low chuckle before my own exhaustion took over and I passed out.

~~

A/N I know this chapter is really very short but it felt like it was a good place to stop. I hope you liked it though dear readers!