Lord Dimitrescu and reader.
A/n: Thank you for all the support shown on the first part. I’m going to continue this series over the course of a few chapters, so I hope you all enjoy the storyline I’ve crafted. And I know the first part revolves around the sons, but not to worry, we have plenty of chapters to spend time with the Lord.
Warnings: These are bad people doing bad things, there’s bound to be a little violence. Distressing themes.
Words: 4136.
‘This one is mine.’
That sentence repeated itself inside your head. It swirled inside your mind like a hurricane, not letting you divert your attention elsewhere, even as you were being pushed along. With one sentence someone staked their claim on you, stripping you of the little freedom you had, and causing all others to obey. It was devastating how little say you had in the matter.
All three of the brothers escorted you to your new room. They guided you up the stairs and through twisting hallways until eventually you reached your destination. Apparently they interpreted the phrase 'any one will do’ into 'as far away from the exit as humanly possible’ since they had selected a room hidden away at the very edge of the residence. Given the distance from the main entrance, it would be nearly impossible to navigate yourself back unaccompanied.
The room itself was something to gawk at. And gawk you did. Even though you had already become accustomed to the rich aesthetic of the castle, somehow every room was a new slap in the face. Perhaps it was the constant reminder that you would never afford anything half as grand, or the stark difference between the castle and the village. People were living in broken houses while an oversized castle hosted four… Well, five, including yourself.
It held the same elegance as the previous rooms, providing an old fashioned four poster bed with curtains featuring intricate designs dressing the pillars, polished wooden floors underneath plush white carpets, and even included a balcony with a view sealed behind locked glass doors. You could sell your entire existence and still not have enough to amount half the cost of this room. Truly these people had nothing better to do than flaunt their own wealth to satisfy the humongous ego they bore.
Two of them trailed behind as you entered the room while the one leftover lead you to the edge of the bed. It was the younger one with traces of red in his hair. Daniel, you think his name was. It was hard to keep track. Besides the hair colour and the necklaces they wore, appearance wise, they weren’t that different. He sat down on the bed and ushered you to do the same, even going as far as patting the space beside him, thinking it would be more inviting. It wasn’t. But you humoured him anyway.
You sat down, instantly feeling yourself sink into the plush covers. It provided you with just enough comfort to ease up. Cassandros laid back on the bed, staring up to the ceiling. “When can we hunt them again, I’m bored.” He twiddled his sickle in his hand, turning the bloody weapon like it was some sort of toy. “Wouldn’t you like that? Didn’t you enjoy being my prey?”
You ignored him, eyes stayed fixed ahead of you. It was impossible to know where to look. Was it customary to make eye contact with your captors as they were patching you up? They would have to forgive you for not reading up on the proper etiquette of being whisked away against your will and being forced to participate in a game of deadly hide and seek. But just because you weren’t looking at them, didn’t mean that weren’t looking at you. Perhaps it was better not to make eye contact as three separate pairs of eyes dug their way under your skin.
“It saddens me that we can’t play with our new pet,” Belmont said. Choosing to stand rather than sit, he walked around the room. “You heard father, no one touches them.” Daniel stopped. “Except to fix that wound.” Belmont sighed. “You can continue.”
It was incredibly awkward having two of them watch while one was tending to you. Instead of going off and doing their own thing they favoured watching you squirm under their brothers hold. Daniel kept a loose hand on your arm as he dosed the rag with clear liquid. You had no idea what it was. You felt yourself retract from his hold, which did not go unnoticed. Daniel tightened his grip, pulling you towards him. “Love, you need to stay still so I can heal you. Don’t you trust me?” Avoiding the obvious answer of 'no’, you held your tongue and leaned into him.
You prematurely winced, expecting the substance to sting harshly. It wasn’t too far fetched to think the medicine they used would also inflict pain. But as the cloth came into contact with your skin, you felt at ease. An unsettling calm sensation seeped through your body. It caused you to relax, letting your shoulders slope as all tension drained out. Daniel laughed, mumbling something under his breath as he continued to apply pressure on your wound, you could feel his stare never leaving the puncture.
“There we go, darling, all patched up. See, it wasn’t so bad.” You looked back at your shoulder. Sure enough the wound had healed. But it didn’t just heal, it had completely vanished. All traces of torn flesh and spilt blood were removed from your body entirely. You couldn’t believe it. That was insane. Your disbelief rendered you curious, going as far as pulling at the skin to make sure it was attached properly.
You had to admit, whatever that substance was, it was really handy. Even though it had patched you up, you still felt the need to be careful. It worked on smaller wounds, sure. But you highly doubted it would work on something severe like a disembodied hand. That would just be ridiculous. Since the sons had carried out their fathers orders, they had no need to stay. Belmont declared that the deed was done and guided his brothers out. Cassandros followed first, making a one-off comment about if there was another scar they would need to stay to patch it up, and then Daniel trailing behind them, blowing you a kiss before finally closing the door.
Now you were alone. And it stayed that way for next few days. The door stayed permanently closed and no one spoke a single word to you. When you came to this village you were expecting a quiet retreat away from your life. Not to be held up in a castle with four monsters. If this experience had been advertised on the holiday brochures, then you would have thought twice before setting up this little escapade. But no. You just had to fall in love with the frosted scenery, the quaint little village, and the mysterious lore surrounding it. The phrase curiosity killed the cat never applied itself so perfectly until now.
I mean, it could be worse. You could be dead by now. Either due to the storm or by one of your gracious hosts. If not for the Lord and his orders, there would be nothing stopping the brothers from devouring you on sight. But then again, that itself brought up more questions. He must have a reason to spare your life. There was no way in hell a creature of such high calibre would reframe from feasting just because they felt like it. There was no soul inside to be swayed. Or maybe that was the case. For all you knew, you had caught the attention of the Lord and had peeked his intertest. An unremarkable specimen attracting the unforeseen affection of a beast, using the excuse of you being the last to survive to keep you around.
You shook those thoughts from your head. Please, that was just silly. There was no need to fill your head with deluded fantasies. You needed to think realistically. A small scoff slipped past your lips. That’s laughable. Trying to think realistically in a situation embedded with mythical creatures and people who can turn themselves into bugs. It really did sound like a fantasy.
There was one thing about this experience that puzzled you endlessly: The letters. It wasn’t that bad, at first. It was a surprise to suddenly hear knocking then see something being slipped under your door, a shadow disappearing with it. It peeked your curiosity. So you went over, finding a posh envelope on the floor. Daniel, the one who you had presumed was the most harmless, had been writing you love letters. The sort young lovers would privately exchange under secret glances and hidden meetings. Even though this self proclaimed love was one-sided, it did not stop him writing as if he knew you intricately. He addressed you as a courter would, complementing your appearance and asking about your day. Then he would list all the little things he knew about you. You assumed most of them were guesses, but they were strangely accurate. It could be considered romantic, if you had not seen him committing murder the day prior.
You didn’t think much about it, didn’t think you needed to. So you just slotted the letter in an empty draw and continued trying to ignore everything. But it didn’t stop with just one. They started to get more frequent. Almost every hour you received a new letter, each more concerning than the last. They went into detail about how lovely you were, how cute you looked cowering in fear, and how euphoric it would be to watch you bleed out. Your stomach churned just from holding the damned thing.
They just kept getting more graphic, and in the end, you stopped reading them altogether. Instead letting the collection of letters pile up at your doorstep. Daniel didn’t seem to notice as his letters bumped against each other, that or he didn’t care, still continuing to write them despite your lack of interest.
The night came sooner than you thought. The little light the village possessed drained from the outside and was replaced by the warm glow of candle light. You eyed the clock in the corner of the room, watching the second hand as it ticked upward. Mentally counting down before the final moments.
The clock chimed. Your eyes moved towards the door. Any second now, another letter would be slid under and added to the pile. But as the clock continued to chime, and as your patience ran thin, there was no indication of a letter being delivered. There was a few minuets of silence, followed by a sigh. You had become so accustomed to this routine, having it be thrown off was a few steps short of disappointing. You waited a few more minuets, wondering what could have happened. Perhaps he was running late? Or maybe ran out of creative ways to express his twisted love? You hoped he hadn’t gotten into trouble for his efforts.
No. No, absolutely not. You shook your head ferociously. You were not going to start developing an emotional attachment to these creatures. The last thing you wanted was to do was see this things as somewhat human.
Three brisk knocks were heard. Your ears perked up, bringing your attention to the door. Still nothing was slid underneath, yet you could see a shadow standing before your door. They just stood there waiting. Another round was heard. It was quickly drawn to your attention that this person was waiting for you. Getting up off the bed you made your way over to the door. Your hand reached for the handle, but quickly retracted itself as instead the door opened for you. Tired of waiting, Belmont greeted you. Before you had a chance to ask what he was doing there, he answered. “Father sent for me, I’m escorting you to dinner.”
“Dinner?” You ask. This seemed out of character for them. Two days of silence and then a sudden invitation to dinner? Were they been nice to you only to confuse your further? It was hard to tell what they viewed you as. It swayed between a guest and a meal so frequently, you couldn’t even distinguish the difference anymore. Belmont leaned against the doorframe, tilting his head to the side. “Ah, they finally speak. I was starting to think all you knew was screaming and whimpering.” You narrowed your eyes at him. Sure, you hadn’t said much since you got here, but that didn’t mean you didn’t know how. His snarky comment made you reconsider. “I think I might just stay here actually.”
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“No.” You lied. The prospect of eating had completely slipped your mind. You had been held up in a room for almost two days, of course you were hungry. But due to the stress and panic you felt, you had been neglecting your basic needs. Eating seemed like a trivial thing in comparison with what you dealt with. As if on cue, and to punish you for lying, your stomach growled. Internally you tensed. The vampire before you grinned, giving you a knowing smile. “Come on, can’t have fathers latest meal going stale on us.”
“Hang on a moment, meal?” You question. After all that kerfuffle of healing your shoulder and being assigned a room, they were still planning to eat you. What a waste of time. That’s what this was. They were luring you out of your room with the promise of food just to trap you. Well, you saw right through this plan, and in no way were you going to be a part of it. You placed your hand back on the handle, wanting nothing more than to shut it in his face. “Sorry, I’m not interested.”
Belmont placed his hand on the door, stopping it before you could attempt to close it. He took a step forward, walking into the room, causing you to move back. “Don’t worry, we’re not eating you…” He leant down towards you, mere inches away for your face, he whispered. “… At least, not tonight.” You pushed him away, causing him to cackle. Without waiting for him you exited the room, deciding to find the dining hall for yourself. Against your better judgement, you chose to trust his words. You were just about able to escape once, right? If anything happened, all you needed to do was run. Besides, maybe now you’ll finally get an answer out of him as why you’re still alive.
Soon enough, you found yourself turned around, not knowing where you had previously came from. All the hallways in this castle looked alike, and you swore you had passed the same white vase at least three times. It felt like you were going around in circles. At this rate, you would never find your way out. “Need someone to guide you?” Belmont appeared out of nowhere, scaring the living daylights out of you. You could hear him laughing at you as you steadied your heartbeat. After he had had his fun, Belmont extended his arm out to you, offering to walk you there. Begrudgingly you agreed, but refused to take his arm.
The two of you didn’t exchange any more words as you were lead towards the dining room. You smelt the food before you saw it. Alluring aromas that travelled the hallway of the castle, causing your mouth to water at the sheer thought of eating. You stepped into the dining hall and was instantly bombarded with a massive feast laid before you. Food coated the table, seemingly far too much for anyone to eat. A generous selection of fruits and vegetables were spread out in gold dishes, there were tall glasses at every seat, and two polished candelabras decorated the scene. The centre piece of the feast was a large slab of meat carved up into pieces. It sat in the middle of the table atop a silver tray, drawing your attention towards it. You couldn’t make out what it was. The mystery meat taunted you, urging you to take a guess.
Daniel perked up as soon as you entered the room, having been slouching in his seat beforehand. He seemed to have been waiting for you. You swiftly averted eye contact, remembering the collection of letters pilled in your room. Knowing him, he probably wanted to hear your opinion on them. You had a choice few words, but they didn’t fall under the category of constructive criticism, so you kept them to yourself. Cassandros wasn’t much better off, having been gnawing away at a piece of meat, not having the patience to wait a second longer. Dimitrescu sent him several sharp glances, which he ignored.
The Lord sat at the head of the table, swirling a wine glass of crimson liquid in his hand. His gaze had been targeted on you ever since you stepped foot into the room. It was like a vultures stare, feeling equally dangerous as it was violating. Even as you stood before him, it was impossible to tell what his intention was. “Welcome,” He took a sip of his drink, not letting his stare waver. “I was beginning to think you weren’t joining us.”
You nodded your head, unsure of how to answer. When it was just one of them, you could handle that. But having all four of them gathered again made you feel so powerless.
“Please, have a seat.” He gestured at the empty chair at the end of the table. Food had already been served on the plate and the glass was already filled. Belmont came up from behind, pulling out your chair for you. Not knowing what else to do, you took his offer, having him slide it back under. Dimitresu thanked Belmont, causing him to smile proudly. The other brothers rolled their eyes. This was a sight they were accustomed to, and grew even more bored every time they saw it.
“I trust my sons picked out a good room for you, considering you never left.” In unison the sons turned in your direction. They eagerly awaited your response, wanting to know if they pleased their father. Dimitrescu held up his hand, signifying he was not done talking. You tensed. Never left? You didn’t have the freedom to leave. It wasn’t like you hadn’t thought about it. Christ, thinking about escaping was the one thing keeping your sanity in check.
“Poor thing, cooped in your room. Must have been so frightening.” He took a moments rest to eat from his plate. “The door was unlocked. You could have left at any time.” You almost dropped your fork. All this time, the door was unlocked. And you didn’t even try to escape once. Something in the back of your mind always told you it was hopeless to even try. He focused his attention back to you, a small smirk growing on his features. “Were you scared something was going to happen if you stepped out?”
You didn’t answer, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of being right. Instead looking to your plate and the contents it held. Fork in hand you picked up the slice of meat, hesitating before taking a bite. It was extraordinary. You had never tasted anything like it. A succulent flavour that melted in your mouth. You almost felt guilty eating it. Provided with food and a room to stay in, it was already too much then you could ever give. There was certain to be a price to all this, there always was. Yet the Lord was tight lipped when it came to the type of payment.
Trying to play down your euphoria of finally eating something, you bit your tongue and quietly continued with your meal. If you closed your eyes, you could image yourself at a five-star restaurant without the unwanted company. And for a moment, you almost believed it were true. But there were more pressing matters that plagued your mind. All this pretend play as if nothing had happened. As if you were their guest or an old family friend. There was one thing you needed to know.
“Why did you spare me?”
“Has your curiosity reached it’s limit, little one?”
You nodded.
“If you must know, it’s your blood.” That was… surprisingly simple. You would have thought he would have laughed at you for asking such a question. Yet he willingly gave you his answer. “The village hosts many people, suitable to sustain me and my sons, but there is one problem. The Four Lords have planted their hands into the lives of the villagers, interfering with their natural form. I myself am partly to blame for this. Father Mirus gave me these powers, and I intend to use them. As such, I’ve grown accustomed to their taste. They don’t satisfy me as they used to. But you… You’re not from the village, are you?” He took another sip from his glass, it seemed to relax him. “Pure, unsoiled, human blood. Much more refined then anything here. I could barley contain myself when I tasted it… That’s why I’ve decided to keep you here, as my personal guest…”
The Lord continued on, going into detail of how you would be taken care of here, as long as you obeyed his rules. You would be given food, clothing, a place to rest, and anything you could ever need. In return for his kindness, you were expected to let him feed whenever he wanted. Allowing him to take what he assumed was his. Even though what he was describing wasn’t necessarily bad, there was no easing the sinking feeling in your chest. Everything had been planned out for you, leaving no room for protest. The way he spoke with such conviction almost made you believe you agreed to it. But there was something you couldn’t shake.
He wasn’t describing a guest, he was describing a pet.
“…One of my servants is awfully gifted in tailoring, I could have them fashion you a new outfit, if it pleases you.”
You shook your head. You didn’t want to be in his debt more than you already were. He talked about his servants as if they were in the room, yet ever since you entered you hadn’t seen anyone remotely normal. You had seen neither head nor hair of any other person in this castle, only being faced with the Lord and his sons. It was hard to believe the servants even existed. Apparently they had prepared this entire meal, yet were not here to serve it. Was that some sort of condition to working here? Never be seen? It seemed absurd. “Where are your servants?” You asked. He had already answered one of your questions, maybe you could ask another.
Dimitrescu stopped eating. He sat his cutlery down and leaned back in his chair. From his pocket he retrieved a cigar and placed it between his lips. Belmont was the first to react, already toasting the foot of the cigar. Apparently he always kept a lighter on him just for occasions like these.
The Lord inhaled slowly, then let the steady stream of smoke escape, taking his time indulging in the bitter taste, purposefully making you wait for his answer. His eyes flickered down before the slab of meat, a new idea crafting inside his head. There were many things about this castle you didn’t know, and many more you didn’t want to know. Asking such an obvious question deserved an obvious answer. “Maybe you should ask them yourself, their right in front of you.”
There was a pause. For a moment your world stopped, and you didn’t know why. The air grew thin as you took a breath. Even the candles stopped flickering as you processed exactly what he said.
Your silverware clattered against the table. Your stomach churned. In a matter of seconds the rich taste of meat was replaced with sickening bile. You gagged. Bringing your hands to your mouth to try and suppress what attempted to crawl back up your throat. Your eyes watered. Your breathing hitched. You stood up quickly, chair clattering on the floor behind you. You didn’t look at them, not caring if they held smiles on their faces or concern. This couldn’t be real. Surely these creatures weren’t so horrendous that they would intentionally feed you something so heinous. That was completely obscene. Just as you thought there was going to be some understanding between you, they turn the situation on it’s head for some sick joke.
You could hear them start to get up from their chairs, but you couldn’t face them, not after what they pulled. Instead you turned on your heels and began running again. Just as one game was over, another one was about to begin. This was your life now. A never ending dance with four demons for survival. You didn’t know where you were going. You ran upstairs, down the hallway, turned left, turned right, and locked yourself in the farthest room you could find. But what you hadn’t realised was exactly whose room you ran into.