Twenty-seven
“Are you crazy? I get up between three. -Why did it?
"Look..." he mocked. -She thinks she's strong!
— I didn't call anyone, he called me!
Strangely, they both start laughing at me.
"You want us to believe the King called you?"
"Who do you think you are girl?"
The two humiliate me, but only the youngest stares at me as if she knows me.
"We didn't bring her...
Her revelation causes the other two to change their expressions, completely forgetting about the cell phone accident.
"What do you mean they didn't bring it?" -question. -It's part of the snack, isn't it?
- Really... -she analyzes me. -The five we brought are all men!
- I am not -
- Who are you? She cuts me off, coming face to face with me.
"I'm trying to say I'm not a threat!"
"Anyone other than one of the three of us is a threat!"
- This is ridiculous! -I say.
- What?
His chest rises above me.
— I don't want trouble, I just want to go home!
"But it's too late for a human to walk alone on the street...
"Especially a human as beautiful as you..." he said, touching the strands of my hair.
I don't know how they still don't realize I'm not human.
"You don't have to worry about my safety!"
— A pretty little thing like that, we can't leave it unprotected!
— I guarantee that I am one of the most watched people in this country!
"If that were true, you wouldn't be here with the three of us!"
She sucks on her lips, swallowing every drop of saliva her mouth forms.
"I'm sorry, but I need to prove to you...
“Iris! -she tries to stop her.
- DO NOT TOUCH ME! - I push her, but she manages to rip the sleeve of her shirt.
— You're nervous... -he said sniffing the cloth he tore from my body. -W-wait...
She sniffs harder, activating her eyes.
- What it was?
"Benjamin..." he said, staring at me. -It smells like Benjamin!
“From Benjamin?” -she takes the piece of cloth from the hand of the other and smells it too, revealing her eyes.
"Why are you wearing Benjamin's shirt?"
"You are impregnated with his perfume!" - he said angrily.
"Where did you get this?" - he asked advancing towards me.
- He arrives. I will kill her!
Iris grabs me from behind and pulls my hair pulling my head back. Kaila quickly touches me with her hands, ensuring I'm trapped for her to sink her teeth into me. The youngest goes into despair, begging them to stop, involving her screams with mine.
— STOP! - he shouted.
- NO! -shout. - RELEASE ME!
Your nails are like those of an eagle that pierce my skin, so that I don't escape your cruel hands. They were so blind they didn't care who I belonged to, they just wanted to cut through my flesh, going one on each side of my neck, until a loud crash separates the three of us.
Fast, merciless and strong.
Benjamin appears, taking the two in his fists against the wall.
— ARE YOU CRAZY? he yelled with all his animal side alive.
He held them by the throat, taking their oxygen.
— RELEASE, RELEASE THEM! -begged.
I had no way to intervene, I didn't even have the strength to stand up.
— Mila? He comes up behind me, kneeling beside me. -What there was? - he asked worried with his hands on my shoulder.
- And everything is fine!
It wasn't, but I wasn't going to make things worse when I'd already caused all this trouble.
"What's that around your neck?" -he touches the blood, seeing the holes in my skin.
"Stop, Vincent!" - I fight with him, being surprised by Benjamin, who kneels in front of me.
- Let me see! - he said going straight with his hands on me.
"I already told you it's okay!"
"Who is she, Benjamin?"
"I should ask that!"
The vampire echoes his voice, making him stand up towards her.
- Did you do that? - he said facing her, pointing his finger in my direction.
"If it weren't for your meddling, I would have ripped her neck out with my teeth!"
Rigid, he stomps his feet on the ground and lunges for her.
- SIR!
Vincent screams trying to stop a massacre and his master hangs on the ground, thoughtful about his actions. Immediately the other two vampires run towards the older one, hugging her body.
It was "The Three Musketeers".
"One for all and all for one!"
Benjamin scans the room, drawn by the smell of fresh blood. As their eyes took in every piece of the atrocities they committed, I understood that they were afraid of him.
“Is that—” He doesn't finish the question.
It was obvious that this was indeed a body.
— You promised me... -he grinds his teeth, seeing the poor man dead on the ground.
— I asked you not to come in here, Mila! -she whispered in my ear.
“Vincent! -she calls him from afar seeing him talking to me. -Do you know her?
- S -
- No! -answered for him.
"Let him answer!" -debated.
"He doesn't owe you an explanation, Iris!"
- He must! -she replies moving away from the others, only to face the vampire face to face. -He is my butler and he has to do what I say!
"Her butler?"- I think looking at Vincent.
- Do not say anything! she murmured to me. -I DON'T KNOW HER, MY LADY! - she replied in a loud tone, getting to her feet.
"What the fuck is going on?"
— Enough... - I lean on the couch in an attempt to get to my feet and all eyes consequently turn to me. - I can't take this hell anymore. I'm going back to my house!
- Wait!
"She can't leave here after seeing us!"
- What? - I face her from afar.
- He arrives! - he said in the middle of the ring.
"If you don't tell me who that bitch is, Benjamin, I swear I will—"
"What did you call me?" - I take three steps towards her, until Vincent grabs my wrist.
- Bitch!
“Stop it, Iris!
— I didn't leave my reign to sit here listening to this shit! -vent.
"Kingship?" -repeat.
The three have faces of doubt, implying that they are not up to date with the country they live in.
Julia- Who is she, Benjamin? she asked calmly.
— It's Benjamin, why don't you just tell me who I am? - I tease.
"Mila, please!"
The vampire stares at me sternly, scolding my rebellion, but seeing his butler at my side, he decides to take out his anger on the one who was more innocent.
“You should have taken care of her, Vincent. I asked you not to let her walk around alone!
"But sir-"
— The three, the three girls you told me about, the only ones in the world who have Benjamin's blood...
Vincent and I were at an impasse, when he did everything to get me out of the answers I needed.
"For God's sake, Mila!"
— THIS IS YOUR FAULT, VICENT!
He was being pressured from all sides, his human mind was collapsing.
"YOU BROUGHT HER HERE EVEN AFTER I WARNED YOU OF THE DANGERS!"
"What dangers?"
— I JUST WAS KEEPING AN EYE ON HER!
"I DIDN'T KNOW SHE WOULD ANNOY YOUR WIVES!"
"Oops!"
I swallow hard, my eyes wide.
“Oo what?” -stutter. -Did you say wives?— MILA, PLEASE OPEN THE DOOR!
"She's really mad at me!"
After what happened, Mila ran off not giving me a chance to explain. I could have caught her before she locked herself in my room, but it was impossible to move as Iris and Kaila did their best to reach her. I had to calm them down first.
"I'M NOT LEAVING HERE UNTIL-"
- Sir?
My butler, the one with the big mouth too, had stayed in the basement with the girls, making sure they didn't go upstairs to cause more trouble.
- What are you doing here? I turn to him, pushing my fists away from the door. -Shouldn't you be fixing the shit you did?
- That I did? she snapped. -I'm not the one who has three wives and I'm still messing around with another one!
"How come—" I clasp my hands, weighing my nervous feet in her bearings.
- CALM CALM! -he requested. -Sorry!
"WHY AREN'T YOU DOWN THERE, VICENT?" -brigo, changed.
"The girls are under control, waiting for you to come down!" she explained. -I came only to call you and also to find out if I can help with the Queen.
"Now that you've screwed up, do you want to help?"
"It's not my fault if the-"
—OK, OK! - I interrupted him angrily. -I'm not in the mood to talk to the girls now, let them know I'll be down as soon as possible.
I roll up the sleeves of my shirt and adjust myself by sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall next to the door. Vincent, starts looking at me weirdly like he's seeing a monster.
"Why did you sit on the floor?" he asked in horror.
“She locked the door. I'm not leaving here until it opens!
"She locked you out of your own room?"
"To hear that come out of his mouth, it really does sound weird!"
- Yes! - I answer.
— My God... - he said open-mouthed.
"What is it, Vincent?"
“N-nothing! -mind. -But...but why don't you come in?
"He's right, but that's not what I want to do."
"If I break down the door, that will probably piss her off even more!"
"R-right..." he replied.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Sir? His hand touches my shoulder waking me up.
— O-hi!
"Shit. What pain is this..."
"What happened, Vincent?" - I question rubbing my eyes. -Everything is fine?
- Good? she snapped. - I should ask if everything is okay. I've never seen you sleep on the floor waiting for a woman's forgiveness! -she laughed.
- Funny... -I ironize, getting to my feet. -I didn't sleep, I just dozed off! - I say stretching.
"My spine is killing me!"
"It's ten o'clock in the morning!"
- What?
"TEN HOURS?"
"What do you mean ten hours?" I grab my butler's wrist, pulling it up so I can see his watch.
"You've been here all night and a good part of the morning too!"
“How could you let that happen?
He looks at me with a cynical look and that makes me give up listening to an answer.
— Stay here and try to convince Mila to leave the room. I need to go down and sort some things out!
- Okay!
In decades past when I allowed my wives to bathe in blood and kill for fun, I needed to renovate and adapt the basement so that sound could not be reproduced beyond those walls. Before installing acoustic insulation, the screams and calls for help still reached the floors above. I remember we had over twenty-two different houses and whenever the girls got out of line, authority would knock on my door wanting explanations. Neighbors lived in fear talking about a trio of women dragging innocent people into their homes. Those who had the courage to question it in person ended up not having the opportunity to return to their families.
♡♡♡♡
