It was a prison. It might be beautifully decorated with no expense spared with vast grounds but it was still a prison I could not leave.

At the least I’d had some sort of freedom when we had been at the apartment but here I was confined to the property. I didn’t even venture outside the house.

The house, with too many rooms to count, was situated in the middle of the property surrounded by tall walls. The security was modern, unlike the house, with guards all over the property. Even if I was contemplating leaving, I couldn’t.

The stranger had seen me to my room then turned his heel and left. Someone had come into check my vitals but other than that there had been no one else other than Ben, who had been there to welcome me, and the guards who I could sight of from the upstairs window.

There had been no sign of Silas. My heart heavy, I didn’t know what to make of what had happened. Did he blame me like the other vampires, like the leader?

Had he only fought for my life because of the children I could bear him?

My physical wounds healed and by the next day I was feel physically much better, almost back to normal. But I couldn’t say the same for my mind. The lack of Silas had done nothing to assure me I was safe.

Where was he?

I found the clothes that had been brought from the apartment were hanging in the wardrobe in my room.

Listlessly, I walked around the house. Old paintings adorned the walls. There were a couple of Silas that I had studied, missing him. How could I miss someone who had treated me so terribly? It wasn’t like he cared about me. Was I so desperate for his attention when he didn’t feel the same way about me?

It was all about the future offspring I could give him. That was it.

At least in the house I didn’t have any contact with any other vampires, other than Ben who I only saw when he brought me the blood I needed.

Later that day when I went to shower. As I stood with the water cascading down my body I checked the bruises that were healing. It was then I saw my stomach looked slightly bloated. Not enough to have caught my attention before.

That was strange but I brushed it off, putting it down to my body’s way of healing itself. I had also needed more blood. My body had been battered, if I had been human I would have died.

I hated how Thane haunted my nightmares. Reliving what happened in the locked room, remained forefront in my mind. Even when I was awake, it was there.

But what played on my mind the most was the Silas, and wondering where he was.

I passed another day of boredom by exploring the house but found nothing interesting. The only room I hadn’t explored had been the study. With more curiosity than I could ignore I stood in the doorway of the room debating whether this was a good idea or not.

But my curiosity got the best of me and I entered the room slowly. It was neat. I walked over to the desk and the first thing I did was open the drawers.

There were some documents, all written with symbols I didn’t recognize. The vampires seemed to have their own language but I had never heard them talk anything other than english. Perhaps, it was only for writing.

I don’t really know what I was looking for, but I found nothing.

More bored than ever, I lost myself in day to day task of consuming the blood I needed to regenerate and stay alive. I showered, noticing my stomach looked a little more bloated. Maybe it had something to do with the blood I was consuming. I would make a point of asking Ben if there was something different in the blood he was giving me.

That evening I lay in bed contemplating if this was going to be my life for the foreseeable future and wondering how I was going to manage. For the first time I missed the training, it was at least something to do even if it involved pain.

I heard a car and slipped from the bed to see it drive down the long driveway. With bated breath I stood watching as it stopped and Silas got out the back.

He unfolded his large frame before looking up to the window. Our eyes locked for a second. Then he entered the house.

My heart was racing and I felt a tremor of excitement at his arrival. Everything seemed to come alive with his presence.

It didn’t take long before I heard his footsteps outside my door and then the door opened.

I didn’t say a word as he entered and closed the door.

I had to catch a breath as his eyes settled on me.

“You’ve recovered?” he asked.

A little flustered as his presence I nodded. “I’m feeling much better,” I managed to say.

He nodded.

“Thank you,” I blurted out.

“For what?”

I shrugged. “For saving me.” I don’t know why I was thanking him. He hadn’t done it for me, he had done it for the continuation of his kind.

“If you hadn’t come in when you did…” I didn’t want to think of what Thane would have taken from me if Silas hadn’t arrived when he did.

“Thane is a spoiled vampire who takes what he wants and has always gotten away with it. This time he wasn’t.”

I swallowed. “I can’t think what would have happened if you hadn’t gotten there when you did.”

“He would have raped you.” His gaze focussed on the bruise still healing on my cheek. He jaw was tense and I watched it tick.

“I don’t know why they blamed me. He is the one who attacked me.” I shrugged, still unable to believe they had taken his side over mine. He remained silent.

“The council leader is a friend of Thane. Thane is never held responsible for his transgressions. He would have blamed anyone other than Thane for your incident.” His eyes found my again.

“Where have you been?” I found myself asking, unsure if it was question he would even answer. But I had to know. I wanted to know what he had been doing, instead of being here with me. Was that needy of me? Maybe.

“The incident had wider repercussions than just the council.”

What did that mean? But maybe I didn’t want to know. Perhaps in this instance, it was better not to know. I was already living with the fear of the vampire council, did I need anymore to worry about? The answer was, no.

“I’ve been putting out fires.”

I nodded like I understood, but the truth was I didn’t.

“But I don’t believe it’s enough to ensure your safety.”

“Ah. So that’s why I’m at Fort Knox?” I asked.

He nodded. “It’s the safest place for you right now.”

“Who was the guy who brought me here?” I finally had a chance to ask some questions.

“A friend.”

I frowned. No name. I’ll just have to call him the asshole.

“So what happens now?” I swallowed nervously.

“The only way to ensure your safety is for you to be pregnant.”

That wasn’t what I wanted to hear. Being pregnant and all that it entailed scared me. But I had to admit I would rather die while trying to have a baby than watch my family be murdered before the vampire council took my life.

“I’ll be back tomorrow night. We need to give you sufficient time to recover before we try again.”

I nodded. It was logical but it lacked the emotional connection I needed. The thought of the two of us together again made me blush.

Why did I need more from him than he would or could give? I was setting myself up for major heartbreak and I couldn’t figure a way to stop it from happening.

And being with him didn’t help. But I had no choice.

I watched as he left. After I sat down on the bed and tried to calm my racing heart.

What I felt for Silas gave him a power over me that scared me. But I couldn’t leave and I couldn’t change the path of my future. All I could hope was that I survived.