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"Let us be! We never meant you any harm!"

He srabbed hold of an to hit him with her fists as May scratched at his hand I tried to hold onto myers in , are mine," he whispered in ue

"You bastard!" Father’s voice shouted

Throughto break free of his captors

Vlad laughed, turned back into the castle, and draggedthe others!"

I clutched at his wrist, trying to keep hiout in pain, anger, and frustration

"All this is yours now I give you all I possess!"

"I do not want it! Let o! I want to be with hed at ypsy woht"

"No! No! Release ht the gypsy woed ht the overled into the castle Mother was holding May in her ar over her shoulder It was apparent that she had collapsed My ht fro her face Father’s face was flushed with anger as he continued to struggle to free hiuards I watched as Prince Vlad approached, and Father finally broke free frouards

Bravely, my father launched himself at the Prince "You bastard! I will kill you!"

Father tried to strike the Prince, but Vlad’s hand ainst my father’s cheek In horror, I watched Father fall at Prince Vlad’s feet, stunned

"For that, you shall die first"

Mother and I both began to screaypsies pulled me up the steep staircase andto the floor, May falling fro hiypsies wrenchedcorridor,around me I knew, in ht I collapsed to htly between theo," I pleaded with theo"

They led me on as they would a small child

It was then I heard an to screa within me I knew that Prince Vlad had ypsies releasedbefore therew louder and rang throughout the castle

As the low, seductive laughter of Prince Vlad swelled up from below us, they reached down and drew ed

But there was no mercy for me I was taken far from the staircase and deep into the castle So deep, my mother’s screams faded away

This was ht This could not be happening! And yet, it was

The gypsies tore my clothes from my body and forcedinto the cold water My body shuddered with my tormented sobs I was drawn froe rough cloths

"Stop crying," one of thelish

"My father…"

"He never should have defied the Prince," she answered Her strong fingers gripped my damp hair and she looked fiercely into ether, they pulled me to my feet and led me into another chaown of purest silk and brushed out ed atthe, and the tears were now just a mere trickle down my cheeks It hurt to breathe and it hurt to ponder the terrible events of the night I did not want to think or feel I sat and stared at a crack in the stone floor, ignoring the wo me for whatever horrible plans the Prince had for hts before They left me there to wait for him I covered my face with my hands and trembled in terror

I wanted to die and jointo die I was going to wait I was going to wait in that awful, cold roo to wait for the monster that called hi silence

Trying to calan to recite the Lord’s Prayer

As ht approached and my fear deepened, I stood watch in the dusty, dark bedcha in own, pale with fear and despair, I waited

I could not let myself ponder the fate of o surely mad I had to wait and see what horror the Prince would visit upon me In my heart, I wanted him to kill me as he had my Father I knew that I would never escape this place except to die I also kneould coreen eyes had rested on me with unholy lust had been a promise A dark, evil pro to the awful ragged sound of ht was full of shadows and half-heard whispers It was as if the very darkness had sprung to life, reaching fornarro, the ht It washed theshadows

There was no comfort to be found

The words of the Lord’s Prayer faded from my dry lips Fear finally robbed me of my voice Even my body was paralyzed My onlyofWaiting for the Prince Waiting for ned for le" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>