I sucked in a quick breath at the sight of where we were heading. I stayed on Ruddy who walked beside my Mistress' carriage as I stared up at the colossal building that was only growing bigger the closer we got to it.

The castles walls were made of black stone and deadly looking spikes piked put of the walls every now and then. The wall that was built around the castle was also made of black stone and had spikes along it, keeping anyone stupid enough from climbing it. At the top were gaps where soldiers should have been standing looking down and guarding the wall. But all that was there were large cauldron looking bowels, filled with what? I don't know.

I regretted immediately looking along the wall. Cages hung out from the wall and I could see from where I was that there was either half dead or already dead humans in those cages. Crows pecked and squawked at each other over these corpses as I watched them fighting over an eyeball that had fallen out of a what use to be a woman's head.

Death surrounded this black castle and the mana in the area whispered promises of insanity into my ears. I wouldn't allow a single drop of this dark mana enter me. The natural mana that was inside me cringed and pulled away from this darker mana that touched and caressed my skin keeping the hairs on my body on end along with goosebumps prickling.

The smell hit me next. Rot. Just plain rot and decay hit me like a slap in the face. I gagged and had to covered my mouth as we passed the cages.

I couldn't take my eyes off of those still alive in these black iron cages. They were drained. I could fee it. Any amount of mana inside them was slowly trickling out. Hollow eyes stared out at nothing. Blankness on pale sunken in faces. Their bodies nothing but bones and bulges from their intestines. Clothes, nothing but scraps, stained and bleached by excrement. I could see the slightest bulges of their veins under the skin, it seemed like there was nothing even going through them.

I was too busy looking at a man who was slumped at the bottom of his cage not even flinching when a crow started pecking the skin off of his fingers to realise how close I had gotten to another cage.

I let out a squeak when what felt like a bunch of sticks wrapped around my wrist. I froze as I came face to face with a woman who looked like she should have already been dead.

My throat constricted as I felt the last of this woman's mana seeped into me against my will. Something was different about this mana though. It felt more like a spell than pure mana being transferred to one person from another.

Suddenly my world went blank. For a second or an hour, I couldn't tell. But I was suddenly in a world of white. Light came from everywhere and nowhere, blinding me while making everything painfully bright.

I couldn't move. I couldn't see. I couldn't smell. I couldn't taste. My senses were dulled to almost not even working. I was terrified while also feeling a ball of curiosity fill me.

I perked up though as a whisper tickled my ears. The faintest of sounds in this world of white. I didn't catch it the first time but when it came again I was both confused and terrified.

"Yeri qoy mae atthirar. Villat, ha ki Akkelenak mae irge me."

(Your blood is life. Beware, for the Master is after it.)

It was a warning. A warning not from this near dead woman.

As fast as I entered the world of white I was back in my own and staring at the blank eyes of a dead woman.

The message was most definitely for me but I had an unmistakeable feeling that it wasn't exactly from this woman. Something had used her to get it to me.

But I don't understand the warning. Why me and who would have the need to warn me about something?

Who is the Master and why would he be after my blood? How is my blood 'life' in the first place?

Alpha? Are you alright? My rhetorical questions to myself was cut off by Anon's voice in my mind.

What? I asked before realising that he was sitting beside me as I kept staring at the dead woman while everyone else continued on. Ah, yes, yes. I'm alright just disgusted and highly uncomfortable.

You're telling me! He scoffed as his wolf nose screwed up. The smell is absolutely awful and how could they do this to a human? I don't like this place Alpha, I don't want to continue on. I have a really bad feeling about this.

I know, but we have no choice. We'll have to deal with it for now. We're only here for two nights and then we can go back home. Come on, before we get left behind. I nudged Ruddy forward, though he didn't want to continue onto this castle's grounds, which matched my own feelings perfectly.

Though I was still slightly distracted by the warning, that didn't stop me from taking in what I could as we entered through the wall's large heavy wooden gates.

I was once again horrified by what I saw.

It was a blatant display of ownership and power.

Around the court yard were multiple contraptions that held humans either spread eagled or bent over showing naked skin with only loin cloths and a scrap over some women's breasts, some didn't even have that chance for modesty.

Scars marred their saggy pale skin and none looked like they were ever healthy in their lives.

What is this? I asked Anon feeling disgusted, horrified and other feelings that have no words to name them with. Why were these humans being punished in such a way?

This Enrique bastard likes to show off his power. Anon growled, sharp canines showing as his wolf lips drew back in a snarl.

But why? This is... This is just inhumane! Disgusting! Diabolical! Evil!

Power. Anon stated. Those humans are just food and slaves to the Nightwalker's here in this castle. They're blood bags that have either defied their orders or were deemed to have done something that was punishable.

And those outside in the cages?

Humans that no longer have any use. A waste of space. So while getting rid of the scraps, they're also showing off their power and sending a warning. "Don't mess with us or you will die." Is basically what this is all saying.

I didn't know what to say, I was horrified.

Ruddy moved along the dead ground wide eyes moving all over the place and I could feel his distress. I tried to sooth him as much as I could, but I don't think it helped much since I was also highly bothered by everything I was experiencing.

The train of carriages have stopped in front of the main part of the castle. A large set of black stone steps lead up to a wide and tall dark wooden door that was shut. A stained window depicting some kind of sacrificial act sat above it in the wall while on either side of the large doors were shuttered windows.

Also on either side of the doors stood two guards. From where I was I couldn't tell if they were human or not but I could see that both were dressed in heavy black armour that hid every inch of their body.

Suddenly the doors opened a slither and I cringed as a disgusted aura traveled over to me from the creature that had hobbled out of the small opening.

It was some kind of humanoid thing. To anyone else they would have assumed it was human since it had ratty brown hair cropped oddly on its head. Bushy brown eyebrows hanging over sunken in eyes that were a sickly green glazed by a tinge of milky yellow. Two arms and two legs, though it was nothing but bones being held together by strings of tendons. His hands and feet were as big as his head, and hanging down through a hole in the crotch of what I assume are meant to be pants, is an overly veiny child sized penis.

But, what obviously set this thing apart was the dark grey, scaly slick tail with a barbed tip that slithered from the back of his pants and wrapped around a boney leg.

"Greet, greet, greet, guests!!" It cackled once making its way down the steps only to be stopped by Galen who stood in from of my Mistress' carriage while Lucas and Hawk stood on either side and a bit back with hands on sword handles. The creature's cracked pale lips pulled back in a sick smile showing off rotting yellow teeth that were too sharp to belong on a human. A slithery mucus covered tongue slipped out licking blood away from his lips when a crack opened letting some out.

"Greet, greet guests! That's what my told me to yes! Hehehe... Told, told, told me yes! Greet guest! Greet greet guests." It cackled some more.

"Shut up." Galen snapped with his usual no nonsense tone.

"No no no, you no told me, I had, I has, will greet greet guests." The thing swayed on its spot as its too large feet shuffled on the dead ground. Tongue slithering out once again pasts its thin lips only this time it slide up and lick away at its right nostril were something was dribbling out. "Legged things legged things. Four four beasts. Go go go. Yes. Greet guests. Greet greet guests. Four beasts legged. Go go."

"Where?" Galen demanded a tinge of irritation in his voice.

"Others others. With others they go. Go go go. Four beasts legged go go others with." It answered in its cackling rambles I could barely make sense of.

"Zafra! Enough with your ramblings." A deep gravelly voice with an accent ordered. I was shocked by the sudden appearance of a man behind the much smaller creature.

To a human that was ignorant of the supernatural they would have thought he was a god. Glossy golden hair sat stylised perfectly over his head while a trimmed gold beard framed a chiselled jaw and jawing off his high cheekbones. A straight royal nose and rosy red lips completed his gorgeous looks. I think I heard all the female's, and those male's who could appreciate other males (Anon), sigh in bliss at the sight of him.

His body wasn't disappointing either. Clothed in the finest material I've ever seen, which was basically painted over his body, framing and outlining his pure masculine build with sleek muscles, wide shoulders and strong arms. Even I could see how someone could mistake him for something from the upper realm.

But, for some reason, something more terrible than disgust filled my being. Complete hate and contempt made my hands curl into a white knuckled grip around Ruddy's leather reins. I didn't understand why until I saw his eyes.

Beautiful as they were, a sparkling blue like sunlight bouncing and shimmering off of clear water of a calm lake, a darkness, not even the dark mana and stench of death overwhelming this castle, was held within those eyes. Something completely demonic and just plain evil was situated within this man.

But what scared me the most what the recognition I felt when I looked at him.

There was something about him that was trying to remind me of something. Like I should be remembering something about him or where I've seen him before but nothing was coming to mind, no matter how hard I tried.

It was frustrating. But I don't know if I really want to remember anything to do with this man who was giving off way to many 'stay the fuck away from this guy or perish' vibes while at the same time it was saying 'I'm freakin gorgeous come to me and let me do whatever the hell I want to you'. It was confusing.

He was definitely a seducer that was almost too hard to say no to. But every creature, race and species could see that his beauty was only a way to lure you to a painful death.

"Go and get the stables ready then take the horses and carriages there." The man ordered with a wave of his hand.

Zafra bowed low and scuttled backwards away from the man in partial panic and fear. "Master, Master. Yes, yes, yes. Pleasure, pleasure, My Master, my, my, my Master."

"My apologies for my slave, Lady Aviva." The man turned and bowed with a flamboyant flick of his hand making me realise that my Mistress had exited her carriage.

"Lord Enrique." My Mistress greeted him back with a not well hidden look of disgust.

"I hope your travel was pleasant. If you and your guards follow me please." Enrique gave a pleasant smile that was nothing real as he motioned with a hand towards the large doors that were slowly opening.

Without any hesitation my Mistress walked forward going pass both Galen and Enrique before gong into the castle.

A group of human slaves, dressed only in scraps and nearly as skinny as the dead in the cages, came and started showing our people to the stables.

I got off Ruddy and handed him over to a bowing female that would have been stunning if she wasn't just skin and bones with straggly hair.

"Thank you." I smiled at her softly and wasn't surprised when she looked up in shock, eyes wide, mouth slightly open. "Please take good care of him, I trust you."

After another soft smile at her I headed to the castle where my Mistress and Galen had disappeared into. Lucas and Hawk went off to the stables to make sure the horses and carriages were looked after.

Anon was still in wolf form and walked beside me. I placed a hand in between his shoulder blades and gripped his fur as we headed to where Enrique was standing at the door with his little slave was shuffling on his big feet behind him.

Anon growled at the thing making it squeak and hold onto the bottom of Enrique's long black coat. I met Enrique's cool blue eyes and felt my insides freeze and my body tense ready to defend myself at any time. Anon sensed my wariness and growled softly as we passed the cold man full of darkness.

I can already feel that this trip isn't going to end good from the curiosity that bleed into Enrique's eyes while they looked me over, way too slowly for my liking.

Please comment and vote if you like the story so far! Thank you!

Zafra = Slave