"Such a waste," he half growled as he eyed the river of blood as it flowed down the jagged mountainside.

Three raids. Three miserable raids in one week. His hunters were growing careless; too many slaves were dying before they could even be put on the market. Whether it was from hungry varat se, or fright so terrible that the slaves took their own lives, Teris did not know. What he did know, however, was that he was losing profit. And fast. Demand was growing and if he couldn't get the raids under control quickly, trade would grind to a screeching halt.

Sighing, he turned from the window. The chill of the evening was beginning to set in and he opened his wardrobe, perusing the contents for clothing suitable for the market. He wanted a new slave, one who would share his bedroom and be his personal servant. Man or woman, he didn?t care. After several moments of indecision, he finally settled on a simple white tunic and a pair of black pants. Once dressed, he pulled on his boots and headed out into the hallway.

"Master!"

Teris turned to see his most trusted servant hurrying down the hallway. He lifted a silvered eyebrow as the young vampire came to a huffing stop before him. "Whatever is the matter, Jaek?"

"Aril is going to be at the market this evening," Jaek said. "He's got a new shipment in. Lots of pretty ones from what I hear."

Teris felt himself smile for the first time all day. "Very good," he said with a nod. "Have my varat se ready; I will be there shortly."

Jaek nodded. "Yes, Master," he said before hurrying off in the direction he had come from.

Teris watched him go, then turned in the opposite direction, towards his private office. If the fool Aril was at the market, then perhaps the selection wasn't as bad as it had been in the past. He pushed open the door and headed for his desk. Aril always had at least one jewel in his lot and as Teris opened the safe beneath his desk, he hoped this evening was no exception. He pulled out two hefty bags of gold coins and set them on his desk. Once the safe was relocked, he walked out, carrying the bags under his arm.

He found Jaek down on the lower terrace and Teris' mount had been readied for the short flight to the market. The varat se watched Teris with a dark, hungry gleam. Seeing that glare, Teris stopped short of the beast and snapped his fingers. Jaek disappeared through a doorway, then emerged once again, carrying a sizeable chunk of unrecognizable meat. He threw the meat to the stone floor and within seconds, it disappeared down the varat se's throat. Having satisfied the beast's appetite for the time being, Jaek climbed onto it's back. Teris swung up behind him and they both leaned over, grabbing the scruff of the beast's neck as it lifted into the air on massive, bat like wings.

Once they reached the market, which lay nestled in a hollow at the base of Teris' mountain, Teris climbed off and helped Jaek down. Jaek took hold of the enchanted chain tethered to the varat se's neck and led the beast off. Teris turned and scanned the crowd until he spotted the vampire he wanted.

"Ah, Lord Sariette!"

"Good evening, Aril," Teris said with a slight nod as he walked up to the stage. A short row of men and women stood on the stage before them. Teris gave them a cursory glance before looking at Aril. With a nod from the vampire trader, Teris moved down the line, his gaze roaming over each body, looking for that certain something that would stand out. Not finding it in one, he moved to another.

"The selection is decreasing," Aril said.

"Yes, well, we may just have to broaden our hunting grounds, don't you think?" Teris gave him a glance and the lesser trader bowed his head respectfully. Teris sighed and was just about to give up when he came to the last person on the stage. "Well, now," he said quietly. "What have we here?"

Aril suddenly appeared at his side, stammering before finding his voice. "S-she is promised to Lord Fareth, my lord."

Paying no attention to the diminutive vampire beside him, Teris looked up at the exotic beauty before him. "What is your name, slave?"

Arcacia stayed silent, though her eyes followed the movement of the other two as they walked down the line of people. Chained as she was, she couldn't move very far. When she looked away from them to the others passing by in the distance, she hadn't noticed the vampire stopping near her. Quickly, she glanced at him, a look of defiance flashing in her eyes. "Arcacia." She practically spit the one wordat him.

A slow smile curled Teris' lips. "Spirit. Very nice."

Aril fidgeted beside him. "Lord Sariette, I beg you to reconsider. She is promised--"

"How much, Aril?" Teris interrupted him.

"How much, my lord?"

Teris rolled his eyes and sighed. "How much for the slave, you imbecile."

Aril opened his mouth, but it took several seconds and a stern glare from Teris to bring about an answer. "Lord Tareth offered two thousand. It's the most I've ever been offered."

Teris looked back up at the slave. "I'll give you six."

"S-six, my lord?" Aril stuttered. "Six thousand? For her?"

Teris nodded but didn't take his gaze from the defiant woman before him. "Yes, six thousand for her. I want her delivered to my keep immediately."

Dismay ran through Arcacia as she listened to the exchange between the two, but not one ounce of it showed as she stared unblinkingly at the vampire before her with a disdainful curl to her lips. She knew she was above being here and she knew her true worth.

Teris stepped closer to her and gripped her chin, turning her head from one side to another. "Fine features," he said.

His hand moved down, sliding a finger along the curve of her throat. "Graceful neck." He reached up and cupped his hands over both of her breasts, then slid them down her sides, following the curves of her body. "The perfect figure."

He snapped his fingers and a young man appeared at his side. "Give Aril six thousand, Jaek. I'll not wait; I'm taking her back to the keep with me."

While he touched her, Arcacia looked at a point past his shoulder. Her body remained motionless, near like a statue as his hands assessed her. For the thousand time since she found herself captured by the damn vampires, she cursed the luck that had had her out on a night she shouldn't have been.

Teris held out his hand and Aril placed a key in it. He then proceeded to unlock the chain that held Arcacia to the stage. He left the chains on her wrists and ankles, and pocketed the key.

"Sir, shall I send for your varat se?" Jaek asked him.

"Yes," Teris said.

Jaek nodded and left, returning a moment later with the beast tethered on a strong length of shimmering chain. He handed the chain to Teris. Teris swung up onto the varat se's back and reached down, lifting Arcacia with one arm. He draped her face-down over the beast's neck before him. With a hard kick of his feet to the creature's haunches, its wings spread out and they left the ground.

Knowing it would do no good to try to take off from this public spot, Arcacia didn't make a break for it, though when he slung her so crudely over the beast, she half wished she had. Even as she tried not to squirm, she moved in discomfort and closed her eyes to blot out the sight of the receding land.

Teris kept a hand pressed firmly on her back and several minutes later, they landed on a stone platform. A massive fortress of stone loomed above them, carved from the face of the mountain itself. Teris dismounted and picked up Arcacia, laying her over his shoulder as he started up the towering flight of stairs that led up to the main entrance of the keep.

"You can put me down now, cerfen." It was about the worst insult Arcacia could think of as she pounded a fist to the vampire's back. The indignity of this started to get to her, and she struggled to maintain her own illusion to keep her secret safely hidden. Fear flickered through her, afraid of where this vampire thought he was taking her.

"Your insults are useless," Teris said without emotion. "I paid a healthy sum for you; you are mine now. I will put you down when I wish." He jerked her hard against his shoulder to emphasize his point. When he reached the landing, he pushed open a set of carved wooden doors. The hall was dark and with a wave of his hand, fires flickered to life from the torches lining the walls.

The mutterings that fell from Arcacia's lips would have made the hardest trader of Sycos blush as she muttered curses against the vampire, his mother, and his entire family tree. Her body stiffened in indignation at his imaginings that she belonged to him and she hit him again for good measure.

Teris ignored her indignant drivel and stopped to push open another door. He carried her to the bed and threw her down none-too-gently. He turned to close the door, giving him privacy with his newest purchase.

The invectives against him don't stop until she was startled into complete silence when she was dumped on the bed. When she noticed exactly where she was, Arcacia was off the bed in a shot, making a frantic break for the door.

Teris reached out and gripped her arm, jerking her hard against him. "And where do you think you're going?" he growled as the door closed with an audible click of the lock.

Arcacia bit hard into his arm then ducked beneath it to make a mad dash for the window. Thankfully before she could do a header out of it, she saw how far down the ground was and she skidded to a stop. Whirling around, she glared at him as if daring him to come any closer. A quick movement slipped her fingers into her boot and she pulled out the dagger she had stolen from the idiot Aril.

Teris growled and rubbed the bite on his arm as it healed. The sight of the dagger simply made him laugh. "Do you really think you can kill me?" He moved to the wardrobe and jerked it open as he continued. "The door and the windows are magically sealed. And even if you were to break through the window, the fall is a nasty one." He shoved several garments to the side before pulling one out. He held it up and looked from it to her.

"Get out of those rags," he said as he threw the clothes at her before turning to close the wardrobe.

She still refused to put the dagger down. After eyeing the clothing as it fell to the floor, she threw him a wrathful look and growled out. "I am not wearing that thing. Why don't you put it on if you want somebody to wear it?"

In a blur of motion he shoved her against the wall, twisting her arm behind her back at a painful angle. The dagger fell useless at her feet. "Either you change your clothes," he hissed. "Or I will do it for you."

Arcacia was no match for his strength but she tried anyway. Finding herself pinned to the wall and pain shooting up her arm, she tried to twist away from him. When it proved unsuccessful and more painful, she suddenly stilled. "All right!"

Teris smirked and released her abruptly. He kicked the dagger out of the way, giving it only a cursory glance as it slid under the bed. "Well, looks like you have some sense after all." He turned and walked over to the bed, leaning against one of the posts and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Picking on defenseless women," she muttered at him under her breath as she picked up the clothes. Deliberately she walked towards him and her foot shoot out, connecting to his shin before she darted to the other side of the bed.

Teris hissed in pain and his hand darted out, missing her as she moved quickly. His jaw tightened as his gaze narrowed at her.

Glaring at him, she untied the rope cord from her waist and dropped it to the floor.

He remained silent, his red gaze sweeping over her body as she undressed.

She'd only been given the rough tunic and the rope belt. Arcacia pulled the overly large piece of cloth over her head, revealing a delicately formed body. Her creamy, pale skin had a healthy pink glow as if she had been well cared for. Which up until now she had been. Looking away from him, she reached for the bottom half of the ridiculous outfit he wanted her to wear. Far too aware that she was completely naked in front of him, she hastily slipped the skirt on, but it didn't hide much. Picking up the golden top, she slipped her arms through the tiny straps then reached around behind her back to fasten it.

Teris allowed a smile to settle over his lips as he took in the sight of her body. "Such a pretty thing," he mused. "No wonder Fareth wanted you. I can see why."

Again Arcacia cursed her luck and her own brother. If Felis hadn't sold her D'larn diadem, she could have gotten herself out of this mess. If she hadn't have had to go out at night to try to retrieve the damn thing, she wouldn't be here in the first place. Silently, she just glared at him as she folded her arms across her chest. If she ever came across her brother again, she'd kill him.

Teris licked his lips before standing. "Your first task is to bathe me."

"What?! You can't bathe yourself? You don't look helpless to me."

He stepped up to her. Every step forward he made, Arcacia took one back until she felt the wall pressed against her backside.

"I didn't say I couldn't. "I said you will. I own you now; you will do what I say." He gripped her arm tightly and dragged her through a narrow doorway beside the wardrobe. He pointed to the marble tub. "Fill it up. And I suggest you make it perfect. Too hot or too cold, and you will be bathing with me."

That he even made that a threat made it clear he realized she viewed him as one. Arcacia went back to muttering under her breath. Yanking her arm out of his grasp, she walked on her high dignity towards the tub and turned on the water. She felt very tempted to make it ice cold, but keeping his warning in mind, she carefully tested the water to make sure it was the right temperature.