Chapter 7

• Once again, Simone woke up to the sun's rays peeking through the window. Her nightmare did not end, much to her dismay. Lacey was seated at the breakfast table, picking at a blueberry muffin. Simone got up to join her just in time for her stomach to growl angrily at her in hunger.
• “So?” she asked out of pure boredom. “How was the date?”
• Simone buttered some toast and poured some coffee. “It was nice. He took me to a restaurant. We ate, danced, then we came back.”
• “Was there a kiss?”
• Simone had no reason to lie to her. “No.”
• “Hmm,” Lacey took a larger bite of the muffin she was playing with. “He seems like the type.”
• “What type?”
• “You know. The sweep you off your feet, guy. Darius is a sweet talker. He seems like the type to rush in for a kiss.” Lacey was getting the same vibe as Simone was.
• Simone caught a glimpse of a shiny object on the nightstand next to her bed. It was a silver iPod, and it looked brand new.
• There was also a piece of paper lying next to it.
• 'Dear sweetheart,
• I hope this brings you some sort of comfort. I added a few of my favorite songs to start you off. Enjoy, and this just goes to show you, not everything comes at a price.
• Always your prince charming,
• Darius'
• She smirked. Prince charming alright, who was he kidding? She couldn't get used to the enormous bathroom. It was covered in a beautiful, expensive marble tile, a double porcelain vanity, a white vintage tub, and the shower could easily occupy ten people.
• She stripped down naked and entered the shower to wash the sleepiness away. After a good ten-minute shower, she headed for the fully stocked closet and pulled out a pair of skinny black jeans and a plain black and red shirt.
• Walking out of the closet, she found Lacey on the old style Victorian couch reading a book.
• Lacey looked up. “We're supposed to meet with the brothers in a few minutes.” She informed her.
• Athena showed up some time later and escorted the girls to the study room. It was more like a library; two sides of the wall had shelves stacked with thick books. There was an old sturdy wooden desk pressed all the way in the back right below the open seven feet windows.
• “I assume you had a wonderful time last night with the Prince of Darkness,” Simone bumped Leah over so she could sit down.
• “Yes, it was. How was your night? Did I win the bet?”
• “I need a little more time.” Simone grinned victoriously while watching the brothers enter.
• She tried to boost up her game by shy flirting with Darius from across the room. His blue eyes seemed glued to hers, and she felt confident she would win.
• “Ladies,” Darius presented himself with a certain suave. “I hope you are all doing well today. We have asked you up here this afternoon to clear a few things.” He paused and walked closer to the girls. “My brothers and I understand the confusion you all must get when it comes to telling us apart. So straightening out some of the confusion, we have decided to dress in different colors that will help in distinguishing us apart.”
• Simone wanted to laugh so badly at that statement, but she kept it in. She couldn't believe he was actually going for her color coding idea. She honestly only meant it as a joke, not for him to take it so seriously.
• “From now on I, Darius, will be wearing blue shirts. My brother Damien will be wearing Black and Lucien will be in red.”
• Thinking out loud, Simone commented, “Have you considered name tags too?”
• Lucien rolled his eyes at her joke, and she smirked victoriously.
• “Today and for the rest of the week, we will be spending time with as many of you as we can. There is no time limit this week, so we look forward to getting to know you.”
• Another week? Simone couldn't imagine being stuck here for another week. She just wanted to go home, and to be with her family, not stuck here with these arrogant princes and uptight girls.
• The girls weren't to upset about it. Most of them were eagerly awaiting to spend time with the princes. They were everything a girl would want and have dreamed of.
• Wasn't that the idea of this whole thing, or even the distraction? They were unlike anything these girls had ever seen. They would never have met a prince in their previous lives, not to even mention come close to a real life vampire. The warped world was a dream to them. It wasn't reality. It was a fantasy. Maybe that was the calming factor. The girls were swept up in the illusion rather than face the horrific reality of what’s really going on around them. And that technically, they were still prisoners and had been kidnapped.
• Caught up in the untouchable delusion of becoming a queen, the girls had forgotten about their previous lives. The princes were powerful, rich, and for the moment generous, but who could forget they were also kidnappers and that they didn’t belong here? Simone could never live that down. The vampire princes had robbed them of the only lives they had ever known. Why couldn't they date girls like normal people?
• Simone decided to slip out. She was going to explore the large castle on her own. Secretly, she was hoping to discover a way to escape the heavily guarded prison. Simone dragged her feet against the dark polished wood floor that covered almost every inch of the place. She spotted the butlers who helped her before getting to the kitchen.
• “Is there anything I can help you with, my lady?”
• She flashed him a warm smile, showing her gratitude for his kindness. “What is your name?”
• “Jefferson, my lady.”
• “Jefferson, do you think you can show me around? Everyone else seems occupied, and I would rather not be a bother to them. I would wander off in the castle on my own, but I really don't want to step into a room I'm not supposed to be in.”
• Jefferson smiled, showing his teeth, looking rather pleased at her request. “That is wise, my lady, and I would be honored to show you around.”
• “Please Jefferson, you can call me Simone.”
• “Well, Simone, shall we begin this tour?"
• Jefferson explained to her the history of the castle; the people still living in it, and the rules everyone had to abide by. The first area he took her to was the grand ballroom that was the size of a two-story house.
• It featured breathtaking garden views through several tall arched windows. Mirrors were strategically hung on the opposite side to reflect the natural light. A series of sparkling crystal chandeliers cascaded halfway down. The walls were made of dazzling speckled blue and white marble. Every inch of the trim or banister was covered in a stunning gold. The ceiling was not flat but round, with unbelievable pictures of heaven and people. It was as though Michael Angelo himself had painted the ceiling. Roman sculptures of goddess like woman and muscular broad men emphasized the history of the entire castle.
• Jefferson had to pry her out of the glorious room. Her eyes were glued to every aspect of it. Jefferson then showed her the library, where she knew she was going to spend the majority of her time. She loved books and was hoping that the library had more extensive information on the history of their existence.
• The wooden spiral staircase leading to the upper books was where Jefferson said they kept most of the family's history books. She made a mental note to herself to remember that. He then showed her the workout room full of equipment. She wanted to ask why a number of naturally strong vampires would need a workout room, but then Jefferson explained to her that it was for the humans who worked at the castle. It wasn't used much. Not many humans worked at the castle.
• The room had every modern piece of equipment she could think of and more. It had been a while since she had a good workout, and she honestly just wanted to let all her stress out. The punching bag on the end corner was seriously calling her name.
• They left the room, and it felt like they had been walking and talking for hours. Simone couldn’t keep track of time anymore, and since she didn't have her phone, she didn't really care.