Sold to the vampire king

Cassie's POV

"Father, please don't do this!" I begged, tears streaming down my face. I couldn't believe my father could sell me off.

I struggled to break free, but my strength was no match for the vampire soldiers. Their grip on my hands was like iron, binding me painfully.

"Mother, please do something!" I shouted, now looking at my mother, who was crying alongside my little sister. She could not do anything because my father had the final say in our house.

I looked at my father, his cold face staring at me without any emotion. I cried, begging for him to change his mind. Now, I was the scapegoat, used as bait for my father's illegal dealings with the vampire king. He had cheated the vampire king, and now the king had sent his soldiers to raid our village and burn it down. But my father stepped up and demanded they take me instead and spare the whole village.

The soldiers told their king, and of course, he accepted the offer. I really didn't want to have anything to do with other creatures. I had actually planned to get married to a normal human like me in the nearest future, but now it was impossible.

"Any last words?" the soldiers asked my father, but he didn't say anything. He just gestured with his hand that they could go, which made me cry louder. My chest heaved as I sobbed and struggled.

The two soldiers that held me pushed me into the carriage and locked the door. I banged on the door, pleading for help, but no one came to my rescue.

When the carriage started moving, I looked at my father through a little hole. He stared at the carriage without any emotion until it disappeared from his sight.

I felt betrayed and angry. "Please let me go..." I begged, my voice now low, my body tired from the tantrums.

The soldiers didn't even bother to answer me. They continued riding, and I didn't know when exhaustion took over and I fell asleep.

.....

When I woke up, it was almost evening. My surroundings were calm, and I could hear birds chirping. The carriage had stopped, which made me confused. I peeped through the little hole and saw that we were in the middle of a thick forest, and the carriage was slightly tilted.

"Why aren't they moving?" I asked myself, wondering what was going on.

I pushed the carriage door, and it opened immediately, almost making me fall. I steadied myself and looked around, only to find the dead bodies of the vampire soldiers with their heads missing. The horses were nowhere to be found.

I almost screamed but held my mouth tightly, not wanting to attract any danger lurking in the forest.

My stomach immediately churned, and I retched, feeling nauseated. I silently walked back to the carriage and stayed inside, my heart beating with fear.

I locked the door from the inside, afraid of any harm. "Is this how I'll die?" I muttered under my breath, unable to think of what to do next.

The truth was that I wasn't familiar with anywhere outside my little village, let alone a thick forest filled with dangerous creatures.

I was still lost in my thoughts when I heard a loud bang on the carriage. My body jolted, electrified. Immediately, I started feeling my energy drain from my body.

"Electro?" I muttered under my breath, remembering the tales about the deadly creature that paralyzes its prey with electricity, draining their strength until they die.

I started feeling dizzy. "No! I can't die like this!" I shouted, my strong will keeping me awake.

"Stop!" I yelled, and like magic, it worked or so I thought. I heard the creature shriek and a loud thud, like it had fallen to the ground.

I looked at my hands, wondering if I had magical abilities, but I didn't see any trace of magic around me. I leaned on the carriage seat, my body weak, my breathing slow.

Even though I was now weak, I still thanked the heavens I wasn't dead.

I then heard footsteps approaching the carriage, and my heart began to race.

"Are they coming for me?" I thought, closing my eyes in frustration. My mind began to race through everything I thought I'd achieved in life-my education, training, and experiences-all of it could end today in this forest.