You suppressed a groan as you sat up on your knees, arching your back to find some relief from the stiffness that crept up your spine from bending over on all fours, scrubbing the stone floors of one of the many hallways. You weren’t even sure you’d been down this specific hall before, as they all meshed together it seemed. All equally dark, every few feet a torch on the wall would make the shadows dance with their flickering flame. The hall was quiet, your scrubbing and the occasional echo of footsteps from elsewhere the only thing to break the silence. Odd as it was, you didn’t like the quiet. You’d rather hear something approaching, rather than something sneak up on you, especially alone in a dark hallway. One of the other humans had told you the other night how they’d been cornered by one of The Pillar Men’s “legion” as you all called them. One of many vampires that existed to both “feed” the god like beings as well as serve them when battle may call. Your fellow human had only been spared thanks to Esidisi intervening, oddly enough. From what you could tell, the vampires ranked slightly above humans, and yet humans were off limits to the vampire hoard; only The Pillar Men were allowed to torment and kill the humans.

You leaned back over, scrubbing the floors as you ignore your aches and pains; the sooner this was done, the sooner you could go to bed. You had no idea whether it was night or day at this point, you slept when tired and awoke whenever. The windows had long been boarded up, blocking out both the sun and the moon, and there were no working clocks around that you’d seen. Time didn’t matter much here anyway. The Pillar Men had plenty of time on their hands; immortal against any human perception of time.

Your hand stilled it’s scrubbing as the torch flame  behind you began to flicker more, as if something had disturbed the air around it. The shadows casted menacing figures around you, your imagination running wild. You tried to steady your breathing as you calmly pushed yourself off the floor, turning to face whatever may be intruding head on. Your eyes searched in the darkness for anything, but were unable to see much in the blackness between torches. You took a cautious step back, preparing yourself to possibly run should it be one of the vampire soldiers, eyes still darting about wildly.

A chuckle in the darkness crept up your spine as a pair of red eyes caught the flame’s light. Kars. His eyes practically glowed as his body manifested from the darkness. You were slightly relieved that it wasn’t one of the vampires, but on the other had it could very well be an even bigger threat.

“What a perceptive little human you are.” He drawled as he placed his hand upon his chin, stalking closer to you. You held your position, despite your primal instincts telling you to run. You knew he was just toying with you, purposefully making the torch flicker. If he wanted to, he could have easily came up behind you, and ended you before the air even stirred. Instead, he wanted to scare you, which he succeeded at. You looked away, unsure of what to say to the being before you. “Come.” He said simply as be brushed past you. You looked down at your abandoned scrub brush and bucket on the floor, biting your lip.

“M-my Lord, I haven’t- I haven’t finished the floors yet.” He stopped walking and tossed you a look over his shoulder, clearly annoyed by your protest.

“I will not ask again.” He said as he continued. You gave the brush one last look, wishing you could just finish scrubbing and go to bed, before following the tall man down the hall. As he led you, you noticed shadows creeping around you, as if stalking your movements. You moved closer to Kars out of fear, which in reality didn’t make much sense; he was just as frightening, if not more so than whatever went bump in the night. The hallway you entered was familiar at least, being the one you were led down not but a few days prior.

Once again, he led you through his bedroom and into the bathroom. You mentally wondered how you’d managed to become Kars’ personal bath maid, but you supposed there were worse things in this world. As you approached the bath, you noticed that the bottles on the small inset shelf were all different; new scents. You ran the tap and curiously reached out for one with what looked like particles of something in it. Upon closer inspection, it was crushed lavender buds. You couldn’t help but open the bottle, not remembering the last time you’d smelt lavender. You selfishly poured some into the bathwater, swirling it with your hand as the smell of fresh lavender filled the air. You sat against the tub, legs too sore and tired to kneel on your knees. Bitterly, you recalled your own “bath” from this morning, the feeling of the cold water chilling you to the bone as you scrubbed yourself and hair, then curling into your sad excuse for a bed on the floor to try and warm back up.

You momentarily forgot yourself and ended up idly watching as Kars undid his head wrapping, movements more graceful than you could ever hope to be. He shook out his hair, tossing it behind his shoulder. He arched his back and flexed his arms behind his head before giving you a smug look. Your face turned a bright red as you looked away, nearly giving yourself whiplash at the speed of which you turned your head. Was he putting on a show? You turned back to the tub, pretending to do something, anything, as to not watch Kars’ quasi-strip tease. Your heart hammered against your chest, fear etching into your blood. You could hear his amused chuckle from across the room. You wanted nothing more than to crawl into the warm tub and just lie there until the end of time; or at least until the water gets cold, but something told you Kars wasn’t about to allow you that luxury. You tucked your legs up under you and crossed your arms, perching them atop the rim of the tub, as you placed one hand under the tap, just enjoying the warmth. You heard Kars’ bracers and greaves falling to the floor, the metal clatter echoing off the stone walls, seemingly losing his usual gracefulness now that his captive audience wasn’t watching. You turned away as his leg came into view, stretching over into the tub. You at least had the foresight this time to grab the soap bar so you didn’t have to awkwardly lean over him this time. Once you were sure he was in the water, you turned back to see him resting his arms on the tub rim, one Bent at the elbow, chin resting on his fist as he watched you with his deep crimson gaze, amusement etched in his smirk.

You ignored his grin and focused on washing his idle arm, starting at the shoulder as you did last time. At least there was no blood this time. It had taken you a good while to get the bloodstains off your tunic from your last encounter with him, scrubbing it in the cold water until you could no longer feel your fingertips. You rubbed your hands along his shoulder, eyes following it’s contours. Kars seemed to grow annoyed that him watching you wasn’t getting a reaction from you, so he changed gears. He leaned back, his other arm now also resting on the rim, as he closed his eyes. The bath continued, just as last time, just less eventful it seemed. Kars would occasionally give a deep throated moan at your touch, which you assumed at this point was to just try and get a reaction from you, but you were too tired to really care much at this point. The only part that you seemed nervous about was once again having to wash his chest, a position to which you felt most vulnerable. You reached over him and grabbed the shampoo and conditioner vials, moving to where you were behind him. You moved his hair aside, as he leaned forwards, back muscles rippling from the movement. The Pillar Men’s muscles were unlike anything you’d ever seen, each one clearly defined and outlined. You rubbed his back muscles curiously, him groaning and leaning back into your touch. Truth be told, your touch was probably too light to give any type of beneficial massage, as well as your hands were too sore and tired from scrubbing all day.

You lightly rested your hands down on his hips as your thumbs worked small circles in his lower back. As you leaned over to get into a better position, he leaned his torso back, his face now beside yours. Your hands came to a screeching halt as fear crept up your spine, seemingly locking you into place. His amused smirk was back, as he craned his neck towards you, eyes closed as he gently rubbed the tip of his nose against your cheek, like a cat would for attention. Your mouth went dry as a chuckled next to your ear, pleased with your reaction. “Tell me,” His voice traveled down your spine, unsure if the tingles were from fear or something else entirely, “what does the sun feel like?” You blinked, surprised by the question. You continued working your thumbs into his back, trying to distract yourself from his invasion of your space. You wanted to spitefully tell him that you don’t remember, having been locked and boarded up in a dark dwelling for what you guessed was weeks, but you assumed that would not go over well.

“It’s warm,” You said slowly, trying to recall the feeling as well as describe it to the best of your abilities. Before this moment, you’d never really took a moment to think about how The Pillar Men had never been able to experience the sun. All they knew was the night and darkness. “I- I mean, it’s kind of like fire, I suppose.” Your eyes looked at the bathroom wall, searching for some more ways to describe the feeling, as well as to try and distract yourself from Kars invasion of your personal space. “It feels, um, safer.” You said quietly, “Humans can’t see well in the dark, and so the sun feels safer to us.” He hummed in your ear, the vibrations making you want to wrench your head away from the sensation, but you stayed still.

“I can’t wait to see it.” He whispered against the shell of your ear. You weren’t sure how he’d do so, but you knew that Kars’ ultimate goal was to become the “ultimate lifeform” somehow. He was nearly a god, if he could walk among the sun, he would be nearly unstoppable. You hoped you never lived to see that day. You swallowed and moved away from Kars, your hands sliding off his hips, as you reached to move his hair from around his shoulder, making sure to run your fingers through it to remove any tangles. This seemed to be his favorite part, as he became more vocal as you carded your hands through his thick hair. You cupped water in your hands and brought it above his head, waiting for him to tilt his head back before letting it flow down his curls. You did this a fee times, removing the lavender buds that became trapped in his hair, before you opened the vial of shampoo. It was the same scent as last time, a spice-based scent that you weren’t able to pinpoint. It was a manly scent, which seemed fitting, even though Kars was currently in a tub with flowers floating in it; guess the would-be-ultimate-lifeform enjoyed floral scents as well. You massaged your fingers through his hair, once more careful to avoid his horns, which you could only imagine were as sharp as they looked to be. You removed one soapy hand to politely cover a yawn, shaking your head to try and rid yourself of your tiredness. You continued down his locks before dipping your hands into the water, moving to rinse his hair. You followed up with the conditioner, idly running your hands though his hair as you let it soak in for a bit before rinsing.

You knew what was coming next. You’d have to wash his chest, which meant it was your turn to invade his personal space. You inwardly wondered how he would react if you did the same things he did, nuzzling him like a cat or kissing his neck. Of course you never would, that would have likely been an instant death; Kars was the only hunter in this game, you were simply prey. You grabbed the vials of hair products and moved to shift back beside Kars, only to have the shampoo vial slip from your hand, glass shattering and spreading among the floor. Your eyes widened, panic flooding your senses as you looked towards the man, his red eyes narrowed in annoyance.

“F-forgive me, m-my Lord,” you quickly began to scoop up the glass shards, thankful that it had broken in large enough pieces to simply pick up. “T-the bottle slipped and-“ Feeling a sharp pain you quickly dropped one of the larger pieces you’d picked up, looking at the offending glass piece, before scooping it into a pile. You’d dispose of it as you left, in the meantime you had an annoyed semi-god to take care of. You brushed hair from your face with the side of your hand as you reached for the soap bar before being intersected by Kars’ hand; this was familiar. Instead of bringing your hand to his chest last time, he brought your hand up to his face to inspect it. Your free hand was gripping the tub with all it’s might. Your heart thumped loudly in your ears as you saw what he was looking at. You were bleeding. Apparently that piece of glass had actually pierced the skin. He watched the blood seep into all the small crevices in your skin, flowing down the side of your hand.

“So clumsy.” He said, gaze never faltering from the blood on your hand, as if in a trance at the sight. His gaze shifted up from your hand, into your eyes. You knew it wasn’t a smart move, but you returned his gaze, your eyes glistening with fear. A smirk grew on his lips as he raised you hand to his lips, not breaking eye contact as his tongue darted out, stopping the bead of blood in it’s tracks. Your eyes widened, heart nearly stopping at you felt the wet velvety muscle sliding against your hand a few more times. You let out a whimper as his other hand grabbed further up your arm and drug you closer, your free hand moving to brace yourself on the rim of the tub behind Kars’ head. You were now centimeters from being nose to nose with Kars, his vivid red eyes half-lidded. You couldn’t recall a time in your life where you felt closer to death, both literally and figuratively. He released you hand, his other hand still holding onto your bicep, and likely holding you up, as you had no strength in your body anymore in this moment. His now free hand came up to your chin, rubbing it affectionately, before he tilted your head, eyes closing. Your heart stopped as you screwed your eyes shut, jaw clenching as you felt his tongue drag across the corner of your lips up your cheek. Your mind ran a mile a minute backwards, trying to figure out what was happening. You must have unknowingly smeared blood on your face when you’d moved your hair from your face. You felt his tongue swipe the same place a few times more before retracting back into his mouth. A few moments passed, the air deathly still as you dared not even breath. You felt his breath against your face before finally his lips brushed gently against yours.

You couldn’t take it anymore, your eyes snapped open and you thrashed your body away from him, landing on your back as he released you. You nearly gasped for breath as you remembered breathing was a thing you should partake in, just laying on the cool stone floors for a few seconds before sitting up. You turned back to Kars, face hotter than the bathwater, to see he had a large smug grim across his face. Of course. He practically thrived on fear, and you were an endless supply of it when played right. Determined to just get this over with and go to bed, you picked up the soap you’d forgotten in the events over the past few minutes. Your shoulders heaved as you still struggled to catch your breath, trying to drum up the courage to get close to Kars once more. You didn’t want to get caught in another situation.

You steeled your nerves and cautiously approached Kars, whose arms were once again resting on the rim, back slightly arched as if presenting himself to you. You just focused on washing his chest, eyes trained on your own hand just to keep from looking at him or his body. You quickly rinsed his chest off with your hand, sitting back on your knees despite the pain you felt from being on them most of the day. You let out an exhausted breath as you, grabbed up the glass shards, more careful this time as you knew damn well you didn’t want another cut. You stood up, swaying a bit as you weren’t sure even how to use your feet anymore. You turned to leave, forgetting about any and all protocol about asking permission.

“I don’t recall dismissing you.” An icy voice called from behind you. You stopped mid-step, mentally listing all things you were supposed to do and seeing what was missing;  you washed his arms, legs, back, chest, hair, had been licked by him and even kissed by him. What more could he possibly want from you? You dropped your head, looking at the stone floors.

“Forgive me, I wasn’t thinking straight.” You said lamely, knowing he probably didn’t care in the least bit that you were exhausted. You could hear him rise out of the tub behind you, followed by some rustling, which you assumed was him toweling himself off. You began counting your heartbeats, just to keep your mind busy. A now clothed Kars, sans armor pieces, passed by you; clothed being a lose term. You stood in the now empty bathroom for a few moments, turning to drain the tub as well as finally discard the shards of glass that had brought you to near emotional turmoil. You turned and cautiously entered his bedroom, finding the god-like man lounging on his side, head propped up by his raised first on his lavish looking bed, still wet curls sending droplets of water running down his chest. The urge to sprint out of the room was overwhelming. You didn’t know how long you’d stood there for, you could feel your body teetering, legs begging to give in to gravity. Surely any moment now Lord Kars will tire of you just standing there and tell you to get out.

“You must be so tired,” Kars teasingly cooed from the bed, his predatory eyes never leaving you, “Why don’t you come lie down.” He patted the bed with his free hand, as if that would make it more enticing for you. It absolutely did not. Your mouth went dry as you lost your voice, shaking your head ‘no’ in horror. His eyes narrowed into slits in response, “Are you rejecting my hospitality?” His tone let you know you were trading into dangerous territory. You shook your head again and mumbled out, “N-no, I-“ before stopping short. You couldn’t win this. You couldn’t run away, or physically fight him, you couldn’t even talk your way out of here. Your shoulders sagged in defeat and exhaustion as you made the few feet long death march to the bed, laying as close to the edge as you possibly could. You hatred how soft and warm his bed was, you’d rather go back to your stone cold floor. You curled into a ball in your side, facing him in hopes to ward off any surprises that may come. Kars chuckled in amusement as he leaned over and grabbed you from behind one knee, a startled whimper escaping you as he pulled you flush against him, you knee now draped over his hips. Every alarm bell in your head began ringing as you scrambled to get away. He released your leg and you pushed yourself away from his body, but still remaining close to him; an acceptable distance, but still severely uncomfortable. You brought your knees up, trying to create a barrier of sorts, not that your sore tired knees would be very effective against the leader of The Pillar Men. You clenched your eyes shut as you curled into yourself, body shaking. He once again reached out, simply threading his hand through your hair. Off all things, you suddenly became self conscious of how dry and brittle your hair must feel compared to Kars’, but he didn’t seem to notice or care. He let out a hum of content as he shifted his upper body closer to you, resting his