She had been waiting for quite a bit. Finally there came a brief knock on the door prior to it being unlocked. Lars was there again to fetch her and motioned her to follow after taking in her new attire. It did not seem to impress him as did her last set but he made no comment to it and she figured it was expected.

He had a lit hooded lantern and continued with her down darker passages that sloped downward. He was short with responses to her questions but did not seem angry with her. It had not been until they reached their destination that she felt him press her back to a wall.

“Such a shame not to have a little taste before Luke rips you apart. A waste, but orders are orders.” He drew away from her opening the door and gesturing inside. If what he said was true then this contradicted what Adalstan said about her being fine. Perhaps Lars had seen this all too often though did she oppose him or comply? Would it even matter if she attempted to?

The room beyond was large and well lit from what she could glimpse. There was a downed portcullis opposite the door and she could see that there was one above this door too seeing the spikes just above it indicating that a portcullis or gate could prevent access to the door. Suffice it to say once she was inside she may not get out again.

She glared at Lars as he pined her against the wall and tried to frighten her. "I think I'd prefer to be devoured by the beast than sipped on by you, Lars." If she bravado impressed him he didn't show it. He merely moved to open a nearby door to usher her into the next room. She leaned forward to peer into the room and frowned. It was some kind of arena. That didn't bode well. Did they do this trial so often that they had a room specifically for it?

She didn't want to go in but what choice did she have? She was in a den of bloodthirsty vampires. It wasn't like they would let her go if she told them she did not wish to face the trial. Her candidacy for the trial was the only protection she had from Lars and the others. It didn't protect her from the Baron though. No, nothing would free her from this strange society save failure in the pit. But remembering Adalstan's bewitching eyes and hunger attention on the balcony, she was not sure she wanted to be free. He had seemed so certain she would succeed but had he been certain before about other women who had failed? His regard for her was a little less flattering if she was not the first one he'd done this too. Perhaps she was just the flavor of the month...

Not that it made any difference to the here and now. All thoughts about Adalstan and being his so-called bride would moot if she couldn't best Luke. She was not a fighter. She was an artist. Adalstan had said her beauty would be enough to charm the beast but she doubted that. Beauty wasn't a talent. The city was full of beautiful women and it very rarely protected any of them, quite the opposite in fact. She didn't even have a weapon. She stepped up to the threshold and sighed. "You are right about one thing, Lars. It is a waste and a poor show of gratitude. It is little wonder that you must kidnap musicians to have them play at your parties if this is the only payment you offer them."

She stepped through the archway and made her way out onto the killing field, not bothering to look back when the portcullis inevitably lowered behind her. She looked around the arena, looking for weapon or places to take cover if needed. She took in the leering eyes of her captors looking down on her from the observation gallery she was certain was there. She searched for the Baron in the crowd, making sure to give him a betrayed look before looking to the other portcullis across from her. She held her breath and waited for the appearance of the infamous Luke.

He grinned at her as he pulled away though he had not otherwise rose against those barbs. Entering into the arena for that was what it was more or less she first heard the door close then the lowering of the portcullis. There was a second tier to the room where there were stands behind her though none in front or to the sides. Perhaps three dozen spectators could watch and she could see the entire retinue of the party.

Front and center she saw the baron and there was a single door up there that opened. Though it did not take longer than a minute for Lars to get up there. Only when he had did the portcullis opposite her rose.

The features of the baron had not changed and it seemed to her that everyone was eagerly watching events. There were no weapons in the arena nor any cover though the stone floor had been stained from past victims. That hint of wet dog grew stronger though and she could see a pair of amber eyes gazing out at her from the dark. She could hear a low growl as it approached.

A beast with a strange gait, it's head leaning forward rather then standing erect on it's neck though those amber eyes focused upon her. It had been as expected, the best was an upright canine, a werewolf or some such though it wore no clothes. It was male she could tell though not aroused. It or he rather seemed angry growling as it neared. It had looked to move with no problem just that it was unusual movement. Nor did he appear much faster than a typical human unless he was drawing this out.

The wolf was black though there were streaks of silver in the pelt. Slowly he approached her doing well to cut her off from moving behind him.

There seemed to be some feral intelligence in that gaze. She would not that the paws were a cross between paws and hands if the posture alone was not enough to tell her that he was not natural as he barred his teeth at her menacingly.

She did her best not to flinch or retreat from the bestial visage before her. She knew running would only trigger the creatures predator instincts and drive him to chase her. There was nowhere to run to anyway. She just waited in the center of the arena for him, tugging the jacket she'd purloined from the bedroom closer around her. She hoped she had guessed right about the coat belonging to Luke. "I'm not here to hurt you, Luke..." She said as calmly as she could and slowly held up her hands to reveal they were empty. "See, no weapons. Just me. I'm completely harmless."

Adalstan had said she would need only approach the beast but she wouldn't do that until Luke stopped snarling at her. She knew a little about wild animals. Luke's snarl was a warning to stay away and she would heed it. She had no idea what the poor creature was accustom to here. Perhaps this arena was used for more than this trial. Maybe the vamps had been making him actually fight things here. On a whim, she lowered herself to her knees, the fabric of her skirts ballooning around her as she did so. She hoped the action made her less threatening. "Please, Luke, I just wanted to see you." She said in a sweet, placating tone. "You are a magnificent wolf. I love your fur. Please, won't you come closer?" She patted the ground in front of her invitingly. Praying she wasn't making a huge mistake.

Size was something in the animal kingdom, the illusion of being bigger was a bluff tactic of several creatures. She did the reverse by making herself smaller though even before that she felt he was confused, probably use to others giving up ground and not holding it. Whether or not he understood her or not was another matter. He seemed more animal then the classic renditions of werewolves and there was even the possibility those were all myths.

He paused, studied her and watched as she patted the ground. He dropped to all fours like a wolf circling around her. She could hear the crowd, at first they were snickering supposing she had been paralyzed with fear though when she acted there had been some laughter then befuddlement as if they expected the creature to tare into her and had been surprised when it had not occurred straight away.

Circling her those amber eyes watched before he halted in front of her, a hand reaching out to size a fist full of that coat and pulling her closer, sniffing deeply.

He seemed confused as much as the audience had been and there was some murmuring among the crowd as to what was going on but no one seemed to move to stop things and a cheer erupted as the creature began to tare at the coat either to destroy or remove it.

She ignored the crowd and focused only on Luke's reactions to her. He seemed to be confused at first but he had stopped snarling. She took that to be a good sign. He dropped to his hands and knees and began to circle her curiously. She tracked his progress with her eyes an minimal head movement but otherwise remained still under his examination. Finally he came she a stop in front of her and she began to think that she may have succeeded in "taming" him.

Then he suddenly reached out to seize her by the lapel and haul her to him. She helped as he buried his muzzle in the material and took in a good long sniff. She was frozen there for a breathless moment before the beast suddenly erupted into violence. She screamed involuntarily and struggled to free herself from his grasp. The main focus of the attack was her jacket so it was easy enough for her to wriggle out of it and let Luke tear it to shreds.

She attempted to distance herself from him then but the hem of her gown was pinned beneath him she could not get far. Instead she pulled away to the furthest extent her skirts would allow and huddled lower to the ground with her back to him. Her instincts were screaming at her to curl up into a ball and protect her vulnerable neck and stomach. Still another part of her brain said that was prey behavior so she resisted the urge to go all the way down. She hoped to look merely like a frightened submissive wolf with her head down and her hypothetical tail between her legs. She hoped that it would be enough.

The jacket was shredded and he was still taring into it when she realized her plight and the fact that she couldn't get far. His attention soon returned to her and he stalked closer. Paw hands taring at the skirt, the good news was that she was free, the bad was that most of her skirt had been destroyed in the process.

It might have been a tactic to scare her into reacting, fleeing or cringing up in response. It was difficult to refrain but when she had he set upon her once more. Rolling her to her back. Those amber eyes gazed at her, he snarled showing plenty of teeth as he climbed over her body.

The confusion seemed to be back as his mouth fell to her neck. But he did not bit her. He sniffed, then began to tare at her top, sniffing at her chest, groping her breasts as his head danced about her. He sniffed, then, unexpected he got off her yelping as if he was a mere dog that someone kicked.

Moving away from her he laid on the ground gazing at her but had been still. Even his ears that had been at attention dropped a bit. He had stopped snarling and growling though leaving her and the audience a bit confused as too what was going on.

She yelped again when the beast abandoned the officious jacket to attack her skirts. The sound seemed to be the excuse he was waiting for because he pounced her then, forcing her all the way down to the floor and rolled her onto her back. She froze and clenched her jaw to keep herself from crying out again as he took her throat in his mouth. She held her breath waiting for the death bite but it didn't come.

Was this just a dominance thing? She suddenly recalled reading somewhere that dogs and wolves would show their submission to a more dominant animal in the pack by rolling onto their back and offer up they more vulnerable neck and belly. Maybe this was Luke showing her the correct way to show respect to an alpha male. She didn't have time to consider it more because he suddenly tore open the front of her dress. She gasped in horror as he suddenly exposed her naked blossom for all to and began groping and nuzzling her breasts with his snout.

She had begun to protest when he expected my yelp as though in pain and recoil from her. She blinked in disbelief and sat up to stare at the beast in befuddlement. She had no idea what to make of it. He had been bullying her one minute and now appeared to be terrified of her. She gathered the top layer of her skirts up to cover her chest and looked up to find Adalstan with her eyes. Was this what he'd been anticipating? What was she supposed to do now? He had said something about taming him and that all she need do was 'approach Luke'. She looked back at the cowarding beast and suddenly felt sorry for him. Was this what he had to go through all the time? "Please don't be afraid of me, Luke." She said softly and held out her hand to him. "I'm not like them. I won't hurt you."

From the sounds of it the observers had been confused. All save Adalstan she saw when she looked back though he had been watching on with interest as if wondering what came next or otherwise invested in the matter at hand. It was just like reading Le Mort d'Arthur, the title alone told you that King Arthur was going to die, you expected that result but didn't know how events lead up to it unless you were familiar with the legend and the author could put there own spin on things to make it interesting.

He expected her to live from the start but didn't know what happened next. Many had been calling for blood, for the beast to tare into her but it remained where it was. He watched as she approached, his ears perking back up as she spoke.

There had been intelligence there, it was tough for her to say if it had been on par with a man's though. He did not speak but sniffed the offered hand as if confirming something before rising up on all fours. It seemed that he was comfortable transitioning from two to four legs. Why he may not be standing could have factored in to their size differences, that in he was taller than her when standing up right.

The atmosphere had changed, it seemed that he wasn't going to attack her further then he had though the portcullis at both ends of the room were rising and he spun to face the two men that entered through the door she entered by, growling at them and now standing up to face them.

Nell jumped to her feet as well when Luke turned to face the newcomers. She quickly moved between them, standing in front of Luke facing him. She placed her free hand, her other was still needed to keep the tattered cloth of her bodice closed, on his chest to calm him. "Wait Luke, please. They are probably just here for me. They shouldn't hurt you if you do not give them cause."

She was still guessing at the beast's motivations. She wished she could read his features better. Hoping that her words had been heard and understood she turned to glare at the two men entering. "Are you satisfied that I am who you think I am now or is this only part one of my trial."

There had been a collective gasp from the audience. Either because she had touched him or the fact that he did tare her apart. There was a feral look behind his eyes but there seemed to be an intelligence as well. He gazed at her, then to the two guards, then back at her. He understood it seemed or at least understood her tone and drew meaning from that.

He stepped backward a few paces. He watched the pair approach though.

“Quite satisfied,” came her answer and she was drawn from the chamber. Of course neither turned their back to the beast and walked backwards until they were free of the room. Each then flanked her and escorted her to a room where the female servant was. She was left with her to get out of those tattered things and bath after that encounter.. She wouldn't speak much more then had been required of her to fulfill her duties thus leaving it to her to ask questions

Unlike Lars though she wasn't as closed off about answers either, detailing her answers but only answering those questions that had been asked and thus not volunteering any information.

She was relieved that Luke had backed down without hurting anyone and, in turn, getting hurt himself. She let the men lead her to yet another room where another maid waited to help her change again. She lamented the ruin of the red gown. She was not so well off as these people here and cannot look on such finery as expendable. Still she was glad she had not worn one of her own gowns.

She changed into a black gown this time with an equally low neckline as they, apparently, had nothing else to offer. She would have chosen something more modest if she could. Her experience in the arena had reminder her of where she was an why. Adalstan's enchanting eyes and heated kisses were not enough to erase the fact of what he intended for her. She barely knew him and he wanted to make her is undying bride. Eternal life didn't frighten her so much but what sort of company would she be keeping now?

She could not forget how the crowd had cheered when Luke had attacked her. How eager they had all been to see the beast rip her apart. How could she now walk amongst them and pretend they were all friends? Did she want to socialize with bloodthirsty monsters who thought murder was a fun sport? "Is that arena only used for the trial?" She asked the maid. She had other questions but she doubted anyone but the Baron could or would answer them. She feared what his answers might be. "Or do they use it for battles as well?"

After she had been cleaned up and changed her question had been asked. The servant considered it for a small moment. “Mostly for the trial. Sometimes for entertainment. Luke needs to feed as well so they keep him half starved. I am told that you have faced him.

“You are very lucky to be alive.” She paused at that though she had not ventured further with that. She tended to Nell then escorted her to a bedroom if there were no more questions.

She would be left there in a room of elegance, certainly not a guest room. She was no longer in the basement taken to the second floor she guessed. The route that they traveled had no stairs but an incline. The halls were rarely used it seemed. She was left in that room though the door was not locked.

Was it a trick to draw her from the place? Before departing the servant told her that Adalstan would come see her though she did not know when. She could only guess before the end of the night as he was dealing with the other nobles at the time.

So she found herself alone for the time being.

She was a little taken aback when the maid lead her to yet another bedroom after she was dressed again. She thought they would be going back to the party. Being left to wait for Adalstan in a bed chamber had dangerous implications. The baron had made not secret of his desire for her but she had not expected this. The thought of being here alone with him both excited and terrified her.

Did he mean to change her here as he had promised? Perhaps he just wanted somewhere private for that. She had not been dressed for bed or seduction. Surely he could not we'd her in private, could he? Or was the change and consummation of their union all that was required for vampires? She paced the room as she mind raced from one thought to the next. Perhaps she was overthinking all this. She tried the door and was relieved to find it unlocked. At least she wasn't a prisoner.

She debated leaving the room. Perhaps she should go off in search of the baron herself, or possibly just a way out of all this. She wasn't sure she could go back to the party and face that crowd alone again. But how could she bare just standing there in this room waiting for Adalstan to come for her? In a flash, she made up her mind and opened the door to start out into the hall. Adalstan had sent her into that arena with only the barest hint as to what was waiting for her there. He didn't deserve to find her patiently waiting for him whenever he dained to come ravish her.

She might be conflicted about her own desires but if she was going to allow this man to seduce and marry her then, by God, it would be on her terms. If he wanted her so damn bad then he would have to earn it. He could start by finding her for she would not wait on him. She wandered the halls, avoiding what she believed to be the direction the party was in, and instead looking room a quiet study or library she could sit and read in. All the while hoping not to run into Lars or any of the other vamps along the way.

The halls were dimly illuminated from the moonlight spilling into the corridor from the windows. There was a good deal of lit with the moon so full, probably not the best to read by but good enough to see. Every so often though there were light fixtures along the wall. Each had been turned off at the time but unneeded as she could find her way along with the moonlight alone.

The curtains on the windows had been thick but in each case had been fully drawn open. The party had been easy to avoid. It was downstairs and as long as she avoided the plethora of sounds from the gathering she was fine. Though she sort of questioned matters about the party too if Adalstan was meeting with the others they may adjourn afterwards or go back to partying. In any case she avoided anything that sounded like a large gathering or party.

She even attempted to avoid Lars and fortunately she had not seen him. She did find a quite study. Turning on a light to see by there were a wide variety of titles.

Most seemed focused on those things she would expect to find. Music, biographies of musician, dances. But there were others that seemed out of place too. Stuff on the folklore of werewolves, on torture and there was even one thick tome that had been untitled and appeared to be a scrap book. Newspaper clippings had been in it and even sections of book pages that had been torn out. There seemed to be a lot collected here.

All was still. She should be able to hear the echo of footsteps approaching long before they arrived her either so she may have had some time on her hands or at least some forewarning.