“Why not? You’re clearly sick—”
“I’m not sick. Vampires don’t get sick.” I sneer. “How old are you now? Eighty-five? And you still don’t know that?”
“Fine. Keep your secrets. But you know as well as I do that The Five will sniff out whatever is going on with you.” Celeste’s expression turns cold as she towers over me with her arms folded across her chest. “You have an hour until dinner. If I were you, I’d get your shit together.” Without another word, she leaves me alone in my room with nothing but my simping mind for company.
Protect, protect, protect.
I groan and pinch the bridge of my nose. I know what I have to do. The girl will become my Familiar. The only way out of the inbetween is down into the cold depths of our carnivorous realm.
And the only way out ofthatrealm is through the magic that is actively dying.
Fuck.
9
Danni
Time moves differently here.
It seems like I am sitting for an age at the dressing table watching Betty work miracles with my unruly hair. I let her work in silence while my mind obsesses over him. Stupid, lovesick thoughts, which no matter how many times I try to replace stabbing him with my stake, will not go away.
I feel absolutely mad.
Betty leaves me to dress once she is satisfied with my appearance. I can’t lie. She did a good job. The bags under my eyes disappeared with a foundation as thick as cement. An attractive pink rouge brings a flush to my cheeks and smoky black kohl frames my eyes. A little dramatic for my taste, but that seems the rule to live by around here.
I haven’t managed to move since she left. Instead, I’ve sat and stared at myself, ignoring a hollow feeling settling in my chest. At first it felt like palpitations, which is only natural consideringI’m trapped in the middle of a desert inside a weird hotel that caters to your dreams. But it’s now warped into a deep, almost painful sadness.
It aches.
The door to my room opens dramatically, startling me out of my misery. I grab the stake within arm’s reach and point it at the intruder.
Warmth immediately leaves the room. Knox is the picture of midnight in his formal suit and shiny shoes as he eclipses the space. My heart races as I look around the room for an escape, but there’s only the one door he just came through. His face paint is gone, revealing a flawlessly pale complexion that’s all hard lines and arrogance.
“You’re awake,” he says flatly as his vermillion eyes slide over my body.
I involuntarily shiver under his gaze. “No shit,” I retort, my knuckles turning white from gripping the stake so hard.
“You took so long I thought you’d fallen asleep.” His eyes flash to the stake. I grip it even tighter.
Knox huffs a humorless laugh that doesn’t reach his eyes, putting his hands in his pockets and closing the space between us. He backs me away from the dressing table and towards the bed. “Careful. I enjoy a chase, but even I have limits when it comes to blatant disrespect.”
The closer he gets, the air between our bodies becomes electrically charged. The hollow emptiness inside of me disappears as energy surges through me.
I sigh in relief. My brain fog clears as I inhale his dark musky scent. He smells like midnight and blood.
To my surprise, he sighs as well.
Did he feel a void, too?
I don’t like the thought of him being in pain.
Snap out of it! You are not going to develop Stockholm Syndrome right now.
“You’re keeping me here against my will. Why would I treat you any other way?” My heart pounds, but not out of fear.
“Familiars should be grateful. Only a handful are chosen each time we break through the surface. By the way your blood reeks of fear and self-loathing, I should’ve thrown you to the Rabbids without a second glance.” He breaks the insane staring contest to flick a piece of invisible lint off his jacket.
“I don’t have any ‘self-loathing’.” I mimic his voice to the best of my ability. It’s childish, I know, but that comment got right under my skin.
