In his praise, I hear the truth:
A year of torment.
A year of keeping the truth of her a secret.
A year of depriving myself of the happiness that so rarely happens for our kind.
19
Danni
Sitting next to Knoxis like being as close to the center of gravity as humanly possible. Nothing in the world can pull me out of his orbit.
Despite the six sets of crimson eyes focused on me, I feel safe with him. I’ve never experienced such a feeling before, at least not that I can recall.
My mind travels back to the day of my mom’s murder. The confusion on the social worker’s face as I sat on our porch, wrapped up in a tinfoil blanket, screaming the word “vampire” to anyone who would listen.Trauma, my court-assigned therapist had called it. Because I witnessed something so horrific, my childlike mind invented the story of a mythical creature sucking my mother’s blood to bury the real details of what happened. The mundane, perfectly normal, not weird at all details.
But itwasreal. I was traumatized, sure, but not delusional.
And now I’m at dinner with the monsters who have haunted my dreams ever since I was six years old. I fake a smile as a Rabbid servant places a covered dish in front of me. The other Familiars immediately dig in, but all I can focus on is the reflection of my six-year-old self on the domed lid.
I hardly remember the car ride to my aunt’s house after the police removed my mother’s body. But I do remember how my aunt had looked at me disapprovingly. Like I was just another burden added to her already busy schedule.
My Aunt Tabby was a woman who had it all. She lived in the gated part of Hillsview, with perfectly mowed grass and a sign above the door that said, “Home Is Where The Heart Is.” Her husband was the town pastor, and she had six children of her own, all of them perfectly well-mannered and always spotless as hell.
I couldn’t have been more different. Aunt Tabby saw me as vermin infesting her house with paint splatter and untamable frizzy hair. I was an only child, and Mom and I lived in a pretty run down, one bedroom house on the other side of town. My mom was an artist, self-proclaimed of course. She never sold a single painting. At times, I don’t know how we managed to survive. We didn’t have anything but our high spirits and the music of Dolly Parton to guide my mother through her break-ups.
I’ll never forget the look on Aunt Tabby’s face when I said her sister was killed by a vampire. I went from vermin to insane in a second.
I bring myself back out of my lost memories when I realize I’m not listening to a single thing being said. I finally remove the domed lid on my plate, keeping my eyes focused on my hands to avoid the vampiric gazes that track my every movement. I try to make it seem like I’m listening and being attentive, but my mind feels fuzzy as I try to follow along.
A man with shoulder-length, jet black hair, who looks uncannily like Knox in twenty years’ time, clears his throat to get everyone’s attention. He announces that his name is Cyprian, and confirms that he is, in fact, Knox’s dad. My jaw drops. He barely looks older than forty! Then, a blush creeps up my neck. What a way to meet your future in-law… at an orgy full of vampires…
Cyprian rises from his seat to continue the introductions. First are Egor and Damon, who often share Familiars, apparently. They both have dark skin and dark hair that is shoulder length like Cyprian’s. If it wasn’t for the subtle differences in their facial features—one had a mole on their cheek while the other had thicker eyebrows—they could be twins. They both have an heir of regency about them in the way they hold themselves.
Next is Alaric, a man with bone-white skin, short blond hair, and mousey features. He doesn’t look any older than thirty. Distant, glassy eyes convince me that he’s the only vampire who doesn’t seem infatuated with me. Prominent blue veins creep up his jaw and across his face. If any human looked at him, they would surely believe he’s already dead. Alaric sits still as a corpse, his goblet of dark red blood left untouched in front of him. He, like Cyprian, has a male potential sitting with him. The guy stares at Alaric like the sun shines out of his—
“Is there a problem with the food?”
The voice startles me, pulling me from my thoughts. I snap my eyes away from Alaric and his Familiar to see Egor’s accusing red stare. His hands are clasped in front of his face, the golden rings adorning his fingers glittering in the candlelight. For a moment, I don’t know what to say. His terrifying gaze makes me feel about two feet tall, but if Knox is right and no one can touch me while I’m in his presence, then why shouldn’t I hold my own against them?
“Yes, there is, actually.”
Eyebrows rise around the table as I enter into a staring contest with Egor.
“And pray tell, what might be wrong with it?” He leans back in his chair, authority held in the broadness of his shoulders. I open my mouth to give a snotty retort that my aunt would have scolded me for when Megan, still fully naked, rises from the seat next to him. She slowly runs a hand across his shoulder before perching gracefully on his lap and exposing her neck to him.
My pulse feels like it’s going to burst from my arteries. No matter how hard I try to look anywhere else, my eyes are glued to Egor and Megan. My body goes taut by an invisible gravitational pull. It feels nothing like the comfort of being in Knox’s orbit. Nausea washes over me, and I realize far too late that I’m being compelled against my will.
Fear—all I feel is fear. Fear over the amount of control these creatures have. This is abouttheirpleasure andtheirfun; humans are just living dolls here to satisfy their boring lives. I focus my mind and try to resist the pull, but it’s no use. No matter how hard I focus, I can’t even wiggle my toes. I’m at his mercy, entirely.
“Egor.” Knox’s tone is laced with danger. “Release my Familiar.”
The bond between us gives a satisfying hum at his possessiveness. My fear is quickly replaced with a feeling that’s far more reckless.
Still captivated against my will, I watch as Egor’s bright white canine teeth elongate to a monstrous size. He sinks his fangs into Megan’s neck far slower than necessary. His eyes stay fixed on me as if he’s demonstrating his power, showing me exactly what he is capable of.
Megan throws her head back, moaning in either ecstasy or pain. I can’t be sure which. Her brown curls slide from her shoulders as he tilts her further back to get better access. Nausearises in me as a tiny droplet of blood slides down her throat. Oh, how gullible I was to believe it was forbidden to harm the Familiars, even your own. They can definitely harm us, and this is a real threat.
