What am I doing?
I pull my bottom lip into my mouth and taste him.
Instantly, the world explodes into a technicolor fever dream. Various doors appear in the bare walls and the horrible noise from the harvest assaults my ears. I can hear multiple conversations happening from the other side of the doors, all of them happening too fast for me to decipher. The colors in the hallway change into a spectrum I’ve never seen before, and the ache in my bones disappears.
And then it all dissolves back into the familiar world I’ve always known.
28
Danni
I spend the nightwandering the corridors in my blood-splattered gown. My hair hangs in disheveled, tangled strands and black streaks of mascara line my face.
Knox doesn’t come for me.
Nobody does.
And I’m glad for it.
There is so much to unpack in my brain. Every time I so much as think about Knox, the bond thrashes painfully inside of me, so I focus my attention on Egor’s speech instead.
From what I can gather, Egor seems to think that I’m descended from the line of binders who cursed them long ago. Which must be the reason they murdered my mother. But that assumption did not quench my thirst for revenge one bit. The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it all sounds.
I never witnessed my mom use any kind of magic—and I went through all of her things after she passed. There were no spellbooks or clues to a hidden lineage buried deep in the walls. She was a normal person who did normal things.
A typical case of mistaken identity, right?
The vampire never saw me that night. I hid beneath my mom’s bed and watched while it all happened. I saw his face back then and I have yet to recognize him here. He has to be a member of The Five… and I’ve met only four of them so far.
Besides, my aunt is still alive and living her best life behind a white picket fence. If we are descended from some sort of magical bloodline, then wouldn’t they come for her, too?
The pieces of the puzzle don’t fit together at all.
How am I ever supposed to find out the truth?
After wandering what feels like hours, my feet take me to the entrance of the circus. I stand before the red velvet fabric, struggling to pull my mind into a linear train of thought.
The final training is today. I’m exhausted from fighting the bond inside of me, as well as wrestling with my own morals. As I wandered the corridors, I found myself trying to defend Knox and rationalize everything he had done. There isn’t a doubt in my mind now that every move he’s made is to keep me as his… pet.
I shiver in the silence.
After tasting his blood last night, I can see why the Familiars are so… willing. An undeniable pull of power had pumped through my body.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like it.
But it also spurs another question: why did Knox let me stab him?
I could see and hear everything once I tasted his blood. There’s no way in hell he didn’t hear me fumbling with my bag to take out the stake. So why did he let me do it?
A shuffling noise comes from behind me, pulling me from my thoughts. I whirl on the spot, both annoyed and terrified to not be alone.
“There you are, Chosen One.” Damon’s voice slithers across my skin. He’s dressed in the same clothes as last night. Just like my own, the fabric is stained with blood. He leans casually against a wooden pillar in the backstage area, his arms folded across his chest as his mischievous garnet eyes look me up and down.
“What do you want?” I ask.
“Oh, what everyone else here wants… Freedom.”
I frown. “What do you mean, freedom?”
