Jewel-like eyes, one green and one blue, shone from across the room. She spotted us immediately before fixing her gaze back to the floor.
In the world of vampires, witches, and humans, Rose Leclair was as black a sheep as they came. She was the product of anaffair her father had with a human feeder who had kept her pregnancy hidden until her birth.
At her mother’s insistence, the feeder had been killed and the baby given to her mother to raise. And, like Aurelia, she received the wrath of her family for it.
“She’ll leave soon,” I murmured, noting she was heading to the long table filled with blood, blood candies, and even some human food for the half-humans, herself included.
I felt bad for her, but honestly I didn’t care to intervene. Not when my mind was always on Aurelia and Cedar. I didn’t have the time or headspace to attempt a rescue mission.
Especially when it felt like I needed rescuing myself.
These three weeks had been worse than the time in the Castle palace when I was trying to kill Aurelia. At least then I could escape if needed. Here there was a vampire at every corner just waiting for me to step out of line.
“Fine,” Charlotte huffed, pulling me back from the darkness. I was awarded a few more moments of silence before she added, “She still hasn’t picked a suitor, if you’re wondering.”
My eyes met her blue ones. She had a small, pitying look on her face. These were the moments when she truly seemed to care.
My heart threatened to break in two. I didn’t want to hear about it. While I was here, forced to serve another vampire family, Aurelia was out there getting married off.
Again. How could she?
I had waited while they locked me in the dungeons. Starved me. Humiliated me. Forced me into this station and to act like I wastheirs.
My eyes burned. My throat ached. My teeth pulsed with a need I didn’t want to name.
Did they forget about me?
Maybe they were secretly happy they would never have to deal with me and the vampire hunters ever again. If I could even be called that anymore.They’d forsaken me, just like everyone else.
Charlotte handed me a candy. “For your eyes.”
I hesitated to take it from her. I knew I wasn’t supposed to, but just like the poorly hidden bastard child of the Leclair family, I was starving. It was a constant thing. Ever since the dungeons, I just could never get enough to fully satiate me.
I popped it in my mouth. Sweet blood burst across my tongue, and the stinging went away immediately.
Something happened during my time in the dungeons. I tried to stay away from the blood, but I was starving. It felt like I was dying. I drank it, and in turn… Ichanged.Changed into the one thing I spent my entire life trying to kill.
I hadn’t even realized it until I wasn’t passing out on the cold floor. Instead of my stomach cramping, my throat ached for blood. The darkness became clearer, my anger stronger than ever.
Will they accept me after this? Knowing how I changed?
The hints had all been there.
Everyone but me knew that half-vampire children were like a plague in the hunter organization. Vampire blood never hurt me like it did humans. And then there was my strength and my ability to smell magic, not to mention the feeling of it burning as it entered me.
More and more came to me the longer I was stuck in the small broom closet they deemed my bedroom. I couldn’t sleep anymore. The ability was taken from me when they forced my vampire self out, killing the human part of me through starvation and beatings.
I couldn’t reply to Charlotte, much to her dismay. She kept mumbling to herself while I watched Rose slink back out of the room.
My breath caught when I saw a flash of red.
Is that…
My body moved on its own, taking a step forward and trying to follow the flash. But as soon as I got there, it was gone, and I was left with a burst of disappointment.
I’m seeing things.
That had been common in the dungeons as I went from sleepless nights to the last bits of slumber I ever got as a human. But even if I were, it didn’t stop me from feeling things.
