In the centre of the destruction is a small songbird, the head torn off, its wings speckled with blood.
I’m so distracted by my dream of electric lamps disappearing in a puff of vandalism that I don’t even notice the message until Catherina grabs my arm.
On the mirror, a single word has been dashed in blood.
MINE.
5
Arabella
Alyra:When are you moving into your new home? I’m looking forward to introducing you to my friends. They’re all excited to avail themselves of your services. We’ll make certain you fall in with therightvampires at Sanctus. I don’t want any ex-Dusk Court weirdos to sink their fangs into you!
Isis:Hey, Arabella, I’m dying to know, have you ever been tempted to give a long-winded tell-all interview to a flattering biographer who begs you to grant him the Kiss?
And also, do vampires have special vampire dentists? Or are you immune from gum disease?
“IREFUSE TO DO IT.” I bark into my phone as I survey the chaos of my room. Cleo VII, my pet Egyptian cobra, uncoils herself from beneath a stack of cashmere and regards me with reproach.
I should hire Winnie to help me sort and pack my things – she is literally creating a business as a professional organiser for Upyr – but that would mean breaking the rules I made for myself over a century ago.
Rules I’ve broken only once.
Arabella Lestrange does not need help.
Arabella Lestrange does not owe anything to anyone.
And Arabella Lestrange doesnotrisk her pretty vampire neck by stepping out of the shadows.
My rules have served me well. I dragged myself from the darkness of povertytwice,changed my name, and found my way to this small village where no one would ever connect me to the life I had before. I purchased my immaculate townhouse on the outskirts of Argleton in cash some five years ago from an old client who’d held on to it since Queen Victoria started moping about like the original MySpace goth.
From the outside, the building is nothing much. This is deliberate. I cannot draw attention to myself. But inside, I’ve spent my money wisely – on luxurious furnishings, bamboo bedding imported from Japan and fine Venetian stemware. Everything in this house has been carefully chosen for me and me alone (with the exception of the zoo-quality enclosure and rockery – that is for Cleo VII’s enjoyment). In all the time I’ve owned it, not a single other soul, human or Upyr, has walked through the front door.
I prefer it that way.
I like to surround myself with the finest things in life. They say money doesn’t buy happiness, and they’re wrong. What’s the point of eternity if you don’t enjoy it?
Far too many vampires don’t figure out this simple truth, which is why I’ll never run out of clients.
And one of the finest things in life is solitude. Peace. Safety. Not having to rely on anyone but yourself.
“You can’t refuse. You’re our only hope.” Isis wails from my phone speaker.
Ah, yes. Solitude.
I roll my eyes at the painting on the wall above my bed. It was the very first thing I purchased when I rebuilt my fortune, and although the eye-watering price tag almost sent me back to the poorhouse, it was worth every penny. A naked woman draped over a faux Greek temple stares down at me with daring eyes – so dark they’re almost black, except for the golden halo ringing the edges. The figure had beenpainted with blotches of colour like dabs of light. The collar of jewels around her neck is rendered in brilliant shades of cobalt and crimson, the scarab at its centre invisible unless you know what you’re looking at.
I whip my head away from her daring stare. Sometimes, that woman encourages me to say yes to things that could threaten everything I’ve built here, like joining a ridiculous book club determined to meddle in local supernatural mysteries, or accidentally buying a house in the estate owned by the man I hate most in the world.
The Sanctus Estate catalogue lies open on the table next to my phone, my latest folly on display, mocking me. The sleek renders and professional photographs suckered me in, and when I saw my new client Alyra Maythorn’s home on the estate, I did something most un-Arabella-like – I succumbed to a whim.
I came home from that meeting with Alyra, Sanctus catalogue tucked under my arm. I unfolded the artful origami packaging and took in the modern design. Every house on Sanctus Estate oozes opulence and luxury, with a timeless style that will outlast the centuries. Every house is set among the trees to hide us from the world and protect us from the great circular deathtrap in the sky. All the amenities I could ever need. Security to prevent nosy humans from discovering our secrets. Even better is the company ethos – a community run by Upyr, for Upyr, without affiliation or oversight by the courts.
A promise of something more.
Permanence. Longevity. A home.
I saw myself there. I saw myself happy.
