She slides forward. “As of now, I’m bored. Let’s try this again.” She snaps her fingers, and my heart drops. Victoria enters the room with someone I thought I’d never seen again, wrapped in her arms. My heart sinks at the sight of my best friend in the world, Ramona.
“Mona?” I ask, not sure if my eyes are playing tricks on me.
“Violet? Is it really you?” she asks, staring at me in disbelief.
“Let her go,” Aurora commands. The moment Victoria releases control, Ramona runs toward me, wrapping her arms around me. She feels thinner than I remember, and her energy is weak.
“I thought…we all thought you were…” She doesn’t finish her sentence. Instead, she steps away, looking me up and down, inspecting my changed appearance. “Is it really you? You look…different.”
“It’s me.” I wipe a silent tear. My friend, who knew my deepest darkest secrets, is standing in front of me with torn clothes, messy hair, and a mixture of dirt and blood covering her face. “I’m so sorry,” I whisper.
“What’s going on?” Ramona asks as she begins to cry. Her body shakes with emotion.
“That’s an excellent question,” Aurora says. She’s at our side a heartbeat later. “Your friend is no longer human.” She turns toward me. “Would you like to tell her, or shall I?”
“I’m a vampire,” I answer quickly, not wanting to give Aurora the satisfaction of telling my truth.
Ramona stares into my eyes. “A what?”
“Vampire,” I repeat. “You know, like in the books.”
My friend looks between the two of us. “Are you a vampire, too?”
Aurora smiles. “Why yes, I am.” She lifts the blood to her mouth, drinking the remainder. “Funny how the human brain tries to rationalize the unbelievable.” She turns toward me. “She doesn’t even remember donating this.” She holds the empty brandy glass in the air.
The vampire’s words anger me. “You have no right to drink from her.”
“I have every right, young one. This is my home.” She rubs a long fingernail across Ramona’s cheek, leaving a cut along her path. “I will say, she is quite tasty. Would you care for a sip?”
I step between Aurora and my best friend. “Leave her alone.”
“Tell me what spell Cyrus was seeking,” she retorts. “Then I will consider your request.”
“Violet? I don’t understand.” Ramona’s voice is shaky.
“Ask Lucien,” I answer, ignoring my best friend.
Aurora steps closer. “I will not ask again.”
“Good, because you’ll get the same answer.”
The vampire looks behind me, nodding ever so slightly. Without warning, Victoria appears, wrapping her arms around Ramona, and without warning, slices her neck from ear to ear using nothing more than a fingernail. I stare in disbelief, not understanding what I just witnessed.
The gurgling sound Ramona makes will haunt me for the rest of my life. Her eyes are as large as saucers as she silently begs me for help while her blood spills to the floor. “Ramona!” I scream.
“You win. I’ll tell you! Stop the bleeding!” I demand.
“She’s human. There is nostoppingthe bleeding.” Aurora looks bored as she speaks. Bored as my best friend bleeds out in front of me.
What seems like an eternity later, Ramona’s eyes close and her heartbeat slows to almost nothing. I clutch her to my body, rocking the now lifeless shell of my best friend…the woman who was engaged to the man of her dreams and wanted nothing more than to honeymoon in Paris. “I’m so sorry, Ramona.” I wipe the tears streaming down my cheeks. “I love you.”
“Oh, boohoo. How terribly human of you.I love you,” Aurora mocks my words and voice, making fun of my pain.
I gently place Ramona’s lifeless body on the marble floor before standing. “I will kill you,” I warn.
“Many stronger than you have tried.” She nods to Ramona’s murderer. “Take her upstairs.”
I don’t put up a fight as Victoria grabs my arm, pulling me toward the grand staircase. Aurora snaps her fingers once more, and three vampires appear from nowhere.
