Chapter 1
Felix
The slightly bitter taste of the purple potion was comforting as it trailed down my throat. Funny to think how I’d grown to rely on the taste, making sure it stayed the same each week. I couldn’t risk botching the effects, not even once. Taking the now empty glass, I began rinsing it in the sink. We had a potion and crystal room where no customer was allowed. I was currently theremaking sure the glass was ready for a new batch. My best friend and employee, Claire, and I, liked to prepare new crystals and potions every Monday. It was technically my only day off; the only day I wasn’t a feeder. If only the coven hadn’t cursed my sister into a coma, then I wouldn’t have to drink the potion each week or even be a feeder.
Five years ago, I’d visited my sister, Astrea, and found her unconscious in her entryway. A letter lay next to her, saying she shouldn’t have offended those that simply wanted to help her. From what I gathered, she’d refused a male witch’s marriage proposal, and he took it personally. The last part of the letter was addressed to me, requiring funds for a cure. In other words, they were blackmailing me. They wanted money or my sister would remain comatose.
Astrea and I had nothing. Our Gran had died three years prior and we’d inherited her house, her store, and the apartment on top of it. I didn’t have the money they required. I also couldn’t take care of Astrea as she was. How would I feed a sleeping person? I was only twenty! Desperate and scared, I’d turned to Claire. We’d just started working in Gran’s old store and although Claire wasn’t a witch like myself, I’d known she would be the voice of reason. And she had been. She pointed out that I needed Gran’s grimoire,but after skimming through the thick book, nothing was found that could help wake Astrea.
Claire and I needed to get Astrea into a hospital, but since it was a magical curse that induced the coma, she wasn’t allowed into a normal hospital and I had to find a private one. An expensive one. More money had to be spent before I could even begin to pay the coven the ridiculous amount of money they demanded.
Feeling sorry for myself, I searched through the grimoire, reading every page so I knew for certain I hadn’t skipped anything. What I found changed my life. Blood sweetener! It was the best way of gaining allegiance with a vampire. Basically, it was a recipe for a potion that would make your blood the best thing the vampire had ever tasted. It was one my Gran had mastered herself. She’d needed it to win over a vampire back in her youth. A plan had started to form. Feeders were well paid; the better the blood, the higher the pay. All I had to figure out was how one became a feeder. It wasn’t something just anyone could do. You had to sign a contract that lasted a year. Any longer than that and the vampire risked creating a bond, forcing them to rely on the blood of their bonded. If they tried feeding from someone else they would get sick. The vampire would be forced to mate with the feeder, or the vampire would die when the feeder diedof old age. Therefore, the contracts were strictly for one year only, and the vampire could never feed from that person again.
But those feeders weren’t witches and I was very much a witch. Even if male witches were so rare that they wouldn’t even suspect it, I still had to be careful. It wasn’t an issue; my blood was the same as a human’s. But since I was drinking a potion regularly, I needed my witch nature to remain hidden. I didn’t think it was legal. I wasn’t about to ask either. I could only hope I was the only feeder using it.
And so, with Claire’s help, I figured out how to apply to become a feeder. I met up with the only company that handled feeders and vampires in our country. One interview, followed by a blood test to search for illnesses, and then a final taste test. It had been the most terrifying thing I’d ever done, but I needn’t have worried; my blood had been so tasty that I got the highest payment possible.
And now, five vampire masters later, I had my very first day with my sixth vampire. And with the potion now in my system, I was soon ready to leave the store and make the two hour drive to Covald, the small town where the vampire lived in afreakingcastle. And I would now live there as well. I was secretly looking forward to it.
The coven eagerly took my money after each contract ended, and if all went well, then Astrea would return to me in two years, just twomore vampires. This one and then his brother. Soon Astrea would be free.
I carried so much guilt over the years she’d spent lying asleep, just waiting for me to help her. We didn’t have anyone else. Mom had died in a war with another coven before we moved here. I had been seven and Astrea nine. Gran took us in, offering us safety and love until she died of old age. I hated paying the blackmail, but I would have no help if I went against them. Maybe we should’ve joined a coven like Gran suggested, but neither Astrea nor I wanted to risk wars like our mother had. It wasn’t common to fight other covens, but it did happen. Power was power, and if one witch attacked or cursed someone else, then a war would begin. So, I was covenless and had no other choice but to let the vampires drink my blood.
Monday was my day off so I got to work with Claire, infusing crystals with magic and making potions. Then she would run the store and I would work on my laptop from my vampire master’s home the rest of the time. She only really needed me for the crystals and potions, since she had no magic. Once each contract ended, I had one free week before starting the next contract. I always spent it visiting Astrea, hoping she could hear me, and that she wasn’t hurt by my absence for the rest of the year. Had her medical bills been lower,I could’ve freed her sooner, but fate wasn’t that kind. Claire visited her each week, which helped my guilty conscience. If only by a little.
“Ready?” Claire asked, startling the shit out of me. I quickly grabbed the counter, steadying myself as I met her grinning face with my own furious one.
“No,” I stated. Returning to washing the glass. I liked making my potions in little round glass vials with a cork top. But washing them? A true nightmare. The neck was too thin to reach the rounded part. I should just start using mason jars like other witches did, but I liked the appearance of my vials so much more.
Claire leaned against the counter next to me before continuing. “Are you sure this vampire is reallyhim?”
I knew she would ask, too curious not to. “Severin,” I replied, placing the clean glasses to air dry bottom up on a dishtowel.
She whistled. “Damn, he must pay you handsomely, then.”
I nodded, not really comfortable talking about my vampire masters. Not that I wasn’t allowed to, it just felt weird, like I was overstepping a boundary of sorts.
“He’s hot,” she continued, and I rolled my eyes. I had no time to admire my masters. They paid my bills and nothing more. I simply didn’t have time to flirt, or worse, deal with another’s emotions whenmy own consumed what little time I had. I also highly doubted he was gay. Severin and his brother Peter were two of the oldest vampires known and they were insanely rich. And secretive, if the dead end googling I’d done was any indication. But I much preferred a private master than my latest one, who had to go toallthe parties, which meant so hadI, and Ihatedparties. I disliked all big gatherings, actually. So, I hoped Severin would be the stay-at-home type.
“Don’t give me that look,” she scolded. “Soon Astrea will be freed from whatever voodoo shit they did to her, and then what? You’re allowed to enjoy living even if she’s not. You weren’t the one who cursed her.” We’d had this very talk too many times over the last five years, and my response now was the same as always.
“I’ll live when she does.”
Singing along to the radio and feeling my mood brighten, I let myself enjoy the moment. The sun was shining and there were no other cars in sight. Just endless hills with wildflowers on both sides of the road as I got even farther out in the countryside.
My phone dinged with a text, and as I read it on the car display, my mood soured instantly.
Ass Coven:Money received. Looking forward to next year, Blood whore.
I turned the music up louder, ignoring the sun and the flowers. I focused on my anger, letting it fuel me, letting it grow.
I wasn’t prone to anger, but feeling powerless was not easy. And I’d lost Astrea, the one person who’d always been there for me whenever I needed her. The anger only festered. Had it not been for Claire, I feared what would’ve happened to me. I guess I should’ve mentioned how much I appreciated her concern and friendship. What she said today, I knew she was right. I deserved to live. I couldn’t really be in a relationship while under contract. Not being able to leave my master’s side made it near impossible, but I’d had opportunities for some fun while at parties and such. I had to be near, but not in their pockets. Some masters preferred their feeders stayed safe at home; others wanted to show them off. Having a feeder was a clear sign ofpower and wealth, and being a feeder was prestigious. I had no idea how many signed up only to be denied. It seemed wealthy vampires were also picky about their blood, only wanting to sign a contract with a delicious tasting feeder. But it made sense, I wouldn’t want to eat a boring salad for a year. I figured it was the same idea. I knew they could drink and enjoy it, but food was tasteless to vampires and could make them sick if they ate too much of it.
A green sign welcomed me to Covald, showing off the low number of residents like it was a selling point. I chuckled to myself and continued further into the heart of town. The castle loomed in the distance, past some small stores and into the outskirts. Not that I could see the entirety of it, only the tallest roofs were visible. A huge forested area protected the castle from view, hiding it like a secret from the town. I rather liked it. Not that the town was unaware of the castle, but I preferred the seclusion.
It only took fifteen minutes of small roads until the castle came into view. It was beautiful. It had grey walls and blackened roofs and so many windows I worried about his safety. Sunlight wasn’t a joke. How he could live there and escape it was a mystery. I saw no curtains pulled. Maybe he was one of those vampires who could endure the sun? I would have to ask once I got to know him better. If that everhappened. I only became sort of friendly with two masters, the other three were strangers to me, and I was okay with that.
Parking in the designated parking area out front, I exited the car to grab my bag from the trunk. With my things secured, I locked the car and steeled myself. Another contract had begun. Only two more years to go, Astrea.
