Page 31 of Hunger & Harmony

I shouldn’t. I’m already pushing my luck. Reaching for it anyway, I glance over the medication box.

Simulated iron fortification. That’s what the label says. Not real blood or iron, but pressed tablets with a faint metallic scent. They’re identical to the ones in the trash, except being open and half-crushed. Not everyone is as gluttonous as Ezren, but my work notes clearly state vampires feed at least once a week.

He really is trying to fake being whole.

I slip out of Niko’s room and close the door like I was never there. I can’t relax until I’m back in my room, hiding childishly under the blankets. Even then, my muscles won’t unwind, my stomach churning and shoulders tense.

Because the king of vampires is starving for blood. Because there’s something he’s trying to control, so deeply volatile that not even his right-hand can reach him. Because instead of feeling disconnected, I’m all the more entangled.

All the more on edge, too.

Dawn burns red and orange across the morning sky. We’re off to a late start, and the sun is already here. It’s harder to load up buses with protestors raging on, so human staff are tying up the loose ends while Arteria waits in seclusion.

I huddle into my coat tighter. The crisp air bites at my freckled nose, and a flush of color brightens my face. I’m not the biggest fan of cold weather, but it’s better than the claustrophobia inside.

“We’re basically done, so let’s get everyone in,” Lorelai tells me.

Doing as I’m told, I round up Arteria. Three out of four are accounted for. With a heavy pit in my stomach, I find the last in the private lounge.

“We’re heading out,” I tell Niko.

He reclines back on a plush chaise, but nothing about him looks relaxed. His eyes are drawn to the open window, watching sunlight spill into the room. Only his seat remains shadowed, like a protective shield. Or a cage.

“You ready?”

Unease clings to my skin. I pat my sweaty palms on my jeans and shuffle in my shoes awkwardly.

“Why were you in my room earlier?”

My blood runs colder than the air outside.

“H-Huh?”

What answer can I even give? I try not to stutter more as I continue.

“What, like . . .when I was packing?”

I laugh nervously. Wow, can I be more obvious?

“Earlier than that.”

His eyes finally move from the sunlit window to me. I actively avoid his piercing gaze.

“What did you hear?” he asks. His voice is calm, but I’m sure that’s false. “What were you looking for?”

“Your Majesty, I . . .”

When he stands, my spine straightens.

“I don’t repeat myself.”

What the fuck do I do? I’m not scared of him. It’s that the possibility of being fired doesn’t seem unlikely. And then what? My breath quickens.

“I . . .well, I . . .just⁠—”

The smallest desire for honesty wavers my resolve to lie. Should I tell him? He always rebuffs my help, but maybe this time . . .Maybe I can get through to him.

“Did you find it?” he asks, taking a step closer. “Was your investigation successful?”