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No one speaks down here. I don’t know if that is out of fear or because they feel hopeless. Seeing everyone jammed into this place like sardines in a can sickens me. There is barely enough room in the other cells for people to sit without rubbing shoulders with each other, yet there are some cells left empty.
More hours pass in silence. The temperature dropped significantly, and the light that once sifted through the port holes with each wave has vanished. I know it must be late evening.
Guards enter again, this time hauling a giant stew pot. They ladle out bowls of hearty stew into disposable mugs before placing a folded slice of bread in each one and passing it through the bars to the humans. My stomach growls, yet I ignore it. Kylian should retrieve me soon, but I feel guilty for wanting him to, knowing these people will still be trapped here.
I’m handed a mug along with a bottle of water, and I take it, sitting against the wall of the ship, watching the guards hand food to the other humans. Once they finish rounds, they swiftly leave, and only then does everyone eat. The moment they are gone, I carefully move toward the bars. The girls watch me warily, and I coax the youngest one closer.
“Don’t snatch this time, it’s hot. You’ll burn yourself,” I murmur to her. She doesn’t listen. As soon as her hands seal around it, she snatches it, the hot liquid inside sloshing over the sides, but she doesn’t even flinch.
The other three girls in the cage huddle in one circle, all with the same brown curls, dark eyes, and turned-up noses. Sisters likely. I think about how the little girl in front of me has been sitting alone. She’s got matted red hair under all the filth and looks nothing like the others.
With the mug of stew in her shaking hands, she remains pressed against the bars with her back to me, watching the sisters timidly. My gaze moves to the other girls.
The oldest of the sisters reaches toward the little red head, and my anger gets the better of me. Just as she moves to grab the bread, I reach through the cage and snatch the brunette’s wrist. I glare at her, my grip tightening until she whimpers.
“Leave her be! You touch her food, and I will warn the guards,” I snap. The girl looks at me with alarm as she jerks her hand back and clutches it to her chest. At the same time, a chorus of screaming rings out deafeningly from another part of the ship. My head jerks toward the entrance. People whimper and cover their ears, trying to block out the cries.
I peer over at the girls next to me. “What are they doing to them?” I ask, though I can guess by how terrified they sound.
“It’s night time,” she whispers. “And the Vampire King only feeds at night.” My head whips in her direction. It’s the first time anyone has spoken down here besides a few muffled grunts and groans.
“How do you know?” I ask.
“Because that’s the room he feeds from.” She points to the door. “I was in there before they noticed and brought me here with the other children. The guards take the elderly or the ill from there for him to feed on, but they don’t bring them back. So when night falls, everyone in that room is terrified of being next. ”
My brows furrow. “You saw this yourself?” I ask.
“Yes. The Vampire King came down earlier and got angry, but it was the first time he didn’t take anyone to feed on.” I peer back at the doors where the screams are growing louder, then momentarily, everything goes eerily quiet.
Slow footsteps creak overhead, and I hold my breath, along with everyone else around me. The young girl’s words taunt me. I have been denying him the one thing he needs to live, knowing I am the only one who can give that to him without dying, and these people live in constant terror.
CHAPTER 29
My body aches from the hard floor as I push up to my knees, finding King Kylian and Eagan standing in the doorway. The gasps, tears, and whimpers from those around me announce his arrival.
His glare is directed at me. Eagan approaches my cell, and I notice how everyone else in the room moves to the back of their cages, trying to put distance between them and the king.
“Have you learned your lesson, or should I leave you down here until we arrive at my kingdom.” King Kylian’s voice holds no emotion whatsoever, making the very idea of leaving the cell frightening to me.
Eagan unlocks and pulls the cell door open, and Kylian reaches in, grips my arm tightly, and yanks me to him. Hushed whispers and gasps sound around the room as the humans watch in horror as the king manhandles me before burying his face in my neck.
He inhales deeply. “You need to—” But I twist out of his grip to face Eagan before he can finish. Kylian has me by the throat in an instant, slamming me against the bars and forcing the air from my lungs. I bite back a groan of pain. “You still dare to challenge me!” he snarls, his eyes glowing furiously as I try not to provoke him further.
His hunger has sharpened any softness he once possessed, and there’s a dangerous glint in his eyes. His fangs are impossible to hide, and his face looks more demonic than usual. I shake my head, noticing that Eagan is watching him worriedly like he is unsure if he should intervene.
When I turn my attention to Eagan, Kylian growls, gripping my face and jerking it back toward him. “Don’t look at him to help you,” Kylian sneers, and angry tears prick my eyes.
“He has the damn keys!” I retort angrily. He seems taken aback for a moment by my words, and I use his momentary silence to quickly address Eagan, praying I am not overstepping by asking anything of him.
“The little red head,” I say, pointing at the cell beside me. “Let her out!”
Kylian laughs, and the sound chills me as he grips my face. “You want Eagan to free her?”
I glare at Kylian, but before I can respond, Eagan’s voice is in my head.
“You better have a reason for wanting me to free her, Alessia. I don’t suggest you provoke him right now.”
Kylian’s sharp nails dig into my face, and I gasp. The sound seems to pull him back to his senses, because he lets me go. He moves to grip the bars of my cell instead, effectively caging me.
