She watches me, waits for a response. But I have none.
Life would have been easier if she’d helped. We might have had more food on the table, some extra money, and I wouldn’t have spent precious coins on medicine she never needed.
I wait for the anger I know I should feel to rise, but it doesn’t come.
Kathrine stares at me with large doe eyes. “Remember, you promised you wouldn’t be angry with me…” she says in a soft voice.
I look at her. She is small, nearly half a head shorter. And even well fed, she is still willowy. I suppose she wouldn’t have survived having to do those things.
“I’m not upset,” I say. What surprises me more is that I think I believe it too.
I’m not angry, though there is a splinter of hurt that has wedged itself into my heart. Kathrine’s deception all these years stings. She’d revealed the truth so casually. I’ve spent so long trying to protect her, trying to keep life from breaking that soft, gentle girl—she’s only guilty of doing the same.
I give her the best smile I can manage, and it seems to be what she needs. Tension melts from her shoulders, and she pulls me down the hall, heading down the stairs to meet her guests as they arrive.
I suppose I was not the only one keeping secrets. But there is something calculating and devious about this secret she’s kept all these years.
It makes me wonder if we ever really knew each other at all.
Chapter Eleven
Alaric
Black clouds block out the moon and stars, blanketing the world in a nearly impenetrable darkness. The front door closes with a solid click as my foot lands on the gravel drive.
A low rumble emanates from Victor’s chest. His hunger lends a desperation to his movements as he steps forward.
I block his way with my arm, forcing him to come up short. He glares at me as if he’s debating ripping the limb off to get by.
“Remember, we are all to conduct ourselves in the way I have instructed.” I glance at Victor from the corner of my eye. “This is my town, my food source, and I will not have my arrangement with the humans damaged because one or more of you failed to control yourself. Any humans you feed on must agree of their own free will, so compulsion is forbidden. Do not harm or frighten them.”
I pause and look at each of the others in turn. Lawrence and Della stand side by side, taking in my words. This is not their first time here.
Cassius crosses his arms as if my orders mean little to him. But Victor struggles to pay attention.
“Above all, these humans are to be treated with respect.” I lower my voice and focus in on Victor. “I do not want a repeat of what happened a month ago.”
Victor’s gaze finally snaps to mine, wide eyes narrowing into a glower at the mention of his second night here. Being held accountable for his actions seems to be a new situation for him, but that doesn’t mean I’ll go easy.
“You caused me a great deal of trouble cleaning up your mess—and not only having to dispose of that poor girl’s body.”
That lie, all those humans compelled… the situation still leaves a bitter taste on my tongue.
Victor huffs but doesn’t move to defy me.
“How are the people out at night for us to feed on? We hunted during the day, the last time we were here,” Della mutters.
I turn on her. My patience grows short, and I know I must feed soon or my inner demon will take over. “In exchange for their willingness to be fed upon, I keep the demons from coming within several miles of town.”
“You work as a slave for these humans,” Cassius snorts under his breath.
I ignore him and run. I stand at the edge of town within a minute. A bustling noise comes from the central square, lit gas lamps line the streets, and the clack of hooves on the cobblestone all mix to create an atmosphere that most humans only hear in the day.
Keeping the demons back and changing so many lives was a point of pride for Rosalie. This is the life she had wanted before I took that possibility from her.
“We leave our demons here,” I say.
“But how—” Victor starts.
“You do not need your demon to feed. They stay, or you will return to the manor.”
Cherno leaps off my shoulder and takes flight. Arinah squeaks and leaps off Lawrence, landing with a soft thump in the half-frozen grass. I don’t hear Asmod slither from Cassius, but I know he wouldn’t dare defy me on this. He might want to be Elizabeth’s first, but he will never be more than her second.
A moment later and Zegan croaks once before leaping from Victor’s outstretched hand. Cherno circles above, chittering as he keeps watch.
“Remember the rules,” I say.
Lawrence and Della run off toward the center square. Victor is only a second behind them. I reach out and grip Cassius’s forearm.
“Watch him,” I order.
His lip curls. He wants to argue, but they are in my territory. After a moment, he averts his gaze, unable to meet my silent challenge.
Swallowing the dread that crawls its way up my spine, I walk into town.
I am barely several blocks in when a loud gasp draws my attention. A woman, perhaps only a year or two older than Clara, has stopped in front of me. Recognition sparks in her eyes, and a broad smile spreads across her mouth. Her hat sits askew atop her head, and her dress tells me she is off to see a play or the local opera.
The woman walks up to me. The boldness of her move reminding me again of Clara. She looks nothing like her, but I see fierce brown eyes in her green ones, messy, dark brown hair worn loose in this one’s tightly pinned flaxen curls. Her corset is tied so tight that her waist seems too narrow for even her delicate build.
“Are you hungry, my Lord?” she asks in a sweet voice. Everything about her says she has been groomed to attract the most desirable match. The woman tilts her head to the side, exposing her neck.
I want to refuse the woman and find another who doesn’t remind me of Clara. But I see her in everyone and everything.
“Are you willing?” I ask.
She straightens and blinks her large eyes. “Well, yes,” she says, humor in her tone. “Of course. I am offering.”
Even before she exposed her neck, I knew. The eagerness with which she approached made her willingness apparent. One of the many reasons I prefer not to feed in town.
“Very well,” I say.
She slips her arm through mine and walks with me down a deserted side street. The glow from the gas lamps shine, gilding the damp cobblestones.
“Will you be late?” I ask.
“Late?” She bats her eyelashes.
“You are going out tonight.”
“Oh yes,” she says. “But I can spare a little time for you, my Lord. An hour or two if need be.”
This woman expects far more than a simple feeding. However, other than her blood, I have no interest in anything she has to offer.
I stop her and press her back against the stone facade of a building. Her gaze goes from questioning to excited. She tilts her head, her hands roaming across my chest to grip at my shoulders as she presses her body into mine.
I despise those who wish to use me as their fantasy. Unfortunately, I need to feed. I am too close to losing my control of my bloodlust.
I sink my teeth into her neck and drink, thinking about Clara.