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.
She writhes and moans. Her hands roam, reaching between us. Disengaging, I back out of her reach and give her a halfhearted bow. “Thank you, lady,” I say and turn away.
Otherworld damn Clara, she is like a demon with their claws latched deep into my brain. I feed on others as I would feed on her.
“But… I thought…” the woman says.
I stop but don’t face her. “I don’t know what you’ve heard, but I do not bed my meals.”
Before she can say another word, I hurry away. I have never been so cold toward a donor before. I have no doubt she's pouting, but nothing more than her pride has been injured this night.
A long time ago, I would have given in to such baser urges and combined the two. I didn’t care if humans used me to fulfill their fantasies. I didn’t care about anything. As long as I didn’t kill them for Rosalie’s sake, I thought nothing more of them.
Now the thought of doing more than feeding is unappealing.
I shake off the unwanted thoughts and focus on finding the others.
Lawrence and Della walk together down the main street toward the edge of town. I appear at their side.
“Done already?” Lawrence asks in a way that makes me wonder if he saw the woman I fed on. Della’s smirk only confirms that suspicion.
“Have you seen Cassius or Victor?” I ask, pointedly ignoring their insinuation.
Lawrence nods toward a street several blocks back.
“Meet me at the edge of town,” I say.
I waste no time seeking the other two out. It is them I cannot trust.
Moans echo from the darkened street. The gas lamp on the corner has been snuffed.
I turn the corner in time to witness Cassius straightening his trousers. He gives me a fiendish grin as he pulls a handkerchief from his pocket and dabs the corner of his mouth.
The woman with him has her back to me as she scrambles to straighten her dress. Her wild, red hair is a waterfall of messy curls. I narrow my eyes. There is something…
Cassius grips her arms from behind and leans down to whisper something in her ear I cannot make out. She nods then hurries away.
I don’t care what he said to her, I am only relieved she lives. His reputation for killing during feeding has followed him for decades. I’d expected I would have to watch Cassius closely during his visit, but thus far, he has surprised me. No doubt an attempt to get on Elizabeth’s good side. There is nothing he doesn’t do that is not an attempt to please her.
“Wait with the others, your demon is expecting you,” I say.
Then I turn my back on him and hurry through the streets of Windbury to find Victor.
I scour every dark corner and alley. Worry eats at me as I venture farther and farther into town.
Nearing the southern edge of the city, where the buildings give way to small farms, a soft whimper comes from the tree lined side of a field. I follow the sound.
On the other side of a small copse of trees, Victor is with a girl under him, writhing on the ground. Her hands swat weakly at his shoulders.
“Enough… that’s enough… I’m not… not feeling well,” her voice is a hoarse whisper.
I step closer only to be stopped short by a sharp intake of breath from yet another girl huddled against a nearby tree. Blood stains the front of her dress. She whimpers at the sight of me and curls further into herself.
These women are terrified. Fucking demon cursed bastard. This is a blatant disregard of my orders.
“Victor, get up. We are leaving,” I bite out.
Victor pauses his movements as if he only now noticed I was here. He lifts his head and smiles. Blood coats his mouth and teeth, thick lines drip down from both corners of his mouth. Victor pushes up, leaving the girl without so much as a glance in her direction.
He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and waits for my next command. “Apologies, my Lord, I am still getting used to the bloodlust.”
“Join the others and wait for me.” I dismiss him with a wave of my hand and kneel down next to the young woman.
She flinches.
“Don’t worry,” I croon, infusing a light compulsion into the words—just enough to settle her nerves—and offer her my hand. Reluctantly, she places her cold fingers in my grasp. “Be at ease. This will not hurt.”
I help her to sit up. Pushing her hair from her shoulder, I examine the over-zealous bite marks that are already bruising her flesh. I place my palm over the wound still oozing blood.
The girl stares blankly ahead, her mind disconnected from her body so she doesn’t feel the pain of healing. I close my eyes and push my power through my hand and into her.
When I’m finished, I remove my hand and appraise her. The color returns to her cheeks. “There, you are all better.”
She blinks as if waking up. Gingerly, she reaches up and touches the spot where the bite marks had been. Her eyes widen.
“T-thank you,” she stammers and throws her arms around my neck in an embrace that nearly knocks me over. She withdraws almost as quick. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
I place a hand on the top of her head and laugh. “It’s all right.”
Relief settles over me. Victor’s actions tonight have not made her fear me. But I still cannot allow them to remember the fear they felt.
Turning to the other girl, I gesture for her to join us. She hesitates, but one look at her friend and she is up walking on shaky legs. She kneels down next to us and I repeat the healing process on her wounds.
After using my power to heal two mortals, I will need to feed again, sooner than planned. But I can manage for another week or two.
I swallow the guilt prickling at my conscience. Altering their minds… taking away their will, their thoughts, histories, experiences, their opinions—it’s never sat well with me.
“We had a wonderful time tonight,” I say, infusing power into my voice.
Their eyes widen, pupils growing large until they nearly swallow up the entirety of their eyes.
“Thank you, ladies, for being so patient, and I do hope that you will forgive me for not being as neat as I should have.” I place a palm of my hand on each of their cheeks. More power flows through me, sending them images of the night and erasing the fear and pain they experienced. “Take a few days to rest and eat well.”
They nod in unison.
My guilt is only slightly assuaged by the fact that this will be better for them in the end. And they were not seriously injured, more frightened by the lack of care Victor bestowed upon them.
“Now go, return home and get cleaned up,” I say.
Again, they nod and rise as one, then walk from the field. If nothing else, they are alive.
Rising to my feet, I clench my fists at my sides. There is a young vampire who is in need of being taught a few lessons.
I race to the far end of town where the others await me.
Once Victor is within my sights, I speed up and slam into him. We land on the ground. I crouch over him, my hand wrapped around his throat. I bare my fangs and lower my face close to his.
“You and I are about to have a little chat.”