part0043

‘Everyone is gathered in the auction house; the guards have been ordered to bring the slaves up before your arrival.’ Lance bowed to Master Vrykólakas, a small smile on his lips as he glanced over at Reina. Reina grimaced and tugged at her choker, it felt unbearably tight and she was desperate to rip it off. She was sure Master Vrykólakas had secured it tighter than normal, as if proving a point. Taking the offending hand, Master Vrykólakas brushed his lips along her hand.

‘And what about after our glorious feast?’ Master Vrykólakas asked, tugging Reina to her feet and spinning her around slowly so he could appraise her appearance. Clicking his fingers, the six courtesans quickly moved into a line, Reina standing in between Madeleine and Elise, as Master Vrykólakas eyed each of them up. They all wore exquisite gowns of black velvet, almost identical except for subtle detailing on each of the overgowns. Madeleine had a pattern of swirls in gold thread; Elise, Opal, Phaedra and Zoe, all different embroidered patterns of silver, whilst Reina’s own gown was undecorated.

‘Everything is in place,’ Lance answered. Reina looked up at Elise; what was happening after? But she guessed from the nervous glances Elise and Phaedra were exchanging that they didn’t know either. Darting her eyes from side to side, Reina glanced at the other courtesans, but only the smug look on Madeleine’s face suggested she was in the know. Opal looked withdrawn and Zoe merely indifferent; as if she didn’t care what was happening after the feast.

‘Do not worry ladies. I have a surprise in store for those have been loyal to me, and those whose loyalty has waivered will not be left wanting.’ Reina felt the floor beneath her jolt and she forced herself to stay upright. But Master Vrykólakas wasn’t even looking at her, his eyes were fixed on Elise, a strange expression on his face.

Offering his hand to Madeleine, Master Vrykólakas led the group from his quarters. Reina followed the couple, her nerves strung as tightly as violin strings and she feared they would snap, taking the last shreds of her sanity along with them. What if everything went wrong? What if Sarah had no plan? He will not live to see dawn, Reina vowed. She would sacrifice herself if it meant ending Master Vrykólakas.

Glancing over her shoulder, Reina saw Lance and Elise behind her, with Phaedra following them, close behind her. A glowering look on Phaedra’s face as she walked silently behind them meant Reina could guess that Lance had not even offered his hand to Elise, rather he had most likely just taken hers.

The main hall of the auction house was almost as crowded as the night of Don’s death but something felt off. On one side of the hall all of the slaves had been gathered, standing in several rows. They looked fresh and clean and, Reina surmised, they had been bathed before the guards brought them up to the hall. She hated herself for thinking it, but the smell was certainly more appealing than when she had been down in the cells only the previous night. She scanned the faces of the slaves and vampires, silently counting both parties. It did not take a fool to realise that there were not enough slaves for everyone, she had been sure that Tenebrae housed more slaves. Surely Master Vrykólakas would not have called this a feast if not everyone would have a source to feast from?

As she followed Master Vrykólakas and Madeleine up the steps and onto the stage, Reina felt a pair of eyes burning a spot on her back. Craning her head she searched for the source, expecting to find Sarah but there was no trace of the woman; instead she found a guard staring at her. His head was covered in a short dark stubble, as if he had stopped shaving his hair. Ignoring the guard, Reina turned her attention back to searching for Sarah. Where was she?

‘Pay attention,’ Lance hissed at her and she realised she had been standing in the middle of the stage as she sought out Sarah. Standing on Master Vrykólakas’s left, Reina felt her chest tighten and the room began to spin violently. No good had ever come from this stage. She remembered the first time she had seen it; how Lance had turned her away without so much as looking at her. He had done her a favour, God only knew what fate he had saved her from, but the other events which had culminated from that evening had been far from happy. She glanced down at the spot in front of Master Vrykólakas, where she had witnessed Damien withering away to a skeletal corpse; and, finally, Don. She did not miss the vampire, she had not even liked him, but no one deserved to die in such a gruesome way.

At the sound of footsteps Reina closed her eyes and counted to ten, trying to will the room to stop lurching back and forth. When she opened them, she flinched as Sarah was pushed in front of her and onto her knees. Several other slaves were brought forwards onto the stage; one each for Master Vrykólakas, his courtesans and Lance. Reina urged Sarah to look at her, she wanted to be sure this was what the woman wanted. How would she know if Sarah changed her mind? She could beg and plead but what if that was just an act? Or what if she did truly mean it? Reina had watched Master Vrykólakas feed from enough humans to know he would not make this pleasant. If he did accept Sarah as an offering, he would make it excruciating for both of them.

A guard approached Master Vrykólakas, whispering in his ear. Reina strained her own ears in an attempt to make out what the guard was saying but she could hear nothing. As Master Vrykólakas turned to glare at her, Reina forced herself to hold still. She was shuffling from foot to foot in a guilty manner but why, she wasn’t sure. She had done nothing wrong, Sarah hadn’t told her anything – she knew nothing. So why did Master Vrykólakas look as if he was about to accuse her of something?

‘I thank you all for joining my beautiful courtesans and I. I created Tenebrae from nothing almost seven hundred years ago. A haven for all of our kind, where vampires rightfully rule over mortals. Where they live as they should; under our rule and where we do not have to fear a pathetic weakness such as the sun. I have gone to great lengths to achieve this; made unimaginable sacrifices.’ A round of applause interrupted Master Vrykólakas’s speech; he held up his hand and the hall descended into silence once more. ‘Recent events have led me to believe that many amongst our ranks do not appreciate these sacrifices; sacrifices that I have made to protect all of you. Many of you have seen the sealing of Tenebrae and halting free travel as a show of power. But it is for your protection. Many of you are new to Tenebrae; you have seen how the world below has changed. Outside of Tenebrae we are creatures of little importance; we are the things of stories, romantic creatures here to bestow immortality and beauty. If humans discovered Tenebrae and learnt the truth of us, they would attack. The disappearance of slaves is a serious threat to our survival and tonight I will rectify that. Our feast is a warning to all mortals who would dare oppose us.’

A line of guards stepped towards the slaves, grabbing them in unison and passing them out to the eagerly awaiting vampires. Those who were left empty handed looked disgruntled, some visibly angry that they would not be taking part in the promised feast. Reina could feel the anger sweeping amongst them; hot and unpredictable. She half-expected them to riot, as did Master Vrykólakas. Nodding towards a guard, the hall was filled with a rumbling thunder and those who thought to leave found their paths blocked.

‘I am sorry to those of you who have been left without. I have just been informed that a cell full of slaves has been discovered empty. Do you see now the importance of sealing Tenebrae? It was a difficult decision, and one I did not dare make lightly. I will hunt out every secret passage and ensure that anyone attempting to sneak out, or in, will be dealt with severely. The guards responsible for that cell will be punished.’ Master Vrykólakas’s eyes met those of each of the guards, every one of them, as he addressed his speech to them. ‘It is your duty to protect us – and you have failed miserably. But this moment is not the time for punishment. This feast is to celebrate Tenebrae; an opportunity to renew loyalty. I promise you all that I will protect those who are loyal. The escaped slaves will be found, all of them, and they will regret their actions.’

Looking down at the slave in front of him, Master Vrykólakas reached out and grabbed a fistful of the boy’s hair. Baring his fangs, Master Vrykólakas lowered his head and Reina felt her fingers twitching. She had to stop him, but any movement would surely rouse his suspicion. Before he broke the skin of the boy’s neck, Master Vrykólakas turned to look at Reina, his eyes watching her expectantly, as if he was waiting for her to protest. Reina smiled in what she hoped was a demure, yet nervous, manner. She had to act compliant, but too much would make him suspicious. Where was the balance? Licking her lips, her mouth suddenly painfully dry as if she had swallowed sandpaper, Reina turned to Sarah. She grazed the woman’s neck with her lips, seeking out the tender spot just above her jugular. Her fangs clicking from their sheaths made her shudder in relief, as if she had just popped the air from her joints in sudden relief. She could feel the eyes of everyone in the hall watching her, but the person she was most aware of was Master Vrykólakas. Whatever her next actions were, if she was not careful she could destroy everything. How many people would die because of her tonight? Even if Sarah has a plan and it works, people will still die tonight. The thought made her pause, what was she supposed to do?

Pushing all thoughts from her mind, she let a blank wave wash over her, thoughts would make her pause. Taking Sarah’s arm, Reina turned the woman so that she faced Master Vrykólakas and dropped into what she hoped was a curtsey, her hand still loosely holding Sarah’s arm.

‘What are you doing?’ Sarah’s arm twitched, and Reina instinctively clutched it tighter, leaving an imprint of her fingers on Sarah’s skin. The terror in Sarah’s voice was too real and Reina feared that she had changed her mind. It was too late thought, she could not back down now. Silently pleading that she was wrong, Reina dropped Sarah’s arm and began to twist her hands into the signs Sarah had taught her. ‘No!’

‘Slave,’ Master Vrykólakas said in a bored tone, ‘what is she saying?’

‘S – She says that I – I am the leader, but I’m not! She wants to offer me to you, to prove her loyalty.’ Master Vrykólakas let out a bark and Reina suppressed a shudder as she realised he was laughing. Meeting his eyes Reina saw they were full of suspicion and disbelief.

‘You asked to visit this slave,’ Master Vrykólakas spoke to Reina as if they were alone. He pulled Sarah towards him and began patting her down roughly, searching her thoroughly for any hidden weapons. Satisfied that Sarah carried no weapons, Master Vrykólakas faced Reina thoughtfully. ‘Drink from him. I will accept your offering, we will even share her. But first, kill my own offering.’

Reina could not refuse, it would raise his suspicions. She was surprised he was not ordering her to drink from Sarah, that was what she would have done were she in Master Vrykólakas’s position. So why wasn’t he? She was aware of the room full of people once more; hundreds of pairs of eyes watching her. Trying to keep her face a blank mask, Reina stepped closer to the slave who had been offered to Master Vrykólakas and grasped his arm lightly.

‘You were one of us!’ The slave screamed. Now she understood why he had not ordered her to drink from Sarah; she would be willing to let Reina drink from her and even kill her. But this boy knew nothing about Reina, that she would be unwilling to drink from another slave. ‘What are you doing?’ Reina couldn’t have answered the boy even if she’d wanted too and she was thankful at this moment for having lost her voice; she didn’t need to worry about saying the wrong thing.

At the sensation of the slaves pulse beating rapidly in his wrist, Reina felt her hunger rising. Fresh blood. How long had it been since she tasted it? And not even just fresh blood, but human blood. She hated herself for it, but she missed the taste of fresh human blood. Wrapping her arms around the slave she pulled him close, crushing his body to hers. She bit down into the boys neck, drinking deeply. She moved so that she could support the boy’s weight, her hands moving to grasp his neck.

Letting the slave drop to the floor in a crumpled heap, Reina forced herself to look at Master Vrykólakas. She ignored Elise and Phaedra, who looked horrified at what she had done; Sarah, too, was looking at her in open disgust. Whatever she had expected Reina to do, this was not it. Triumphantly, Master Vrykólakas kissed Reina.

‘Well done,’ he whispered in her ear. ‘Now you are truly one of us.’ His thumb pressed on her scar and Reina felt a twinge of guilt as Sarah started shouting.

‘Be quiet, slave,’ Madeleine pushed Sarah towards Master Vrykólakas and Reina. The woman tried to fight free, reaching out to scratch Master Vrykólakas’s face and hands. Nervously, Reina glanced down at the crumpled form of the slave, no one had checked on him and she stepped around him so as to try and block him from Master Vrykólakas and Madeleine’s view. Glancing at Elise, she tilted her head forwards barely an inch. Taking hold of Sarah’s hand to stop her from fighting Master Vrykólakas, Reina squeezed it tightly. She could offer no words of comfort to her friend. She still wasn’t sure if Sarah was acting or if everything was going dreadfully wrong. What will I do? How can I kill him? Reina asked herself, meeting Master Vrykólakas’s eyes. Trying not to think about what she was doing, Reina pushed back Sarah’s hair. Master Vrykólakas had turned the woman so that she and Reina were face to face, while he stood behind.

I’m sorry, Reina yearned to say and she squeezed Sarah’s hands gently. She wished she could tell her that the boy was fine, that he lay merely unconscious at their feet. Whether this was kindness or not was yet to be seen. If Master Vrykólakas survived the night, Reina was sure she would be praying that she hadn’t shown the boy mercy and killed him. Lowering her head, Reina moved into drink from Sarah, but the expression on Master Vrykólakas’s face made her pause and step back. His face was a twisted mask of hunger fuelled by bloodlust. He had been drinking vintage blood, but you can never beat the taste of blood fresh from its source. She glanced down at the slave lying on the floor and spotted the blood sluggishly leaking from the wound in his neck. The scent is overpowering him, she realised.

Ignoring everyone, not even taking notice of his courtesans, Master Vrykólakas bit down into Sarah’s neck savagely. The scream elicited from her was genuine and full of pain. Reina’s fists clenched tightly at her sides, her nails bending backwards as she fought back the urge to rip Sarah free from Master Vrykólakas’s hold. Was she really going to just stand there and watch the woman die? What else can I do? Reina asked herself and felt tears sting her eyes. A second scream wrenched the air and Reina moved forwards, but, before she could act, Master Vrykólakas had pushed Sarah free. He was choking and holding his throat. Reina pulled Sarah out of harm’s way, moving the woman protectively behind her as she watched smoke beginning to pour from Master Vrykólakas’s open mouth.

‘Holy water,’ Sarah muttered but Master Vrykólakas overheard her.

‘Bitch!’ He choked and lunged forwards. Reina’s body reacted before she could even consider what to do. She stamped her foot, hard, onto the wooden stage floor and broke off a large chunk of wood. Looking up Reina saw Master Vrykólakas crouch down, as he pounced she held up her arms instinctively. Her left arm buckled under the weight as the makeshift weapon lodged itself deep into Master Vrykólakas’s chest. She met his eyes shocked at what she had done. Master Vrykólakas’s mouth hung open in disbelief. Reina released the stake and pushed him away. She had expected him to fight, she had never expected this, for it to be so simple! An enraged scream pierced the silence that hung in the hall. Reina looked over her shoulder, holding onto Sarah protectively as Madeleine ran to Master Vrykólakas’s shrivelled and lifeless corpse.

For the first time, Reina felt pity for Madeleine as watched the older woman grieve. Madeleine picked up Master Vrykólakas’s corpse, rocking it back and forth. His hair had turned to white threads and they fell from his skull as she kissed his forehead tenderly. As Master Vrykólakas’s first courtesan looked up at Reina, her silver eyes molten with hatred, Reina pushed Sarah back gently, trying to move her from harm’s way.

‘You ungrateful whore!’ Madeleine shrieked at Reina, ‘Guards! Kill them all – slaves and those who dared to defy our great master!’ Reina froze in horror as guards swarmed around both slaves and vampires, killing without thought. They were armed with a mixture of weapons; wood for the vampires and knives for the slaves. They didn’t even pause to drink, they just slaughtered without mercy. Moving backwards and grabbing Sarah’s hand, Reina looked at the unconscious slave on the floor. She had pressed on the pressure points of his neck, rendering him unconscious, but how long would he stay that way? Madeleine had returned her attention back to Master Vrykólakas, but Reina doubted it would be long before the woman took her revenge.

‘Everyone, halt!’ A deep voice rumbled and the shaven-headed guard who had been watching Reina moved into the centre of the hall. Several guards flanked him protectively, their hands poised defensively and each holding a sharpened stake. ‘Master Vrykólakas is dead, cease fighting now. Mortals, you are free to leave. We can show you the tunnels or you can walk down the mountain. Vampires, I advise you to let us show you the way through the secret passages. The sun will be up soon, we will now be able to leave down the mountainside. There is no need for this bloodshed.’

‘Damien,’ Madeleine’s voice was cold but there was no trace of shock at seeing the man who had been condemned to death standing before her. Reina, however, felt as if she had just been punched. She had watched his execution, she had seen him die; how could he be standing there? ‘I told Master Vrykólakas we should have hunted you down. You are a coward, you sent an innocent man to his death in your place.’

‘I was innocent of the crime that had condemned me to die.’ The guilt of Damien’s actions were clearly scrawled on his face. ‘Stand down, Madeleine; fighting is pointless.’ Reina glanced at Madeleine; she wasn’t sure why she had expected her to agree, but she was still surprised when the woman shook her head and gracefully stood up. She set Master Vrykólakas’s body aside gently and squared her shoulders as she faced Damien and all those below the stage. It was clear that Damien was outnumbered, almost three quarters of the guards seemed to follow Madeleine’s orders as she cried for them to continue their attack. But all the slaves sided with Damien, although their numbers had been drastically reduced. No longer caught by surprise, the vampires who had not been felled joined alongside Damien. Weaponless, they fought to disarm the guards and use their own weapons against them.

Reina’s attention was forced away from Damien as she felt a rush of air and a heavy weight crashing onto her. Madeleine tore at her face and Reina wriggled violently beneath her, trying to kick her off. Until this moment, Reina had not realised how far Madeleine’s devotion to Master Vrykólakas had stretched. The woman was self-absorbed, caring only for herself. Yet the grief on her face betrayed her love for Master Vrykólakas, even after his death she was prepared to follow his orders through. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her hair clung to her face in wild clumps.

‘You were never worthy of him,’ Madeleine sobbed and Reina seized the opportunity to roll out from beneath her. The sound of fighting behind her made Reina turn to look over her shoulder and Reina tried to cry out a warning to Elise but made no sound. She saw Zoe preparing to lunge; a jagged piece of wood in her right hand. It was Phaedra who came to Elise’s aide, pushing her out of the way and grappling with Zoe for control over the weapon.

‘Get up!’ Sarah and Opal were both shouting at Reina, pulling her to her feet. Lance was helping Madeleine to her feet, his eyes meeting Reina’s. All of a sudden, she felt as if she were twelve once more, but this time it was not fear she felt as she stared at him. Instead it was a burning hatred. She blamed herself for all of this, yet was Lance not equally to blame? If he had just killed her that night, none of this would have happened. I can’t fight them both, Reina thought warily and she looked at Opal, hopefully. Even fuelled by anger she was not strong enough to take on two-to-one. Master Vrykólakas had been a fluke, it shouldn’t have happened that way, yet luck had been on her side. Even she was not so foolish as to think it would happen that way again.

‘I’m not fighting,’ Opal stated flatly. ‘I hold no grudge against Madeleine or Lance. I am leaving.’

‘Please, take him.’ Sarah nodded to the unconscious slave and Reina nodded desperately. She couldn’t blame Opal, she couldn’t even think her a coward for she was right. This wasn’t her fight, if she wanted to leave then why should she stay? ‘In the end cell there is a tunnel, it will take you down to the inn.’ Opal looked as if she was about to refuse but abruptly nodded.

‘I will help those that I can, but I am not prepared to die this night.’ Moving fluidly, Opal scooped up the unconscious boy and slung him over her shoulder, moving as if he weighed nothing. Reina was relieved to see that the doors to the hall were no longer blocked; the guards were too occupied with the fight at hand and many people were running through them. Reina pushed Sarah towards the steps of the stage, ignoring the auburn-haired figure striding up them, and nodded towards the door but Sarah shook her head.

‘Sarah, she’s right; you should go,’ Grace greeted Reina warily as if unsure of how she would be welcomed. She was dressed as if going to the gym, in leggings and a t-shirt, clothes extremely out of place in Tenebrae. ‘We need you to help people to the tunnels.’ Reaching out, Reina almost took Grace’s hand. She wanted to thank her in some way, she’d known that something would happen tonight and had returned at great risk to herself, but the pain of Damien was still too fresh. Grace opened her mouth to speak, but they were interrupted as Lance struck her down. Grabbing the back of Lance’s shirt, Reina yanked him away from Grace before he could strike the killing blow. So as not to be caught unawares once more, Reina searched the stage for Madeleine and found her occupied with both Elise and Phaedra. A second corpse lay towards the back of the stage, slumped against the wall, and Reina guessed at Zoe’s fate. She wanted to offer sympathies to Phaedra, she’d held no love for her sister, but Phaedra she had come to love almost as much as Elise. But now was not the time, grieving would come later. If they all survived the night.

‘Master Vrykólakas should have ended your pathetic existence the night he met you,’ Reina dodged Lance’s right hand and the stake meant for her heart instead grazed her right arm, ripping through the fabric of her dress and making her wince in pain. She had no weapon of her own, but, out of the corner of her eye, Reina spotted the stake still embedded in Master Vrykólakas’s chest. ‘He was a great leader, and you destroyed him. You. A worthless slave.’

Using Lance’s distraction as an opportunity, Reina threw herself towards the corpse and grabbed the piece of wood she had used to kill him. The sound as she pulled it free was sickening, like paper tearing as the wall of his chest cracked and crumbled.

‘Reina!’ At the sound of the voice, Reina turned in time to see Grace stumbling towards her. Everything seemed to move in slow motion; Reina could tell what was about to happen, but she was powerless to stop it. Lance had risen to his feet, his balance regained; at first his attention was focused solely on Reina but at Grace’s shout his lips twisted into a cruel smile and he turned his attention to her. Pulling Grace close, Lance drove the stake into her ribcage and twisted it hard. Reina felt sick and a roaring deafness filled her head. Grace looked down at the stake, her eyes wide in surprise as the realisation of what had happened began to sink in. No! No! No! Reina cried soundlessly.

Her hatred for Lance erupted, like lava bursting forth from its volcanic prison. Letting her anger propel her forwards, Reina pounced upon Lance. He wore a smug look on his face and effortlessly dodged Reina’s attack. She fought him with all her strength, but it wasn’t enough. Each punch she threw he would counter effortlessly, as if she were no more bothersome than a fly. Master Vrykólakas had been caught completely unawares, he had fallen on Reina’s weapon, but Lance knew this was a battle to death and he was not about to let her become the victor.

She had expected taunts, goads about her past, but Lance kept silent as he concentrated solely on their fight. Sweeping his legs beneath her, Lance managed to knock Reina onto her backside. Her hand slackened as she hit the ground painfully and she felt the stake begin to slip free but she quickly tightened her grip on the weapon. Had she been mortal she was sure she would have been drenched in sweat and out of breath, it was one of the few times she thanked God for her immortality.

‘Madeleine and I will rebuild Tenebrae,’ Lance straddled Reina and pushed her onto her back; holding her in place by pinning her arms to the ground. Reina twisted beneath his grip but Lance was a solid weight and she could barely move. She met his eyes, hating herself for knowing they were filled with fear. ‘I was foolish to doubt Master Vrykólakas but he was forgiving. I will not fail him now and let his whore murderer walk free.’

Reina bucked her hips, hard enough to catch Lance unawares and throw him off her. There were so many things she wanted to say but of course no way to say them. Perhaps it was lucky, she would probably lose focus. Without pausing for thought, knowing that he would easily overpower her once more, Reina pinned Lance by the throat and stabbed him through the heart.

Ever since the night of her kidnapping, Reina had dreamed of her revenge on Lance. She had pictured what it would feel like to drive a stake through his heart. But the reality was far from as satisfying as her dreams had been. There had been no guilt in her dreams, no thought for the life she was taking, only joy and satisfaction. Yet, as Reina watched him die, there was no sense of relief or even joy. She was surprised, instead, at the sensation of overwhelming grief and loss. Not for Lance; but for all that had happened because of him.

Exhausted, Reina longed to just lie down and sleep, but a quick glance around the hall told her the battle was still raging; although the numbers were dwindling. The air was thick with the stench of death but she was thankful that there didn’t seem to be as many bodies littering the floor as she had feared. She hoped it was a sign that most people had chosen to leave. Rising to her feet, she became aware of the pins and needles stinging her skin; the night was drawing to a close, how much longer could they go on? She was in awe for the humans, how they were still able to fight after starvation and imprisonment she could not begin to understand. Sarah was kneeling on the stage floor, her face grey with exhaustion and her eyes half-closed. Reina moved towards her, she was done fighting, she had to get Sarah out to safety.

‘Stop!’ Damien bellowed and, to Reina’s surprise, everyone paused in their actions. ‘Master Vrykólakas is dead, we should not be fighting. After the feast tonight many in this hall would have been executed at his order; even several of his courtesans would have lost their lives. Is that not right, Madeleine?’ Reina, Elise and Phaedra all turned to Madeleine staring at her in horror at this revelation.

‘He was tired of those who were not deserving. You are all weak,’ Madeleine spat and glared at Reina. ‘He should have killed you, but even tonight he was willing to spare your pitiful existence. I tried to make him understand that his obsession with you was making him weak, but he refused to listen.’ A cruel smile lit Madeleine’s face as she caught sight of Sarah, still kneeling in exhaustion. Before Reina could react, Madeleine seized Sarah by her hair and pulled her to her feet. Pulling a silver decorative pin from her hair she stabbed Sarah in the belly and tossed the pin to Reina. It was the thickness of two of her fingers, gold with a chunky garnet at the top glinting like blood. Reina let out a silent sob as she picked up the pin and realised it was stained with blood. ‘A parting gift, watch your precious slave die as you were meant too. Or perhaps you will bestow upon her the gift you, yourself are so unworthy off.’

Madeleine bolted from the hall, whether everyone was exhausted or stunned by the events no one went after her. Reina was too blinded by tears to give chase, she grappled wildly for Sarah blinking rapidly as she tried to clear her vision.

‘The sun is rising!’ The voice created a wave of panic and Reina felt several pairs of hands trying to pull her away from Sarah. Blood was seeping onto her hands as she fought off those trying to pick her up and instead pressed on Sarah’s wound.

‘Go!’ Sarah coughed and a mouthful of blood made her splutter.

‘Reina,’ a strong hand squeezed her shoulder. ‘I will bring Sarah up, go now.’ Reina turned to the speaker and felt fresh tears spring forwards as she saw it was Damien. He really was there, he was alive.

‘Bring her to my rooms, there are no windows – we’ll be safe.’ Elise said and gently helped Reina to her feet. With Elise supporting her on one side and Phaedra the other, the three joined the throng trying to leave the hall. The panic was contagious as people began to bottleneck at the doors. As they finally stepped outside of the auction house, Reina was convinced she could see her skin beginning to smoke and blister, but they kept running for the mansion. The sky was turning a pale blue, but the sun was not yet up fully. No one was fighting, the battle was finally over as the vampires scrambled for the safety of the mansion. What was happening? The sun had never risen in Tenebrae, so why now?

Is it because Master Vrykólakas is dead? Reina wondered, he had told them he had made great sacrifices. What had it cost him to ensure they were never caught out by the sun?

In the safety of Elise’s rooms, Damien carried Sarah into the bedroom and lay her down. With a longing look at Reina he left her alone with Sarah, closing the door behind him so the two women could have privacy.

‘Don’t be mad at him. He never wanted to lie to you – he never wanted any of this,’ Sarah choked and Reina gripped her hand, pointing to her fangs. Sarah smiled weakly and shook her head; the relief Reina felt was quickly replaced with guilt. She did not want to be a Creator, but if Sarah had asked it of her she would have gladly gone through with it. Sarah didn’t deserve to die, and Reina owed her so much. She had not only saved them this night, but she had made Reina accept her nature. She could drink from humans without fearing she would become a monster. How many people have died because of my foolishness? She thought, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

‘I knew this was a risk,’ Sarah’s face was losing all colour and rapidly becoming as white as snow. Her grip on Reina’s hand was beginning to slacken. ‘My family…Damien knows…’ Her eyes became dull and her chest stilled. Reina allowed herself just a few minutes of private grief to sit with Sarah, squeezing her hand. How could she be gone? Reaching out, she closed Sarah’s eyes and lay down beside her, burying her face into Sarah’s shoulder as she sobbed. She should not have died, this never should have been her battle.

After what felt like hours, Reina emerged from Elise’s bedroom. She felt weak and exhausted, but mostly she felt incredibly empty. Elise and Phaedra were holding each other, neither speaking but just drawing comfort from the other. Tears silently falling down their cheeks.