Page 57 of Vervain

Olivia takes a step back. “Could you bring me something? I don’t want to enter Lord Serun’s manor without his invitation. Forgive me, but I’d rather not risk my new standing.”

“Okay…”

She nudges her chin and says, “Blood should be in the fridge to keep it cool. I could have a bag until we figure out a system for how I will be fed.”

Fed. It’s strange to hear, considering most topside need to scavenge for food. We all need to do things to survive: the wolf and the lamb.

With a nod, I close the door and go in search of the fridge. Passing through some double doors I’ve not ventured through before, the oiled hinges make no sound. Once they close behind me, darkness wraps around the entire room until my eyes can adjust enough for me to see.

The all-encompassing black sharpens into a dining room. We—Cole and I—had a room like this at home. Sure, it wasn’t as extravagant as this one, but it was the place we all came together for meals.

Here, there is a table fit to gather ten—four seats on each side, and one at each end. Golden chaliced candle holders and oil lanterns fill the centre. Flowers and silver beads shimmer in the moonlight.

There are silver doors on the other side of the table, and on my left, there are the same floor-to-ceiling windows I’ve seen throughout the manor. Velvet curtains are parted in the middle and tied by tasselled ropes, revealing a view of the garden.

Could this place become my home?

A few days ago, I would have dismissed the notion. But selfishly, it would be safest for me to stay, if Cole agrees. Anywhere else, and the slayers will be after me.

With a sigh, I smooth down my gown, wiping nervous sweat from my palms, and head to the next room.

There’s a marble island between me and the fridge. A candle burns in the middle of it, the tiny bud of light flickering away, creating soft shadows when I creep closer. My shadow looms across the white tiled walls, growing taller the closer I get to the flame before it moves behind me when I reach the fridge.

Intense white light illuminates the kitchen when I open the door, but all I see is red. Serun usually puts food outside my door and knocks, and this might be the reason. Blood bags fill the shelves, hanging on racks like coats in a closet.

As I reach for one, my throat constricts, and rumbles tear through my stomach. After I give Olivia her blood bag, I will return to eat. I’m sure the human food is in here somewhere.

I curl my lip at the blood, flipping it over in my hand. Brushing my thumb over the label, I can see where it came from.

DARKOVISH: Feeder 008

Me.

Serun has my blood.

I close the fridge and leave the way I came. When I reach the main foyer, I open the door to greet Olivia, who steps back quickly, shifty-eyed and scanning the garden around her.

“Here,” I say, holding out the blood bag. “I will talk to Serun once he returns and ensure you are well fed.”

There is a crack in her fear, and with the blood in hand, she breathes a laugh. Serun said it was odd for nightwalkers to do so unless they are clinging to what humanity they have left.

“Has anyone ever told you that you are motherly?”

I press my lips thin to hide the bite of pain behind my eyes. Manni and Emily would call me motherly when I braided their hair or tended to Cole’s wounds.

And the other night, Serun said something similar.

“Occasionally…”

Her smile falters. With the blood clutched near her chest, she says, “If you need anything from me, I am just down the path in the cabin at the back of the manor.”

I nod stiffly, unsure what else to say, wondering how Serun has my blood in his fridge clouds my mind.

Olivia leaves, and I make my way back to the fridge in the kitchen. Ignoring the blood, I grab the canned fruit. Turning around, I suddenly freeze. Bound by fright, as if crystallised, dread grips every follicle of hair, and tightens around muscle and bone.

My shadow—it’s moving.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX