Page 23 of Fangs

II

Part Two

Virgin

Two strong knocks at the door shatter the silence.

I wake gasping, heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. My hands clutch at the sweat-drenched sheets. My thighs press together on instinct, trying to trap a phantom sensation—the slick, heavy coil of shadows that still seems to ghost across my skin.

What a dream.

I force my gaze across every corner of the room. Only morning sunshine invades, spilling across the floorboards in bright, clinical rectangles. I am alone.

The balcony doors stand sealed tight. The antique chair in the corner is nothing but empty wood and velvet.

I let out a jagged breath. Then my eyes drop to the floor.

My nightgown lies there in ruin, the fabric shredded as if by claws. When I press my fingers to my mouth, my lips feel unnaturally, deathly cold.

A slow, secret smile touches my face despite the confusion. It was a dream, I tell myself, even as my skin still prickles with the phantom weight of a man who was never there. Perhaps the Masters’ influence is warping my mind. Perhaps the horror of witnessing Thomas and Mag last night has fractured my sanity.

Before I can spiral further, the door swings wide without warning.

Two servants bustle in, faces locked in professional indifference. They give me no moment to breathe. They strip the bed sheets, bathe me in lavender-scented water, brush my hair until it gleams, and dress me with brisk efficiency.

The gown they choose is a beautifully tailored crimson cotton dress with a short skirt. Thin white knee stockings. Black doll shoes. A rich, school-uniform severity that makes me look softer, more sellable.

By the time I reach the breakfast hall my nerves are frayed silk.

Meg waits near the buffet, face drained of color. She catches my eye and the raw shame in her gaze is painful to witness. She sidles closer, dropping her voice to a frantic whisper.

“Lucille… please. You have to keep last night a secret,” she begs, hands twisting in her skirt. “It was… it was an embarrassment for both of us.”

“Of course,” I agree quickly, meeting her eyes. The shared shame becomes a bridge between us and I cross it without hesitation. “It never happened.”

As we move toward the edge of the hall, the tension leaves her shoulders, replaced by a conspiratorial glint. We find a quiet corner, and for a moment, the atmosphere of Bloodgrove feels less like a prison and more like a shared cage. We talk in hushed tones, the conversation turning to the only thing that matters: survival.

“I’m still a virgin,” I confess, the words feeling strange in the open air. In my village, girls my age were wives and mothers; it was a badge of failure to still be untouched in my twenties. But I never found a boy there worth the cost.

Meg’s eyes widen. “Here, that’s a liability. Virgins are watched differently. We can go through the training, but there are rules—certain things we’re forbidden from doing. And the blood… it has to be immaculate for the auction. Pure.”

“What does ‘pure’ even mean?” I ask, looking around at the gold-leafed walls.

“No one tells us,” she whispers, leaning in. “But the most forbidden thing? Having sex with a Master. That’s why I’m planning on it. It’s the only weapon I have.”

I stare at her, horrified. “You’re going to lose your virginity to Lord Thomas? Meg, you’re a fool. You think you’ll break him?”

“I’m buying time,” she counters, her jaw set. “If a Master likes you, he keeps you. I’ve been here three months already because of it. I’d rather play his games than be sold at an auction to live God know.s where. We have a comfortable life, more than i ever imaged possible. I like to live here.”

“You don’t know if they keep you,” a voice cuts in. Jenny has appeared at my other side, her expression grim. “Or if they just decide you’re done. You heard what happened to that other girl—”

“Don’t,” Meg snaps. “We shouldn’t talk about that. Not now.”

Jenny falls silent, her gaze darting past us toward the grand entrance. My pulse skips a beat, and I follow her eyes.

The heavy oak doors swing open. The four Masters are entering the hall.

Punishment