Page 5 of Sold to the Dark Vampire Prince

Sera shook her head. “With diabetes, long term control of blood sugar levels is critical. When a person’s levels are allowed to stay too high for long periods of time, it causes serious damage to the body. Reduced circulation in extremities. Damage to vital organs. You have to find a way to get her a regular supply of insulin and keep her levels stable.”

“Okay. So, we got the insulin. It should bring her levels back in range, right?”

“It’s not that simple. Ava won’t survive many more of these spikes in blood sugar. Each of these episodes does more harm to her body and that damage is progressive. If you can’t get her levels controlled, the disease will eventually progress to infection, or coma and then death.”

It suddenly felt like all the air had been sucked from the room. Dani looked around to the pallet in the corner by the fire where she and Evan had slept the night before, then to the cupboard that so rarely contained any food. The closet held a fine red silk dress and the wool coat she’d worn tonight, both items that had once belonged to their mother. Dani felt her knees began to shake. She doubted they would even fetch enough to pay for a single vial of insulin. Medicines were so hard to come by now and they didn’t dare give up the last few nice things that allowed her and Evan to pass without notice into the Old City.

“There has to be another way.”

But even as she said it, she felt a surge of hopelessness at their situation. She looked around their drab apartment, where the cold constantly seeped under the door. The snow howled relentlessly outside, the fire in the grate never doing quite enough to warm the room.

And yet, it was home. Her writing notebooks were stacked haphazardly on an end table. Evan’s sketches were tacked up on every wall, illustrations she’d done of the characters in the latest story Dani was working on in the evenings. Ava had the pictures of her favorite dancers and skaters she loved to follow on social media. Their father had once told her that even in the face of the difficulties they were up against, it wasn’t enough just to survive, that they had to find things worth living for, little bits of joy in each and every day.

And so Ava had her dance tutorials she practiced by watching videos and the outfits she sketched and designed and sewed out of scraps. Evan had her drawings. Dani had her books, along with the stories that lived in her head. Their house might have been constantly in need of a good clean and more heating oil, but it was full of love.

But all the love in the world wouldn’t get her sister the food and medicine she needed.

With only one work permit per household, the jobs Evan had to take were all under the table, risky, dangerous work that could mean her arrest if she were caught. And Dani knew well enough from counting out their pennies every month that her shifts at the factory barely paid enough to cover their rent, and didn’t come close to covering the cost of Ava’s insulin.

Sera hesitated. “There’s always the werewolves.”

“No,” Dani said sharply, then quickly lowered her voice when she saw Ava stir. “Do you know what they’re doing to human women once they get them across the wall? I won’t let them turn her into a breeder.”

“Of course I know.” Sera’s eyes flashed with anger, but then she just looked tired. “They have excellent medical care out there. They’re signing contracts now. Two surrogate births in exchange for full wages, room and board for the years spent in their colony. Unfortunately, their medical care is better than anything humans have access to here.”

And of course, it made sense that it would be. Most female werewolves had been rendered sterile by the virus. Procreating with human surrogates was the only way wolf shifters could keep from going extinct.

“She’s ten.” Dani rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. “I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation. I won’t send her there. It’s not an option.”

“Ava wouldn’t be eligible to decide if she wants to participate until she comes of age, but you or Evan could go across with her, make it a condition of your contract with the pack that she had to receive medical care in order for you to—”

“Become their breeding stock?” Dani bared her teeth and Sera took a slow step back, holding up both hands. “I don’t trust the wolves. They break into our city every month to steal women off the streets. Even if Evan or I agreed to sell ourselves to them so that Ava could get the treatment she needs, I certainly don’t believe they’d honor the terms of any contract saying she couldn’t be touched.”

“The wolves are ruled by dozens of Alphas. They aren’t a monolith. But I agree with you that some are problematic.”

“Spoken like a privileged vampire who’s never had to worry she would be thrown out into the streets.”

“Lower your voice.” Evan moved to step between them, throwing an anxious glance towards the door. “If the neighbors hear—”

“And when she wakes up?” Dani said through her teeth. “What happens when she realizes we sold her to the wolves while she was unconscious and couldn’t consent? I’ll sell myself before I sell my own sister that way.”

“No, you’re right,” Evan said, looking tired. “It’s off the table. We stay together. We’ll figure something out. We always have.”

“I’m sorry,” Sera said, looking wretched. “You know if I could get her the drugs, I would. Insulin is particularly hard to come by. You understand why.”

“Vampires like it when the blood tastes sweet,” Dani spat. “My sister’s suffering is a delicacy to you.”

“Not to all of us. We’re not all monsters. And I didn’t have to come out here tonight.”

Dani felt a surge of anger. She suddenly hated Sera for coming into their home and rubbing this in their faces. Because of course, an hour from now, she would be back in her warm, luxurious apartment in a safe sector of the city. Would she feast on roast chicken and buttery potatoes before gorging herself on the chocolates she’d seen in the candy shop? Sera could never understand what it was like for them. Not when she got to return every night to her warm bed.

“I think you should go,” she said quietly. “Thank you for coming to see to my sister.”

Evan sighed audibly, but showed Sera to the door. Once the vampire was gone, she whirled on her.

“She didn’t have to come at all. We’ve scoured the city for weeks looking for insulin. You know how bad it is out there. If Sera says there’s nothing she can do, she’s telling the truth.”

Dani blew out a breath, stalking over to the fireplace. “You actually believe that?”