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He rose from the wooden chair by my bed. “You would need to ask Sebastian that.”
“I get the feeling he’s not going to tell me the truth.”
His lips curled between his teeth. “I’ll ask Anna to bring you some lunch,” he said deadpan, changing the topic.
At least she was mortal, so being around her didn’t make my skin crawl. I looked over at the window as light arrowed through the gap in the drapes. “I always thought your kind would burst into flames or something, but Sebastian flew me here when the sun was out.”
“Us bursting into flames in the sun was a rumor started by us to make the mortals feel safe during the day.” He glided over to the window, opening the drapes a slither more, peering out at a world I wanted no part of. “Your family is missing,” he stated.
“Yes. My mom and friend are missing.”
“I am sorry to hear it.”
Was he trying to lull me into some false sense of security, and if yes, to what end? “I want to find them.”
“Naturally.” He turned his back on the window. “However, now is not the time to play the hero. The remaining members in the order have returned, and they are on the prowl. They know someone took you.”
“Nightshade, right?” I recalled.
“Yes.” The bridge of his thin nose wrinkled.
“Do you think they have my mom?”
“It’s likely,” he admitted, and the heaviness in my chest lifted a little. It was somewhere to start.
“Do they have a headquarters in the city?”
“I wouldn’t tell you if they did.”
“Why not?”
“Because if I were you, that would be the first place I’d try to escape to, especially if I thought they were holding my family. I will not allow you to leave under my watch. You will be killed instantly, and Sebastian’s rescue would have been for nothing. He’s already risked enough.”
I bit my bottom lip. Why was any vampire risking anything for me unless they wanted to use me? There was no other reason for it. “He said he would ask around for them.”
“If he said that, then he will.”
“You’re confident in him.”
He moved his willowy form to the door at dizzying speed, ignoring my statement. He stopped before leaving. “If you need anything, just call my name.”
With that, he left. Of course, they could hear every move I made. That’s why Draven and I had been so quiet in those tunnels. The memory flooded back, along with many others with him and Astor. Suddenly, the room felt smaller. Panic slicked a cold sweat over my chest, back, and arms, and shaky breaths forced me into a ball as I attempted to shield myself from the memories. Whenever this happened, I was helpless to others’ emotions. My barrier dropped, and I could feel the energy in the house.
It seemed everyone in this house was filled with a pain I recognized. It was unending and unrelenting, and they’d suppressed it so much that it felt numb. It was the type of suffering a person learned to live with, which I knew because the same belonged to me too. It was a grief anyone could grow comfortable with over time. Between the bursts of anger and sadness, I’d pushed the feeling deep down, enough to where I hardly noticed it, until I did, and then it became unbearable.
I closed myself off as best I could, not wanting to be around that energy for another moment, not when it amplified my suffering. When I thought about it, it made sense. Vampires had been alive long enough to go through all sorts of torment, things I probably couldn’t even imagine.
Was I going to die here? Never see my mom or Draven again? I’d already lost Astor. The vampires attacking had distracted me from the grief, but like everything else, it was temporary. I lay back on the bed, creating a half-made fort with the pillows, and tears came thick and fast. I wiped my nose against the covers, howling deep into the threads until the emptiness came, and I stared at the wall and no longer cared what happened to me.
A light knock sounded some time later, but I ignored it. When I finally lowered the blankets, I noticed a tray of cold food on the chair. Someone must have brought it in while I was crying. A shade of embarrassment crept over me, but I shrugged it away.
“You’ve hardly eaten,” Sebastian announced at the open door as he tugged at the sleeve of his tux.
“Going somewhere nice?” I snarked, unable to contain my hatred. I’d already had a shitty day. I didn’t need him adding to it.
“No. I always look this good.” He strode over to me, his smirk uncontainable as he sat on the chair, kicking his legs up on the bed. “How are you doing?”
“What sort of question is that? You don’t care about me.”
