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“Good morning,” she says without giving any indication that she heard me approach. She keeps her back to me, cradling the mug in her hands, the matte red polish on her nails a sickening reminder of her brutal attack last night.
“Is it?” I blurt before I can stop myself and cringe, quickly recovering by adding, “I mean, that really depends on whether or not you’re going to share that coffee.”
She chuckles, finally turning her face to look at where I’m lingering near the hallway. “I suppose that’s fair considering the drink I took from you last night.”
My jaw clenches, and I bite my tongue to keep from saying something that will only get me in trouble. Instead, I force a smile and approach the seating area around the fireplace, picking the gray wingback chair, keeping as far away from Selene as I possibly can.
The moment my ass touches the chair, the human woman from yesterday hurries into the room with an empty mug, smiling warmly at me as she pours the coffee, setting the mug on the table in front of me.
“Breakfast will be ready shortly,” she announces, turning her attention to Selene, and bows her head.
“Thank you,” Selene says in a dismissive tone without looking at her housekeeper, and the woman retreats just as quickly as she came in.
I stare at the vampire over my steaming mug, my eyes narrowed as the warmth of the mug in my hand radiates through my fingers.
Selene scowls. “You can lose the judgy eyes, Calla. I compensate her very well for the work she does for me.”
“Do you feed on her?” The words leave my mouth before I can stop them. My voice is barely above a whisper, but I have no doubt the vampire heard me.
“No.” Her sharp silver eyes slam into me, and she drags her tongue over her dark red lips tauntingly. “I don’t need to.” Her words hold an unspoken threat that makes my chest tighten.
When she rises from the couch and walks to the dining room table, taking a seat at the head of it, I hesitate before following her. It doesn’t take long for the human woman whose name I still don’t know to bring out a steaming plate of seasoned potatoes with an omelet folded beside it and a colorful bowl of various berries. My stomach growls, but the savory smell has nausea rippling through me. I need to eat, to keep up what little strength I have, but the thought of picking up a fork and putting food in my mouth makes me want to bend over the side of my chair and vomit on the marble floor. I settle for pushing the food around my plate, forcing myself to swallow a berry every so often. It’s not enough, but it’s something. And considering my appetite is nowhere to be found since Selene tore into my throat yesterday, maybe I should give myself some credit.
Selene remains silent, sipping from a crystal glass of thick, dark red liquid.
Yeah, that sure as hell isn’t helping my nausea.
“Have you given my offer any thought?”
Something in me cracks, and I drop the fork onto the plate in front of me, lifting my gaze to meet hers. “Do you know why they took me?” When she arches a brow at me, I shake my head. “Never mind, that was stupid to ask. Of course you do. That’s why you thought getting me to turn on them would be easy, right?”
She purses her dark red lips. “Don’t tell me you’ve made the mistake of caring for them?” Her tone is light, but there’s a hint of slightly mocking disappointment there. Are we besties? Hell to the no. But that doesn’t mean I want to see Gabriel stuck with Selene. I don’t know the story of how he became a vampire aside from it being her who turned him, but if I had to bet—after my short time in Selene’s company—the circumstances were less than ideal. As much as I want out of the arrangement that ties me to the guysfor as long as I shall liveor whatever, there has to be a better way. A way that doesn’t damn Gabriel to an eternity with her.
“I didn’t mean to,” I admit, and I have no idea why.
She rolls her eyes. “You’re overthinking this entire thing. Help me, and we can both get what we want. I know what you must think of me, but I do care about Gabriel. I turned him all those years ago to be with him forever. I never wanted to be separated from him… and those bastards—” She stops herself when the tone of her voice sharpens, then sighs softly. “They kept us apart for decades, and I want him back. I want my family back, Calla. Surely, you can understand that. Let’s work together—this can be mutually beneficial. I want my old life back as much as you want yours.”
I swallow the lump in my throat, my jaw clenched tight as I force back tears. Being offered something that would give me everything I want but that I can’t accept hurts like nothing I’ve experienced before. I clear my throat, then say, “How could you break the blood oath anyway? I mean, theoretically?”
Amusement flickers in her gaze, giving me a brief moment to notice the shimmering dark blue shadow around her eyes, lined with a sharp cat-eye flick and long, dark lashes. “I’ve made many powerful friends over the centuries. Some of which have the power to sever the ties your blood has to the vampires who claim you.”
I shake my head at her. “The power to sever a blood oath?” My stomach drops and unease prickles up my spine. “Like… magic?” The word is foreign on my tongue and sounds utterly ridiculous. So much so, I almost laugh.
Her lips twitch. “Don’t look so surprised, Calla. Surely witches aren’t too far of a stretch of the imagination once you’ve spent so much time with vampires.”
I blink, trying—and failing—to wrap my head around her words. “I just… I hadn’t considered that.”
She offers a tight smile. “I can see that.”
“Okay, so let’s say I agree to your terms. You’ll let me leave?”
Selene tilts her head to the side. “That’s right.”
“And you expect Gabriel to what? Just willingly leave his life behind and come join you?”
A chill races through me when the vampire smiles at me.
“He will,” she says in a confident tone, “because if he doesn’t, you’ll be the one paying the price.”
