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“How?” The question seems to slip out unintentionally. Emmett throws a glance toward the stairs.
I turn away as I feel the venomous black veins slithering under my skin, across my back and abdomen. I pretend to study the liquid in the vial, hiding a grimace.
“What is this?” I hold it up to the weak light. It’s milky against the green glass. Emmett says nothing. I lower my hand and send him a withering look. “The least you can do is tell me what this is, after I let you keep both arms intact,” I add.
“It’s only a simple nightshade tonic,” he mumbles, dropping his chin.
A sleeping draught. My attempts at hiding my affliction have not been sufficient. I pop the cork with a flick of my thumb and down the contents. It’s bitter, lingering on the tongue.
“Learn their weaknesses so you can use it against them, and never reveal yours.” I toss the empty vial to him and turn my back on the young guard.
His footsteps are almost silent as he departs. I wait until the door closes behind him before sitting on the narrow wooden bench with a thin, lumpy mattress I was so generously given to serve as a bed. The dirt floor is a more appealing option.
From what I can gather from the changing of the guard routine, they’ve kept me here for almost a full day. They have offered me food and water—everything except what I need.
Already I feel the tonic working. Forced unconsciousness will make me vulnerable to these wolves, yet the relief from the pain will be a blessing.
A temporary solution. If they can’t come up with something more permanent, there is a good possibility these drab walls will be the last thing I see.
***
I am pulled from the vestiges of slumber by a sound that has haunted me, even in my unnatural sleep, since I first laid eyes on her
“Let me pass,” a woman’s voice carries from the top of the stairs.
“I have strict orders not to allow anyone in.”
A lengthy silence follows. I listen for what my little nightmare will say or do to the unfortunate guard.
I flex my fingers to get my blood to move again. The cold that has stiffened my muscles indicates I was unconscious longer than anticipated. A full day, at least. Possibly two.
“Miss Valmont,” the alpha’s voice croons with an obnoxious amount of cheer. “What a pleasant surprise running into you.” There’s a pause followed by his laugh. “What are you doing?”
“Checking to see if you have a fever.”
“Nonsense. I am as healthy as ever.”
“Then what other reason could you have for saying something so idiotic?” my nightmare snaps.
I snort. If I didn’t know better, I would say she was a demon in the form of a woman.
They lower their voices, and I am unable to make out the rest of their conversation. A moment later, the door opens and then closes.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” he says placatingly.
“Demon shit,” she spits. “How long do you plan on keeping him locked up?”
Eavesdropping is for thieves and spies, yet I little choice with so few resources to draw from. She has haunted me since I first laid eyes on her. I don’t know what she wants from me, but if she thinks to gain my confidence under false pretenses, then she will be disheartened to know it won’t work.
“We can’t trust him.”
“Trust goes both ways, and you haven’t even tried,” she says. “He isn’t dangerous.”
Even I wonder if her sanity is intact. Vampires are, by definition, dangerous. I remain perfectly still so as to not draw their attention.
“Give me a chance to earn his trust.”
“He iscursed,Clara, of course he’s dangerous,” the alpha hisses. “We had to subdue him yesterday, because of what it was doing to him. It might be a while still before he wakes.”
