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“I’ve been so worried about you.” She perched next to me, the ancient straw mattress sinking beneath her slight weight. “Master Aldéric was furious that you didn’t stay and finish your garments.”
When I stormed out of the workshop, I hadn’t been thinking clearly, but of course my master would have been upset. He wanted to squeeze every last bit of sweat and skill from my fingers.
“The only reason he didn’t come here is because we were so busy. Important vampires kept stopping by.” She paused. “Rose had to finish your dress.”
“Well, that’s why he was mad,” I said, only half jesting.
With a needle and thread, Rose wasn’t as talented as me. No one in Master Aldéric’s workshop could sew like me, save for Anna, but she had her own dresses to finish for affluent lords and ladies.
“Luckily, the patron came in as she finished and seemed very pleased with your work. Rose’s hemming too.” Anna added the last bit as though an afterthought and cleared her throat. She was veering off to unimportant side stories, which meant that she wasn’t telling me something.
I frowned. “What are you too scared to tell me?”
“Master Aldéric told his clients about the auction, Neve. Many appeared interested in purchasing you.”
“He has to recoup what he can,” I spat.
“Three who expressed interest are staying at the castle, dining with the king and the royal family.”
My blood froze. She spoke subtlety, but the meaning became clear. How could it not be? For hours, I’d been terrified that Prince Gervais would sweep into the slave quarters and kill me as I wept in bed.
“I doubt they’d gossip about a slave auction,” I replied.
“Not to buy humans. But you’re fae.”
Outside, the dinner bell sounded. Though I wasn’t hungry, Anna surely was, and I was tired of sitting in my room, alone and fearful.
“Let’s get dinner.”
Anna blinked. “Are you sure?”
“No, but I need to get out of this room.”
Together, we left our quarters and ventured down the hall to the common areas of the slave complex. The U-shaped stone building housed over two hundred blood slaves, each with pity in their eyes when they saw me. I knew all of them and this place like I knew every rod of metal stuck in my wings. Somehow, that only made things worse.
When we reached the dining hall, more people stared at me. I kept my head down as I fetched my bowl of pottage, vegetables, roll, and a small portion of meat.
“They gave us more than normal,” Anna commented after we’d received our rations.
“Cook pities me,” I said.
Normally, I’d delight in the generous portion. As food sources for the vampires, they never exactly starved us, but in the same vein, blood slaves weren’t allowed to overindulge. Our overlords aimed to keep us healthy but slightly too thin. Weakened, I often thought—not that my body complied with their wishes.
As a fae, I was naturally stronger, faster, and had more endurance than the people—mostly humans—I’d grown up around. My body held more fat than others’ frames and my muscular thighs supported me through all the trials of life. In my current situation, that didn’t feel like a blessing though. I suspected Master Aldéric would use my strong physique to boost the bids tomorrow.
Side by side, Anna and I ate. In two hours, we’d have to be in bed. In what time we had left, I wanted to converse with my best friend, to relish her company. Come tomorrow, I might not live in the same city as her.
I might not even be alive.
I stiffened and shoved a spoonful of the hot pottage into my mouth.
“Don’t think about it,” Anna whispered.
“How can I not?”
Our master kept me alive because he recognized I was more valuable alive than drained for his pleasure. He sold my blood bi-weekly, which earned him a great profit. When I’d shown natural skill with a needle and thread, he prized me even more. As the turns wore on, I’d become his best seamstress, which only added to his coffers.
But Master Aldéric wasn’t like all vampires, though. It would be asking a lot for my next owner to recognize that I was worth more than my blood. Many vampires were greedy and had more coin than they could ever spend. They might simply want to drain me for their own pleasure.
