I suppress the urge to roll my eyes and walk to the seat he indicates with his hand. It’s at the opposite end of the table from where they sit, a relief for me. The girl on hisp res at me with her eyes narrowed into bslits/b, and the babsence /bof her flirtatious smile already warns me we probably won’t be friends.

A servant pulls out my chair, and another uncovers the dish in front of me. My stomach instantly

bI /bwatch my host, waiting for him to do somethingb–/bstarting to eat without him feels rude. Though what manners bare/b. He’s already made it clear by how he’s treated me. He’s a savageb–/bnot beven /ba man.

, weing the rich aroma.

not human, surely he doesn’t even know

I grab my utensils and cut the first piece of meat, put it in my mouth, and delight in the explosion of vors on my tongue.

“I think it would be wise to bdiscuss /ba few thingsb.” /bHis ringden hand, adorned with gems of different kinds, bcaresses /bthe base of the other girl’s throat. “I like to be the first to bset /bcertain rules. I find it more effectiveb./bb” /b

b“/bIs that a warning?” I reply.

b“/bbI /bdon’t warn. I threaten, dear.”

“Expecting anything different from your kind would be dering myself too stupid.”

“Mavka thinks you won’t make it to the next full moon,” hements bas /bif it’s nothing. “I’m willing to bet you within these wallsb.” /b

He fixes his btwo /bsapphire beyes /bon me and raises his eyebrows in feigned surprise while letting out a low whistle. The other girl, leans in and whispers something in his ear. Cassian lifts the corner of his mouth arrogantly.

nameless

to

meb, /b

won’t bst /bmore than

ba /b

fortnight

“Nothing would please me more than to stop breathing the same bair /bbas /byou.” I give him a bforced /bsmile.

“Perhaps I should end your suffering.”

“Please, do,” I challenge him.

He starts to tut.

“Little wild thing, there’s something better than your blood.” The girl on hisp shifts a bit when he leans forward–it almost looks like he’s going to leap over the table. b“/bYour screams. And I intend to revel in them as I btear /byou apart piece by pieceb. /bYour blood will be thest thing on my mind.”

“Then what’s the point of buying me?”

“Do you need a reason when you have too much wealth?”

His way of speaking with such superiorityb, /bthe way his eyebrows lift with arroganceb–/beverything, absolutely everything, drives me mad. I focus back on my teb, /bcut another pieceb, /band chew bas /bif my life depended on it, not beven /bbothering to look at him.

b“/bWhat are you good atb?/b” he basks/b, catching me off guard.

“What do you mean?b” /b

“Do you y, sing, paint, write….b? /bIs there something you’re good at?”

“I thought my job was to feed youb, /bnot entertain you.”

“With me, there’s always more to do.” bHis /bfingers stroke Mavka’s skin gently. “So?b” /b

“No, there’s nothing I’m good at.”

Even he seems a little disappointed. Oh, bCassian/b, believe me, bI /bfeel more disappointed than you. Abigail sings like an angel, and Ss has a natural talent for carving. But I don’t know how to do anything. bI /bbguess /bI bnever /blet myself enjoy hobbies or show interest in something. After all, I wasn’t meant to live long enough to continue doing it. Or at least, that’s what I thought.

“Moving on to the things I wanted to warn you about…” his expression is confusing, “or threaten you withb, /bas I said. First and I think most obvious: any attempt to escape on your part will be punished with death. I don’t care what those absurd rules my ancestors wrote say. I’ll end your life in an instant.” In my thoughts, I’m rolling my beyes/b. bPlease/bb, /bI won’t beven /bneed to try escaping. I’ll die soon anyway. b“/bSecond, under no circumstance should you let another vampire feed on you. No one, bexcept /bme, is allowed to sink their fangs into you.”

It sounds possessive and dirty.

b“/bbWhy/bb?/bb” /b

“The blood can get contaminated,” he replies nonchntly.

b“/bAnything else?”

b“/bbYes/b.” His eyes broam /bbover /bmy figure. “You may go anywhere within the castle and its surroundings as as you’re apanied by your guards, but byou /bare forbidden from snooping around my wing. I can’t stand your human stench in the ce where I rest.”

One more insult to add to the list Cassian Draven has already thrown at me in these bfew /bhours. I stink to him. Too bad I don’t care. I lower my gaze to the silver cutlery. So much for the theories that silver baffects /bvampires. This knife won’t be useful for anything other than spreading butter; it’s not even sharp enough to try and cut my veins and end this agony. Cassian’s presence puts my nerves on edge. like this.

“Is that allb?/bb” /b

We don’t think I’ll survive even a week

“Onest thing.” One of his fangs bgreets /bme bas /bhis bface /badopts that mocking expression again. “You’ll have dinner with

“Why?b” /bI protest, louder than I would have liked.

b“/bYou’ve been a bgreat /binvestment. Best to make the most of what will no doubt be a short time together.”

me

night.”

I bite the inside of my cheek. I don’t get it. He hates me and yet he wants me to apany him every night. No doubt his hatred

his desire to bsee /bme suffer in silenceb. /bHe knows–he knows I can’t stand him.

“Mavka, feed me.b” /b

My curiosity is my bgreatest /bw.

??????

isn’t bas /bstrong bas /b

I try not to show that I’m looking through myshes bat /bhow the beautiful Mavka brises /bfrom his bp /bwith a wide, beaming smile. bI /bdon’t understand what she’s so happy about. Cassian slips on a ring with a sharp point and brings it close to the girl’s wrist. The cut opens in less than a blink.

She stifles a whimper that might bas /bwell have been a sound of pleasure and raises her dripping bwrist /bbover /bCassian’s mouth. The drops fall in an unrelenting rhythm. Somend on his lips and trickle down his chin, slowly staining his Adam’s apple, which moves up and down with each drop of blood sliding down his throat.

The food starts to churn in my stomach, and I wrinkle my nose with each trickle of blood escaping his lips. His eyes bare /bnot on the person feeding him; they’re fixed on me, defiant. He dares me to endure this, to remember what I’ll bbe /bexpected to do, to look at how the creature I possibly hate most on this feeds. The blue of his eyes vanishesb, /breced by the deepest ck I’ve ever seen. I didn’t imagine ck could darken further.

He brings his hand to bMavka’s /bwounded wrist and presses bit/bb, /bsignaling that it’s enough. Without breaking eye contact with me, he brings bher /bclose to his mouth and bI /bbsee /bhim give it a seductive lick.

bwrist /b

The way he looks bat /bme bas /bhe does bit /bbcauses /bba /bsudden bheat /bto rise in my face. I press my legs togetherb, /bembarrassed by my body’s reactions, but eyes remain on him. His tongue roams over her skin again, byet /bhe doesn’t show his fangs at any moment.

What must it feel like to be treated that bway/bb? /b

There go those stupid thoughts again.

a

I remain staring ifor /iso long that bI /bprobably look beven /bmore idiotic than I already feel. bI /bbscrape /bmy chair back with a loud screech, determined to leave. I turn away, breaking the beye /bcontact between usb, /band walk off.

“I haven’t given you permission to bleave/b,” he growls.

“The food didn’t sit well,” bI /breply again. “bI /bwouldn’t bwant /bto trouble you with bexcessively /bhuman issuesb./bb” /b

I open the door and rush out. The guards follow closely behind. I climb the bstairs/b, tripping on the bst /bbfew /bsteps. I pull myself together and keep wandering through the hallway, bdesperate /bto be within the four walls of my chambersb. /bThough it’s not like they’ll protect me much.

bI /bbfling /bthe door open, lock myself inside, and lean my bback /bagainst it. My heart pounds furiously.

“You can hide, but bI /bbwill /balways know where you bare/bb./bb” /b

I didn’t think that.

Am I delirious, or has he somehow gotten into my bhead/bb? /b

I growl and finally scream like a madwoman, disturbing the bcastle’s /bsilence, I clench my fists and run to the bedb, /bcopsing on it and beating my fists bagainst /bthe mattress. I bhate /bthem allb, /bI bhate /bthis life, I hate this world.

And now, hating him is the only reason I’m still breathing.