Chapter b23 /b

Once again, my attempts to throw him out are frustrated by his strength.

“How rude.” His amused tone makes my blood boil. “You didn’t even invite me in to talk.”

“Ladies don’t invite men to their chambers.”

I lift my chin as he seems to ponder my words.

You’re nody.” He steps back. “Anyway, I’m not interested in seeing your room.”

“Didn’t look that way a moment agob,/b” I say with mockery, crossing my arms under my chest. “In fact, I hear.

His brow furrows in a scowl.

“Me? Enteringdies‘ rooms? I’m offended.”

The way he says it makes me question whether he’s joking or genuinely insulted.

“Yes, more specifically, Mavka’s chambers.”

you

C

enteringdies!

roomsb./bb” /b

Now his face twists into an expression of utter disgust. His lips curl back, revealing his fangs, and his eyes sh gleam I’ve seen more times than I’d like.

with that

disturbing,

”

almost sadistic

Involuntarily, I take a step back, and he uses the opportunity to step forward, making me feel cornered.

“I would never go to her chambers, much less lie with her,” he spits. “I would never sleep with a human.”

“Forgive me if I doubt that.” I don’t know where this boldness ising from. “I’m sure you love doing just that–lying with them and using all of us like whores.”

your feeders, defiling

“Is that what you think I do?” His hand moves to my throat, catching me there and caressing the base where my racing pulse throbs. “If that’s what you think, then tomorrow I’ll show you how I use you.”

“What?”

My voicees out nearly strangled.

“Tomorrow night you’lle with me outside the castle.” He pulls away as quickly as he came close. His eyes flick down to the dress. “Wear something more daring. Don’t forget, after all, you are my whore.”

He leaves without giving me a chance to reply, mming the door so hard the sound echoes in my bones. I almost see dust fall from the doorframe.

All thefort I got from the bell not ringing goes entirely to waste. Now I’m more sure than ever that Cassian will feed on me tomorrow night- possibly drain me dry. Dry enough to kill me.

All night long, I had been begging the sun not to rise, for this night to be eternal and not give way to the following day. It was in vain, because like every day, the first rays of the sun broke through, prompting the castle staff to begin their duties. The Diluted, as always, are in charge of the guards. All of this stili feels strange to me, and I can’t grasp many things, no matter how many books I read. Sometimes I wonder how I could have been so blind, so unwilling to see what surrounded me, so resigned to my fate that I never longed to learn more about this world we’ve been dragged into. I simply existed, and when I was old enough to understand things, I epted them and waited for my end.

Suspended in a sort of limbo, I watch the me of the candle resting on the solid wooden desk near the balcony. I suspect rissa and Naida open it when I’m not around, in order to air out the room, but then close it again out of fear that I might do something reckless.

“You seem a little lost.”

I jump in my seat, bringing my hands to my chest as if that could ease the scare. Ank appears flickering among the mes of the candle, walking on tiptoe with her tiny feet and her hair floating in every direction.

“What are you doing here?” I approach her. I thought you lived in the library.”

A high–pitched giggle escapes her.

“I live in the mes,” she sings as she dances around the candle. “I go where there is fire, though it’s true I prefer the library. And what about you? What are you doing hereb? /bYou’ve spent more than a bweek /bgoing down there–it felt strange not seeing you.”

I’d rather not leave my room today.”

“I could have sworn you weren’t afraid of him.”

12:19 PM

Confused, I furrow my brows and purse my lips. I shake my head from side to side.

“He terrifies me,” I confess with resignation. “From the very beginning. bHe’s /bevil, cruel, a narcissist and a depraved man.”

“I must admit he bis /ball of that.”

“Not to mention his reputation,” I continue. “No feeder survives long with him.”

She sits on the edge of the candle, her legs dangling over the side, swinging back and forth. She’s those enormous fiery eyes. bIt’s /bfascinating to see how the mes live within them.

very endearing to look at, with her tiny figure and

W

“It’s not that I want to defend him,” she says timidly, “but I must bsay /bthat they don’t exactly try hard to survive either. Cassian providesforts to all–you just need a bit of survival instinct.”

“What does that mean?”

“If you know an animal is dangerous, don’t provoke it, because it’ll most likely bite or attack you. If you know Cassian is an irascible man, don’t awaken his anger. And if you make sure to stay healthy, nothing should go wrong. What happens bis /bthat most of the young girls behave stupidly, fall for him, and try everything to gain his affection, not knowing that he truly feels disgusted by the human race. Really, if it weren’t for necessity, he wouldn’t be near a human being.b” /b

“I’ve heard that some vampires have started feeding on animal blood.”

“That goes against their nature and the principles set by the Mother of them all–Lilith. An offense.” She shakes her head. “No matter how much he hates you, he will never sever ties with his nature.”

“You seem to know him well.”

She gives a small shrug bas /bthe candle me flickers. She stands again, and when I look closely, bI /bsee the shape of her body imprinted in the wax. I open my mouth in surprise.

“You could say I’ve been wandering around here long enough to get to know him.” She smiles genuinely. “So then, what’s going on today that has you more scared than usual?b” /b

“Tonight I’m leaving the castle with him.”

Frustrated, I let my forehead fall against the cover of one of the books on the desk. I bang it a couple of times, hoping to knock myself out or cause enough harm to avoid having to go tonight.

“Oh.”

I lift my head abruptly.

“Oh?” I repeat.

“Well, maybe it would be better to bsay/b: oh–oh.”

I groan and bury my face again in the book cover,

“You’re not helping,” I grumble.

“Honestly, I only came up here because I was bored down there,” she says casually. “Good luck tonight.”

I barely have time to lift my gaze and see her melt back into the me of the candle, vanishing from my room as if she had never been there. The only sign of her presence is the small indentation in the wax where she had been sitting. I stay still for a while, doing nothing, until I open a drawer where I find some scraps of paper, and immediately, an ideaes to mind. I wait until lunchtime, which is when Naida usuallyes by to leave a tray on the little table near the firece.

“Naida, would it be possible to get some ink?” I ask before she leaves again.