I maintained my concentration on Amber as I stepped back and sang. This is enough. All you want is to hear me sing.
Despite Amber’s perversion, I had to admit that the song was a masterpiece. I loved singing the high notes and was disappointed when I reached the final one.
“Very good.” Amber licked her lips as vampire hunger crept back into her eyes. She glanced behind me and smiled, making my heart sink. Despite me asking Nina to bring tea, she hadn’t showed up, and I had the feeling that it was at the behest of Amber. She was getting ballsy.
Ask me for another song, I thought as a faint headache started between my brows. I was getting tired. Spending time around Amber always drained me.
Instead of placing another request, Amber reached into her handbag and pulled out something coiled and black that shone in the lamp light. My stomach lurched. A whip. I swallowed hard. “Shall we play a game?” Amber licked her lips.
“A game?” My terror leaked out through my high-pitched voice. Back at Nocturnal Academy, the prison school where fae were taught to serve vampires, I had feared a whipping for a transgression, but at least there, after the whipping was done, the beaten fae was left alone. Here, it would only be foreplay. Amber would break my skin, then lap up my blood as she forced my head between her legs.
My position meant I had to submit and let her do whatever she wanted, but I couldn’t. I gritted my teeth. I would not let Steinberg whore me out. I would resist Amber and go to her brother even if it all ended in a punishment for me later.
“Have you ever been whipped before, Virgie?” Amber’s voice was low and smooth. The monster wanted me to shake.
Instead of lowering my gaze and playing the helpless girl she wanted me to be, the helpless girl she no doubt had been many times herself, I stared her down and stood tall. It was time to use my persuasion more directly even if that was more dangerous. “You do not want to whip me.” I stared straight into her eyes, willing the words to sink into her brain.
She opened her mouth, then closed it. Taking advantage of her confusion, I quickly added, “Why don’t we play Mozart’s ‘Queen of the Night?’” I hurried to the cabinet that held the piano notes and pulled out the piece.
“Yes. ‘Queen of the Night’ it is. A very appropriate piece.” Despite her agreement, impatience lived between her words. My persuasion skills wouldn’t help me much longer. “But be quick, Virgie.”
I arranged the notes wordlessly, feeling Amber’s hungry gaze drill into me. I sure hoped that me standing up to her wasn’t a turn on that I’d bitterly regret later. As I put my fingers on the piano, Amber rose and coiled the whip around her hand.
“If you mess up, Virgie, I shall punish you.”
Before I could respond, the door unlocked and sprang open, and Nina fell into a low curtsy. “Lord Steinberg,” she announced and retreated.
Sweat ran down my nape, and I practically collapsed in relief as the tall man in a black suit, with salt-and-peppered hair and a three-day beard entered. My master.
Amber quickly shuffled to hide the whip in her handbag, making the motion appear to be her adjusting her skirt. Lord Steingerg glanced quizzically between his sister and me. “What are you doing here, Amber? I thought you meant to depart last night for Europe.”
I blinked. If Amber wasn’t supposed to be here, did that mean that Griffin didn’t know what his sister was trying to do to me? If he hadn’t organized it, then…No, I couldn’t tell him. Most likely, he was in denial of his sister’s sexuality and would accuse me of making up the story or worse, tempting her to cheat on her husband. Rule one in the vampire world was that fae took the blame. Always.
“I decided to stay a few days longer. I told my pilot to wait at the airport. I miss the U.S.” Amber tugged on her pearl necklace.
Steinberg nodded, emotionless. “If that is what you want, Amber, you are welcome to stay.”
No love lost between those two. As far as I knew, Steinberg had seen his sister about twice since she’d arrived. My heart sank as I considered all the opportunities Amber would have to be alone with me in the next few days. The urge to run out of the room overcame me, but I remained rooted. Panicking would not help me.
“For now, I must ask you to leave me and Virgie alone.” Steinberg moved closer.
Amber shook her head, as if she couldn’t comprehend her brother’s words. Why did Griffin want to be alone with me? Would he blame me for his sister’s queerness? Maybe he had figured it out in the past thirty seconds.
“Certainly, you can say whatever you must in front of me, Griffin,” Amber protested once she regained her ability to speak.
Griffin jerked his head no. “This is sensitive information. You must forgive me, but since you are not part of this household, I must ask you to leave.”
“Very well.” Amber huffed and smoothed her pencil skirt, shooting me a hateful look, as if this was my fault.
When the door fell shut behind her, Steinberg walked over to the settees and motioned me to follow him. I sank into the velvet seat facing him. Sweat returned to my nape as I studied my master’s dark eyes and the tension that lived there.
“I assume you’ve heard the guards talking about the recent demolition of Nocturnal Academy.”
I nodded, forcing myself to sit still and keep a neutral expression on my face. My former school had been destroyed by a group of fae soldiers from the faeland who’d taken the freed fae students somewhere unknown. Rumors had it that Peony, an old friend of mine, had helped in the demolition, which put me under suspicion through association.
“There’s been a lot of changes recently in our world,” Steinberg continued.
I nodded again, heart in my throat, not daring to speak. I’d supplied Onyx, another former schoolmate, with information of Lord Vulthus’ whereabouts. Vulthus was the most despicable of the vamps and also an enemy of Steinberg. I’d assumed that Steinberg would be happy about Vulthus’s death, leaving me safe. What I hadn’t planned for was that Thorsten, Steinberg’s heir, would kill Vulthus and thus inherit Vulthus’ estate. Only made a few years earlier by Griffin, Thorsten was now a master vampire, unheard of given his young age. It meant Griffin and Thorsten now each had a seat in the Elites and thus more power, but it also gave Thorsten more independence. And while Griffin was mild by vampire standards, he was old school. Thorsten wasn’t. Rumors flew that he didn’t treat the fae he’d inherited from Vulthus like slaves and even paid them.
If Griffin ever discovered that I had helped Thorsten gain his independence, he wouldn’t be happy. Steinberg’s other heir Jason had turned out to be a disappointment and with Steinberg being over five hundred years old, he desperately needed an heir to be taken seriously by the Elites.
“Hopefully, the order will be restored soon.” Steinberg’s low voice tore me back into the present. Panic ran through me. He had been speaking for the past few minutes. How much had I missed? Since I couldn’t ask him to repeat himself, I simply nodded, and he continued. “The vampires, the fae...everything is shifting. I’m glad I made arrangements on how to deal with this new situation a while ago.”
Worry gripped me, and I seized the arms of the chair. What was Steinberg talking about?
Steinberg rose, signaling that the conversation was concluded. “Go to your room and pack your things immediately, Virgie. I have made arrangements for you to be transported.”
Panic shot through me. “Where will I be taken?” I no longer cared if Steinberg punished me for being out of line. If he was reselling me, I needed to know to whom.
Steinberg shook his head, expression unreadable. “I don’t know.”
He didn’t know. I jumped to my feet, black dots dancing in front of my eyes at the sudden movement. “But—”
“What is done is done,” Steinberg said calmly and opened the door of the sitting room where a vampire guard in a black uniform was waiting, ready to escort me to my chamber.
I moved, my body as heavy as lead. If Steinberg didn’t know where my
new owner would take me, the situation was very dire. He must’ve sold me to a vampire who was as horrible as Vulthus. Did Vulthus have any family? A vengeful brother or cousin? Vampire law didn’t oppose one vampire killing another one, but someone always paid. And this time, it would be me.
2
After packing, I sat in my chamber for what felt like an eternity. I sat on my single bed, not sure what to do other than stare at the opposing wall.
Why hadn’t I tried harder to get answers from Steinberg? Amber must’ve shaken me really badly. Or had the past reared its ugly head, making me too scared to react? I knew how to take control of a situation. But maintaining it was difficult, and once, trying to do so had almost cost me everything.
No, I wouldn’t think about the Wild hunt. I got up and paced. My room was small but comfortable and located in the basement of Steinberg’s mansion, in a corridor away from the other fae servants’ quarters. The wooden walls were dark, my bed was soft, and my closet was full of dresses and business suits. Would I have all of these luxuries where I was going? What would my new quarters look like? By the end of tonight, I’d find out. Steinberg was one of the softer vampires. I’d heard stories from the other fae servants, Nina included, that some vampires kept their earthbound fae in cages and pens. I bet those fae wished that their ancestors had never left the faeland when the plague swept over it. Coming to Earth hadn’t been the answer. Instead of finding a safe haven, we were enslaved by vampires, weakened by iron, and forgotten by our brethren in the faeland.
At least until recently. Some troops from the Summer Court had taken the students in Nocturnal Academy. But why? Steinberg was right. Things were changing. But rumor had it that the faeland fae looked down on us, the deserters, and believed that we deserved our enslavement.
I had been one of the luckier fae. Now my luck had run out.
The clock crept toward eight, which marked sunset at this time of the year. My new master would arrive to collect me once the sun went down. I looked out my small basement window, positioned near the ceiling, and eyed the full moon rising. It was a beautiful, orange harvest moon.
Where I was going, I might never see the outside again.
Breathe, Virgie. I’d survived so far. This was just another step in my journey. I would sweet talk my new master. Maybe I could even manipulate him or her to advance me through the ranks of our society.
I would handle this and not let things get out of hand again.
At eight-thirty, footsteps approached my closed door. A knock followed. I adjusted my dress, grabbed my suitcase, and opened the door, determined to get the moment of truth over. Facing my new master with fear would not help me.
The air tingled and crackled with magic that swept over me like a wave. I blinked, unsure of what I was seeing at first, then I inhaled sharply.
The man standing in the corridor was fae, not vampire. His pointed ears stuck out from his messy, dark brown hair and his eyes were a brilliant blue-green with brown spots. He wore a green and gold uniform, an elegant one with forest green pants and golden stripes running down his thighs. Though skinny and a bit too tall for his frame, he stood with one hand behind his back like a royal dignitary. Golden buttons ran down the front of his green shirt, shining in the pale light.
The air cracked with energy, the way it had done sometimes in Nocturnal Academy when we had been taught by pureblood fae. I was staring at a powerful fae who looked like he had come straight from the Summer Court.
Nothing about him being here made sense. Vampires sometimes sent fae servants to do their bidding, but to pick up an expensive new slave? No vampire would be lax enough to allow it. Maybe they had started buying pureblood fae directly from the Summer Court thanks to a hundred fae students going missing. I could only imagine the wealth required to do so. Or maybe the purebloods from the Summer Realm were working with the vampires to ensure that us earthbound fae didn’t find our way back into the fae realm to muck everything up.
“Virgie,” the fae man said in neutral and unreadable tone. “I am Caleb. Follow me.” He frowned at my suitcase. “You can leave that here. You won’t need it.”
I didn’t like that. Not needing my belongings either meant imprisonment or death. Still not wanting to start off on the wrong foot, I put my suitcase down. “Where are you taking me?”
“I can’t tell you. Your former master will remain quiet in exchange for the great sum I have given him, but we must hurry.” Caleb motioned for me to follow him.
I wanted to deny that Steinberg would sell me to the fae, especially since he was worried about his reputation among the other vamps, but Caleb spoke the truth. Like I, he was a pureblood fae, which made lying impossible. Half-fae could get away with it, but Caleb was no half-fae given how much magic he radiated. I, on the other hand, was a useless pureblood without plant magic or control over the elements. Trapped on Earth, my family had been one amongst many who had lost their powers. My mind and my charm were my only weapons.
As I followed Caleb, my thoughts circled like sharks. Fae never bought other fae. Steinberg was right that things were changing. What would happen next? Would the humans realize we existed?
“Where are we going?” I tried again as Caleb took me down the narrow hallway and past the wooden doors of the other servants.
“I am not at liberty to say.” Caleb quickened his step. “Please hurry. We don’t have much time. Your former master has arranged for his guards to be away from the gardens, handling a shipment. They will not be occupied for long. He requested that your disappearance not become public knowledge among the other vampires.”
That was more like Steinberg. “The gardens?” My heart thumped, trying to escape my ribcage. The gardens could mean a gateway to the fae realm. Rumor had it that powerful fae could open gateways to their world in certain conditions, though it was difficult and not something most of us earthbound fae could manage.
More concerning was the rumor that the fae realm needed fertile women since the plague had left many barren.
“Are you going to use me for breeding?” The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could think them over. I’d prefer pleasuring Steinberg’s sadistic sister to being used as a vessel.
“I cannot say.” Caleb turned the corner, climbed a short flight of steps, and opened the back door of Lord Steinberg’s mansion. I looked around for him, but he was absent and rarely came out this way. Perhaps he did know after all that I had tipped off Onyx and Thorsten about Vulthus’ whereabouts and was furious. Maybe his sister had even lied that I had come on to her, and he was punishing me. But why not punish me by starving me or putting me into a cell? Why throw me away after paying a good sum for me at Nocturnal Academy? Caleb must’ve paid a hefty sum for me.
I waited for Caleb to tell me at least something, but he didn’t as we climbed the steps.
“I don’t like this.” If only I could find a way to change his mind. I gritted my teeth as I came up empty. I had nothing to bargain with Caleb.
“You have nothing to fear,” he finally said, and a bit of calm fell over me. He pushed open the back doors to the gardens, and the cool night air washed over us as we stepped outside. I thought of running back into the mansion, but Lord Steinberg had sold me. He would not take me back. Once Caleb delivered me wherever he was taking me, I’d have to figure out my new circumstances and how to take advantage of them.
Caleb led me across the grounds and past the fountain to where all the flowers grew. I had been in the garden before, walking down the cobblestone paths among all the blooming plants. Though the flowers and vines were beginning to die now that autumn was here, they perked up and opened in Caleb’s presence, showing me how much more powerful he was than I.
We walked under a white archway and paused in the grassy clearing that sometimes hosted night parties for the Elite vampires. Tonight, a ring of mushrooms had appeared in the center of the grass, and Caleb stepped inside and chanted some low words that I did not understand.
My h
eart thumped and panic made my legs twitch. I could run. The grounds were free, but I knew that just beyond the garden, tall brick walls surrounded the property. Guards patrolled that area. I would never make it far, especially not in my tight, black dress and high-heeled sandals. My best bet was to see why I had fetched such a large sum. A simple breeder wouldn’t have done so, right?
The air in front of Caleb shimmered. Greenish light danced in the center of the mushroom ring before expanding outward in the shape of a large oval. Caleb had opened the portal. On the other side, greenery spread out, brighter than anything I’d seen here on Earth, and the sky shone with a brilliant, deep blue.
Caleb turned to me, tense. “This is the portal to the fae realm. We must hurry as they can be rather finicky.”
I read no threat in his voice, only determination, which calmed me. Sensing that he wouldn’t be open to any bargain at this point, I knew I had to go with him. Caleb took my hand and stepped through the portal and into the sun, a place where no vampires could go.
A tremble rocked through me as I realized that once I followed him through this gateway, I might never come out again. I pulled back from the beautifully strange world.
Caleb’s grip on my hand tightened. “If you don’t come with me now, you will regret it. There is nothing left for you in the human world.”
I had friends here. Or I used to. Onyx was with Thorsten after defeating Gregory Vulthus. Peony was missing after having helped those mysterious fae soldiers take down Nocturnal Academy. Caleb was right. I had no one left here.
If I stayed, I’d become Amber’s prey.
My knees shook with fear of the unknown, but I managed to step over the threshold. A tingle swept over me as the sun wrapped me into a warm hug.
Caleb didn’t let go, even though we both stood on a mossy cobblestone path that cut through beams of golden sunshine and greenish shadows cast by canopy trees. “Run!” he ordered. “We are still in the portal but not fully in our realm.” He motioned to a brilliant white archway at the end of the path.
The Nocturnal and Fae Prison Academy Boxset [A Complete Paranormal and Fantasy Series Boxset] Page 70