The Way of Escape

by Kristen Reed

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  When Augustus and I neared the mansion about twenty minutes later, he laced his fingers through mine and I didn’t question him doing so. Our faux relationship needed to keep blossoming up until the moment we left the party on Monday to end my life as a human. Then, we could take our final bow and get out of character … or I could at least stop stirring up unwanted attraction with forced interactions and intimacy.

  The show must go on, I thought with a sigh as we walked into the house, which had come alive since our departure.

  Vampires and their slaves filled every room we passed through … laughing, drinking, talking, and biting without restraint. Emmanuel wasn’t hard to find. The raven-haired vampire sat with Grayson in the same room where we’d watched everyone’s favorite tenor perform to a blood-sucking audience two days before. Anna, Emmanuel’s personal slave, sat at the piano playing a beautiful, delicate song while an unfamiliar female slave played the cello. As I watched the two women play their instruments, I wondered if Emmanuel had intentionally kidnapped them because of their musical talents or if he’d been pleasantly surprised by their gifts.

  “Come join us,” the coven leader beckoned. “We were just talking about you, Clara.”

  “Oh,” I commented, reluctantly sitting down on the love seat with Augustus.

  “Thanks to your benevolent request, I’ve been deprived of a slave,” Leah’s former owner said. “Considering the fact that I could have refused to let the girl go or even challenged one of you to a duel, I think I’m owed something in return for my cooperation.”

  “If you—”

  “What did you have in mind,” Emmanuel interrupted.

  “Well, I have no slave of my own to feed from. Though I’ll do so out of necessity, I’m not a fan of drinking after other vampires,” Grayson said. “I propose that you let me drink from Clara tonight.”

  “No way. I’m not letting you bite me.”

  “I think one drink for a lifetime of freedom is a fair trade,” Emmanuel said. “Your other alternative would be to let him change you on Monday. Though a vampire isn’t necessarily a slave to his or her maker, the bond formed is extremely valuable.”

  “What if I compensated you for your trouble,” Augustus offered. “How much did you pay for Leah?”

  “Money won’t satiate my thirst tonight.”

  “I’m also feeling a bit bloodthirsty,” Augustus mused, draping his arm around my shoulders. “I haven’t fought a duel in a few months, and I could use a little entertainment.”

  “Don’t be so cocky, my lord. I’ve bathed in the blood of vampires three times my age.”

  “By the time I’m finished with you, you won’t be bathing in blood … You’ll be drowning in it.”

  “No one is going to bathe or drown in anyone’s blood,” I interjected.

  “This could be solved in only a few short minutes,” Augustus argued quietly.

  “And in those few minutes, he could hurt you. I don’t want to risk something happening to you because you were defending me.”

  “So what will it be, Clara,” Grayson sneered from his place beside Emmanuel. “Will I feed from you tonight or will you drink from me at the eclipse?”

  “I’ll let you drink from me tonight.”

  “Perfect,” Emmanuel exclaimed. “Grayson will meet you in your room after you pick out your dress for the party. The dresses and some other necessities are waiting for you in the library. Take whatever you need for Monday back to your room and I’ll send the rest back in the morning.”

  I nodded in agreement and swallowed the lump that was rapidly forming in my throat. Thankfully, Augustus spoke so I didn’t have to respond to Emmanuel about the unfortunate encounter he and Grayson had forced me into.

  “Let’s go,” he said.

  “Okay.”

  We didn’t waste any time leaving the room and putting some precious distance between us and the two men. Though I’d have to face Grayson again before the night ended, I didn’t want to spend time with him or Emmanuel for a second longer than necessary. Once we were behind the library’s closed doors, Augustus grabbed a paperweight from the desk and chucked it across the room. Destroying the glass decoration apparently wasn’t enough for him because he immediately grabbed the bronze statue from the mantle. Despite my frazzled nerves, I was alert enough to step in front of Augustus and grab his wrist before he could destroy the priceless piece of art.

  I was expecting to see anger when I looked at Augustus, but he gave me more than I bargained for because the eyes I looked into were completely black and his snarling lips were pulled back enough for me to see his glistening fangs. I didn’t know what surprised me more … how drastically Augustus’ appearance changed or how deeply our exchange with Grayson and Emmanuel upset him.

  Despite Augustus’ blackened eyes, I could still feel when he focused his unsettling gaze on me. Slowly but surely, his rigid posture and stiff muscles relaxed as his eyes bled back to their normal emerald hue. Once his fangs shortened into normal canines, I released the breath I’d been holding and softened my grip on him.

  “I’m sorry if I frightened you,” he said, lowering the statue. “You already have enough to deal with tonight.”

  “I wouldn’t have gotten this close if I was really scared of you.”

  Augustus chuckled as he placed the sculpture back on the mantle.

  “No, you wouldn’t have.”

  “Not that I don’t appreciate the empathy, but why are you so upset? As the person getting her neck bitten, I should be the one throwing things.”

  “Yes, you’re right,” he agreed. “You should also be riffling through those dresses.”

  Augustus was clearly stalling, but I went ahead and indulged him anyway.

  “Well, can you please turn around while I try a few of these on?”

  “Of course.”

  I walked over to the rack of dresses that some unseen slave had left for me, and Augustus gave me his back as I hurriedly perused the stylish selection. In my search, I came upon a strapless, floor-length black lace dress and decided to give it a whirl. It took me a moment to put the dress on and only a second or two to decide that it fit. As much as I loved getting dressed up, I wasn’t in the mood to try on dress after dress in an effort to impress a group of bloodsucking slave owners. For that reason, I opted for the first gown I tried on and returned my focus to Augustus as I pulled my clothes back on.

  “You didn’t answer my question,” I called from behind the rack. “Why were you so upset about the deal I made with Grayson?”

  I finished getting dressed and joined Augustus by the fireplace. The vampire shook his head as he turned back around and faced me.

  “To humans, sex is the pinnacle of physical intimacy. Similarly, exchanging blood can be an extremely intimate experience for vampires,” he explained. “As someone who has been raised with humans, you’re not familiar with the nuances of vampire culture. On the other hand, I’ve been a vampire for hundreds of years, which means that I am deeply aware of how disrespectful, insulting, and degrading this is.”

  “I may not be a vampire, but I think I get it. I—”

  “Not quite,” Augustus interrupted. “We experience the same blinding rage that humans do over infidelity and jealousy when another vampire drinks or exchanges blood with someone we’re attached to.”

  “Oh …”

  “That’s why I offered to take on the blackguard. I care about you deeply and I can’t stand the thought of anyone else’s hands you … especially someone whose sole aim is to take advantage of you.”

  I wanted to argue that we hadn’t known each other long enough for him to develop a deep attachment, but I knew that wasn’t true. Spending a lot of time with someone in a high-pressure atmosphere could definitely accelerate the development of someone’s feelings … even if you didn’t want those feelings to exist in the first place. I also reminded myself that affection like that could fizzle just as quickly as it sparked
if it wasn’t nurtured, and I didn’t want to feed whatever was going on between us any more than I already had.

  My rebellious heart skipped a beat when Augustus reached out, but he only touched the lace dress that I’d folded over my arm. The vampire admired my choice with a slight smile before making eye contact.

  “You’ll look stunning in this.”

  I glanced at the clock on the mantle and took a step back as I looked at Augustus again.

  “I’m not looking forward to Grayson feeding from me, but I want to get it over with as soon as possible,” I said. “Let’s go.”

  Augustus silently signaled his agreement with a curt nod and we made our way back to his room. Once we were inside, Augustus grabbed my hand and kept me from going to my half of our suite.

  “You’re not going in there by yourself. Grayson may have permission to drink from you, but that doesn’t mean he gets to be alone with you.”

  “Okay.”

  He and I walked through the bathroom and into my room, where Grayson was waiting for me. The blonde vampire stood in front of my bed texting so quickly that I could barely trace the movements of his pale thumbs. After finishing his correspondence, Grayson gave us his full attention and a leer that could have passed for a smile if not for the predatory glint in his hazel eyes.

  “Hello, lovebirds,” he greeted. “Will you be going back to your own room, Augustus, or do you want us to put on a show for you?”

  “I’m only here to ensure that Clara is safe.”

  “Well, you’re more than welcome to join us if this takes a more intimate turn,” Grayson taunted.

  Augustus’ eyes began to bleed back to black as he took a step forward. Thankfully, I moved in front of him and addressed Grayson before his rage could fully manifest.

  “There is nothing intimate about this. You’re going to bite my neck, drink a little blood, and get out. Are we clear?”

  “I suppose we are.”

  I walked over to the spiteful vampire and hastily pulled my dark curls into a knot using the ponytail holder I’d slipped on my wrist earlier that day. Once my hair was away from my neck, I tilted my head to the right and closed my eyes. Since I’d already seen Emmanuel and Augustus vamp out, I had no desire to see what Grayson’s thirst for my blood did to him. I wanted to remember the feeding with as few senses as possible.

  Unfortunately, visually shutting away the world only amplified my other senses. As Grayson closed the distance between us, the scent of his cologne hit me and the combination of patchouli, cocoa, and some vaguely familiar spice invaded my nostrils. Despite not wanting to lower my guard around the snake, the comforting, enigmatic scent momentarily calmed me. Next, I felt his hands on my upper arms and his breath on my neck, which made me shiver and every muscle in my body to tense, undoing the little soothing that his cologne had done.

  I balled my hands into fists at the sound of his soft snicker, which he promptly followed with a nearly inaudible taunt.

  “I’m going to thoroughly enjoy being your first,” he breathed in my ear.

  A million and one snarky responses flew through my mind, but I dug my nails into the palms of my hands and begrudgingly kept quiet. I’d made a conscious decision to stop cursing a few months into my Christian life, and I knew that none of the f-words or s-words dancing on the tip of my tongue would have stopped my impending violation or been honoring to God. Instead, I tried to remind myself that I would be home soon and that Grayson’s intrusion was only a light, momentary affliction in the grand scheme of things.

  When his fangs finally pierced my neck, every unkind thought dissipated as pain came roaring into my mind. My knees buckled for a second when the searing sensation assaulted my senses, but Grayson’s crushing grip kept me from falling. Revulsion joined my agony when I felt his warm, wet tongue tracing the twin wounds in a figure eight that made me shudder in disgust. If I could have dissociated from my body at that moment, I would have, and feeling Grayson’s lips smile against my bloodied neck as he sensed my distress didn’t help one bit.

  “That’s enough,” Augustus roared, ripping Grayson away by the collar of his shirt and flinging him into the wall so forcefully that the painting I’d admired over the past few days fell down and the dresser beneath it shook violently.

  My irate protector looped his arms around me and I slumped against him. Despite my quiet indignation, I was too overwhelmed and exhausted to muster up even the weakest glare for Grayson. Even though I’d been relatively still during the vampire’s feeding, I felt as if I’d run a few miles and followed up my treadmill pounding with a puff or two of weed from a friend’s pipe. After not getting drunk or high for well over a year, the sensation was an extremely unpleasant shock to my system.

  “I’ve never had dhampir blood before now,” Grayson savored, licking my blood from his lips. “The bitter edge that your vampire side brings adds an exciting twist to the human sweetness of your blood. It’s a shame you didn’t decide to live as a slave because I would have spent a small fortune to open your veins over Leah’s any day.”

  “Get out before I rip out your fangs and use them to nail your loathsome tongue to the wall,” Augustus seethed.

  The vampire bowed slightly, stretching his lips into a smug grin before leaving the room. As soon as Grayson closed the door behind him, Augustus relaxed slightly and turned his attention to me.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Like I need about ten showers.”

  “You can barely keep your eyes open, so that’s not a good idea. However, I can help you get somewhat cleaned up.”

  Thanks to Augustus, I successfully made it through the bathroom and into his room, where he sat me on my side of his bed. When he stepped out of the room, I leaned against the nearest poster and closed my eyes, but the sting of a warm washcloth against my neck kept me from nodding off.

  “Your wounds are already healed,” he murmured, wiping away the blood. “Are you in any pain?”

  I shook my head.

  “Good. Now, there’s blood on your shirt, so I’m going to change you into something clean and comfortable before you lie down. Is that alright?”

  “Go ahead.”

  With my permission, he grabbed the hem of my shirt and I lazily lifted my arms so he could remove the soiled and possibly ruined garment, which he immediately replaced with a knee-length silk nightgown the same hue as the light pink English roses my grandmother used to grow. I knew that Augustus wouldn’t take advantage of me in my current state, but I was happy to see that he hadn’t let his eyes or hands linger even for a moment as he helped me out of my dirty shirt. He even used his supernatural speed, so I was in my undershirt for barely a heartbeat.

  “You can get under the covers if you’d like, but you need to stay awake long enough to consume a feeding kit. You’ll feel much better tomorrow if you do.”

  “Alright.”

  Augustus helped me get under the covers and leaned me against a few propped up pillows, which did wonders for my spinning head, and pulled out his phone. He sent a text to some unknown recipient with the same supernatural speed that Grayson had displayed and sat beside me on the edge of the bed once the phone was back in his pocket. As the vampire gazed down at me with a furrowed brow and a slight frown on his face, I actually found myself feeling comforted by his noticeable concern.

  “What are you thinking,” he asked.

  “That it’s nice to have someone take care of me for once.”

  He smiled, but the worry never left his green eyes.

  “I haven’t needed to take care of anyone in a very long time.”

  “Because your friends are all vampires?”

  “Because I haven’t wanted to look after anyone.”

  “What about Liam, Kieran, and your other friends?”

  “My friendships have largely revolved around being social and strategic. Though, I enjoy their company, they don’t make my heart stir.”

  “Well, being undead is probably part of th
e problem,” I joked weakly.

  “I might have died during my transformation, but I am very much alive.”

  Augustus took my hand and placed it on his neck so I could feel his pulse.

  “My heart beats just like yours.”

  A knock at the door interrupted our unexpectedly tender moment. The vampire answered the door and took the tray that the slave offered with a sincere thank you before returning to my side.

  “This is what Emmanuel gives his coven’s personal slaves after feedings. The coconut water, vitamins, wheatgrass and spirulina shot, and a nutrient-rich cereal should help you recover more quickly.”

  “Sounds like a health nut’s dream.”

  I started my late night meal with the shot, which I followed up with a swig of the coconut water. As I forced down the tray’s contents, Augustus stayed by my side and made sure that I didn’t miss a single component. When I finally finished, he took the tray and set it on the floor outside his room. While the feeding kit didn’t inspire a miraculous recovery, I felt like I was operating at fifty percent instead of a meager twenty. Recovering that little bit gave me the ability to think of something other than my own circumstances.

  There were men and women in the same house as me who had to live through treatment worse than what I had just endured without having someone to protect them and to nurse them in the aftermath of their owners’ feedings. No matter how I felt or what I’d gone through, I was lucky. If I wasn’t a dhampir and didn’t have Augustus as an ally, my encounter with Grayson would have ended very differently. I had my freedom, protection, and hope. If all went as planned, the slaves would have the same.

  “You seem awfully pensive for someone who was ready to turn in not long ago,” Augustus observed.

  “Some of the slaves have to do this every day. I already knew that, but now I have a better idea of what they go through,” I replied. “I’m lucky to have you as a friend.”

  “Not as lucky as I am,” the vampire smiled as he moved a stray curl out of my face. “You should rest. We have a lot to do tomorrow, and we’ll have to wake up relatively early to do it.”