Page 29

My time in Mercy’s residence let me learn a little more about the habits of her specific coven. While Narcissa seemed to appear out of nowhere no matter the time, which indicated that she waswayolder than she looked, most of the others were nowhere to be found. There were a couple of scary dudes who looked like vampires on steroids – it wasn’t natural to look that hot, bulked up and absolutely terrifying… although the Known weren’t what I would call natural – who roamed the place and threw glares and the occasional hiss at me, but I always tried to scurry away and return to the safety of my locked door.

Today, though, I felt brave. I tried to tell myself that it was because I was altering my mindset, preparing to demand my release from this shitshow, but the honest part of my soul knew it was due to Mercy. Whether I wanted to admit it to myself or not, last night had shifted the atmosphere and I knew that I would be under Mercy’s protection unlike before.

Wasn’t it a fascinating thing that you could understand the changes in life as they happened around you, even if no words were spoken? I wondered if Mercy had known that she was shifting an already delicate balance of importance within her home, propelling me into a jealousy-fueled danger that only she could stop. I was nothing but a human with no way to protect myself, but Mercy was their queen. Even if they wanted to kill me, they’d be facing her wrath.

I quickly shifted my thoughts away from that troubling subject, knowing that there was one person who would be able to defy Mercy and escape with her life. I couldn’t consider that or I would stay in my locked room until I was either killed or set free. Isolation until death didn’t sound like much fun.

My stomach grumbled as I padded to the kitchen, searching the refrigerator for something that would curb my hunger. I almost squealed in happiness when I saw bacon wrapped in deli paper, tomatoes and lettuce, and already seasoned smashed avocado… It was like someone had seen into my mind and knew this was exactly what I needed.

The worst thing about not being in your own home was the fact that you didn’t know where anything was. It took me ten minutes of opening cabinets and pulling drawers out to find the frying pan, and then another five looking for paper towels to drain the bacon before realizing it was on a holder in front of me. By the time I heard the sizzle of the bacon as I deposited it in the pan, I was already exhausted. It was always easier to be tired when you were doing literally nothing.

While my bacon was crisping up, I cut slices of a thick sourdough loaf and toasted them under the grill. Making bougie BLTs was usually the star of Sunday brunch with Laura, which sent a pang of sadness through my gut. I hated that I wasn’t free to contact her to make sure she was okay and explain that I didn’t just abandon her in a vampire club. Laura could be flakey and bitchy sometimes, but she was my best friend and I loved her. Burying the hurt of missing her wasn’t easy, but I refused to ask to contact her when I had been told explicitly not to. I wasn’t stupid enough to try and break the rules of a vampire who had literally murdered her boss in front of me.

Pushing aside my thoughts of Laura, and ignoring the way my stomach was now scrunching up with worry and guilt rather than hunger, I smeared some of the smashed avocado on the toasted bread and added my other ingredients.

My worry apparently didn’t want to be buried and I felt the panic rise at the back of my throat as the walls closed in on me. Was Laura worrying about me? I didn’t have a family to care about, but I had her. She was enough and she was probably at home, thinking I had just left her there. What kind of friend did that make me?

I gripped my plate in hand and made my way outside. Mercy had told me I could explore the gardens but I never wanted to before. But now, with my eyes stinging and my ears ringing, I needed fresh air.

I walked through the shrubbery, coming to a small table and chairs underneath apple trees. The trees bore round, shining red apples and I reached up to pluck one for after my breakfast. Sitting it on the ornate table, I plopped into one of the chairs and closed my eyes.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

After I slowed my rapid breathing, I kept my eyes closed and listened to the sound of nature. There was a slight breeze in the air, making the leaves rustle on the trees above me. The chirp of birds calmed me, reminding me of the cartoon Disney movies I used to watch as a kid. It was true when people said that just being outside could drastically improve your mood. And while the sun was burning hot above, I was thankfully covered under the shade of the trees.

Crunch.

My eyes flew open as I leaped from my chair, spinning around to see what was behind me. Standing in front of me, chewing on a huge bite of the apple I had picked, was possibly the most handsome man I had ever seen. He looked like he had just walked off a movie set and he was staring at me with a curious smile on his face.

He was also most definitely a vampire.

And as I glanced around, I saw just how isolated I had made myself.

Nobody would be close enough to hear me scream.

19

NARCISSA

I found myself stalking,preying.

The world around me halted at my very presence; birds stopped chirping and rodents kept away in their dens, but the stupid bloodbags moved about sloppily within my line of sight. They were either unaware or uncaring that they were about to be victims in my lion's den, daring even to be within a few feet of me, instead of keeping a safe distance like everything else. It would have pissed me off if I didn’t know just how empty those pathetic little brains actually were. They were interested in nothing but the casino in front of them, zombie eyes trained on the large signs with the colorful lighting instead of looking for the real danger.

I took a long drag of a cigarette, inhaling the smoke deep into my lungs before exhaling through my nose. It was not the flavor or the high from the nicotine that I craved, but the simplicity of thelook. I looked the part of a Vegas native. I had on form fitting shorts that rode so far up my ass that I dared anyone to take a look, checkered stockings flush against my legs, and falling into a black as night pair of Doc Martens.

My belly was on full display with a short cropped sweater that left little to the imagination, and played with my unusual habit of “sunbathing”. Not to say that I wasdirectlyin the sun, but my skin itched as I sat dangerously close to the end of the line of shade that protruded from the building I sat against. A little sun wouldn’t have bothered me, but I had already been out far too long, and the burn was becoming more noticeable across my delicate skin.

It was no wonder the humans paid me no mind, no vampire in their right fucking mind would be outside here, in broad daylight. And yet, I kicked a boot out, hissing lightly as the sunlight reflected off of them.

I had wondered how life would change when the Known had become . . .known. Life before had been a thrill, and I’d feared that the part of me that made me thoroughly enjoy this immortality—the hunt—would be put into jeopardy once the blood bags had gotten a whiff of us. Thankfully, there was still much to be enjoyed.