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“I hate you,” I spat at him.

“So you said. ” He took particular care to adjust his cuffs, then glanced at Elina.

“Master, if you are done, I have the most urgent news for you. ”

“What is it, Elina?”

“There is a carriage approaching the castle. ”

Vlad chuckled with delight and whirled about. His long hair swung heavily around him, then settled against his waist. Clutching Elina to him, he swept his gaze over us. “Unannounced guests, my wives! We feast tonight!”

Ariana leapt up from Cneajna’s bed, clapped her hands with delight, before rushing to Vlad to embrace him tightly. He gave her a long, piercing kiss. Laughing, he released her and kissed Elina.

“A feast, my dark one. A feast of blood, rich and dark, to feed your hunger, to feed your beauty,” Vlad said seductively into Elina’s ear.

Ariana joyously danced around them, her long curls swinging around her.

Cneajna stood silently, her eyes gazing at me. I struggled to my knees, cursing Vlad in my thoughts. Vlad moved to her and grabbed hold of her face between his long hands.

“Are you not pleased, my dear first wife? Tonight we feast!”

Cneajna gazed into his brilliant green eyes, smiling. “Oh, of course, my dear husband! Of course I am pleased!” She pressed herself against him, kissing his lips passionately.

“Good! Dress finely. I want our guests to be impressed by your great beauty!” He glanced toward me as I still struggled to overcome the pain of his intercourse and stand. “Get her up and dress her as well. The miserable girl must feed as well. She must remember what it is to be a vampire. ” He strode over to me and knocked me onto my back. “Will you not, dear Glynis?”

“I will not feed,” I hissed back.

“What did you say? You will not feed? Are you still refusing to answer the hunger? How many days has it been since you last fed? You can barely heal yourself you are so weakened. ”

I averted my eyes. “A week. ”

“Ah, the child! Did you not feed from the hunter…ah…five days ago? Or the lovely young woman I foun

d lost in the forest three days ago?”

“She fed from neither,” Elina said with disgust. “She refused and ran off to hide in the dungeon. More for us, I told her. ”

Vlad growled at me. “Why are you so tediously stubborn about this, Glynis?”

The week had been a horrible struggle. To not feed has been desperately hard, but I remained determined.

“Yes, why are you so stubborn?” Elina asked snidely. “Do enlighten us. ”

I looked up, raised my chin, and said in a fierce voice, “I despise you! I hate you! I will never be what you are!”

Vlad began to laugh, obviously very amused by my words. “You are so painfully pathetic, Glynis. You are what I am and there is no denying it no matter how much you hide behind your English arrogance. You are a vampire. You are a killer. ”

Gritting my teeth, I rolled over and pushed myself to my knees. “I will not feed. I would rather die than please you. ”

Vlad chuckled with delight. “Oh, you will feed. You will. Now, I must prepare for our guests. ”

With that, he simply vanished from the room.

Ariana spun about in her wild dance, singing to herself. Elina just smirked and strode away. Cneajna came to help me rise to my feet.

“You will feed,” Cneajna said softly. “You will. There is no other choice. ”

And as I write this I fear her words are true and I am damned. But I shall remain here in our empty chambers and refuse to feed. For I will not be the monster Vlad wishes me to be. I cannot give into the hunger. I just cannot.