Page 4 of A Vow of Shadow and Blood

His eyes dart to mine as though I hold the answer.

I suck my bottom lip between my teeth as Vincent trails a finger slowly up my exposed leg, and it’s all I can do not to recoil.

“I’m not sure.”

“He’s not sure,” Vincent mocks, earning him a few laughs from the vampires around the table. “I come here because it is the most expensive and most elite bloodhouse in the entire kingdom of Kalyn. Did you know that it is one of only two bloodhouses that requires you to have a membership just to get through the door?” He gestures dramatically toward the large wooden doors separating us from the outside world. “Therefore, I have high expectations of the purebloods that serve me when I visit here.”

The table is silent, everyone hanging on the edge of his words.

“Do you think you met those expectations tonight?”

Jace looks to me for guidance, but I have nothing to give—not without risking everything I care about, and that isn’t an option.

“I…I think so.”

“He thinks so. Thank the lost Gods he can think.” Vincent curls his finger toward Jace, beckoning him forward again. “Come, perhaps you can make this up to me with a taste from somewhere more…appetizing.”

Jace shuffles forward, his throat bobbing as he swallows.

“Bend down.”

He follows the command, and Vincent removes the hand from my thigh to trace the vein trailing along his throat. He inhales deeply as he does.

“Do you know why I only feed from the wrist, Jace?” The boy shakes his head, and Vincent drops his voice to a whisper. “My uncle has banished me from feeding elsewhere. He thinks I have no self-control. He thinks I am unable to stop. Can you believe that?”

“No.” His words are just above a whisper, and I can see the fear radiating in his eyes.

“Would you like to help me prove him wrong?”

“If it would please you.” My chest tightens, and my blood stirs, heating with his every word.

“It would very much please me,” Vincent says.

Without hesitation, he wraps a hand around Jace’s throat before slamming his mouth against the throbbing vein. The boy’s scream bursts out, sharp but short-lived. Vincent could have made it pleasurable, but instead, he chooses to torment him even in his final moments. I watch in horror as the boy struggles against his hold, every effort futile. He is no match for the strength of a vampire.

My fingers dig into the arms of the leather chair, my nails biting into the material as I fight every instinct in my body, watching as Jace’s body becomes limp. Tears burn at the edges of my eyes, but I will not let them fall. They will not see me cry. Instead, rage takes its place, like a dark rumble inside my chest.

Kill. Kill. Kill.

Gods, I hate them. They think we’re fucking toys for feeding and entertainment. I close my eyes for a moment, trying to control my blood’s need to fight back. I can feel it pushing against its own nature, the pressure growing like a storm in my veins. I beg my mind to quiet, to keep the black substance trying to fill my veins at bay.

The best enemy is the one you do not see coming.I replay the words in my mind like a mantra. Back then, when they were first whispered to me on nights I lost control—when the urge to slaughter every vampire in the bloodhouse consumed me—I didn’t understand. But now I do. I let the calm wash over me.

A loud thud fills the air, and when my eyes open, I find Jace’s severed head lying just a few inches from my feet, his sad eyes still watching me, begging me to save him. But I failed him, just like the many others before him.

Vincent’s arm slips around my waist, holding me firmly in place as he presses his mouth against my ear.

“You are far too rare and potent to kill,” he says, his fingers curling tight around my wrist. I try to pull away, but he onlysqueezes tighter, forcing a whimper from me. Horror widens my eyes as dark shadows spill from his palm, coiling around my wrist in a tight hold. My body locks at the sight of his House’s elemental shadow magic on full display.Vincent wields shadow fire.The cool brush of darkness turns searing in an instant, agony ripping a strangled cry from my throat as black flames lick and burn through flesh. The flames crackle as they dance around my wrist, causing my vision to blur. He moves his hand away, leaving behind the dark tendrils as he smothers my scream with his blood-stained palm. Ragged breaths leave my mouth as the scent of burnt flesh assaults my nose, and the room becomes a collision of colors I can no longer tell apart. The sound of the other vampires laughing makes Athriel’s rage slam against the walls of my mind, clawing to break free.Kill. Kill. Kill.

No! There’s…too many…too…dangerous.

His anger heightens, and through the blinding pain, I fight to push him back. My focus is pulled back to the room as Vincent’s cold voice fills my ears.

“If you ever make the mistake of getting involved in my business again, I will do things to you that will make you wish you were dead, and I don’t give a shit if it upsets the precious Lord Blackwood. Understood?”

I nod as tears sting the edges of my eyes and heat bubbles inside my stomach. It seems like forever before he finally summons his shadows away. He raises his hand to his mouth, pressing his palm to his fangs to allow a small pool of venom to collect there. He coats the raw flesh on my wrist in the cool liquid, and I wince as the edges of the skin begin to knit together, smoothing over as if he didn’t just burn it all away. I sigh as the burning sensation turns to a mild sting. My body betrays me as my head flops back against his shoulder, too exhausted to move. He allows the venom to completely heal every spot, but a raised ridge of scar tissue. Soft laughter spills from his mouth as hesweeps his thumb over the new scar he has left behind. He leans forward to admire it, as if it were a rare piece of artwork.

“A reminder,” he says. I grit my teeth as I try to hold back everything I want to do to him.