Page 82 of A Vow of Shadow and Blood

“Are you ok?” Ajax asks, a strange look on his face.

I shake my head to clear away the thoughts.

“Yes, I’m fine. The prince said that I’m siphoning his powers?”

He looks unsure but nods. “Yes.”

“What exactly does that mean?” I try to keep my tone light.

“It’s…not really my place. I’m sure Karius will speak to you about all of that. I’m just here to help you manage some of the effects the change can have on your body.”

I refrain from rolling my eyes again.

“The change?”

He nods. “It’s what born vampires go through in adolescence. It’s our bodies molding to adapt to our new powers. But it seems that yours may all be coming at once.” Memories of a similar conversation fill my mind, and I remember bits and pieces of what Iza was saying when I had lost complete control.

I always thought that vampires were born as they were, monsters from birth. I guess I was wrong. That small fact might be my way out. If I can tap into the prince’s strength, I might finally have a chance to get the hell out of here.

“Fine,” I say, and he looks surprised by my compliance.

“Ok.” He steps back, looking around the room. “Let’s focus on your speed. That’s what kicked in last night.”

I turn to find Ivana and Piper staring at me.

“Is there a need for an audience?” I ask, gesturing to them.

Ivana’s mouth curves into a smile, and I look away. Ajax shrugs.

“I’m afraid this space is where the royal guards train, so you’re going to have to learn to share.”

“Great.”

I try to ignore them, but I can feel their judgmental eyes on me, and suddenly I’m dragged back to my first day at the bloodhouse, back when I was a newblood learning how everything worked. The older purebloods always seem to see newbloods as fresh competition that they didn’t want to dealwith, and they treated us accordingly. That’s why I tried to help any newbloods that came after me.

“The first thing that changes for a vampire is their senses. The order is different for each of us, but it’s always the senses first. They usually come one at a time, which helps us to get control before the next appears.”

“So last night wasn’t the end of it?” I hate the fear I hear in my voice.

He shakes his head sympathetically, his eyes soft. “I’m afraid not. Last night your body was morphing, if you like, in order to prepare it to be able to move faster without injury.”

“I felt my bones breaking.”

His face twists at this.

“It’s usually a much slower process, tiny fractures here and there that heal quickly, but this is new territory for all of us. But the sooner we get them under control, the easier it’ll be each time.”

I look around and find Piper stretching and Ivana showing her how to do it better. At least their attention is off me.

“What do I need to do?”

“Just run.”

I look at him as if he’s stupid, and he laughs.

“I need to see how fast you can go and how much control you already have. It’ll help me to see what we need to work on.”

For once, I don’t argue. I step forward and ready myself, taking a deep breath.