Page 6

Chapter 5

Thirst for Revenge

Silvana

“I want her. The silver-haired one,” the male said. He wasn’t as tall as Father, but he had a strange aura about him. As if he were someone to be wary of, someone not to trust. I wondered if Father felt it too. It seemed Mother did, I could tell by the way she was fidgeting, but she wasn’t speaking up.

“She isn’t free, you understand? She isn’t even sixteen yet,” Father grumbled to the male across from him.

They were seated at a table, the male across from my parents. Cora and I were supposed to be in our bedroom, but instead we were sitting by the door listening into the conversation. I wasn’t going to, I tried to respect what Father asked of me, but Cora said we should listen in—that this could be important.

So here we were. On the floor in our nightgowns, listening to this stranger speak to our parents about me.

“He’s talking about you,” Cora whispered. I ignored her, mainly because I couldn’t think that way. Surely Father wouldn’t give me to this male without even talking to me first.

“I know exactly how old she is, and I want her. Name your price.” The male sounded too confident. “You know who I am, I’m sure you can assume why I’d want her. She’ll be well taken care of, I assure you.”

My mother cleared her throat and the male glared across the table at her, but she was looking at my father. “Why don’t we ask Silvana if this is something she’d be interested in, darling?”

Father stared at her and I could see the male growing angry, but I wasn’t sure my parents noticed. Cora gripped my hand tightly, and I knew without even watching the conversation unfold she could feel the energy shifting in the room.

“Five years’ wages.” Father’s voice left no room for argument from Mother, I knew that tone all too well.

The male smiled then, and it had my dinner souring in my stomach as my anxiety rose. “Deal.”

* * *

I arrived home later than I wanted to. Apparently cleaning blood out of your hair takes a bit of extra time when the water pressure in your victim’s house isn’t up to par with what you’re used to.

I’d been able to sleep the rest of the day away in Buttercup’s house without being bothered, though, and when the sun set, I set off to find home for the evening. If I was being honest, I didn’t have a ‘home’ in the normal sense of the word. I had places I enjoyed and stayed for a bit, and then I moved on. Something about staying in one place for too long made me anxious.

Nowhere ever felt safe or nice enough for my soul to stay—assuming I had a soul still, it wanted luxury. That was hard when you refused to stay in one place for a long time.

In most towns and cities, if a vampire killed a human unprovoked, they were punished by the local covens, sometimes even the court rulers. We had plenty of places to drink from willing humans, and we’d figured out ways to store blood for those who didn’t wish to drink directly from the source. Most vampires wanted to live in peaceful coexistence with humans. I wasn’t opposed to such things—honestly. It just… well it didn’t really mesh well with my ideas and constant thirst for revenge.

I didn’t walk around looking for these pathetic men, they tended to find me, and I couldn’t just sit by and watch while doing nothing about it. So, I acted, and I left after I knew the survivors were safe and looked after.

Was it a simple existence? No.

Was there another way? Not that I cared to find. Yet.

So, I lived with the consequences. If one day I was found out? Well, I’d deal with that then.

Tonight’s home was a small room in an inn. A new city, thankfully leaving Coalfell behind in the blood and dust. I’d crossed the border of the Court of Wolves and into my new temporary home in the city of Darkmoor, one of the larger cities in the Court of Shadows. This city was easily one of my favorite places to be.

Standing in the bathroom, I lit some candles around the tub because ambiance was important when pampering oneself, and then turned on the faucet in the luxury-sized tub. Hot water makes its stunning appearance splashing below in the tub big enough for four of me. Thankfully they employed vampires endowed with fire magic who were able to heat the pipes for this exact purpose. The Fates blessed those vampires, truly.

Looking into the mirror, I ran my fingers through my long icy blonde hair. My light blue eyes stared back at me. My skin was as pale as snow, and the only darkness in my appearance I possessed was the scarlet coloring of my lips and the blush on my cheeks after I’d fed.

It was as if everything about my complexion matched my inherited magic and the frost of my bitter heart. At least that was the joke Cedar and I went with.

I didn’t mind, though. The old Silvie, from what I could remember, was weak and let the men of her life walk all over her. This version? Well, she didn’t. If my outer appearance matched the ice in my heart, that was fine. It was better for me that way. I was stronger, faster, more ruthless than I ever was before. I didn’t settle for men treating me like property, or any woman for that matter. It was nice to be in control of my life and body.

After everything that had happened, I needed that.

I smiled at my reflection in the mirror. Turned around, climbed into the tub, and sank down, letting the warm water wash over me.

* * *

I ’d spent the last few days in the small inn on the edge of town, but I knew I needed to check out soon. I just needed a bit more time to collect my thoughts.

I’d spent the first few years of my rebirth alone. I enjoyed it that way after I found myself covered in blood on the snowy ground in the middle of those dense woods. I needed to find myself and figure out who I was beyond the bits and pieces I could remember. But when I met Cedar… Well, Cedar had my back in a way I didn’t remember anyone else having it.

He’d had a rough transition, and we bonded over the whole ‘my maker changed me and then bailed to let me figure this new life out alone’ thing. Apparently, from what I’d learned, that was not the normal trajectory of things. Most vampires only changed someone with a purpose. They were in love, they were making talented soldiers, they were friends and were creating their own family. They didn’t find someone dying, exchange blood, and then disappear without a trace.

However, most people could also remember their lives before their rebirth, including Cedar. So, who can even say that was what happened to me?

But Cedar and I had formed a bond through our trauma, and he kept me in check while also finding me odd jobs. Sadly, our currency didn’t just fall from the sky into our greedy hands. Cedar always found me jobs that helped quench the thirst for revenge I had never shaken off, while also being a brother and looking out for me.

I walked through the inn and handed my note to the barkeep, asking that it be sent off as soon as possible. Afterward, I headed out into the streets of Darkmoor.

This city had always been one of my favorites. As a vampire, staying out of the sun was high on the list of priorities, and Darkmoor had always made it easier than the rest of Kostbare.

The city had retained its original Gothic architecture throughout. The buildings were tall and made of gray, black, or brown stones. The streets were a combination of matching cobblestone and bricks throughout. But the weather stayed dreary and wet. Fog off The Black Sea always infiltrated the streets, and the sun rarely made its appearance known.

I walked until I came to the end of an unlit street. It didn’t have a sign or a name, but I knew it wasn’t well-known to most. That suited Cedar and me better with our line of work. We didn’t want more attention than necessary.

Walking up the stone steps of the second to last house on the right, I knocked three times before using a key to unlatch the door. Making my way inside, I took off my boots by the door and headed for the couch in the living area. He wouldn’t be here yet since I’d just sent the letter, but I knew it wouldn’t take the raven shifter long to arrive.

It was rare that Cedar and I met in person anymore. Not because we didn’t want to, but because he was on a mission to find his sire. A mission that had lasted him over a hundred years now. Normally, I’d send a letter that I tried to keep short and to the point. But it was time for a face-to-face meeting with my only family. I hated to confess it, even to myself, but I missed him. Something had felt off for the last few moon cycles. I needed a sense of familiarity right now.

After a short while, I heard the three-part knock on the front door and then the click announcing the door opened.

“Oh, Silv, darling! I’m home!” His deep voice rumbled from the front of the house.

A rare smile immediately lit up my face as I rose to greet him. Cedar was a tall man—easily two heads taller than me. He had tawny-colored skin, deep brown eyes, the color of chocolate, and a smile that lit up any room he entered. The only thing not completely perfect about his appearance was a scar that ran down the left side of his face from mid-brow to his bottom lip. Cedar was a rare gem in the pile of filth the Fates had handed me.

I stood up on my toes and tousled his shaggy ebony-colored hair. It was shaved on the left side, and he left the right side longer. It was almost to his shoulder now.

“Did you miss me?” I asked jokingly while he hugged me tight.

“Oh, absolutely, Silv. You know I was just dying to hear that sultry voice of yours after so long.” His tone was sarcastic but pleased. “But if you want honesty, yes. I was over with the birds when your letter arrived, so I flew the coop as quickly as I could.” He was referring to the Court of Ravens. With Cedar being a raven shifter, he spent a lot of time there trying to find any leads.

“Okay—out with it, Cedar? What’s new? My job in Coalfell was easy. I finished in less than a day and they expected me to take half a fortnight. Anything new rolling around out there?” My impatience was clear. Cedar knows how much I hate not staying busy with jobs. Anything to keep the nightmares at bay.

“Actually, yes. I’ve heard throughout some of the court gossip that there is a rebel group in the Court of Shadows. They’re calling themselves the Eternal Outcasts.” The tone of Cedar’s voice said it all.

“A rebel group? What exactly are they rebelling against?”

“They want to rule… as in truly rule. They’re turning humans against their will, Silv, and those they don’t turn, they’re using as walking blood bags.”

I stared at him for a moment, trying to wrap my head around what he was saying.

The court system wasn’t perfect. Kostbare was ruled by four courts—the Court of Shadows, Wolves, Ravens, and Ice. The rulers of each court came together forming a council, but they each ruled over their respective courts only coming together for something that involved the entirety of the region. Then each court ruled over a set of covens that were smaller groups watching over the towns throughout. Each coven reported back to the ruler of their respective court.

If the humans being turned had proof they were turned against their will, it was a problem. Even worse was the outcome if the rulers of the four courts were called in.

Humans worked with the courts now, and they had rights. They weren’t slaves and hadn’t been for hundreds of years now. I’d heard of the court rulers wiping out entire covens of vampires if they couldn’t exist within the laws and help uphold and protect the humans in their territories.

“So, what’s being done about it?” I asked Cedar. “Is the Court of Shadows ruler calling in his fancy Shadow Brigade to handle things?”

I’d heard legends about the ruler of the Court of Shadows, none of them good or optimistic. There was a reason he’d been in charge here for over three hundred years. He used his shadow magic first and used it ruthlessly. He was the last male I needed to be around.

“Well, I’m not sure,” Cedar said cautiously. My stomach dropped at this news. “Part of me wonders if the rulers of the courts are even aware it’s happening, Silv. I think someone higher up is covering for them.”

“How do you know about it then?” I asked curiously.

Typically, when Cedar handed me a job over to me, it was because he’d learned about it through the covens we’d built relationships with. We were experts at taking out problematic vampires before the court rulers needed to be called in.

Sorrow passed through Cedar’s dark eyes. “Dryden’s daughter was taken. He hasn’t gone to any of the leaders, because he’s worried about it being taken to the top. He has other kids to worry about, Silv, but he’s asked around the docks and, apparently, she isn’t the first to end up gone.”

Dryden was one of the dock workers that Cedar had become close with over the last few years. He’s a human, and while most humans are wary of us, Dryden had always been kind. His wife passed on a few years ago, leaving him behind with five children to care for.

Cedar sat down in the high-back chair behind him and eyed me carefully before he shrugged. “I know if anyone can find out what’s going on, it’s you.”

I stared down at him for a moment and started pacing the worn-in wooden floor beneath my feet.

“I guess I’m going hunting,” I stated plainly.