Chapter 7

Simone's POV

I wake with a violent start. I inhale sharply and bolt upright. “Good afternoon, Poppet,” an unfamiliar voice says to my left.

I let out an involuntary little squeal and grab at thin air, looking for something, anything, I can use to defend myself against a possible attack. It takes me a hot minute to realise I’m no longer in Baron’s mansion. I’m lying on a soft rug in front of a warm fire.

For the first time in my life, I feel…cosy. I have no other word for it.

“You are safe,” the man says, his voice calm and comforting.

Frowning, I turn my head to look at the speaker. A vampire with long, spider-white hair, wearing a robe made from roughly woven material sits on a couch on the other side of a coffee table. He closes the book on his lap and puts it aside, then rests his head between his thumb and forefinger and gives me a little smile.

I should probably be scared, but I'm not. It's just more of the same. At least I understand them - vampires. I am kind of relieved t