Chapter 17

I didn’t really sleep much that night.Every time I closed my eyes, I remembered Vladimir’s cold fingers beneath my chin and the strange way my body had obeyed him. I had been angry enough to scream, yet the moment he told me to breathe, I had done exactly that.

I didn’t understand what he had done to me, and I hated that I couldn’t explain it.

By morning, I had decided to stay out of his way.

I had to be careful.

Emma was still waiting for me, and I wasn’t going to die in this castle because I couldn’t control my temper.

I spent most of the morning working in the prince’s quarters. Vladimir was nowhere to be seen, and I was grateful for it. I cleaned the study, arranged the supplies, and left the books exactly where I had found them.

By the time I finished, my arms were aching.

A guard escorted me back to the servants’ corridor, where I was told to wait until someone needed me again. I sat on a wooden bench near the wall, trying to ignore the ache in my feet.

Then a bell rang.It was loud enough to make me jump.

A second bell followed, then a third. The sound travelled through the castle, growing louder as it echoed through the corridors.

The servants around me immediately stood up.

“What is that?” I asked.

Nobody answered.

A guard came running around the corner, his sword already drawn.“Everyone inside! Move!”

The servants scattered. I barely had time to stand before another group of guards rushed past us, heading toward the lower floors.

“What happened?” I called after one of them.

“Get inside!”He didn’t slow down.

I followed the other servants into a small room and stood near the doorway, trying to make sense of the noise outside. I could hear boots striking the stone floor, men shouting orders, and something heavy crashing in the distance.

Then came a scream.It was cut short.I stepped toward the door.

A woman grabbed my arm. “Don’t.”

I looked at her. “What’s happening?”

“Stay here if you want to live.”

Before I could ask anything else, she pulled away and moved toward the back of the room.

I should have listened.But I had spent enough time being kept in the dark. I wanted to know what was happening, and I couldn’t stand waiting while people screamed somewhere beyond the walls.

I slipped into the corridor.

It was almost empty now. The guards had gone, and the servants were hiding behind closed doors. I moved carefully toward the staircase, keeping close to the wall.

As I reached the landing, a figure rushed past me so quickly that I barely saw him.

One moment, the corridor was empty. The next, a tall vampire was at the far end, moving faster than any human could run.

He reached the staircase and leapt over the railing.My mouth fell open.

He dropped to the floor below, landed on both feet, and kept running as though he had stepped off a low stool.

I stared after him.What the fuck!Another crash shook the floor beneath me.I gripped the railing.

A group of vampires rushed past the lower entrance, their weapons drawn. One carried a long blade, while another had a short sword in each hand. Their faces were hard, their eyes bright as they disappeared through a set of doors.

Something struck the doors from the other side.

The wood split.

A guard flew backward through the opening and hit the wall. He slid to the floor, groaning, while the vampire behind him stepped over the broken pieces.

It wasn’t a guard.

At least, not one I recognised.

He wore dark clothes, and blood ran down one side of his face. His eyes were an unnatural shade of red, and his mouth twisted into a smile when he saw the guards approaching.

“You’re getting slow,” he said.

One of the guards charged him.

The stranger moved aside, caught the man’s wrist, and twisted.

The crack was loud enough to make my stomach turn.

The guard screamed and dropped his sword.

Before the others could react, the stranger grabbed him by the front of his armour and threw him across the corridor. He struck two more guards, sending all three crashing to the floor.

I stumbled back.

I had seen vampires hunt humans, but I had never seen them fight one another.

There was no warning, no hesitation. They moved with frightening speed, striking hard enough to break stone and throwing grown men around as if they weighed nothing.

A guard sprang at the stranger from behind.

The stranger turned without looking and drove his elbow into the guard’s chest. The man flew backward and crashed into a pillar.

I covered my mouth.

This was madness.

Another vampire appeared at the far end of the corridor, his sword raised. The stranger laughed and rushed toward him.

They collided.

Steel rang against steel. The stranger caught a blow on his forearm, then drove his opponent into the wall. The stone cracked behind the guard’s head.

The fight was so fast that I could barely follow it.

I had to get out of there.I turned to leave, but the moment I moved, the stranger’s head snapped toward me.His red eyes locked onto mine.My entire body went cold.

He shoved the guard aside and came straight for me.

I ran.

I didn’t even know where I was going. I rushed down the corridor, my feet slipping against the smooth floor as I searched for somewhere to hide.Behind me, I heard a laugh.

Then nothing.No footsteps. No shouting.I risked a glance over my shoulder.

The corridor was empty.

I slowed down, confused, and turned toward the nearest doorway.A hand shot out of the darkness and caught my arm.

I screamed.

The stranger dragged me inside a narrow passage and slammed me against the wall. The back of my head struck stone, sending a burst of pain through my skull.

I tried to kick him, but he caught my leg and shoved it aside.

“Well, well,” he murmured. “What do we have here?” he said tasting my blood that had stained the wall behind me

I struggled against his grip.“Let me go!”

He laughed in my face.

“Humans always think shouting will save them.”

I reached for the small knife hidden beneath my dress, but he caught my wrist before I could pull it free.

His grip tightened until pain shot through my fingers.The knife slipped from my hand and clattered to the floor.

He glanced at it, then back at me.“That won’t help you.