All Chapters of BETRAYED BY HER BLOOD, CLAIMED BY THE NIGHT: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

LAVINIA QUISPE POVAs I reached the end of the aisle, I caught eyes with Priestess Elowen, who wore vestments like mine, but crimson as I would wear a month hence, when the Blood Mark begun tonight would be finished. The Priestess was a stern woman, not unkind. Decades officiating at Blood-Oaths, funeral rites, and consecrated rituals had only rubbed from her whatever lightness she ever had.Being the Covenant Priestess was an honor, so to speak, but I had somehow doubted all along. It certainly wasn't anything I wanted for myself. Being the Lady of the Covenant was a job I wasn't sure I could handle as it was.The Priestess nodded, and all three Princes knelt on the velvet cushions placed before a low obsidian altar. Traditional, like the robes. Hard to look graceful kneeling when the sash was wrapped so tightly around my waist I couldn’t take a complete breath.I fell to one knee, facing the Priestess across the long altar, and bowed my head."We begin," the Priestess said, her voic

It was odd enough that the entire noble court was witness. Normal Fledglings didn't have an audience for their first awakening. Certainly not the whole Covenant.Lord Quispe, as was his wont, was attired in a tailored black three-piece suit. He looked me over, frowning, which was about par for the course. I could tell he didn't think much of my plain, comfortable clothes-dark trousers and a blue tunic-even though there was no dress code set for tonight, since I would be stripped down to nothing for the rite anyway."Could you not have put on something more suitable, considering the solemnity of the occasion?" he asked, his voice oozing disapproval.I chewed the inside of my cheek. "It's not like I'll be wearing them for long anyway, Father," I reminded him. His scowl made it clear that was not an acceptable response, but before he could say anything, Priestess Elowen emerged, wearing her usual crimson ceremonial robes.“There you are, child,” she said, warmly clasping her hands in fro

LAVINIA QUISPE POV: ConsequencesThe air was still vibrating with the raw, aggressive energy I had unleashed. Zack lay stunned on the earth, the powerful glamour of a pureblood momentarily fractured.Silence pressed in, broken only by the sharp, stunned gasps of the assembled court.Zilo was the first to move. He spun from his shock, rushing to my side. His hands lifted, checking my throat, my arms, his gaze frantic.“Lavinia, are you hurt? What was that?” His warm, cool scent, usually a comfort, was now mingled with the sharp edge of fear.Klaus, his obsidian aura now fully stabilized, strode forward, stepping over Zack’s prone form without a glance. He stopped inches from me, his dark eyes intense, assessing. “She is Ascended. And dangerous.”Zack pushed himself up, his eyes blazing, a terrifying mix of lust and challenge. “You like to play rough, Lady. Fine. The Hunt is on.” The Sanguine Circle beneath the Blood Moon pulsed a blinding, wicked red.I stood trembling, my core humming

"Level with me, Doc, how many needles am I looking at?" Sofia asked as the Doctor came over, donning a fresh pair of gloves. She chuckled. "Just a few draws for the blood purity test. But the new arcane tech is great. You will hardly notice it. Somehow Sofia doubted that, but her fear of needles was nothing compared to the anxiety of not knowing if she had some rare disorder that kept nobles from manifesting their gifts or something. She was already a bit of a hypochondriac after her mother’s illness, even though the doctors had assured her it wasn't hereditary.Rosa was one of the few unfortunate Elder vampires whose accelerated regenerative abilities couldn't outpace the progression of her blood-borne disease, and once her symptoms had started to appear, it'd been a matter of moments before things went downhill. In that time, Sofia had lost her best friend, and often her only confidant, even though there were still things about all this she would've been afraid to tell even her. Fee

That was all he said before getting out of the car and stalking toward the path leading behind the mansion and into the darker shadows of the Abribi Covenant District. Sofia didn't need to ask to know where he was going. Like most male nobles, when his emotions raged and he didn't feel like he was in control, he retreated to isolation, sometimes even choosing a period of deep stasis. It meant getting away somewhere he could process the betrayal and let the rage bubbling just beneath the surface out on less inappropriate targets.Whether it was her he would be tearing apart in his mind with some poor unfortunate human as proxy, or Rosa, or whoever her biological father was, she did not know. Maybe all of the above, but in any case, she felt shame and fear and confusion. So much confusion.She went back inside and up to her room, curling up in her bed and hiding under the heavy velvet covers like she had done when she was little and she was afraid of a monster in the closet. Lord Quispe