by Ginna Moran
Without thinking, I elbow him in the stomach to get him to step back. A couple of people gasp, and Rylie drags me away to shield me from what everyone looks like they expect to be my impending final donation.
Hudson doesn’t react to the fact that I hit him. Instead, he smiles at me like we share some sort of secret. And maybe we do. There is no way in hell that I’m telling Rylie about the whole towel incident or the fact that I almost kissed the guy. Or how I also think he’s as good looking as Berkeley.
“Come on, Ms. Flamme. It’s time to meet the headmistress. I’m sure you will see your friend later.” Hudson’s voice remains even, and he motions for me to return to his side.
Rylie squeezes my hand, not letting me go right away like she fears she may never see me again, and I have to tug away myself.
I meet her gaze. “I’ll come back. I promise. We’ll talk later.” And by talk, she knows I insinuate devising an escape plan. I’m sure dawn will approach soon. Sunlight is the only advantage we have against vampires, and even then, it’s not foolproof.
“Be safe, Fiona. Remember, don’t fight.” Her words go against everything we’ve both been taught in regards to vampires. Because Blood Rebels are never to bow down or comply with a vampire. We’re supposed to fight regardless of whether or not we can win.
But now? Things are different. Fighting here would end in our senseless deaths. From the look on Rylie’s face, like me, she’s not ready to die. So complying it is.
“I won’t,” I say, confirming that I feel the same way she does.
Hudson leads me to a door without allowing me to say more. A small placard declares this to be the way to the headmistress’s office. I don’t get more than ten feet into the hallway with Hudson before Culver materializes in front of us and flashes his fangs at me, purposefully surprising me and making me jump.
It takes everything in me not to yell at him and slap him across the face. I know he’s the type to retaliate. Giving me a once-over, Culver inspects me like someone would inspect a piece of fruit at the dining hall to pick out the best one. His heavy gaze makes me more than uncomfortable. He elicits all sorts of fear and unease unlike his coven brother.
“Thank you for handling my donor, brother,” Culver says, turning his attention to Hudson. “It seems she got to Berkeley, and he couldn’t finish his duty as her health keeper.”
“Maybe if you hadn’t interrupted during a private exam,” Hudson says, surprising me. “Cut him some slack. You know he carries a lot of compassion for donors.”
“I will, but only because he excels at his job,” Culver mutters. “But as the head of our security division, I must ask you to remind all of our brothers about donor protocol. This one is mine.”
Hudson retracts his hand from my back. “Yes, brother. I’ll remind them.”
I don’t get the chance to beg Hudson not to leave me with this asshole before he vanishes, leaving only a closing door in his wake. Training my gaze on the floor-runner, I ignore Culver’s gaze as he assesses me.
“I’m rather annoyed my brothers brought you here instead of abandoning you in the streets for me to return to,” Culver says, keeping his voice low. “But perhaps it was a good thing. I’ll get to enjoy you far longer this way.”
I try not to react, though my thudding heartbeat gives me away.
“Come along now, Ms. Flamme. Headmistress Rasmussen requested your presence before she agrees formally to release you to me.”
Wait, what? Formally releases me? That almost sounds like there’s a chance that I won’t fall into Culver’s hands and under his vicious fangs. He steps forward without touching me, and I force myself to follow behind him, thinking about a dozen things I can do to convince whoever is in charge not to fate me to such a life.
As far as I know from the brief fight Culver had with his brothers over me in the city, the one thing I have going for me in this territory is that I’m female. I can use that, especially if the person in charge of this place is female too.
“Pick up your pace,” Culver says, snapping at me. “We don’t have all night. The headmistress will be leaving soon, and I don’t want to have to wait until tomorrow night to teach you your new place.”
I clench my jaw but don’t respond. I can’t. If I do, I’ll lose my shit. If that happens, it’s over. I know it. I promised Rylie that I’d return to her, and I refuse to let this asshole force me into breaking my promise.
I keep my head bowed until we reach a set of double doors in the middle of the long hallway. Culver motions for me to get the door for him, and I ease it open, almost afraid of what I’ll find on the other side. Cool, rose-fragranced air trickles to me, and Culver pushes the door open completely from above my head, scowling in annoyance by how long I take.
“Welcome, Mr. King,” a friendly, masculine voice says, drawing my attention to a young human guy behind a reception counter. “Headmistress Rasmussen has been expecting your arrival.”
Culver ignores the guy and crosses the room to a tall wooden door with ornate designs etched into the wood. A gold placard on the door reads Headmistress Ravenna Rasmussen of the Academy of Vampire Heirs. The light on a small electronic pad on the wall turns green, and the door swings inward without us having to touch it.
“Mr. King, I was starting to believe you had changed your mind about your request to acquire a personal donor.” A gorgeous young woman with an ageless face sits cross-legged on a couch with a glass of red liquid in her hand. Across from her rests a massive dark wooden desk with built-in shelving and cabinetry. A projector screen glows on the wall, the video of the moon sinking into the horizon reminding us that dawn approaches.
Culver clears his throat. “My apologies for the delay, Headmistress. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. It seems Ms. Flamme needed some medical attention, and my brother would not release her to me until he was through.”
The headmistress nods. “I find Berkeley’s attention to detail and thoroughness quite admirable in regards to the Donor Division. He will serve you well. A region must hold high esteem to its population, and donor health is a top priority.” She speaks to him like he needs the reminder, though I feel she might also be mentioning it to me at the same time.
“Yes, ma’am,” Culver says. “I fully agree, which is why we were late.”
Headmistress Rasmussen offers a warm smile at Culver’s lie. “You’ll be an excellent addition to our board, Mr. King. Now please, join me. I’d like to meet the one you would like formally to claim.”
I find it odd that she speaks of me like I’m not standing next to Culver. I don’t know much about vampire customs, but I’m sure I’m about to find out. Now that her gaze turns to me, the headmistress looks like she has a lot to say.
“Please, come sit next to me, Ms. Flamme. I’d like to ask you a few questions.” The woman doesn’t smile at me, though she sounds friendly enough.
Culver nudges me to get me started until I cross the room on my own. Thankfully, he chooses to stand near a tinted window with a view of the outside too dark for me to see from my position.
I take a seat on the couch next to the woman and cross my legs at my ankles, purposefully mirroring her position. She studies my face while I gaze at my hands. I don’t know whether I should look at her or not, but there is no way I’m going to risk and assume I can. She’s much more regal than Culver and his brothers and in control of this place, so I know she must be powerful. The best I can do is proceed with caution. Plus, I want her to reject Culver’s request to claim me.
“I spoke to your companion earlier this evening, and we had quite the interesting conversation.” Headmistress Rasmussen’s words work to get me to look up. “She explained that the two of you did not come here with the normal intent someone part of the resistance usually has in venturing into one of Blood Life Corp’s regions.”
“That is correct,” I say, acknowledging her statement.
“The health keeper who treated you confirmed that you admitted the same thi
ng.” She pauses to take a sip of what I know is blood from her glass. “Now, either the two of you have corroborated your stories to give us a false pretense of your arrival or—”
“She was not lying.” I regret speaking the second the words escape. It’s too late to take them back, so I straighten my shoulders and continue. “I want no part of the future laid out for me.”
She hums under her breath. “Fortunately for you, Mr. King has agreed to graciously accept you as his personal donor. If you choose to establish the bond I’m sure he hopes for, I can promise your future will not be anything like what you imagined.”
Did she just insinuate that Culver desires more than turning me into a blood source? From her peaked brows, I know she definitely did.
I can’t stop myself from looking at Culver, who stares at me with something feral in his eyes. “And what if I don’t agree...with any of this?”
Culver releases a threatening growl. “It doesn’t matter. I caught you in the city. You broke several laws that carry an automatic death sentence.”
Headmistress Rasmussen sets down her glass. “If she were male.”
“And because I’m not you expect me to suffer a fate far worse?” My sharp voice snaps both of their attention to me. “This asshole had planned to kill me. If the authorities hadn’t arrived, he would’ve. It wasn’t even he who brought me here. He obviously didn’t want me badly enough to stick around, so how can you think he will obey the law now? Even one of his brothers said he had a blatant disregard for it.”
One second I’m sitting across from the headmistress, and in the next, my back hits the wall and Culver snarls in my face. I cringe and tuck my neck, fear over his fangs begging me to curl in on myself. If he wasn’t gripping me by my wrists, I would cover my throat.
“You bitch. No one gave you permission to speak freely,” he says.
“Mr. King.” Headmistress Rasmussen’s sharp voice cuts through his continuous low growls at me. I’ve never heard something so animalistic before. “If you do not settle down, I will not grant you what you’ve asked. A region head would demonstrate far more restraint and know how to handle the situation without the use of unnecessary force. She is a donor and not a competitor.”
I land on my ass and smack my hand over my mouth to cover my screech of pain. The numbing cream is clearly not as long-lasting as I had hoped. I fall over and curl in on myself to suppress my need to swear to the universe. Culver abandons me to return to his previous spot by his window. The headmistress doesn’t move either.
A gentle hand touches my shoulder, and I open my eyes to see Berkeley squatting next to me. He silently helps me to my feet while the others watch. Shifting his body slightly so the others can’t see him, he offers me a frown.
“Do you need to return to the health center?” he asks, keeping his voice so low that I practically have to read his lips.
I bob my head, only because I have a feeling if I say yes, he’ll get me out of here.
Clearing his throat, he turns to the headmistress. “As Ms. Flamme’s health keeper, I must insist she return to the health center for further observation.”
“In a few minutes,” Headmistress Rasmussen says. “I need to announce my formal decision in regards to Mr. King’s request for the record.”
I can’t stop myself from reacting. “Please, don’t let him claim me. I’m better off dead.”
Silver flashes in the headmistress’s eyes as she glances from me to meet Culver’s gaze. “I hereby grant the King Coven Rylie Reynolds as a daylight staff member and Fiona Flamme as a personal blood donor.”
“No,” I whisper, shock washing over me at not only the announcement of my name but also of Rylie’s.
Culver grins and comes to my side. “She will not be needing medical attention.”
Headmistress Rasmussen materializes in front of me, stopping Culver from stealing me away. “I was not finished, Mr. King. I have a few conditions you must agree to first.”
Culver glares at the woman without a word.
“Both donors must enter the vampire household work program here at the Academy of Vampire Heirs. It will be our staff to teach them what they need to know so that upon your completion of the region head training, they will be properly educated to be a part of your daylight household.” She glances at me. “Also, there is a no-bite policy on this campus. While you claimed Ms. Flamme as your personal donor, you will abide by the rules until you return to your home city. She is also allowed a place in the donor dorms if she so chooses. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Culver says with a growl.
“Might I suggest that you use this time wisely to get acquainted with Ms. Flamme. Show her around and do try to make her feel comfortable. Let this be a lesson on building a loyal staff.”
“Yes, Headmistress.” Culver looks annoyed as hell. Even if she put these conditions in place, it only buys me a little extra time. Why she even did it? I have no idea.
“Good. Now, if you will please head to administration, you can sign your contract there. Also see to it that Ms. Flamme finds her way to the dining hall after her health exam. I’m sure she’s probably hungry.”
The headmistress waves Culver away, and Berkeley, who has remained utterly silent, guides me out without touching me. Culver doesn’t stick around, and I’m glad for it. His presence alone drives my fear instincts crazy.
Berkeley turns to me in the waiting room. “Would you mind if I carry you? It’s much faster.”
I shrug. “I guess.”
I don’t get a chance to react before Berkeley lifts me off my feet and cradles me against him.
He peers at me. “Congratulations on your acceptance here. Only a few handfuls of donors are granted such an opportunity.”
Tightening my mouth, I glare at him. “This isn’t an opportunity to me. It’s punishment.”
Chapter 6
Personal Blood Donor
IT WASN’T UNTIL WELL PAST dawn that Berkeley showed me to the donor dorms that can be accessed through a tunnel for vampires while also having an above ground entrance that allows humans to walk through a garden. Because of the sun, I didn’t get to experience it. Hopefully tomorrow.
Rylie was passed out on the top of a bunk bed in the room that had been assigned to us. I decided against waking her because she looked exhausted, so I’ve been tossing and turning, my adrenaline still pumping through me, not letting me relax.
According to Berkeley, we’ll now follow a vampire schedule while we’re here, which means training classes at night and attempting to sleep in the day. And it sucks.
A strange alarm rings through the air, and I bolt upright and jump to my feet. I rush from the bed and snatch a lamp, holding it like a baseball bat. My heart races, my whole body trembling. Moving to the space next to the door, I wait for someone to throw it open to attack us. The alarm shuts off, leaving my ears ringing.
“Fiona? Oh, Fiona! You’re here.” Rylie rolls over to the edge of the bunk and swings her legs over to drop to her feet. She rushes me and hugs me against her.
“We’ve been assigned the same dorm room because we’re now property of the Kings.” I pout my lip, meeting her gaze.
“What? No one told me.” She purses her lips. “I thought they were deciding how to punish us.”
“This is punishment. We’ve been enrolled in the academy to be trained as vampire staff members. Well, you have. I’m supposedly going to be a personal donor.” I try not to react. Knowing Rylie, if I breakdown, she will too.
“To which one?” she asks, flicking her gaze to the door.
“Culver.”
“F-u-u-u-u-ck. This is so twisted. The elders never mentioned this place. I mean, come on. I haven’t been to school in five years. I should be agreeing to a union, starting a family, helping to ensure a good future for our community.” She wrings her hands together. “I’m too old for this shit.”
“You think you’re too old?” The smooth, masculine voice draws our attention to t
he door. A soft knock occurs, but thankfully the door doesn’t thrust open.
Rylie and I gawk at it without moving.
“It’s against school policy for me to open your door without your permission, so please, if you would kindly do it for me, I’d appreciate it.” Another tap sounds through the air. “It’s Torrance, by the way. I’m one of the King brothers.” The guy who was adamant about not breaking Blood Life Corp law. I’m not sure if I should be pissed at him for bringing me here or thankful he saved my life. Both. I can be both.
Rylie looks at me with wide eyes, her wild light brown mane partially covering her face. “Don’t open it. You don’t know what he plans to do. He might sound nice but that’s the point. Charm his way in to murder us.”
“I don’t think he will. He knows I bite, and after he asked me nicely not to, I think he’s a little afraid. Plus, if we don’t open the door, then what? I doubt he’ll just go away,” I say.
“She’s partially right, Ms. Reynolds. Not about being afraid of a bite but about leaving. I’m here to escort the two of you for a blood draw before breakfast.” I try not to smile at his bite comment in front of Rylie. She doesn’t appreciate stuff like that like I do.
Turning the knob, I open the door and meet the chocolatey gaze of Torrance. He rests both of his hands on the doorframe, his hulking form blocking the way. I give him a once-over, starting from his full lips, offering me an amused, close-mouthed smile to his dress shirt, slacks, and tie. His blue jacket fits snugly in a good way, showing off the definition of his bulging muscles, and I stare at the crest with a crown on his breast pocket.
“You mean you’re escorting just me for a blood draw,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest.
Torrance raises an eyebrow at me, glancing at my cotton tank top and shorts I slept in. Unlike his brothers, he has yet to see me showing this much skin, and I can’t help enjoying his attention. “No. I said exactly what I meant. Both of you are required to donate blood. Ms. Reynolds, as part of the general donor population supply for students and staff.” Leaning closer, he looks down at me. “And you, Ms. King, will donate personally to Mr. King.”
