Bloodlust: House of Vampires

by Tabitha Barret

  The last sound I heard as the door closed behind me was the sound of hissing and chairs being tossed around the room. Too bad Miss Giselle had lost her taste for beating children into submission. It would have come in handy if she had wanted to scare them into sparing her life.

  Taking a deep breath, I knew what I had to do. I had to stop playing by the rules and live by my own rules, just as I had always planned to do. I was Marianela, not a Mielcarek, a Nygard or a Luzader. I was just Marianela and I was tired of being someone else’s puppet, prize or pawn.

  I slowly made my way down the staircase to the first floor and headed for Asha’s room. I didn’t know anything about the counselor but I was prepared for whatever she threw at me.

  Knocking on Asha’s door, it slowly creaked open. I popped my head around the door. “I’m supposed to see you.”

  I found her sitting behind a large desk, leaning back in a leather chair. “You’re late. Please sit.”

  She pointed to the black leather chair that looked sturdy enough to interrogate someone in, provided she had enough rope.

  “I didn’t get the message right away. Miss Giselle was too busy explaining how the Battle of the Drowning Woman never happened. I really suggest you update your curriculum to keep up with current events before the people you’ve tried to erase bite you in the ass.” I sat down and casually leaned to one side, testing Asha’s reaction to see if she was strict like Nikkos or indifferent like Giselle.

  Her light brown eyes regarded me as if I were an opponent rather than as a friend or a subordinate. Her lips curled into a seductive smile. “You are trouble. Nikkos warned me about you, though I’ve already seen all those red flags in your file. You have a quick mind, you are a master of cruelty and you’ve seen some shit. That’s a deadly combination for people like me. I’ve been tasked with keeping the students pliant and weak-willed. We don’t like rebellions here. We like compliance. But I’m sure you understand that better than most. I’ve read how your father trained you and groomed you to become the leader of the coven. It must have really pissed you off when your brother went against your father’s orders and cut you out of the coven.”

  I smiled at her assessment of me. “It must have really pissed you off when the coven sent you to work in a prison with shitty curtains to babysit the criminals of the coven instead of advising the leader of the coven. You probably thought I wouldn’t recognize you with your clothes on.”

  Her smile evaporated into a sneer so fast that I almost missed the exact moment that her entire plan to whip me into a rage went to shit.

  “How dare you!” She hissed at me and pushed herself out of her chair to stand, as if it would give her power over me.

  “My father did enjoy his time with you, until he didn’t. What was the name of the advisor who replaced you in my father’s bed? Hmm. Genevieve, Gianna, hell, I can’t think of it, but I’m sure it’s burned into your brain. She had better boobs in my opinion.” I watched her face turn every shade of red until it hit purple.

  “You think that your brother will take you back with open arms, but you’re wrong. They won’t let that happen.” The murderous rage in her eyes faded into fear when she realized what she had said.

  “Interesting. That’s the second time the word “they” has been used in reference to my brother. One might think that someone was working with or against Marcario. Which is it? With or against?” I watched her panicked eyes dart around the room.

  “Leave! Now! You can’t say anything about this!” She put her hand over her mouth and paced behind her desk.

  Sniffing the air, I caught the scent of fear radiating from her.

  “Tell me who “they” are and I’ll take you with me when I leave this place. You were a good advisor to my father, though I don’t really need a woman in my bed.” Eyeing her pert ass, I shrugged. “Well, I wouldn’t say no to you in my bed, but that’s a conversation for later.”

  She stopped pacing long enough to stare at me. “I tried to warn your father but he didn’t believe me. It’s the reason why he removed me from my post. He refused to believe that he couldn’t contain the situation. He was almost as arrogant as you. You believe that you have everything figured out, but you’re wrong.”

  “I don’t know about that. There are a few missing pieces, but I’m getting closer. Regardless, I don’t care about the covens and their petty bullshit. I’m leaving here and making my own way. If others want to join me, fine. If the covens want to wage war against me, fine. Either way, I will live or die without their pettiness.”

  She snickered. “You’ll never survive.”

  I shrugged. “Maybe not, but I’m done being used by them.”

  She quickly came around the desk and slammed the door before I could limp away. “Listen carefully; I brought you here for a reason. This chat was just a cover. Go to detention room three at exactly 5:00 AM. Go alone. I promise it will be worth it. Your father didn’t listen to me, but I’m hoping you will.”

  Searching her eyes, I didn’t see any anger or malice. I didn’t know what game she was playing, but I needed to be ready for anything.

  “Why should I trust you?” I got close enough to her face that I could see the flecks of gold in her eyes.

  She bit her lip as she stared at my mouth. “You’re smarter than all of them put together. Use your intelligence, and they will never see it coming. They will be too busy stealing from each other’s coin purses to notice you slitting their throats.”

  Intrigued by her advice, I silently reached for the door and left to consider what she wanted me to do.

  ≈

  Skipping my last class for the day, I went to find Talen and Haines. I didn’t like the idea of going alone to the detention area. I wanted someone to know what was happening in case I didn’t come back, if I decided to go at all.

  Thankfully, Talen swooped down from the roof the second I stepped outside. We silently walked to the woods where we wouldn’t be overheard. We took it slow so I wouldn’t overexert my leg.

  Following his lead, we stopped in a small clearing.

  Frowning, he looked down at my leg. “Marianela, are you okay? I’m so sorry. You told me to stay out of your fight but I wanted to help. I saw the witch who smiles at you from the shadows and told him where you were.” He put his hands in his pocket as if he was waiting for me to yell at him.

  Throwing my arms around him, I hugged him. “You did exactly what I wanted. You stayed safe.” I kissed him twice on the lips. Looking at his handsome face, my brain paused when I thought about what he said. “Wait. What witch smiling at me from the shadows?” Had Haines been secretly watching me?

  “He has a scar down his face. I’ve seen him around campus. He keeps to himself, so I was surprised when I saw him watching you as if he knew you. He could have been plotting your murder for all I knew, but I had to get help. I was pretty sure he was a witch, so I hoped he could set the vamps on fire or something.” He held me against his chest and took in the scent of my hair.

  Nodding, I understood that he’d seen Haines, though I was surprised to hear that Haines had been watching me from a distance.

  “His name is Haines and he saved me from the sun last night. Thank you for asking him for help. I’m sure you were upset because I didn’t put up a fight when Ceyla jumped me, but I had my reasons for yielding.” I could only imagine how worried he was when he saw me bleeding on the ground.

  He threw his hands in the air. “I was freaking out, Marianela. I thought they were going to kill you. I kept waiting for you to jump up and kick the shit out of them, but you just laid there. You looked so broken and sad. Tell me what happened. Why didn’t you fight like the warrior queen I know you to be?”

  I felt bad for putting him through that, but I had no will left to fight.

  “I was upset by a diary my father had written. It turns out that I was nothing more than a pawn in a business transaction to him. He never cared about me leading. He only trained me as a way to subdue my bet
rothed. He feared that Silvijn would favor his own coven and overrule my decisions to benefit the Luzader Coven. Even though he taught me how to fight my enemies, he expected me to keep Silvijn chained to my bed and keep him out of Mielcarek business.” I was still angry at my father’s lack of faith in me to lead.

  “When you arrived, you came with another vampire. Was that Silvijn? I’ve heard mention of a powerful general in Vamp House, but I’ve never heard his name.” Talen stepped away from me when he asked about my former general and fiancé.

  “Yes, that’s him. He told me to go to hell once we got here. He wanted to be released from my drama, so I’m on my own.” I tried not to look Talen in the eyes, because I didn’t want him to see how much I missed Silvijn.

  He nodded as he looked into the distance. He took a deep breath and pulled my chin up so I had to look at him. “We both had lives before we arrived here. If I were stronger, I would kick the shit out of him for leaving you unguarded here. Don’t get me wrong, I will happily take his place chained to your bed, but I’m mad that he turned his back on you.”

  I shook my head and put my hand on his chest. “I’m the one who made the mistake of driving him away. I was too caught up in my anger to see what I was doing to him. We’re not mad at each other anymore. Right now, he’s enjoying the simplicity of another vampire.”

  He snickered. “Right. Casual sex will definitely erase one of the most intriguing women I have ever met from his mind and his dick.”

  I laughed at the way he pitied Silvijn for attempting to forget about me.

  “I need to make amends with him if we are to rebuild a relationship.” I knew it would take a lot for him to forgive me, but I hoped he would, eventually.

  Pulling a strand of hair off my face, he smiled. “I fully expect you to go to him and demand that he get on his knees in front of you.”

  I shrugged. “I tried that, but it didn’t work. I think I have to apologize first.”

  He nodded as he tapped the end of my nose. “You’ll get him back. I just hope you do so before Ceyla comes at you again.”

  I wasn’t sure what to do about Ceyla, but I had to avoid her traps until I decided. Of course, that might be easier said than done depending on what was waiting for me in detention cell three.

  “There’s something I’m supposed to do this morning, but I’m not sure if I will do it. Asha, the vamp counselor, wants me to see something just before dawn. She might be setting me up for failure, but something is telling me to trust her. She was loyal to my father until he took another woman into his bed.” Saying it aloud made it sound like a stupid plan. I was putting my faith in a jilted woman.

  Talen stepped away as he crossed his arms. “I would tell you not to go based on my own experiences, but you’re not me. You are smart and your instincts are sharper than most people I’ve met. If you feel like it will benefit you, then go. If not, I’m sure you’ll find a way to get even with her.”

  Hearing the pain in his voice, my stomach dropped. This was exactly how his married lover had trapped him. She had lied to him about showing him something and sent him to his doom.

  “Talen.” I pulled him around to stroke his cheek. “They can’t hurt me anymore than they already have. The next step would be death. At this point, I accept what happens to me.”

  He threw his arms around me and buried his face into my neck. “I don’t want to lose you. I’ve just found you.”

  He held me to him and I kissed his cheek. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Giving me a quick kiss on the lips, he let go of me and stepped backwards. “Believe in yourself, Marianela, because I believe in you.” He shifted into his shiny-feathered raven and took to the air. I could see the worry in his face as he shifted. He was letting me make my own decision even though he was scared for me.

  Sitting down on a flat boulder to take the pressure off my leg, I took in a cleansing breath. I needed to know if Asha was an ally or an enemy. What if she really was trying to help me? Could I risk ignoring her?

  My father would say that I needed to seize the moment instead of waiting for someone to hand me an opportunity, but he had never been banished to an island that wanted to drive him mad and eventually kill him. At least, I didn’t think he had. For all I knew, he had, which would explain a lot.

  Laughing at my absurd thoughts, I threw my head back and looked up at the stars.

  “It’s nice to hear you laugh.”

  I jolted upright on my boulder to find Haines standing in front of me, smiling.

  “Hi.” I wasn’t sure if he had followed me or if my laughter had carried further than expected in the cool evening air.

  “How did you find me?” He looked around, confused by my presence.

  Shrugging, I looked around. “Is this your thinking rock?”

  He chuckled. “No.” He pointed towards a section of the barrier. “I was finishing up work. Whenever an administrator learns of my skills with a forge, they turn my sentence in reform school into a work-study program. I don’t mind because it keeps me busy and away from the general population who mock me for my scars.”

  Looking to the area where he pointed, I stood up and scanned the area. “Oh. I was walking with Talen and ended up here.” I wasn’t sure if Talen had led me here on purpose since he’d obviously been watching Haines. “Thank you again for saving me last night.”

  “Are you okay? You didn’t look so good last night.” He tentatively touched my cheek.

  I shrugged. “Better than last night. My leg still hurts and I’m tired, but I’m alive. Thanks to you.” I tugged on his shoulder so that I could give him a quick kiss.

  Blushing, he smiled. “I’m glad that I was up early. I didn’t know what to think when the bird shifter came out of nowhere yelling for me to help. The second I heard your name, I followed him to where you were.”

  “That’s Talen. He’s seen you watching me. I made him promise to stay out of my fights. I knew I was being ambushed, but I wasn’t focused on the fight. I was too busy hating my father to care.” I knew he would understand my anger since his father was a bastard too.

  He put his hand on my shoulder. “You can’t let the memory of him influence you anymore. Someone really wise told me that recently.”

  “I definitely need to learn that trick.” I smiled shyly and looked to the barrier where the forge was. “There are no guards.”

  He shook his head. “You need to know the spell to open the barrier and only those who work there know it. They change it daily to avoid intruders. We get our daily assignments and the password from Dean Aero. The entrance position changes too, and the building is under the mountain beyond the barrier, so it’s pretty secure.”

  I nodded as I considered what other things might be beyond the barrier. “Interesting. What were you working on today?”

  He stepped forward and took my hand. “Do you want to see?” His mischievous smirk made me laugh. Haines had definitely changed since I had last seen him. He would have never snuck a woman into the forge when his father was alive.

  “Will you get in trouble?” After the way he took care of me last night, I didn’t want to see him get hurt.

  He shrugged. “It would be worth it.”

  Pulling me towards the entrance, I looked around to make sure no one was watching. “Are there others inside?”

  “It’s late. I’m not supposed to be working this late, but I was finishing a project. I’ve proven I’m responsible so they don’t watch me like they used to. I’m a hard worker so they don’t care if I stay after hours. Besides, I fight less with the other witches when I’m tired from a long day of work.” He walked straight into the barrier, disappearing from sight. Only the arm still holding my hand was visible.

  Holding my breath, I passed through the barrier. I felt a hum pass throughout my entire body until I found myself inside a man-made tunnel that sloped downwards.

  I followed him until we entered a large underground cave where at least twenty forges were
spaced throughout the room.

  “That’s a lot of forges for one school. Are there really that many weapons here?” I was impressed with the layout compared to the forge back at the coven. We had about ten forges that ran day and night to supply our armies.

  He shrugged, unimpressed by the size. “We don’t just make weapons. We make the metal desks, tables and chairs as well as weapons. We make riot gear for the teachers. Many of the buildings have metal plates or braces to secure them, which need to be repaired or replaced. You have no idea how many times a day the detention cells need repairs. We have two people solely dedicated to that. There are a few guys who work on ornate pieces and others who focus on utilitarian pieces. Me, I’ve continued to make magical weapons.” He led me over to his station. It was set up the same way as his area back home was set up. “I’ve made pieces for the Dean and the other heads of the houses. Nikkos keeps a number of daggers hidden throughout the school, so be careful.”

  I nodded as I thought about all the weapons Haines worked on with his father. Glancing at a knife he had made, I smiled. “Your skill has improved. That will be a beautiful knife once it’s done.”

  He stared at my face for a moment before looking at the knife. “I’m not often praised anymore. They just expect good work from me. Thank you.”

  Placing my hands on the largest of three anvils at his station, I sighed. “I should have killed your father the night he attacked you.”

  He pulled me around and leaned down until we were eye level. “No. That’s not who you were. You weren’t a killer. You put yourself in danger to save me. I will forever hold guilt in my heart for not stepping in to protect you. I should have been strong enough to fight my own battles.”

  I ran my hand over his scarred cheek. “He never taught you to be a fighter. He taught you how to be submissive. That was his fault, not yours. I saw how badly he slashed your face and chest. No one would have been strong enough to fight back after that.”