Page 6 of Bitten By Chaos

“Very well.” Elsa put an arm around me and guided me toward the stairs with Julian close at my heels. “Lydia will stay with your sister, so you have nothing to worry about, my dear.”

I nodded and let her steer us up to the Sect Liaison’s office. The memory of Silas assaulting me forced a gasp from my lips, but when we stepped inside, I found the entire room redone so that it was nearly unrecognizable. A white sectional sat in the center along with a rectangular table with a row of glass beads along the center, at the base of a line of fire that danced invitingly. The heat and roar of Silas’ enormous fireplace was missing, the thing having been walled off. And in place of his ostentatious desk, there was a minimalist table with a fluffy white chair on one side and a set of identical ones on the other.

“You need sustenance,” she declared, tilting up my chin to search my eyes.

I was hungry again, and I knew it. I hated the thought of trying to stop myself in front of her, but Julian was there, and we all knew I needed to feed. She must have seen that in my face because she said, “Do not fear. I’ve turned many vampires myself. I know how to help you through the change. Come, feed.” She lifted her wrist, tugging back the sleeve.

“You want me to feed on you?” I asked, shocked.

“It will work faster and stay longer in your system. I’m not a young vampire, though asking a woman’s age is quite rude.”

Swallowing, I looked to Julian who nodded slightly. Then, wondering exactly how old she was, I tentatively lowered my mouth to her wrist. Her citrus scent tickled my nose, and my fangs extended immediately, piercing her skin. Don’t hurt, I thought as I pulled the first taste onto my tongue. I moaned as I clutched her arm and drew on her blood. She must have recently fed because it flowed easily into my mouth. She stroked my hair as I drank, an intimate gesture that registered as uncomfortable somewhere in my gut, but the taste and fulfillment I felt consuming her blood eclipsed that.

“You feel how it warms your fingers?” she asked softly. “That’s how you know you are satiated.”

I bit down on my tongue and licked her wound before pulling away, feeling much better.

“Thank you,” I said.

“You are welcome. Now come tell me your story.” She led us to the sectional and offered us each a glass of wine as we recounted as much as we felt we should about the remaining demon board memebers and the fae. Though I carefully avoided mentioning to either her or Julian that the queen had not released me from our bargain.

“You bring danger to our doorstep,” Elsa said, swirling her wine. “Oh, don’t look concerned—I was never one to back down from a fight. And I know a bit about demons. You seem surprised, Julian.”

Julian held my hand on his thigh as he smiled smoothly. “I shouldn’t be.”

Elsa smiled back at him, and I shifted with the unwelcome feeling that they’d just shared some sort of private memory. For the first time, I wondered exactly what their past friendship entailed.

“I would love to hear more about your dealings with these demons,” Julian said, reaching for his own glass.

“I’ll be happy to share and to help devise a way to inform them of the loss of your abilities. In return—” she sipped her wine, and my stomach dropped. She wanted to bargain as well. What would she take from us?

“In return, I’d like you to continue your work in the basement laboratory, Dr. Devaux. I have a long-time interest in genetics, as it happens.”

“How did you…”

“Know your background? I do my homework when starting a new job. You may share the facilities with the current doctor. I assume you are related.”

My shoulders slumped. “My father.”

“Whatever the state of your relationship, over the years I’ve found he is an excellent scientist, and the two of you together may prove beyond compare. While I sympathize with having to deal with someone as…zealous for a parent, I believe you’d agree that working for the greater good is of the utmost importance here.”

“Yes,” I conceded, clenching my fists. It wasn’t the worst possible thing she could ask for. I would like to continue working as a scientist in any case. But it hadn’t escaped my notice that she seemed to have known my father for some time. Exactly how involved in vampire society had he been before being turned?

“Now, I am sure you are exhausted. Why don’t you take Charlotte to your rooms to relax, Julian?”

“Rooms?” I asked, looking to him.

“I have rooms here at the estate since I’m a resident of the island and a vampire. You will share them with me, of course. As long as we are here.” Julian stood and tugged me up beside him.

A knock sounded at the door, and it swung open to reveal Lydia. “Zoe’s decided to join Hazel and the others at the Witch’s coven. She wanted me to let you know.”

That made sense. She was a witch. I was a vampire. The reality that I’d distanced myself even more from my only remaining family had yet to sink all the way in.

I nodded then followed Julian down the hall to a set of doors that opened onto a sprawling suite with a king-sized bed and balcony overlooking the ocean. He pulled me into his arms and kissed me—the long and lingering kind that stole my breath and my worries no matter how plentiful. Then he pulled back and searched my face, a smile lighting his.

“There’s something I’d like to give you, though I know the timing is awful,” he said.

“When isn’t it?” I joked as he crossed the room to a small rolltop desk and tugged open a drawer, his back to me.

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