Page 14 of Nocte

A boy. A man. I can’t see his face, but I can hear his laughter. Cold as ice, my own voice distorted back. How I envy that bastard. How I wish I could remember.

You don’t,Cassius claims.

But I do. If I taste her blood, I may remember. Fae blood is potent, rumored to?—

Forbidden,Cassius snaps, monitoring my thoughts as always. With a sharp tug on my psyche, he aims to draw me back into line. His good, obedient, little Caspian. The creature he so badly wants me to be. A cherished pet I never was. There was a time when I treasured words like ivory and ebony. When I knew the terms beyond their superficial definition.

But how?

Enough! Come home,Cassius tells me. Beckons. Demands.

With night having fallen, there is no choice. My limbs move and carry me through the heart of the Citadel, away from the bell tower. Our home rests on a hill above the city, sprawling like a grasping spider, our web endless. We dwell within the most enviable luxury. Our master loves us so well.

When I enter the main hall of the manor, three siblings stand to greet me. “Welcome home, Caspian,” they chant.

I can’t even remember their names. There’s so many of us now. Hundreds of insipid toys, each one as empty and uninspired as the last. Their minds were so easy to mold beneath the weight of his. Almost too easy. He’s grown bored of the malleable ones, hungry for another rebellious entity to consume.

Like you,he hums.My Caspian.

Hate. Hate. Hate.

“You’ve done wrong,” a sister says, stepping forward. Her eyes are beady red, her smile as rich and expressive as one painted on a doll. She’s a puppet at the moment, controlled only by him. “He wants to see you, our beloved Master. Come.”

I want to resist but denying him is futile. He is in my head—burrowed deep within my skull, laughing at my attempts to shut him out. One day, I’ll silence that laugh. I’ll render him eternally quiet.

“Enough!” Though her lips are moving, it’s Cassius’ voice she speaks with. “Come now. You’ve had your fun.”

The others avert their gazes. It’s not that they aren’t enjoying my impending scolding. Their glee licks through our connected minds like the buzzing of bees throughout a hive. They’ll watch and savor my punishment.

Cassius prefers to pretend these moments are private. I don’t know why. He prefers to have me walk up the long winding hall to his chambers alone, where he sits on a velvet chaise, alone. When it comes to me, the bastard always desires to be alone.

Not the others. Not his perfect, unflawed toys.

“You’ve been restless, Caspian,” Cassius declares as I approach him, sinking down to one knee. The action isn’t mine. This close to him, there is no choice but his. No will but his. Only here in my mind can I rebel.

I hate this bastard.

No,he insists.You love only me, your savior. Your master. Your?—

“I was doing your bidding,” I grit out. Doing his bidding. Spending his fortune. Learning forbidden words he wanted me to forget: ebony and ivory.

Insolence!An audible hiss resonates through the mansion and through the mental collective. Another sin. One can’t interrupt Cassius. It isn’t done.

Yet, he smiles and, instantly, all are quieted.

“You are correct,” he says, his voice like frozen honey.

Unlike his two counterparts that make up the vamryre council, beauty is the main trait that Cassius desires to hone, despite untold centuries of life. His—our eldest brother Nataniel prizes wisdom and collects his little tokens with their intelligence in mind.His—our sister Pol cultivates strength in her section of the vast collective mind. She seeks out mortals and immortals alike with a bloodlust on par with her own.

Cassius is different. He likes to claim that his oddity makes him unique among his equals, but it must be a lie because hemakesus believe it. Beauty and character are what appeal to him. Sex and adoration are the only talents he deems worthy.

“You are restless tonight, Caspian,” he repeats, but this time, the full weight of the collective echoes him.

Restless, dear Caspian, dear. Our dear, dear brother.

“I’m doing your bidding,” I snap. “I always do your bidding. But I remembered something?—”

Something lurking in those ebony eyes that haunts me still.

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