Page 85 of Fallen Star

I know that deep in my soul.

“You know…” She glances down at the floor, shrugs, then turns her focus back to me. “How much did he take?”

“I managed to stay conscious, if that’s what you’re asking,” I say, moving to an armchair and sitting down.

I almost didn’t stay conscious, but they don’t need to know that. And I don’t feel like sharing any more details.

What happened in there with Aerix feels too personal. Too private.

Victoria’s eyes zero in on my neck. “So, he did it,” she says. “He fed from you already.”

There’s something in her tone that makes me pause.

Hurt? Jealousy?

“He always feeds from me when he first wakes,” she continues, confirming my suspicions. “He has for years. Ever since I first got here.”

“It was probably just a one-time thing,” Sophia reassures her. “You know how they can be with anything new.”

“Aerix has never been like that.” Victoria scowls.

But I’m still focused on what Sophia said.

“New things,” I repeat flatly. “Like I’m a fancy dessert he’s never tried before.”

Victoria’s laugh is hollow. “That’s exactly what you are. What we all are.”

The casual way they discuss this—like it’s perfectly normal to be treated as food—makes my skin crawl.

I need to get out of here. Away from their knowing looks and loaded comments.

“I need some air,” I say, already heading for the door.

“Zoey—” Sophia starts, but I’m already gone.

I wander the human wing until I find my way to the courtyard. The night air is surprisingly warm, the watered-down blood bubbles from the fountains, and the dark roses shimmer in the moonlight. Thankfully, the water in the fountains here doesn’t smell as much like blood. Maybe there’s less of it in the water? Or because it’s not stagnant? No idea.

The entire courtyard would be beautiful, if it wasn’t essentially a prettier version of a prison yard.

Hours pass as I sit by one of the fountains, watching the moonlight dance across the water, replaying the moments of Aerix drinking my blood.

It doesn’t feel real. Especially since every time I touch my neck, the skin there is perfectly smooth, as if it hadn’t been violated the way it was.

As I sit there, I steal glances at the others in the courtyard, who seem intent on ignoring me.

Malakai’s humans—Lacey, Katerina, and Brenda—are playing a card game off to the side. Apparently, cards are their favorite pastime. Aurora sits across the way, reading. Nathanial’s sketching next to the garden.

When Henry comes out, he thankfully doesn’t bother me. He just takes off his shirt and starts working out.

Jake’s nowhere to be seen. Maybe he’s with Princess Cierra.

Other humans come and go, and while they give me curious looks, they don’t come over.

Finally, as midnight approaches, the handlers begin setting up tables for lunch.

The thought of food makes my stomach growl—those cookies feel like ages ago.

Sophia and Victoria are the next ones who enter the courtyard. Victoria immediately heads to one of the round tables, and Sophia hurries over to me.

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