Page 66 of Roaring Flames

Unlike popular belief, if a vampire doesn’t consume blood, they don’t pass away. Yes, there have been a few cases where a vampire went centuries without feeding and lost function of their limbs, but they were still alive.

Blood merely enhances our powers. Makes us faster. Stronger. Smarter.

There’s always a dull ache in my chest that demands I feed. It’s like I’ve been walking through the desert for years and stumbled upon an oasis of fresh water. Only years of iron self-control allow me to resist the temptation.

I ignore Vlad’s remark and continue up the staircase, noting that the door has been left ajar. Voices reach me, but they’re not as clear as they would’ve been if I’d been well-fed. Still, I know immediately who’s on the other side of that door.

The Elders.

My suspicion is confirmed when I push open the door the rest of the way and seven heads swivel in my direction.

At first glance, one would think that I’ve just intruded on a party. Beautiful women in long dresses mingle with striking men in suits and ties. On closer inspection, however, I can see the red of their eyes—an indication of their power. The darker the eye color, the more powerful a vampire is.

“Grayson! Welcome, my boy!” Edward lifts his arms and smiles cordially, but I could never mistake him for anything less than a shark in the water. “It’s been a long time.”

I don’t bother to speak. Anything I say—any excuse I give or argument I make—will be used against me. These monsters want nothing more than to see my blood spilled.

I can’t let them know about Izzy.

“We missed you when you…left us.” Piper DeLong sniffs disdainfully, even as her eyes devour me from head to toe. She smooths a manicured hand through her mane of chestnut hair. “Where did you go?”

“Around,” I respond curtly, shoving my hands into my sweatshirt pocket.

“Is that any way to treat the vampires who raised you?” Telly Montgomery asks, cocking her head to the side. A coil of black hair cascades down her cheek, but she brushes it away with a flick of her wrist.

The vampires who raised you.

Ha.

What a fucking joke.

They forged me into a monster—one who hunted and killed for them. But now this monster is free of his restraints, and he’s out for blood. Only one being holds his leash, and it’s not any of them.

All of this started when my mom passed away and I was thrown into the foster system. My second foster family recognized immediately what I was and contacted the Elders. They allowed me to continue living with my foster family…if Itrained with the vampires at night. They taught me how to kill with a stone-cold efficiency that might’ve terrified me if I were anyone else.

As it was, the only thought that pulsated through my head was my need to protect Izzy. My Gracie.

If that meant killing the Elders’ enemies, then so be it.

But then Kain reached out to me and threatened my reason for existence. I left the Elders without a backwards glance.

Something they’re not happy about, if their dour expressions are any indication.

They consider what they did for me a gift.

I consider it a curse.

“Look at him.” Piper waves a hand airily in my direction, still holding her champagne flute. I wonder if it’s alcohol that she’s drinking…or blood. “Look at his eyes.”

“When did you last drink, boy?” Edward demands with a scowl.

Unlike the vampires here, I never drank to kill, only to survive. I needed my powers to complete the tasks they assigned me. However, when I moved to a different town and discovered that wolves inhabited it, I chose to forgo blood. I didn’t want the dogs sniffing out what I am.

“Those must be contacts,” Telly says, sniffing. “There’s no way he hasn’t fed?—”

“Can’t you sense the lack of magic in him?” Tika Lemont interrupts, a frown on his face.

“I suppose it makes sense.” Edward scratches at the stubble on his jawline.

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