Page 6 of The Pureblood Princess
As expected, her blood has a light, almost floral flavor that closely matches her scent. It’s pleasing, certainly, but not nearly as much so as Theodore’s. When Nadia drinks from Theodore, it’s like tasting a fine aged wine. The flavor is robust,rich. Incomparison, Amélie’s is almost watered down—still tasteful, but it’ll never quite satisfy.
Blood flows freely from Amélie’s neck and down Nadia’s throat, and it takes the edge off her thirst. She draws in one more mouthful, delighting in its taste, and then slowly removes her fangs from the maid’s neck.
Amélie is still languid in Nadia’s arms, and it takes a few moments for her to blink her caramel eyes open and come back to herself. When she does, she sits up straighter and pulls a cotton cloth from a pocket in her apron.
“Was my blood pleasing to you, miss?” she asks as she dabs the crimson from her neck, wincing lightly.
“Very much,” Nadia replies, lifting the back of her hand to her mouth to wipe away any remnants of blood. “Thank you, Amélie.”
“As I said, it’s my honor to serve you, Miss Magdalena.”
Amélie pulls her sleeve and collar back into place and does up her buttons. Standing, she sways on her feet, and Nadia reaches out to steady her.
“I’m all right,” she says, smiling gently as she pulls out of Nadia’s reach. “Just a bit light-headed, miss. It’ll pass shortly. Now, I’ll get the ladies to draw up a bath, and we can prepare you for brunch with the Kazamirs.”
Amélie curtsies before leaving the room, and Nadia tries not to grimace at the thought of sitting down to a meal with Honora. Hopefully it’ll be the last she ever has to endure.
Chapter Three
Nadia tries to slow therapid beating of her heart as she traverses the sprawling manor. She’s heading for the dining room but can’t help the feeling she’s going to the guillotine instead. Any time spent in Honora’s presence is painful, but now she’ll have to endure the family as well. She hopes they aren’t quite so pestilent, though given Theodore’s earlier comment about Lord and Lady Kazamir, Nadia figures Honora’s apple didn’t fall far from the family tree—and now she’s about to step into the orchard.
She smells them before she sees them. Their scent is distinctively different from that of the Rosettis, and it fills the wide hallway leading to the dining room. Her nose wants to wrinkle in repulsion, but she smooths her face into an expression of amicability before nodding to the footmen to open the doors.
As they do, sounds and smells rush out of the dining room, nearly overwhelming Nadia with their intensity. She’s still getting used to these new senses, and it remains easy for her to become overpowered by them. It takes her a moment to settle herself, and then she steps into the dining room.
The lively conversation slows and then stops, and every head in the room turns toward her. There are twelve vampires seated around the sprawling dining table, and half-blood servantsflutter about the room, refilling glasses and ensuring no tray is empty for long.
Theodore stands immediately—eliciting a sharp look from Honora, who’s seated beside him,of course—followed by Lord Rosetti and three other men Nadia has not yet met.
Nadia curtsies politely and looks about the table with a friendly gaze, skipping over Honora as though she’s nonexistent. In addition to Lord and Lady Rosetti, four Rosetti children are in attendance, along with a man and woman Nadia assumes to be Lord and Lady Kazamir and two young men who must be Honora’s brothers. Their scents all swirl together, making it difficult to distinguish one from another.
“Allow me to introduce Miss Magdalena,” Theodore says, his voice filling the room as he moves to stand beside Nadia. His presence is soothing, and the cross look on Honora’s pretty face makes Nadia think she might enjoy this brunch after all. “Miss Magdalena, I’d like you to meet Lord and Lady Kazamir and their sons, Marek and Konrád.”
“It’s an honor, Miss Magdalena,” Lord Kazamir says. He has an unusually deep voice, and unlike most men in high society, he has a full well-groomed beard. His blue eyes are sharp, and Nadia sees now where Honora gets her good looks. “We all believed the Magdalena clan to have ended with the untimely deaths of Kirill and Vera. It’s delightful to find we were mistaken.”
“Indeed,” Lady Kazamir says. Unlike her husband and children, she has dark brown eyes, and they sweep up and down Nadia’s body. Nadia pushes her shoulders back and stands taller under Lady Kazamir’s scrutiny. “How joyous to have been misinformed these many years. And come to find you were raised byhunters.”
The way she says it, her voice dropping low, makes it sound like a shameful secret.
“Come, tell us a tale of colluding with the enemy,” one of the Kazamir sons says—Konrád, she believes. He has blond hair, but his brother, Marek, has dark hair like their mother.
Earl Rosetti clears his throat before Nadia can think of something clever to say.
“Join us, Miss Magdalena. We’ve only just begun eating. Perhaps we can share stories later.” His smile is gentle, and she hopes her gracious expression communicates her appreciation. He seems always ready to step in and shield her, just as he did that afternoon in the hallway when she and Honora were ready to tear each other’s throats out.
Theodore guides Nadia to the open seat on his left, and when she passes behind Honora, the woman sniffs the air dramatically. Her eyes cut to Nadia, and she smiles as if she knows her and Theodore’s secret. But Amélie ensured Nadia she no longer bore the scent of the morning’s amorous dalliance. Perhaps Honora is just trying to ruffle her feathers, as she is always so keen to do.
Nadia sits, and Theodore slides the chair in behind her. He takes his seat beside her, and across from them, the younger Rosetti siblings smile and steal glances.
The youngest two—Luca and Francesca—rode in the carriage with them from Everborough to Graystone. But Renzo and Giulia—the third and fourth eldest siblings, respectively—arrived after, having returned home from their boarding school for the winter season. Nadia has yet to spend much time with them, though she dearly wishes to. Having grown up with no siblings to speak of, it’s invigorating to be surrounded by so much life.
The thought reminds her of her mother, who is most certainly lonely in their big country house with only Lord Gray and the servants to keep her company. Pain and a touch of homesickness curl in Nadia’s belly; if only she hadn’t left in the way she did.But there was no other option. She couldn’t stand to be in Lord Gray’s presence a moment longer, and she hadn’t it in her to tell her mother his many secrets. Leaving was the best thing she could do—for all of them.
Tonight, after the Kazamirs leave, she’ll write a letter to Lady Gray. It’s astounding how much better a letter can make one feel, and she certainly doesn’t want to lose her mother all because of Lord Gray’s appalling behavior.
While waiting for a footman to serve her, Nadia feels a tingle go across her skin, and when she looks up, she finds both Kazamir brothers staring at her.
Glancing quickly away, she sits up straighter and brushes a strand of hair back from her cheek.
