Page 84 of Cloak of the Vampire
And so he made an oath. “I will never forget you again, Yulia.”
CHAPTER 32
An ominous, foreboding cloud hung over the classroom when Abe arrived, his face stiff as he walked in and stopped to lean against his desk, staring at us grimly. “The Auction is tomorrow,” he said as if we didn’t know that already. “And it’s time to wrap up this course.”
No one responded. Everyone’s faces were drawn with tension. I felt the same too. The Auction we’d all been waiting for and dreading was finally less than twenty-four hours away.
And I still didn’t have a plan.
“Everything you’ve learned here will serve you no matter where you end up,” Abe said quietly, shifting somewhat uncomfortably. “You’ll be an asset to any Lord who welcomes you into their League.”
Zoey raised her hand, and I realized it was shaking. Abe nodded for her to speak. “Will you be there?” she asked, her voice tiny and scared, very much unlike her usual strong, flamboyant one. “You and Logan, I mean.”
Abe’s face softened a bit at the quiet question. “Yes, Rittman. We’ll be there.”
“Who else’s coming?” Jakob asked, glowering at the floor.
“Well.” Abe interlocked his fingers. “The Lord and his Lieutenants, of course. Other Lords will be flying over, all of whom you’ve met already. They’ll come with their own Lieutenants, newcomers for sale, and a few other VIP League members.” He paused and seemed to think about something before he added, “There will be many spectators.”
The class fell silent again. Abe gave us a concerned look that seemed genuine. “I’ve been in your spot before,” he said suddenly, drawing the attention back to him. “I, too, was once put up for Auction.”
He gave us a smile that I thought was meant to be reassuring but came out somewhat sour. “I don’t have any special advice to give you,” he said quietly. “All I can say is that as long as you give it your all, you won’t have any regrets.”
Abe meant well, I knew that, but this statement made me feel beyond irritated considering everything Jada, CJ, and Bowen had told me. “That’s not really true, though, is it?” I said defiantly.
Abe’s head snapped to me; his eyes were broad with surprise. “And why is that?”
“I heard what happens if no one bids on us,” I said tartly. My classmates turned to look at me now, and the tension in the room rose.
“Whatever you heard, Aileen, you can rest assured it won’t come to pass,” Abe said hastily when he realized he was losing the others.
But I hated that he was trying to put everyone at ease while they were blind to what screwing up our Auction performance meant. And yet when I opened my mouth, Abe’s gaze sharpened, and he mouthed something to me that looked suspiciously likeDon’t say it.
Glancing at the faces of my classmates, I paused. They looked on the brink of losing it. Even though most of them had their routines ready, they were all terrified of what tomorrow would bring.
Telling them would only make them feel worse.
Pursing my lips, I folded my arms and looked away, deflating. Nothing about this Auction was fair. Nothing about being a vampire was fair.
I couldn’t stop thinking about what Ragnor had told me about why he gave me the Imprint. And now, his words were driving me mad instead of making me feel happy and confident about tomorrow. All I felt was terror and an anxiousness that I could barely contain as I wondered whether Ragnor would buy me tomorrow.
It seemed no one was in the mood to talk anymore after my little outburst, and so Abe said, “We’ll end it here. But before you go,” he added, and his eyes scanned the class, while a rare, sad smile curled his lips. “You’ve done well, and I wish you nothing but success.”
The Comprehensive Newcomer Three-Month Course ended then. There would be no more classes with Abe teaching us about our new existence. There would be no more gym classes with Logan. And soon, there would no longer be job assignments.
Doomsday was upon us, and we would either survive ... or face a fate worse than hell.
“Aah, Aileen,” Jada said, grinning as she passed the plates she’d rinsed for me to dry. “I’ll miss washing dishes with you.”
“You never know,” I murmured, not feeling the cheery vibe. “I might be right back here in two days.”
CJ, who was wiping the counter next to us, snorted. “I highly doubt it,” he said, and when I glanced at him, he gave me a somewhat pitying look. “I heard the Lord’s thinking of selling every noob this time.”
“Iheard he’s going to buy that little long-haired one, though,” said Bowen, who was cutting vegetables on the island before us. “Rumor has it Lieutenant Magnus has his eye on her, and you know how he gets when he wants someone.”
“Filthy business, the Auction,” Jada muttered, her grin gone, as she grabbed more filthy dishes to wash. “The entire thing’s all decided from the start, and everyone’s pretending otherwise.”
“This is true,” CJ said quietly. “But don’t worry, Aileen.” He gave me an encouraging smile. “I’m sure that you’ll do great.”
