Page 74 of A Vow of Shadow and Blood
“I’m still in training. I don’t have much of a say, I’m afraid. I would have had to fight in the war to earn that.”
Her words surprise me, and despite myself, I can’t help but pry.
“You didn’t fight in the war?” Most vampires were alive then, since their extended years gift them lifetimes that they don’t deserve, while the rest of us die at the hands of vampires and the burn pit. My stomach coils at the thought, and I try to push down the anger that is building inside me.
“I was too young.”
I almost laugh at her admission. Vampires are centuries old. There’s no such thing as too young.
“You regret not fighting?”
The words fall out before I can stop them. I try to convince myself that I’m only asking to gain information and not because I want the answer for myself.
She turns over my palm, her eyes scanning over the stitched cut in my hand. She never heals my wounds with venom, and something tells me that it is a calculated move. I try not to wince as she stretches the skin, but the stinging makes it difficult.
“I see no solution in war. It’s just two sets of people fighting for what they believe in, when if they were to just communicate, they may discover that they have far more in common than they know. I only wish that I could have taken the burden away from my friends and family. The things they saw—”
“It was no better for humans either,” I snap. Her eyes lift to mine, and there’s a flicker of sadness in them, but I ignore it. “The only difference is that we have no tomes to look back at the heroes who fought for our side. You erased everything our ancestors had and madeusthe enemy.”
She dips her head as though truly ashamed. After a second, she scrambles to her feet.
“I’m sorry. I have to leave.”
She moves quickly toward the stairs, and I almost stand to call out to her, to apologize, but then I remember what she is.A vampire. A monster. My enemy.There is nothing I wish to apologize for. And yet something tugs deep within me.
Wake up!Athriel’s voice booms through the walls of my mind, and my eyes open just as a fist flies toward my face. I roll across the floor, narrowly dodging the blow, and realize I’m finally free of my restraints. But before I can wonder why, a body slams into mine, sending me hurtling across the room. I hit the ground with a thud, and for a moment, the world seems filled with starlight.
What the hell is happening?I ask.
All I know is that they sent that one in to kill you.
My eyes lift to where a vampire with pitch-black eyes is walking toward me. It’s the same female who wielded the shadow portal the night I tried to kill the prince, and the look on her face tells me that she remembers exactly what I did.
I leap to my feet, desperately trying to avoid her next attack. If she lands a solid hit, I’m dead. I try to stay on my feet, butthe impact from hitting the floor has left my head spinning. I ignore the foggy feeling and hold my head high. I’ve never fought a vampire without the assistance of my blood, and I know for a fact that I’m no match for her without it.
I have no time to think of that as she draws closer. I glance over her shoulder and find the exit to my cell blocked by the vampires I now know as Kaia and Eamon. Both stand with arms crossed over their chests as they watch us. Is this some kind of game to them? Is this how I die? Maybe Athriel was wrong, and they don’t care about the information they think I have. If they no longer need it or have found some other means of obtaining it, then there is no need to keep me alive.
The confidence that has kept me going dissipates with that single thought.They’ve come to kill me.Panic drives my feet across the cell in the direction of a broken piece of stone lying on the ground. I move fast, bending quickly as I grasp it in my hand and beg Athriel to hurry.
It’s not long before the fiery feeling consumes my veins, and I swipe the sharp edge of the stone across my arm. Black blood drips off the edge of it as I spin to face my assailant. There is a slight pause in her step, but her face holds the same anger it did before. I hold out the makeshift weapon in front of me, creating a barrier between us.
“Come any closer and I’ll slit your throat.” I hate that my voice shakes. My grip tightens around the stone, pressing the sharp edges into my palm, but I ignore the pain.
The female stops moving, but her face carries none of the fear that swarms inside my stomach. She could just use her speed to overpower me, but one wrong move and she could die. It will only take a small scratch, and she will be down. It may have taken some time to kill the prince, but eventually, he succumbed to my blood like all the rest.
“That’s enough.” The voice is deep and commanding. Eamon. The female nods in his direction before she walks away, leaving the dungeon. I don’t dare lower my weapon for fear that this is nothing more than a trick, but he ignores me as though I’m not even there, turning to where Kaia is standing beside him instead.
“You were right, she’s different,” he says to her. She simply nods, and anger radiates through every inch of me.
“How long are you going to keep me down here?” I’ve lost all sense of time, no longer knowing whether it’s been days, weeks, or even months. I want so badly to save Willow, to get her away from Julian, but the reality is that they’re never going to let me go, and I’m being kept far too starved to ever gain the strength to get out of this place alone.
They ignore my cries. Eamon turns his attention to the shadowsmith who always accompanies their visits and gives him a signal with his head. With a brief flick of his chubby wrist, the bars are back in place, and my stomach sinks. They all turn to walk away. My mind reels at the thought of having to be caged in here for even a moment longer. To be alone again, trapped with nothing but my thoughts. I can’t do this anymore. I need out.
I run at the bars, slashing the blood-soaked stone against them, but they don’t budge. I drop it to the ground and slam my feet and fists against the bars repeatedly.
“Let me out! Let me out of here now!”
My screams continue with every slam of my fist against the darkened shadows. I scream until my throat is hoarse and tears blur my vision. I scream for so long that the small glimmer of starlight that peeks through whatever gap the water is dripping through gets smaller, giving barely any light. I stumble backwards, the reality of my situation sinking in. I’m never getting out of here. They’re going to keep me alive for as long as they think it takes to get that information, but the minute they realize that I don’t have it, they will put me down.
