Page 13 of Darkest Heart

Astor and the others in charge may have cleaned out what was left of the corpses after their last feed, but the smells still lingered, attaching permanently to the furniture and moth-bitten drapes.

I couldn’t watch, talk, or move. Closing my eyelids, I could only listen as the aniccipere finally gave in, and placed his mouth around the man’s lips, slurping as he sucked his soul from his body.

The muffled screams echoed in my mind, sending me to the edge of psychosis as I struggled to cling to the threads of my sanity. Other people screamed from their cages beyond us, lining the walls, the cages stacked on top of each other as if we were all animals in a slaughterhouse.

After a few excruciating minutes, the cries were silenced, replaced by the gulping and gargling from the vampire. The sounds of muscle tearing, and skin being pulled apart, were far worse. It was finishing its meal, chomping on the mortal’s flesh.

The aniccipere licked its bloody lips and smacked them with satisfaction. Strolling toward me, it untied the gag from my mouth. “Enjoy your show?”

I turned my head away and squeezed my eyes shut.

“Come now. It’s not that bad. You should be honored. Not many people get to witness a feast.” It tsked.

I swallowed thickly, resisting its glare. They could sense how good a soul would taste by looking them in the eyes. Bringing a whole new meaning toeyes are the windows to the soul.

The aniccipere grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at the mutilated remains of the man. Blood pooled around him, staining the hardwood floors a deep crimson. His limbs were twisted at odd angles, and his chest was caved in. One of his eyeballs popped out of its socket, staring lifelessly at the ceiling.

“This is your fault, you know,” he taunted. “If you would just do as you’re told, then we wouldn’t have to do this.” The creature shook its head, clucking its tongue.

I tried to jerk my face away, but it held me firm. “But you just don’t seem to understand, do you? You think you’re so special. The great Seraphina,” it spat, chunking spatters of flesh onto my cheek as pieces dangled from its needlelike teeth. Its dark eyes narrowed, beady, soulless as its stare intensified. The shadows of the room seemed to fall in around us, tunneling my vision onto the creature as it hypnotized me, on its knees, close to eye level. “I will enjoy feeding on you in front of your father.” It leaned in closer, its ragged breaths hitting my nostrils, a sadistic cackle leaving its mouth.

As I glanced down, I realized it was male. I’d seen enough of them to tell the subtle differences, although it was difficult to tell their sex. Their bodies were so gaunt, their genitals were concealed and shrunken, and the tones of their voices were all low. But I could see just enough to stab a guess.

I shuddered into my chair, craning my face away as he ran a long, pointed tongue over my cheek, and down my neck to my shoulder. “I can smell your organs. Your king believes we only eat souls, but organs and this beautiful”?he ran a yellow nail down my arm?“skin tastes just as good.”

Bile crept up my esophagus, burning the back of my throat. I wanted to tell him they were all wrong. My father would never come for me. He wouldn’t risk his life. My mom might. Sebastian definitely would. But not the king, and he was their grand prize. Even if they killed my parents, my uncle would continue to rule. Their plans to topple the monarchy were futile. Especially if I was what they were pinning their hopes on.

“Unless,” he said, moving back a few inches, “you tell us everything we want to know.”

I inhaled deeply, which was a mistake. I gagged as the stench of dead bodies leaked into my lungs. Curling my lips behind my teeth, I regained my composure. There were lives at stake, not only mine, but Sebastian’s, my friends, my mom, and probably a lot of mortals if the aniccipere got their way and took over Sanmorte. Even if it was unlikely, I couldn’t take any chances. They managed to get Astor to their side, and get into the grounds of the castle to take me. “Whatisit you want to know?”

The skin on his forehead stretched as the skin where his eyebrows should be, raised. “What did the gods say to you? When they turned you?”

My eyes narrowed. That’s what they cared about? I parted my lips and looked out over the cages of mortals. Blood dripped from the bars, random body parts splayed over the room, some pieces of flesh, and slime stuck to the ceiling. The aniccipere were messy eaters. My stomach knotted, but I tried to keep the disgust kept inside.

“Why do you want to know?”

A hiss escaped through his teeth as he wrapped his long, bony fingers around the arms of my chair. He paused, tilting his head, his gaze traveling the length of me. “You are to bring death to all vampires.”

I shook my head, a lump forming in my throat. “No, that prophecy isn’t real.”

“It is,” he shouted, his grip tightening into the wood until it splintered. My stare darted back to his.

“It’s not true!” I pushed away the thought of it being true. It couldn’t be. The thought that Sebastian, my parents, and my friends would die because of me was too much to bear.

He growled, splintering the wood some more. “Liar.” He turned, stood, his head close to hitting the ceiling as he sped to the door of one cage. The mortals remained silent, afraid even the sound of their breath might attract enough attention that they’ll be the creature’s next meal.

The woman in the cage he stopped by pleaded as he swung the door open. “No, please, no.” She glanced around at the other cages, her mousy-brown hair matted, her body stripped of clothes. “I have children. I beg you. I’ll do anything. Please.” She placed her hands together, as if in prayer, as he wrenched her from her cage, then dragged her to me, dropping her onto the ground in front of me.

He snarled. “Talk, or I will kill her.”

“I don’t care,” I lied, repressing the gulp building.

“No?”

He’d just fed. There was no way he wanted another. They didn’t feed as often as sangaree. “No,” I said, trying to look unbothered.

“Then I’ll kill her now.” He tangled her hair in his fingers, bringing her face up to meet mine. “I enjoy killing, even if I don’t eat them.”

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