Chapter Twenty-Nine

ELEIRA

The next few days pass uneventfully. I expect somebody to come for me and April, to get some sort of summons, to be told what to do…

Nothing. We have food brought to us, but there isn’t any interaction past that.

That first night back I ventured out with the key card to see what access it grants me. Precious little. All the doors in the hall outside my room remain locked, except for one that leads to a wide balcony facing the opposite way from mine. The view from it is all trees and darkness; the village lies on the other side.

I start to worry about what my family and friends out in the real world think of what happened to me. There’s probably a police search going on at this very moment.

I sigh. I’ve seen enough to know nobody will ever find me.

But eventually… I will make my way back. I won’t just abandon all that I’ve known and grown up with. Not for some creatures who shouldn’t even exist. Not for the way they pulled me into their twisted games.

“Enjoying the night, Princess?”

I spin around. I hadn’t heard anybody enter!

Standing there is a lanky, boyish looking vampire. He has the tell-tale pale skin and enhanced good looks, but something about him feels… different.

He’s wearing glasses, for one. I thought all vampires gained perfect vision. And there’s something about his hair, too. It’s not as sleek, not as shining and healthy and vibrant as every other vampire I’d seen.

“Who are you?” I ask, wary. I back away. “If you know I’m the Princess, you know the Queen’s orders. I’m not to be harmed.”

His eyebrows go up, and he gives a little laugh. “Harm you? Why ever would I harm you? As appealing as your kind is to some of my kin, I choose not to partake… in their viciousness.”

I narrow my eyes. “What do you mean?”

He spreads his hands. “I don’t drink human blood.”

“What? How is that even possible?” I eye him up and down. “I don’t believe you.”

“Believe it,” he says. He steps to the railing and looks out into the forest. “It’s not been easy, mind you. But the thirst… lessens, after so many years.”

“So you don’t feed at all?” I ask. Something about his honesty intrigues me.

“Oh I feed. But just on animal blood. It’s a sacrifice I’ve consciously made. While other vampires grow stronger every time they take a life and get a new infusion of blood, I simply… linger.” He turns his head to me. “Something you could do, if you so choose, when your transformation is complete.”

“What’s your name?” I ask. “There’s something familiar about you, I think.”

“That’s because you’ve met both my brothers,” he says. “Raul and James.”

“You’re Phillip!” I exclaim.

He smiles. “The one and only.”

“I heard Raul calling for you the first night I was here.”

“Ah. About that. I’m sorry, but it was all James’s idea. He has a mind for theatrics. He thought it would be,” his lips twist in distaste, “fun to see how you react waking up in the atrium.” He shrugs. “He always liked to play with his food.”

I shiver.

Phillip notices. “James won’t hurt you,” he says. “He’s been sent away.”

“I know.”

“In fact, nobody in The Haven will dare hurt you. They know you have my Mother’s protection. And yet…”

Phillip turns to face me. He looks into my eyes.

“I came to warn you, Princess. Not everything here is as it seems. Everything we do gives the appearance of relative peace and prosperity under the Queen’s rule, but there are rumblings underground. Not all are happy that you’ve been chosen as her successor. There are many who would have preferred the true heir came from within our own ranks. That’s part of the reason we’re turning you, you see. So they won’t see you as an upstart, defenseless human—no matter how reluctant you may be. Your enemies will choose not to see that. The truth is… the truth is Mother doesn’t need a vampire to rule. She needs a witch. That is what you are, through your ancestry. It is one thing you can never deny.”

He turns to leave. “Forgive me for interrupting. I wish you a pleasant night.”

“Wait!” I say. “Wait, you say you came here with a warning? What is it?”

“Only that you should treasure these peaceful times,” he says. “Because they will not last for much longer.”

“Wait, no, Phillip, don’t go.” He’s the first vampire I don’t feel frightened of. “Nobody is telling me anything. I heard about the transformation, but past that, I don’t know a thing! Am I supposed to feel different? Because I don’t. Is something supposed to happen to my body? Because it hasn’t. Maybe it’s all just a sham, a way for you to try to endear me to your cause, or, or…” I blubber on. “I don’t know.”

A look of genuine concern flashes across Phillip’s face. “You haven’t been told anything about it?” he asks.

I shake my head. “No.”

“Well, that’s not good…” he taps his lips. “What can I say? You’ve been injected with James’s venom. There’s only a tiny bit of it in your blood. There are changes happening within your body right now. They have been since that first night. But they are happening very, very slowly, because you’ve been given such a miniscule amount.

“The slower it happens, the less risk there is. Mother thought you precious, and so she only let James give you the minimal effective dose. I wouldn’t have thought he’d be able to hold back, but my brother might be more disciplined than I’ve given him credit for.”

Phillip steps toward me. “Let me see your eyes,” he says. He hesitates, then reaches out and takes hold of my face. His touch does nothing to me. It’s completely inert, like a doctor’s examination.

“Hmm,” he says. “Look this way.” He points. “Then that.” He points again. Then he lets go.

“Your eyes are changing,” he says. “It’s the most subtle shift. But the eyes are where the transformation first takes hold. And then, the body, and then, the mind…” He trails off and shudders in discomfort.

“What?” I ask. “Is it that unpleasant?”

“You could say that,” he sighs. “But I don’t want to frighten you.”

“How long…” I swallow. “How long before it begins?”

“It’s hard to tell. It all depends on your body’s reaction. Could be days. Could be a few weeks. Could be a couple of months. It’s not something that’s exactly been studied. We don’t turn just anyone. In fact, there have been less than ten vampires made in the last hundred years.”

“Oh, wow,” I say.

“So if it helps, you should feel honored,” he says, drily.

I blink at him. Was that an actual joke?

“Oh, one more thing,” he adds. “Tomorrow, you’ll be let down in the village. There is a,” he waves a hand through the air, “a special event that all humans are required to attend. And since you still are, in fact, mostly human…” he shrugs, “it’ll just be a formality for you to be there. You shouldn’t worry.”

But I don’t even know what there is to be worried about.