I gaped at the prince’s back as he dashed down the hall, faster than lightning. He was leaving Judy and me alone with this human boy?

“Come with me,” the boy said, his voice still in that weird shifting tone teenagers possessed. “I’ll take you two to Prince Drake’s chambers.”

He started walking down the hallway, and having no other option, I followed. We crossed a long corridor, then turned into another sweeping staircase. The landing atop the stairs opened into a wide archway where two vampires stood guard, and into an empty room. The boy hurried to the double black doors on the other side of the room.

There, he paused, propped a knee up, in which he rested Judy’s back, and fished out a big, black key from a necklace under his shirt. He put it into the lock, and like magic, several other invisible locks turned, one by one, their clicking sounds echoing in the empty room.

Finally, the clicking stopped, and the boy opened the door.

I followed him in and gawked at the place.

There was no black and burgundy here. In fact, it seemed we had entered a modern house by the ocean, instead of a corner of a dark castle. I crossed a short foyer, then walked around the large sitting room, my boots ticking on the cream stone floors. I ran my fingers along the back of the beige leather sectional and scanned the many light brown bookcases spread around the room—all filled with books and scrolls.

Two steps led up to a dining room where a beautiful glass table and eight beige leather chairs took most of the space. I pulled out a chair and sat on it, inclining my head so I could admire the long, glass chandelier. A thin sheet hung by metal cords in the corners, and atop of it, dozens of lit candles, all in tones of beige, soft yellow, light green, and light blue.

It was beautiful.

Almost as beautiful as the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the gardens and the thousands of twinkling lamps illuminating it, almost like a mirror of the night sky. As if in a daze, I went to the window and rested my forehead on the cool glass. There was no moon tonight, but the many bright stars did a good job of being pretty by themselves.

“This way.” The boy’s voice snapped me awake.

“Right,” I said.

Right. Judy. Me. Castle filled with vampires.

I followed the boy into yet another wide corridor, which had the same cream stone for floors and plain, beige walls. Double white doors were at the end of the long corridor, and I was guessing that was where the prince actually slept.

“In here.” The boy opened a white door on the left. “You can stay here until Prince Drake returns.” He walked into the bedroom and deposited Judy on the king-sized bed. He pressed a towel against her wounds, but the blood there had dried.

I stayed by the door, too afraid to go in. Too afraid to get close to the girl who was too pale to be alive. “Will she live?”

The boy lifted his hazel eyes to me. “I’m not sure.” He pulled the light blue covers over her and then walked back to me. “I’m Thomas.”

“Thea,” I whispered.

“I don’t know what is going on, but my master said to keep you in here until he got back. Please, don’t cause any trouble for me and do what he asked.” He gestured to the inside of the room. Reluctantly, I stepped inside. “Good. I am going to see if I can find any valerian salve for your friend. I’ll be right back.”

Thomas walked out of the room and closed the door. The lock clicked in place.

Panic rushed into my chest and my breathing grew shallow.

Shit, shit, shit.

Getting involved with Judy, standing up for her, and ending up kidnapped by a vampire was definitely not part of the plan.

I fell back on one of the four armchairs by the big window and rubbed my eyes with the palms.

Shit, shit, shit.

What was I supposed to do now?

A moan came from the bed and I froze. What was I supposed to do now?

Slowly, I approached the bed, but Judy was still sleeping. Or whatever she was doing. I placed two fingers on her wrist. It took me a moment, but I found her faint pulse.

A burning sensation prickled behind my eyes, and I blinked, refusing to cry. I wouldn’t cry. I wouldn’t cry for Judy, I wouldn’t cry for me, I wouldn’t cry for this situation, I wouldn’t cry for my plan getting screwed up.

I didn’t know how long it had passed, but I jumped two feet back when the lock turned and the door opened.

Thomas entered the room, a tray in his hands. “Hey. I thought you might be hungry.” He placed the tray filled with food on the small, glass table among the armchairs, then picked a vial from the tray. He approached the bed. “This is for your friend. It’ll help with the pain.”

“She’s in pain?”

He leaned over Judy and poured a few drops of the golden liquid into her open mouth. Then, he glanced at me. “I’m not sure. Usually, a vampire’s bite is pleasant, but if the vampire wants, he can inject venom into his victim, causing pain later.”

I tilted my head at him. “H-how are you here?”

He offered me a sad smile, which made him look older than he probably was. “You mean, alive and working for Prince Drake?” I nodded. “I had just turned eight when my invitation came. It was for my family and I. It was one of the happiest days of our lives. Until they locked the ballroom’s doors and attacked us. I don’t really know what happened. The elixir didn’t work for me. I was dizzy, but I was conscious. I knew I was in a bad situation and had to leave.” He clasped his hand in front of him. “Prince Dorian and Prince Albert came for me. They started fighting each other, saying my blood was sweet and they both wanted it. For some reason, Prince Drake stepped in and claimed me before they touched me.”

He had been only eight years old, so it was before the minimum age was raised to fifteen.

“So … he just claimed you? A vampire can do that?”

Thomas nodded. “It’s one of their rules. If a prince wants to claim a human, he can. A prince can have as many humans as he wants and do whatever he wants with them. And the others can’t touch the claimed human. Unfortunately, we’re still called blood slaves, like the others.”

“And that was …?”

“Eight and a half years ago.”

“How many times have you tried to escape?” Because he had to have tried, right?

“None.” Drake’s rough voice shook the windows as he came inside the room. I flinched and took two big steps back. The prince faced me, his green eyes hard. “Thomas knows his life depends on my generosity, so he follows my rules.” Without averting his eyes from mine, he said, “Thomas, you may leave now.”

“Yes, my prince.” The boy bowed his head, and then scurried out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Drake walked to the other side of the bed. His gaze fell on Judy. “Her heartbeat is even weaker now.”

“Isn’t there anything you can do?”

“She has lost too much blood,” he said, his voice low. “Not even a transfusion can save her now. Besides, I believe she has venom in her veins.” He raised his head, and his gaze met mine again. But this time, his eyes weren’t hard. They were … sad? “The only way to save her is to turn her, but I’ll argue that’s not actually saving.” He let out a long breath. “I can’t turn her.”

Couldn’t or wouldn’t? It didn’t matter. If it were me in that bed, I wouldn’t want anyone turning me. I had no idea what Judy wanted, but this wasn’t part of the plan. My caring for a stranger wasn’t part of the plan. She was supposed to have died in the ballroom or be taken with the others—for later.

“So … I just watch her die?” My voice broke at the last word.

Drake picked up the vial with golden liquid from the nightstand. “This will take away her pain. Two drops every hour until she’s gone.”

He set the vial back down, and then went to the door. He twisted the knob.

He was leaving. He was leaving me here, locked like a helpless princess in a tower. What was I supposed to do? What happened next?

“What about me?” I hadn’t intended to ask that aloud, but the words flew out of my throat.

Drake paused and glanced at me over his shoulder. “I … some important things need my attention now. I’ll be back soon and we’ll talk.”

I gulped. “Talk about what?”

“About what I expect from you.”