The night my seven-year Blood Pact with Lysander hit its climax, my body was wracked with the Curse. It felt like my veins were filled with razor blades. I waited for him. He was late. When he finally showed up at midnight, he wasn't alone. He was cradling an unconscious woman in his arms. Curled in a ball of agony on the bed, I choked out his name. He ignored me completely, carrying her straight to his room and shouting for the old butler. "Check her! Now! Make sure she's okay!" I heard the butler, bless his soul, try to plead my case. Lysander cut him off, impatient. "I'm not in the mood to feed from her right now! She can tough it out. It won't kill her." My last hope shattered. To survive the Curse without my master's bite, I had to bleed myself. I gritted my teeth and sliced my own arms open. The sheets turned crimson. The metallic tang of blood filled the room. Even with his vampire senses, Lysander didn't come. He smelled it, and he didn't care. After hours of convulsions, the Curse finally subsided. Lying in a pool of my own blood, consciousness fading, I sent a telepathic message with the last of my strength. "I accept. Within three days, I will break my bond with him. And I will bond with you." 1. I woke up bandaged. The overwhelming stench of blood was gone, replaced by the faint scent of tobacco. The butler had cleaned me up. Dizzy, I dragged myself out of bed, throwing on a jacket to hide the bandages. I wanted to thank him. I ran straight into Lysander in the hallway. He looked me over, saw I was standing, and his face went blank. "Prepare breakfast." My head spun when I nodded. I grabbed the wall for support. He was already walking away. Habit took over. I prepared a bowl of animal blood and brought it to his room. The woman from last night was in his bed. I looked away and approached him. Lysander glanced at the bowl, scowled, and slapped it out of my hand. Blood splattered onto my jacket. "What is this? Get it out of here!" he hissed. The noise woke the woman. Lysander’s demeanor flipped instantly. He hovered over her, asking softly if she was okay. She smiled sheepishly. Her stomach growled. "I'm hungry." Lysander pinched her cheek affectionately, then glared at me. "Go make real food. Now." I realized my mistake. She wasn't a vampire. She was human, like me. I backed out of the room and heard them talking. "Is she human too?" The woman, Lucy, sounded curious. "No," Lysander said dismissively. "Just my blood thrall." "Because of the Pact, I can only feed from her. So don't worry, I won't hurt you." The Blood Pact lasts five years. I had stayed two years past my expiration date. Because I wanted to. But to him, I was just a walking juice box. It was all in my head. Numbly, I took off my blood-stained jacket, peeled off the sticky gauze, and started cooking human food. Footsteps approached. Lysander entered the kitchen, drawn by the smell. "Why does it smell so strong?" Then he saw the angry slashes on my arms. He grabbed my wrist, staring at the wounds. "Did... did you do this to yourself last night?" When the Curse hits, the master has to drink from the thrall to break it. If not, the thrall has to cut themselves seven times to release the pressure. The lucky ones survive the pain. The unlucky ones go into shock and die. I was lucky. Like he said, I toughed it out. Didn't die. The only thing that died was my hope. I pulled my hand back. "It's fine." My indifference pissed him off. His eyes went cold. "You blame me for not saving you." "I wouldn't dare, Master." He turned off the faucet, stopping me from washing vegetables. "Don't get the wounds wet. Stop working." Another order. I ignored him and picked up a knife. He scoffed. "Suit yourself." He walked away, then paused. "Next time, I'll help you." I didn't answer. There wouldn't be a next time. 2. The castle was dim, lit only by candles. Standard vampire decor. I was checking the blackout curtains when Lucy walked in. She clearly hated the darkness. "Can we go outside? Get some sun?" she asked Lysander. Lysander looked at her with pure affection. "Sure." Years ago, I asked the same thing. He lectured me about how vampires can't be in the sun and how I needed to learn the rules to survive in his world. As a thrall, you learn to read the room. I never asked again. Turns out, it wasn't against the rules. It just depended on who was asking. Lucy grabbed Lysander's arm and beamed at me. "Do you want to come too?" I froze. "I'll stay here and prep dinner." Her smile dropped. Lysander saw her disappointment and turned to me. "Come with us. Pack the food." I looked up. In the candlelight, he finally noticed how pale I was from blood loss. His voice softened. "You're injured. No feeding for a while. Just get me animal blood." Lucy grabbed my hand enthusiastically. "Come on! You must miss the sun!" Her warmth was shocking. I flinched, accidentally tilting the candle. Hot wax dripped onto my hand. Lysander moved like lightning, pulling her hand away from the dripping wax. My skin burned. I watched him check her hand for damage, then silently switched the candle to my other hand. "I'll go pack." I rinsed the burn under cold water. Then I walked over to the calendar on the wall and circled the date. Three circles meant the Pact was fully matured. I would have one chance to break it. I packed the picnic basket and opened the heavy front doors. Sunlight flooded in. After a thousand days in the dark, my instinct was to flinch. Lysander, wearing a heavy cloak, let Lucy drag him out into the brightness. I followed them, stepping into the sun. The warmth hit my skin, and for some reason, I wanted to cry. I looked for Lysander, but my eyes landed on Lucy. She was tiptoeing, reaching for his hood. "Can I see your fangs?" She was glowing, healthy, hair shining in the light. Lysander held her waist and let her pull back his hood. He smiled, his pupils narrowing into slits, and bared his fangs. He wasn't afraid of hurting her. Because he had me. I was the safety valve. I stepped back into the shadows of the trees, hiding my brittle hair and scarred hands. 3. The sun began to set. My shift at the station was starting soon. I stepped out to leave. Lysander looked surprised that I was still there. Before he could speak, Lucy asked, "I should head back too. Will you walk me?" Lysander nodded, then looked at me. "I'll walk you too." Travel between the vampire and human worlds happened via the Boundary Train. My second job was working the night shift at the station. Lysander had never offered to walk me before. "No need. Just take Miss Lucy," I said, tired. He sensed my mood and stepped closer. "I'm walking you." Lucy sensed the tension. She hooked her arm through his. "If it's on the way, let's go together. I hear you've known Lysander a long time. I'd love to hear some stories." She was marking her territory. Lysander patted her hand, clearly enjoying it. I didn't recognize this man. I stopped arguing and bowed like a good servant. "Thank you, Master. Miss." I straightened up and locked eyes with Lysander. His gaze was dark. At the station, I went to the staff room. Lysander grabbed my arm. "Wait for me. I'll take you back when I'm done." Done? Was he coming back tonight? I didn't ask. Lucy was staring at his hand on my arm. My pager beeped. My coworker needed me. I nodded and pulled away. They boarded the train to the human world and vanished. My shift was quiet. I watched the clock tick. The crowd of vampire commuters thinned out. The last train arrived. Lysander wasn't on it. I went back to the staff room, put my head on the desk, and fell asleep. I was done waiting for someone who wasn't coming. 4. I woke up in my own bed at the castle. Lysander was sitting beside me. The room smelled sweet. There was a slice of cake on the nightstand. "For you," he said. In the dim light, I met his eyes, then looked away. "Thanks." He frowned. "I had an emergency last night. I didn't mean to leave you there. Lucy..." "It's fine," I cut him off. He'd ditched me a hundred times. What was one more? I was dizzy from hunger, so I reached for the cake. Lysander, annoyed that I interrupted him, kept talking. "She said women like sweet stuff. What else do you humans like?" My hand froze. The cake was a leftover from his date with Lucy. Of course. I pulled my hand back and lay down, closing my eyes. "Ask Lucy." "You..." He glared at me. Ding. His phone buzzed. His expression softened instantly, and he bolted out of the room without another word. I got up and circled the second date on the calendar. I gave the cake to the old butler as thanks for patching me up. After a quick meal and changing my bandages, I headed to the station early. My coworker, Sarah, was surprised to see me. She told me she saw Lysander earlier. "Some pretty human girl wandered into the station alone. Place was crawling with vamps. She almost got eaten." "Your master swooped in just in time. They were hugging. What's the deal with them?" My chest ached. "I don't know." I handed Sarah some cookies I baked and asked about the breaking of the Pact. That was why I came early. Sarah had broken a Pact before. She looked at the bandages on my arms and didn't ask questions. She just squeezed my shoulder and told me everything she knew. That night, I quit my job at the station. I walked back to the castle in the pitch black. The front door was unlocked. Inside, clothes were scattered on the floor. Heavy breathing echoed from Lysander's room. The door was wide open. Lysander's eyes were blood-red. His fangs were buried deep in Lucy's neck. She wasn't fighting him; she was clinging to him, moaning. I dropped my bag. Lysander's head snapped up. He looked at me with wild, feral eyes. With a roar, he grabbed a heavy glass vase and hurled it at me. It smashed into my shoulder, shattering on the floor. "Get out!" I realized what was happening. The Turning. He drains her dry, marks her, then feeds her his blood. She becomes a vampire. Standing in the debris, shoulder throbbing, I looked at the man I had served for seven years. I picked up the Pact Chain he had discarded on the floor and walked out.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "387014", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel