When Zane was alone he squeezed his eyes shut. I will not lose her Damya, I promise you. Damn.

He rubbed his eyes, soon she’ll be just as strong as Jules and then, there will be no way to keep her locked up. I have to make her understand by then.

He’d taken her poor, blistered face in his hands when Jules carried her up the lawn, tears flooding his eyes. He’d snatched her from him greedily and carried her into his chamber, pressing his nose into her hair. She smelled heavily of magnolias. He’d watched her for hours, as the blisters healed themselves slowly and her beautiful face came back into view. When he was sure she was stable, he carried her himself, back to her room and tucked her into bed.

The gash on his wrist was already knitting itself together and once it was healed he pulled his phone out of the top drawer of his desk. He hit a button and it rang, “Elsie, schedule a meeting with Catherwood. Yes, as soon as possible...like tomorrow.”

When Terryn woke, her face was still burning, but the cool, earthy smell of the forest was gone. Smooth sheets pressed against her skin. She struggled to open her eyes. She was back in that room, with the robin’s egg blue walls. She looked to the window, the pink curtains were drawn. She tried to move, but her body felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. She moaned.

“Terryn?” Jules face emerged from the shadows. His eyes were puffy and his lip was split and swollen. His cool hand pressed against her forehead.

“What?” She muttered. He pressed something cool to her lips and she didn’t resist. She was so thirsty, she drank in deep gulps. It tasted like copper with a bit of some hard to place spice. There was a soft, rhythmic thudding in her ears, like music was playing just out of earshot. Then she slipped back into darkness, aware just before being lost to oblivion that she could hear a heartbeat and that it was not her own.

The next few weeks passed in a blur. She woke occasionally, to see Jules sitting in a chair next to her bed a book in hand. Every time she moved, his eyes passed over her with concern. Occasionally, he gave her more to drink out of what she had come to understand was a crystal bottle. When she drank it she felt, fractionally better, but was soon put back to sleep. There were hazy moments when she was aware she was folded over the bathtub, vomiting; she felt Jules solid hand on her back. 

Until, one night she opened her eyes suddenly. The pounding in her head was louder now, but not unpleasant, like music, different beats skipping around her mind in a sweet harmony. She heard Jules let out a small gasp, “it’s done.” he whispered. A note skipped in the music as if a record scratch and then resumed.

“I have to call for Zane, don’t move.”

Terryn immediately sat up. The window drapes were open and the sky was an unsettling rich blue, almost like twilight, but deeper like a sapphire. She arrived at the french doors faster than she’d thought she wanted to be there and pressed against them with wonder. The stars were sparkling like the tiny suns they were, lighting up the sky in swirls that reminded her of Van Gogh’s Starry Night. “Beautiful,” she murmured. She placed her hand on the handle to open the door, when a warm strong hand landed on top of it. She looked up into Zane’s glowing garnet eyes.

“It's beatiful isn't it?,” he cooed.

Terryn felt like she was in a dream, all of her senses were so sharp but so warped. She could hear tree branches rustling and bats disturbing the air outside of the window.

“What did you give me?” she questioned.

Zane blinked at her, “It’s natural sweetheart, don’t be afraid.” He took her hand and led her into the larger room. The lights felt, too bright. She squinted and as if on cue Jules swiftly moved to dim them.

“I can hear music,” she said looking around, drinking in all the beautiful color of the room. It’s walls had such depth. When she focused on a painting, it was as if she could see the strokes appearing on the paper, writhing with life.

“That sound is your pack, you can hear them because you are their leader.”

“You’re their leader,” she contradicted, gazing dreamily at the floor, following each crack to its end with her eyes.

“Well yes, and now you are too.”

“They sound sweet, and a bit sad.”

“They will be happier when they learn you’ve woken up.”

“Can they hear me?”

“No...only Jules and I have that privilege, but even he can’t hear everyone else like you and I can.”

“Oh,” her voice dropped.

She instinctively knew how many souls there were and she felt a sudden flutter of excitement, as she could feel them moving in the building around her. The house that had felt so silent before, now felt alive.

“When can I meet them?” she looked up at Zane, who was beaming proudly.

“Soon, but there are some things I want you to know first.”

She tilted her head.

“I’m hungry,” she mewed.

Jules offered her the crystal carafe and she drank from it without question. When she was done, she stared at it and then at Zane.

“This is your…”

Jules caught the carafe before it hit the ground and replaced it on the end table, smiling.

He wanted to tease her with a light hearted, I told you so, but thought better of it.

“What have you…?”

Zane’s smile dropped and he rubbed his chin.

“You can’t always have my blood. You’ll have to hunt on your own eventually. But for the time being Jules will bring you your meals and my blood will make you strong.”

“Hunt...for what?”

A dark flash passed over Zane’s eyes, anticipating her horror.

“You are a vampire, you have to drink the blood of the living.”

“Like people?” she snapped, suddenly feeling more lucid as her heartbeat rose, lucid and strong. Her muscles flexed on their own, brimming with energy.

Zane moved towards her, “Calm down Terryn. Be calm.”

His voice eased her making her limbs feel heavy, but she still felt unsettled. He gathered her up in a warm hug.

“It’s all going to be okay, I promise. It’s just so new, but you will get used to it all.”

“Will I have to kill them?”

Zane’s eyes passed to Jules and then back to Terryn, there was a long silence and she pulled free from his embrace.

“You don’t technically have to, but I think you should, in fact I would insist that you do.”

Terryn’s panic broke through Zane’s spell and she moved before she had even willed it. She was at the french doors with amazing strength, tearing them open. When her foot hit the grass below her balcony lightly, as if she had just danced down a single step, she froze.

“What the fuck?” She was confused, her mind racing. I have to go, I have to get away from these monsters. She took off again, heading this time around the side of the building. Maybe there was a road at the front that she could follow.

Zane appeared in front of her and she skidded to a stop and turned, Jules was behind her. Their faces were both kind and placid, which scared her more.

“Terryn, if you keep running, I’ll have to make you go to sleep, but if you come back inside we can talk.” Zane’s tone was even and soothing, she felt her limbs getting heavy again. Jules hands emerged from behind her and picked her up. He jumped, with her in his arms back up to the balcony. Jules placed her on the pink couch, and Zane closed the french doors behind them.

“None of this is possible,” she whispered quivering.

“I think it might be helpful if you met with our resident historian and had some lessons, it might make this all a little easier to swallow.”

“You are monsters,” Terryn growled.

Zane laughed a deep bellied laugh and extended his hand to drag his thumb across her cheek.

“You are so much like your mother. I can see her in your every mannerism”

Zane stared at her for awhile longer, before turning his eyes up to the window.

“We can’t have you jumping out of any more windows, you’ll have to stay in Jules room until you settle down and we do something about these. When I’m sure you are safe you can come back.” Terryn looked horrified.

“Don’t worry, he won’t and can’t hurt you, he is your blood bonded servant, his only job is to protect and comfort you, you are just so young, there are things that you don’t know that can hurt you.”

“Like what?” she spat.

“Like sunlight for one thing,” Zane tapped a heavy knuckle, on the glass window, “I should have prepared this room for your awakening, but that’s okay,” he said lightly smiling, “I’ll have them sort it out tomorrow.”

Jules moved to the window and pulled the curtains, “sir, it's getting late, maybe we should continue this conversation elsewhere.” He eyed Terryn with the suspicious face.

Zane gave him a quick and terse nod, “No, we will sort it all out tomorrow, I’m very tired, as I’m sure you are. Take her to your room, and don’t take your eyes off of her.” There was a long tense silence before Jules bowed deeply. 

Zane turned his attention back to Terryn, bending to kiss her on the head before disappearing from the room. Terryn glared at Jules, preparing to resist him, but her body felt weak and hungry again and she just watched him angrily as he moved across the room.

“You better not lay a finger on me you creep,” she hissed.

Jules smiled at her, and picked her up whispering, “too late princess,” and carried her down the hall and to another room. His scent was familiar and lightly floral.

Jules’ room was just as pretty as her suite, but much more modern, with no gilded crown molding and very contemporary inset lighting. He had abstract paintings on his walls with splashes of vivid red and yellow. There were also huge steel shutters across the windows and a baby grand piano tucked in the corner. It looked like they had been transported to a trendy new york loft, not the old plantation house, she knew they were in. Jules deposited her gently on a leather couch and tossed her the remote. She looked at it, “your not going to put me to sleep?”

He shrugged, “Do I need to?” 

She rolled her eyes, too tired to argue and flipped on the tv. It was comforting to see the world still turning outside of the surreal insanity of these walls, to know she hadn’t been whisked away to some foreign planet, but was still somewhere on Earth. She mindlessly flipped stations, testing each of her muscles. They had done something to her, she could hardly move, certainly not with the strength and speed she’d had before and she felt achingly hungry. Jules fussed around the bedroom behind her, she assumed straightening and changing the sheets, as she saw him push the old ones down a chute in the wall.

When Terryn finally fell asleep, Jules lifted her from the couch and placed her in his bed. Over the past few weeks she had changed, her skin now had the slightest flecks of gold shimmer, her curls lustrous and soft. She seemed to glow with her own gentle light, as he tucked her under the blankets. He checked the locks and made sure the windows were secure, so she didn’t burn herself to death trying to leap out of the window when she woke up, before picking up a book and settling down on the couch.

He tried to read for a long time, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Damya. Her gentle, but powerful walk and her analytic gaze. The same hard gaze that Terryn had been giving him all night. He wondered if it would be better to get a few hours of sleep now, so he would be refreshed when she inevitably woke up or...no it didn’t matter, he couldn’t sleep anyway.

The princess has arrived and that is a miraculous thing, she’s made it through the change and she is strong. Our pack is on its way to being whole again. Even though it felt improper, he was relieved Zane had requested she sleep in his room. The scent of magnolias, very strong now, filled the space.