Sophia

I jumped up. “You can’t do that!”

Langston turned to me with a sigh. “Is there an issue, Ms. Jones?”

The pounding in my ears made it hard to hear my thoughts. Puffs of air left my mouth, making me dizzy. The person who killed my family was supposed to take care of their company now? Their hard work? What kind of sick joke was this?

Pascal pulled on my arm. “Stop this at once. Don’t do something you’ll regret later.”

I shook him off, finally finding my voice again. “I think it’s funny that the person who might be responsible for my family’s death is the so-called neutral party, and will get handed everything they owned, even if it’s only temporary.”

First silence greeted me before loud murmurs erupted in the room again. Blaine staggered to his feet, raising his hands in the air. “Quiet!”

My body trembled with anger, seeing the disappointed look in his eyes. The disbelief and mistrust.

“I hope you have evidence for such accusations,” he said, his voice as cold as his eyes.

I flexed my fingers, knowing I had no way to get out of this situation. I couldn’t take my words back. “When I came back home that night from a birthday party I found my family, but I also saw a group of scholars in the dining room, holding my little sister. I tried to stop them, but they escaped through a portal.”

A few gasps echoed through the room, and a few turned to Samuel, whispering to each other.

“That could have been any group of scholars. What made you think they were coming from Samuel?” Langston asked, his voice dripping with doubt.

“They were wearing the same cloaks as his two scholars standing behind him right now and I recognized Samuel’s magical signature coming from the spell they chanted to disappear from there.”

Blaine arched a brow. “Reading magical signatures hasn’t been a skill vampires have had for centuries. What makes you think you have it?”

I tilted my head to the side. “I wonder why that would surprise you so much, since I’m also the only vampire in this community that can use magic. I have seen them since I was a child, but no one ever believed me when I mentioned it, telling me I would see things that weren’t there.”

“If it’s as unpredictable as your magic, it should be understandable,” a man muttered. I couldn’t make out who said it, but it didn’t matter. He planted doubt in the minds of the people, reminding them of the magic I couldn’t control and why no one could trust me with anything. The black sheep.

Blaine settled back in his chair with a long sigh. “I can understand your anger and frustration, Ms. Jones. This is a difficult situation for all of us, but let’s not point fingers at the people who are eager to help us.”

I shook my head, dropping back on my chair.

“I didn’t take offense, elder. I doubt anyone can grasp how it must have been for her to find her family in such a state and if she saw scholars escaping with her sister, it’s only natural for her to be more skeptical of us. All that means is that we have to try even harder to gain back her trust,” Samuel said, a smirk dancing on his lips, which could easily be mistaken for a genuine smile.

I scowled at him, not wanting to hear even one more word from him.

Blaine nodded. “Thank you for being so understanding, Samuel. We’re all a little on edge today, so it’s probably best to end the meeting. Please return home safely, and more so than always, watch your backs. We have blood donations at the exit for everyone to take home.”

It didn’t take long before the room was empty. Everyone left as fast as they could. No one stopped at my table to show their sympathy or speak to me at all. Everyone just left. In the end, they were probably already thinking about how to get their hands on my family’s business. None of them cared for me or anyone in this community. They were all in this for themselves. I might as well have died with them and no one would have batted an eye.

“We are going to wait at the exit. I advise you to cool your head for a little longer before joining us,” Pascal said. His guard followed closely behind him, leaving me alone in the room.

I should have kept my mouth shut. It wasn’t the time to come out with the truth, not with no evidence. But it was too late now.

Someone cleared their throat next to me, startling me. I looked up, seeing the brown-eyed scholar by my side. Great, what in the world did he want from me now?

Adam

Sophia glared at me, her blue eyes cold and distant. I didn’t blame her. I wouldn’t be fond of seeing me in her stead either.

“I’m sorry to bother you,” I said.

She nodded, crossing her arms. “What do you want?”

Her sharp voice hurt me, but I deserved it. I snipped my finger, creating a small bubble around us to create a soundproof area. I couldn’t hold this up for long before Samuel felt my magic, but it was better than being overheard.

“I need to talk to you about what happened to your family. Somewhere safe,” I said.

Sophia’s eyes narrowed at me. “What are you playing at?”

“I know you don’t trust me, but I promise you, I won’t harm you. But I can’t speak here for long or Samuel will realize something is up. I’ll have a day off tomorrow. Meet me in the south forest at Coral river, close to the old altar, at two in the afternoon. Do you know where that is?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Good, meet me there tomorrow,” I repeated.

“What makes you think I would just meet you in an isolated place like that? I don’t even know you,” she said, her blue eyes piercing into my soul.

I gulped, fighting the urge to come clean right here, right now. But it wasn’t safe. “I know this all seems sketchy, but I’m already risking a lot, talking to you like this. I won’t hurt you, I promise.”

She arched her brow. “Promises from you mean nothing to me.”

With that, she stood up, bursting the bubble without batting an eye, and left the room without looking back at me again. My heart beat up in my throat watching her leave, hoping she would take this chance. I wouldn’t know what to do if not. All I could do now was to wait for tomorrow, and hope my plan would work.