Sophia

Pascal had been silent the entire way home, but after we reached the house and the door closed behind us, he whirled around to me, anger burning in his eyes. “I thought I told you to keep quiet about your nonsense!”

I crossed my arms, glaring at him. “It didn’t matter, anyway! They didn’t believe me and it was already decided that they would hand him everything before the meeting started.”

He narrowed his eyes at me and shook his head. “They haven’t given him everything! All they did was hand the control over the Jones’ assets into neutral hands.”

I threw my hands in the air. “Are you even listening to yourself? He isn’t a neutral person. He has an agenda, just like any other asshole in our community.”

“That community and all those people inside it kept us alive. Samuel works hard to offer us more protection, and you would do well to show more respect.”

“Why is everyone acting as if vampires can’t protect themselves? You’re all making it seem as if we are the weakest species out there. We were once the strongest of them all, and now we depend on mages to protect us. Not even humans do that!”

Pascal turned on his heels, marching to the kitchen without a word. I stomped after him, the next set of insults on the tip of my tongue.

“Not all of us have the strength to protect ourselves,” he mumbled.

I stopped in the door frame and watched him store those disgusting bottles of blood in the fridge.

“And maybe we should think about why that is. All we do is think about business and finances, and how we can be better than humans, mages, or shifters. There is no interest in growing strong ourselves!”

I wrinkled my nose when he grabbed the last bottle of blood on the table, opened it, and took a sip. The stale scent of blood hit my nose, making me gag. I couldn’t understand how he could stomach that. I barely drink any, and it’s not that we need it anyway. It might strengthen us and make us healthier, but it also makes my magic more potent. Better to avoid that before I accidentally set something on fire again.

“That’s strong coming from someone who even denies our very nature to drink blood,” he said, drinking the last drop of blood. “We can be happy we didn’t go extinct yet. I have seen times not even your worst nightmares could produce, and I’m glad when I don’t have to watch my back at all times.”

“I’m sure my worst nightmare happened in the living room only recently.”

His brows shot up. “Then maybe it is time to accept the help of people that are stronger than we are.”

I laughed. “Are you really this naïve right now? He put you all to sleep to kill my family and you still think it’s a great idea to form an alliance with him. Believe it or not, Samuel was behind it. He is a coward and you think he is stronger! We will go down again if we side with him.”

Pascal sighed, throwing the now empty blood bottle into the trash. “Arguing with you is a waste of time. Eventually, you’ll see that you are wrong and then you’ll come back, begging on your knees to be forgiven. Then you’ll be thankful for the alliance.”

“That will never happen. If anything, the truth will blow up in your face. I’m not siding with cowardly murderers. If they had come to my family fair and square, they would have lost. We always had a philosophy of being strong, and fighting for ourselves, and they knew that!”

Pascal turned to me, his eyes cold. “If that is the case, then why didn’t you live up to that philosophy before? You’re just like everyone else out there, but unlike them, you have unpredictable magic sleeping inside you, and you aren’t using it! If you don’t get it under control, you might kill someone by accident. But now you’re telling me we’re supposed to live by what your parents preached, when not even you listened to them. Stop being such a hypocrite!”

I stared at him, at a loss for words. He had a point. I acted like a hypocrite. I never understood why my parents wanted me to learn how to defend myself. Besides, I never saw or experienced any danger and I thought they were overprotective and worried too much. After their death, it felt like someone poured cold water over my head, and for the first time, I realized how wrong I had been all these years. We weren’t safe here and I never knew who the enemy was, but did they know?

What I know for certain is that the alliance with Samuel will be our downfall. He killed the strongest family in the community to spread more fear so that we wouldn’t decline the alliance. That I was sure of. But nothing I would say would convince Pascal or anyone else in the community.

Without saying another word, I turned around and went to my room. Pascal wasn’t on my side and arguing with him would only waste my time. No one sided with me, except that brown-eyed scholar. If he was telling the truth. It might also be a plan by Samuel to get rid of me. But he looked genuine, nice even. Still, could I risk meeting him?

Adam

Lucas closed his book with a thud. “Be back before curfew.”

“Yes, mum. Don’t worry, I won’t be out for long,” I said, searching for the bag I wanted to take with me. I was sure I had seen it in my closet somewhere.

“Sorry, but since Samuel’s announcement after the council meeting, things have gotten a lot stricter. I don’t want you to get into trouble.”

Little did he know I was meeting with the enemy. Samuel had been completely out of his mind since he saw Sophia alive. I glanced at Lucas. He bit his lip as he watched me, looking as if he were really worried.

I sighed. “Lucas, it’s going to be fine. I only drop by my parents’ house and have a long talk. I miss seeing them whenever I want, and who knows how long Samuel will allow us to even leave the compound, now that he has already shortened the curfew.”

He nodded. “I know, and I’m happy you get to meet your parents but watch out for dangerous people.”

I laughed. The dangerous people were in this compound, but he didn’t have to know that. “I’m literally a protector. I’m sure I will manage.”

He pressed his lips into a thin line and opened his book again. I finally found the bag in the back of the closet and pulled it out. “I will see you later.”

Lucas nodded. “See you.”

I rushed through the compound and to the city, glad no one else stopped me, as I was already running late. I pulled the bag closer to my chest when I entered the busy city, watching out for people who might steal it. This might not be the most dangerous area, but thieves linger around in any corner. I had to learn that the hard way, too.

I stopped at the pharmacy, bought medicine for my parents, then headed to the bakery to pick up freshly baked bread and their favorite pie. The scent of baked goods made my mouth water, and I wish I could have the time to sit down to enjoy a little treat. But there wasn’t any time for things like that.

The small apartment building my parents live in popped into view, the paint of the walls slowly chipping off. The road got bumpy, and only cement and gray covered the scenery. Since I joined Samuel’s blood bond, I could afford to rent them a small apartment here, but it wasn’t the quality I wish they had. Still better than living on the streets, though. At least they didn’t have to freeze in the winter or suffer from heat during the summer. It made the blood bond worth it, as much as I hate it.