Where will I go when I die? Will I be buried here, in a graveyard that we use for our enjoyment? Will I be one of the forgotten ghosts, name etched across the stone covered in ivy and grit? Before, I wouldn’t have cared. My sole purpose in life is to kill monsters, to be the champion for humanity that’s forced to work in the shadows. Maybe that’s what makes us monsters. We’re the silent killers, the assassins who hide in the darkness, never able to show our true selves in the light.
My morbid thoughts are interrupted by a fist connecting with my cheek. My head whips to the side as pain erupts from the point of contact. It feels as if my brain is rattling around in my skull.
“What the fuck?” I hiss, spitting out blood and swiveling to face my father once more.
“You’re a disgrace. A disappointment.” He spits at my shoes, the gesture reminding me eerily of when Alex’s father spat on Violet’s. “You’ve been hanging out with Dracula’s daughter? Fucking her?” His face turns red with each sentence, hands fisting by his sides, as if he wants to punch me a second time.
Vanessa pales slightly, eyes widening imperceptibly, as she glances between me and my father. My mother merely crosses her arms over her chest and levels me with a blistering glare.
“Dad…” Vanessa begins. If anyone can talk sense into Stefan, it’s her. She’s always been his perfect angel.
“Shut the fuck up, Vanessa,” Stefan hisses, and my temper flares.
“Don’t talk to her like that!”
“Does she have a magical pussy, is that it?” Stefan goads, ignoring my outburst. “Is that vampire bitch good at sucking cock? Maybe I should test her out myself. Before I drive a stake through her heart.” His eyes gleam with pure malice, lips pulling away from his teeth. A cold chill chases down my spine.
“She’s nothing,” I bite out, hating myself a tiny bit for the lie I have to spew. “Just an oblivious whore I like to fuck. Do you really think it would be anything more? That I would betray my family like that? After what her bastard father did to my grandpa…your father?” I stare into his icy brown eyes, rife with anger, and work to keep my own face impassive. “Violet Dracula is just a means to an end. Nothing more.”
“We have big plans for her during the games,” Stefan replies evenly, eyes cataloging every miniscule twitch on my face. “Big, big plans.”
Fuck, what exactly does he mean by that?
I want to shake his shoulders and demand answers, but I know that will only make things worse. The only thing that might save Violet is being the perfect son, the perfect hunter, the perfect monster of all monsters.
“That better not be a threat, Stefan Van Helsing,” a cold voice says as a lean figure materializes from around the corner. Dimitri’s hands are tucked into his pockets as he adopts an insouciant, almost lackadaisical, posture. “My Academy has a zero-tolerance policy for hate crimes. If I discover you or any of your hunters have hurt a monster on this campus, I will not hesitate to invoke the punishment at the highest extent of the law.”
Death.
He means death.
Stefan actually pales at his threat. Dimitri’s name has been passed from hunter’s to hunter’s house. A nightmare and a lesson combined.
Don’t fuck with bigger monsters than you’re capable of taking on.
And Dimitri Gray? He’s the biggest one.
Stefan smiles cordially at the expressionless headmaster. “Of course not. We wouldn’t think to harm a hair on any student’s head. I apologize for the miscommunication.” He leans forward, under the guise of giving me a hug, and whispers scathingly in my ear, “Kill the bitch.”
Every muscle in my body tightens at his words, but I force myself to remain calm. Hating myself a little more, I nod once, my chin hitting his shoulder.
“Consider it done,” I respond stiffly.
Stefan slaps me on the back—much harder than necessary—before stepping away and allowing my mother, Felicia, to step forward. She kisses both of my cheeks, her sugary perfume curling around me and making me gag, before putting her lips to my ear.
“Don’t let me down, son.”
I’m left trembling as she glides away, my father trailing after her like a besotted puppy. Soon, only Dimitri and Vanessa remain with me.
Dimitri slides cool blue eyes over to my sister, assessing whether she’s friend or foe, before turning to me.
“You know I’m not going to allow any harm to come to…the vampires,” he says, voice colder than the breeze ruffling my dark hair. I have the distinct feeling he was about to say something else—a specific name—but caught himself at the last second. To be entirely honest, I don’t care that the headmaster at my school is obsessed with my sort-of girlfriend. Yeah, I want to stab him and all that, but at least I can be assured that he’ll protect her. It’s always better to have someone as scary as Dimitri as a friend instead of an enemy. If he’s your friend, he’ll protect you with every fiber of his dark, soulless being. And if he’s your enemy…
There’s a reason the monster world fears Dimitri Gray.
“I’ll take care of my family,” I reply, infusing sincerity in my words, making my statement impossible to deny. Dimitri continues to stare at me oddly, almost judgmentally, before he nods once and stalks away without a backwards glance.
“They won’t stop until she’s dead,” Vanessa points out, but her tone isn’t malicious, only matter-of-fact. And I know she’s right. Fuck, I know she’s right, but what does she expect me to do? Kill my family? Hurt the people who raised me? The mere thought is inconceivable and sends a cold chill sweeping over my arms. I’m at a crossroads, and every direction has a train barreling my way. Try as I might, there’s no escape. I’m forced to stand with my feet cemented to the ground and face whatever the universe deems
