I guess she’s a looker; if you don’t mind multi-colored dyed hair and more piercings than one can count. She’s a vampire, obviously. I can tell from her smell. She arches a painted eyebrow at me. “Hi.”
“Hi,” I say back. I eye Javelin, conveying silent disapproval in my gaze.
“What?” He lifts his hands in pretend confusion. “She’s just another vampire. It’s not like I brought a human back here.”
Vivienne snorts, and Javelin grins at her.
“Wilder is the boss,” Cecil says tentatively. “You should have checked with him first.”
Javelin rolls his eyes. “Shut it, squirt,” he drawls. “You of all people shouldn’t mind a girl being here. You and your pathetic fake honor.”
Cecil scowls, and I hold up a hand, silencing both of them. “You can stay,” I tell Vivienne. “At least for a while.” It’s daytime, so it’s not like she can leave right now, anyway. “But while you’re here, it’s my house and my rules. Understand?”
“Sure.” She shrugs.
I narrow my eyes at her. Her attitude is neither aggressive nor challenging, but there’s a dismissiveness about her I don’t like.
“Hey,” Javelin says. “Vivienne and I are going hunting after sunset. Wanna come?”
“I ate yesterday.” I don’t tell them I killed an elf, specifically. Their blood tastes similar enough to humans. It’s not enough to slake my thirst—it never is—but I try to ignore the need. I feel like it’s becoming more difficult to dismiss, and it's already overwhelming.
“Well, there’s still tonight,” Vivienne says. “I know a place where the getting is good.”
“Where at?” Javelin eyes her with interest.
“Near the docks,” Vivienne says. She smirks. “The dream vagrants and homeless often gather there. Easy pickings.”
Javelin laughs.
My stomach squirms with unease. Hunting dream vagrants?
“That seems pretty low,” Cecil says sullenly. He’s still offended by Javelin’s mocking. “Dream vagrants are helpless.”
“All humans are.” Javelin waves a hand vaguely. “And dream vagrants deserve to die. They were stupid enough to take the drugs, even when they knew what it would do to them. They’re idiots, the whole lot of them.”
I turn away and stalk back to my room, Vivienne’s laughter following me.
Do dream vagrants deserve what they get? Do they deserve death?
Truly?
I stand in front of my bedroom window. It’s boarded up, like the rest of them, but I can feel the light beyond it just the same. It’s an uncomfortable feeling, like I’m standing too close to a bonfire.
“Did you save her?” Cecil asks. He’s quiet. I didn’t hear him follow me. “The girl. Last night.”
I nod. “Yeah.”
“That’s great.” I can hear the smile in Cecil’s voice. “Good for you, Wilder.”
“She was afraid of me.” I can’t keep the hurt out of my voice. “She was afraid of me, Cecil. She saw me for what I am.” A monster. A freak.
Cecil doesn’t respond.
Now that I’ve started talking, I can’t seem to stop. “I saw the fear in her eyes. But she was ready to come with me, anyway.” Hope rises as I remember. “She was going to give me another chance.”
“What happened?” Cecil asks.
“An elf happened,” I growl. “I thought I was going to have to kill him, too. Stella stopped him. But then she went back to the base. She’s still with the elves.”
“What are you going to do?”
I sigh. “I don’t know.” And I don’t. Stella was about to run away with me. Of that, I am certain. But had she decided that because she really wanted to? Or was it something else?
Pity?
Stars, I hope not.
“You should go get her,” Cecil says. There’s a thread of determination in his voice that is at odds with how he usually behaves. “This is your girlfriend. You gotta prove to her that you still love her.” A pause. “You do, right?”
“Of course, I do,” I snarl. “It’s just complicated. She’s living in a fortress of elves, and she’s possibly dating the prince.” I shut my mouth, my lips a thin line. I’ve said more than I wanted to say.
“You just told me Stella almost came back with you,” Cecil points out. “You’re a vampire, Wilder. You’re powerful. You’re in love. She loves you. Fate has dealt you a poor hand, but there’s still a chance. Take it.”
I look over my shoulder at him. “You really think so?”
“My mom used to tell me stories.” Cecil’s expression takes on a faraway look. “About heroes who had bad luck and devastation in their lives. But instead of accepting fate, they always rose to the challenge and made themselves into something better. You’re not like the rest of us, Wilder. You’re a vampire with control. If there’s one of us who can carve a better life for himself in this nightmare, it’s you.” He smiles tentatively. “You should go to her.”
I feel a rush of certainty. “You’re right.” I grin, suddenly giddy. “You’re right. I should. I should go and get her. Tonight.”
Cecil beams. “You’ll be a hero. You know the elves can’t be good. They’re invaders.”
I look away, feeling a flicker of doubt. Are the elves evil? I’m not sure. I don’t know that they’re good, but they certainly aren’t like the space aliens in old fiction who try to destroy humanity.
No, it’s just the vampires that the elves want to kill.
And I’m not sure I can blame them for that.
But they don’t get to write my story, not any more than what they have already.
I will go there tonight.
Stella and I will be together again.
7
Sophia
The feeling of hatred and malice is gone.
Moments pass. Birdsong begins to sound.
I’m shaking. I can’t stop the shudder of my limbs. I keep my eyes squeezed shut.
Is Bren dead? Is he still alive? Does he hate me? Did he only come because Eema demanded it? Or did he come back because of something else?
I don’t know. And I’m afraid of what the answers might be.
I remain crouched in the dirt, shivering.
“Sophia.” Bren’s hand ruffles my hair. “You’re all right. It’s gone.”
With a shudder, I open my eyes, and I see that he’s
