As I steady myself and glance up, I find myself staring at a guy who looks to be about my age or a little older, maybe twenty-five or twenty-six, with wavy blonde hair and eyes that remind me of a sunset through a chunk of amber. They almost look golden, and they’re framed by thick lashes that only accentuate their startling color more.
“Oops, sorry,” he murmurs, his voice friendly and amused. “You okay there?”
He rubs my arms as the group of women behind me grinds to a halt, sending pleasant sensations sparking across my skin. His gentle hands and unabashed smile make him the kind of guy I’d want to pick up after a brutal day in the field, just to bask in his optimism for a while.
“Yeah.” I shake my head, grinning a little in spite of my dire circumstance. “Fine.”
Releasing my arms, he steps back a little and looks over my shoulder to address the rest of the group. “So sorry, ladies. I seem to have stumbled into the wrong wing. I’ll get the hang of this place eventually. I’m Connor, by the way.”
His eyes twinkle in a way that lights up his whole face as he speaks. Damn, he really is cute as fuck. It’s a shame that fraternizing with the opposite gender isn’t allowed around here. I have a sudden wild thought that maybe I can smuggle him aboveground with me when I break Nathan out of here. No one this full of sunshine deserves to be locked up several stories below ground as food for vampires.
“How long have you been here?” the girl behind me asks breathlessly.
“Ah, just a few months. You’d think that would be long enough to learn your new home, but…” He shrugs haplessly, running a hand through his messy blond hair. “The other vampires keep promising me that I’ll get the hang of it, but I think they sorely underestimate my ability to screw things up.”
He chuckles. The sound is warm and deep, but my brain is too busy short-circuiting to appreciate it.
The other vampires?
This guy is a bloodsucker?
“But it’s great fun,” he continues, breaking out into another wide smile that displays even white teeth—and four pointed fangs. “Trying to figure out immortality and social rules and stuff all over again, while also mapping out a castle the size of my last neighborhood? Man, they just tossed me in here like, sure, you can swim!”
The women behind me are laughing at his jokes, and I give a feeble attempt at a giggle to try to blend in. But I’m still trying to wrap my head around this new piece of information.
He’s a newly turned vampire. Maybe that accounts for his sweet vibe and upbeat attitude—but I don’t know, I’ve met vampires who had only been turned recently who were already bloodthirsty psychos. Maybe he is too, when he isn’t showing off for a bunch of tributes.
Why is he even bothering, anyway? Doesn’t he have all the power here? Why make the effort to charm us when he could just order us to do whatever he wants?
Connor steps to one side, sweeping his arm out in an over-the-top chivalrous gesture to indicate that we could proceed. “I’ll get out of your way. You ladies look like you have places to be.” He shoots the matron a look, wrinkling his nose. “Um, Anastasyia?”
“You’re looking for the main staircase again?”
He nods sheepishly.
She sighs. “Keep going this way, turn right at the end of the hall, take your first left, and it’ll be right there.”
“Thanks. This is the last time I’ll ask, I promise. Well, maybe second to last.”
He grins at her, and for the first time, I see her smile reflected in her eyes as she nods at him. As he heads away, she turns back to us.
“Come on girls, you have more to see.” She starts walking down the corridor again, and the group falls in behind her. “Now, most of the time you’ll be having dinner with the vampires in the great hall, but for breakfast and lunch, you’ll be on your own. Up ahead is the kitchen for this wing. Same rules as the bathroom, respect each other and clean up after yourselves. I don’t want to have to ground anybody from—”
I stop listening, dragging my feet a little and glancing back over my shoulder. Connor is heading away down the hall, but he looks over his shoulder at the same moment I do, and our eyes meet. His brow furrows thoughtfully, some expression passing across his face that I’m too far away to read.
I can’t believe he’s a fucking vampire.
When we first crashed into each other, I got a good vibe from him. I liked him—liked his goofy smile and relaxed demeanor.
How the hell did that happen? Have my instincts already been blunted that badly by this role I’m playing?
Is there a chance I’ve met him before, out on the streets somewhere? Have we ever faced off in a dark alley? No, I don’t think so. I would have remembered those eyes, that posture. Besides, I can’t really picture Connor hunting in the streets. He seems too… nice for that.
I snap my head forward, gritting my teeth. I’m not going to stand here and rationalize vampires. They’re all inherently monsters, and no amber eyes or brilliant smile can change that fact.
Get your head on straight, Mikka. Face forward, don’t look back. Vampires aren’t nice. They thrive on hunger, rage, lust, and pride. That’s it. Don’t humanize them, or you’ll never get out of this fucking place alive.
Chapter Five
Steeling my spine, I pick up my pace to rejoin the others, since I’ve fallen behind the group.
The crying girl is trailing behind the pack too. The tear tracks on her face have dried, but she still looks sad as hell. She doesn’t seem interested in the library or kitchen or anything else. She cringes each time we pass an oil-painted portrait of a vampire and
