"Lucas!"
I could already feel the sharp edge of his fangs on my skin when a shrill female voice brought me an unexpected reprieve.
He growled with frustration and roughly pushed me away, causing my head to jerk back and bump against the concrete wall.
I glared every sort of sharp blade imaginable at my captor. So your name is Lucas.
He seemed to be reading my mind, because an ugly frown marred his handsome features.
"Yes. The name's Lucas, my sweet innocent. Not that knowing that will do you any good."
"What do you think you're doing?!" the female voice once again demanded of him.
I strained my neck to see who my savior was, but Lucas was blocking my view.
"What do you think I'm doing, Vivienne?" His chest heaved and sighed as he said the words. He looked just about ready to rip the head off of this Vivienne woman. "So sorry about this, Sofia dear."
Of course. How dare she interrupt your dinner. Happy birthday, Sofia. You just happen to be the birthday feast.
He looked at me as though I was his ally. "It seems my sister couldn't just let things be and let me enjoy my feast."
My heart sank at that piece of information. How could I expect this creature's sister to help me get out of the nightmare he'd brought me into? Her next words cemented my fears and made it clear that there was no escaping my doom. At least not with her help.
"She isn't yours to feast on."
"I found her!"
"You found her for Derek."
I was already busy musing over what these words implied. Great. Save me from one vampire so that another can sup on me instead. I wasn't too preoccupied, however, to ignore the change of expression on Lucas's face at the mention of this Derek person.
"She's one girl, Vivienne. What harm would it do to take one girl for myself? I always get to keep the lovelies I find on these hunts. Always."
"You already have plenty of beautiful women in your quarters. You need not keep this one. Corrine made it clear that the young women found tonight are to be reserved for when Derek wakes up."
Lucas eyed me intently. He was looking at me so closely that I was sure he was already well-acquainted with every single mole and freckle on my face.
I could see his Adam's apple move as he gulped, deprived of the morsel he was so desperate to have – me. I wasn't sure what to feel. I was relieved to escape Lucas, but was also filled with dread over who Derek was. There was no guarantee that he would be any better than my current captor.
Lucas once again took my face in his hands and traced his thumb over my lips.
"This fragile little twig couldn't possibly be the one. I don't understand why everyone seems to worship the ground Corrine walks on. No matter what that witch says, Sleeping Beauty has shown no signs of waking up any time soon."
"Derek will wake up soon. The sooner you accept that, the better off we'll all be."
"I'm your brother too. Why do you constantly choose him over me?"
"Despite what you think, it has nothing to do with the fact that he's my twin. It has everything to do with who you are and who he is. I love you, brother, but you must accept that you weren't meant to rule." Her words were spoken gently, but firmly, an unmistakable hint of affection coming with every utterance.
I could see the pain in Lucas's eyes at the bold statements coming from his own sister. At that point, I knew I must have truly gone mad, because I actually felt sorry for him. I knew what he felt, what it was like to have no one on your side. I didn't think anyone deserved to feel that way.
He quickly reminded me, however, that he was my tormentor and made me completely reconsider my stand in the matter. Whatever anger or sadness he felt, he took out on me. He clamped one hand over my neck, constricting my breathing. A claw protruded from the thumb he had over my lips and he began pressing the end of it over my mouth. I couldn't help but whimper as his sharp nail drew a small line of blood over my sensitive lower lip.
"Lucas! Stop it!" Vivienne once again raised her voice in reprimand.
He let go of me, allowing me to gasp for breath. He backed away and stared down at me like I was the most disgusting thing he'd ever seen in his life.
"I'm just trying to help you wake your beloved Derek up, Vivienne. Take this little minx to him and make her kiss the Sleeping Beauty. The taste of her blood just might wake the prince up."
He began to head for the door, but stopped to glare at his sister before completely heading off.
"Isn't that how you think all this is going to play out when he wakes up? Just like a fairy tale?"
I can't express how relieved I felt when he finally left the room. The words exchanged by the siblings remained in my head, but I was too overcome by emotion to even attempt to make sense out of them. My knees were shaking so I gave in and sank to the ground before finally looking up to see what exactly Vivienne looked like.
If I thought Lucas could be beautiful, Vivienne was even more stunning to behold. She was a couple of inches shorter than her brother, but had the same dark hair and pale complexion. Her eyes, however, were different. Against the light in the room, her eyes almost looked violet, with hints of deep purple.
She was eyeing me warily, as if I was a heavy burden that she had to bear.
"Thank you," I told her, genuinely meaning it even though I had no idea what she had in store for me.
There was a deadpan expression on her face as she looked at me.
"Understand, girl, that you are nothing here. You're nothing but a pawn, a piece used to make the board move. Your best chance at survival and proving your significance is to win Derek's affections. Considering everything I know about my brother, I'm not sure that's even possible."
Her words dealt my hope a final crushing blow. She made it perfectly clear that wherever this place called the Blood Shade was, I had no allies. No friends. I had only myself to rely on. That, I thought, was the most frightening aspect of my predicament. After all, how could I rely on someone whom I couldn't trust?