Epilogue
CASSIUS
“None of you are worthy of our Master,” Elias sneered.
Master Vesper had left as soon as the sun set for the last several days, which meant he was hunting. He never told us what his prey was, but it always put Elias, Vesper’s second in command, in a mood. He lived in fear that one day Vesper would turn someone that he liked better than him.
I seriously doubted anyone could ever please our Master more than Elias, who bought into Vesper’s insanity as if it was his only reason for existing. Hell, maybe it was.
“Stop being so soft. Fight like you mean it.”
I stared at my opponent, another of Vesper’s fledglings, a woman who should’ve been like a sister to me, but all I saw was hatred and determination to take me out of commission. There were nights that she might be capable, but tonight wasn’t one of them.
When our Maker hunted like he had been, he didn’t let us out to feed, which meant the youngest and weakest among us were in jeopardy of their second death. The true death. Sabine was half my age and admired Elias almost as much as she worshipped Vesper.
Poor girl had it all wrong. Elias had taught her to feed on the easiest humanity had to offer: the weak, the frail, the poor, the sick.
Since we never knew when Vesper would go off on one of these tangents, he’d taught the others foolish enough to listen to him that quantity mattered more than quality.
To gorge themselves on any human they could conveniently get their hands on.
That was their mistake.
With claws and fangs out, Sabine glared at me, struggling to stay standing.
I danced around lightly on my feet in front of her, waiting for her to make her move.
Some nights our training revolved around speed or strength, but when Vesper was gone for nights on end, Elias got thirsty for death—our deaths.
“Sabine, take him down,” Elias growled as he approached us.
There were thirty of us in all in this den, but Vesper had dens all over the country, maybe all over the world.
We were paired up with the intention of delivering maximum destruction to each other.
My brethren fought around us, biting and clawing at one another.
Someone had lost an arm, yet Elias pushed us on.
Though Sabine was in obviously bad shape, it was no surprise that Elias encouraged her on. As happy as he’d be if we all perished from this Earth, I was the one he truly loathed. He’d love nothing more than to see me harmed so badly that Vesper would yank out my heart and spit on my remains.
I turned to Elias nonchalantly, like I didn’t consider either of them a threat, because honestly, I didn’t. I’d been going easy on Sabine this whole time, and she could still barely hold up.
She was putting on a show, but I saw the longing looks she threw at her coffin. Like so many others in this room, she was hoping for the tug of dawn so that this night would be over, and she could go to her space and heal.
“She’s on her last leg, and you know it, Elias.” I opened my arms to encompass the large, cavernous space where we lived. “Look around. They’re hungry, and you pushing us this week is only pushing them toward starvation.”
He stepped toward me, violence in his eyes, when he jerked his head toward the metal doors that separated us from the outside world. Hissing rang out through the room, being pulled even from the depths of my body. Vesper was almost home.
Everyone rushed around, trying to right their clothes, hastily wiping blood from their bodies, and popping bones back into place.
No one wanted to be the biggest disappointment in the room when our Master strode through those doors.
Like the others, I moved to stand in a U-shape around our Sire’s golden coffin that took center stage in the middle of the room.
He came in on a gust of wind, arms raised, waiting to be worshipped. Elias stepped forward, dropping to one knee. “Sire.”
Vesper came forward, gaze moving quickly around the room, tracking all the injuries as he stroked his fingers through Elias’s golden locks. “My child. You have done well.”
Elias preened under the attention—both words and touch. “All to your honor, Master.”
Vesper closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. It never got less disturbing. I glanced around at my brothers and sisters, seeing their own eyes fall shut with contentment. Except for Elias, I was the oldest of Vesper’s children here, and I couldn’t understand how they were all so…enraptured by him.
He’d turned every one of us without consent, then left us all to die.
He only went back and claimed those that lived without burning themselves in the sun or starving to death.
Truly becoming his child was worth more than fending for yourself.
He called us his army, but we were his prisoners, his slaves.
“Cassius,” he breathed out slowly, drawing my attention.
“Yes, Master Vesper,” I replied, bending low at the waist.
“Stand and model for me. For them.”
And this was exactly why Elias hated me. With a straight spine and my head held high, I spun slowly for my siblings to get a good look. Sabine had slashed and cut me. She’d even torn a hunk of skin out of my arm. But alas, you couldn’t tell. No one in our den healed faster than me.
They all thought me too fussy to be one of them.
Elias said I was too much like a girl—which was why the women amongst us agreed with him and scorned me, I did not know.
They thought I was weak or slow that I fed from one human a night, and only usually made it back right before the dawn, when they fed from many and came back, blood drunk to hang and brag of their exploits.
I thought even Master Vesper wondered what made me so special, but that was one of the reasons he kept me close and considered me such an asset.
It was simple, though, really. You are what you eat, and I had exemplary taste.