Chapter 8 #2
The clang of a glass catches my attention, drawing me back to the present. I didn’t even notice Amabel change position, but as always, she moves with an elegant grace that makes her almost undetectable. Her hand wraps around a crystal glass as she pours amber liquid into it.
She stretches it in my direction.
“Drink?” she offers.
I shake my head.
“I need to talk to you about the donor spot.”
“I gathered,” she says. She sweeps around her oval desk, taking a careful seat in the tall chair behind it, all the while watching me with a curiosity that makes me shift on my feet.
She takes a long sip of her drink, humming in pleasure at its taste, and I feel as though I’m watching a private moment I shouldn’t be privy to.
Last time I came in here, I was so angry that I never truly looked around, but this time, I take the opportunity to scan my eyes over the shelves behind her. They’re stacked with books and not the fiction kind, but tales of war, vampires, and gods. It’s like she’s obsessed with them.
“Did you know that in the old days, there were many establishments that served liquor to humans to accompany them while they danced to music?”
Confusion fills me. Why is she speaking of life before the war? It has always been made abundantly clear that we’re not supposed to talk about the time before.
I choose my words carefully, not sure if this is a test. “I didn’t.”
She takes another swig of her drink, closing her eyes to savor the taste. A strange unease fills me at the sight of the action, but I don’t know why.
“It was somewhat like the bloodhouse, but for humans only. Human-owned too.” Her eyes lift to mine. “Can you imagine a world where humans could actually own their own establishments?”
“No, I can’t,” I finally say.
She finishes the rest of her drink before placing the empty glass on the table. The room remains uncomfortably silent as she stretches her head from side to side, massaging the back of her neck with her long fingers.
“Please sit, Adina. You’re making the tension in my neck grow.”
Part of me wants to argue, but then I remember why I’m here. I need her on side if I’m going to get what I want. So, I sit.
“I expect you are here to speak with me about what I have already discussed with your little friend.”
I try not to show my distaste at how she refers to Tori.
“I am.”
“Then I will tell you what I told her: there will be no changes. The donors have been selected, and their names have been sent to the patrons. Last-minute changes make them feel uneasy and lose trust in us. I have worked too hard for that to happen.”
“You’ve changed them before.”
Her eyes turn cold as they pin me in a challenge, but I do not look away.
“I do not need to explain my business decisions to you, pureblood.”
My fingers press into the arms of the leather chair as I work hard to remain calm.
She speaks as if she is above us, but she is every bit as human.
The only reason her veins are no longer drained is that Lord Blackwood took a liking to her.
Everyone knows it. It’s the only reason the other vampires keep their distance.
Yet watching the way she craves the relief that drink gave her, I’d say she still pays dearly for that kind of freedom.
“Something wrong?” she asks, her eyes falling to my clenched fists.
“Tori is not comfortable being a donor, and you explicitly stated that you want the best. I’m the best. My blood is more potent, and I want the position.”
Her lips pull up at the corners.
“You know what I think?” I don’t answer, but she continues, nonetheless.
“I think Tori is more than happy with it. If anything, she longs for it. I saw it in her eyes when she pretended to want to swap with you. Are you so cruel as to attempt to rip away the one thing she so desperately desires? Her freedom.”
An uneasiness fills my stomach, and I hate that she’s right. I know Tori deserves this. She has wanted the chance to leave this wretched place and live a life of freedom forever. Can I truly deny her this?
Yes, and you will. Willow needs you. Do not let this temptress twist your mind, young one. You are here now…remember the goal.
Athriel’s words are like cold water waking me from a nightmare. And I’m grateful that even though he was against this plan, he still has my back. I sit up, my confidence exuding. I know for a fact she is not going to give me the donor spot, so I will take it.
“You mistook my earlier words for a question, Amabel.” I sit forward. This is either going to be the best or the worst thing I ever do. “I’m not asking for the donor spot; you will give it to me.”
To my surprise, her mouth falls open, and her laughter fills the room.
“Aren’t you just full of surprises? Though I do so like your determination, Adina.” She relaxes back in her chair, watching me like I’m the most entertaining thing she’s ever laid eyes on. “But my answer remains the same. No.”
I lean forward, my eyes firmly on her as I lower my voice to deliver the next blow.
“What do you think the nobles will make of your little bloodring operation? I wonder how comfortable you will be when I explain to them that you’re selling off their most potent purebloods to the sired?”
Her face drops, a cold stare replacing the relaxed one. A moment of silence passes, and then she just shrugs.
“I expect their reaction will be no different from learning that you are the one killing them, would it not?”
A gush of wind almost chokes me, and my skull pounds. My silence allows her the opportunity to sit forward. When her eyes meet mine, her face is twisted in a knowing smile.
“You think I don’t know about what goes on with every pureblood living under my roof? Who do you think has been hiding the bodies for you?”
Temptress indeed.
“Why?” It’s the only word I can think to say.
“I have my reasons.” She stands, and I do the same. She laughs at the display. “And to make myself abundantly clear, I will not be changing the prince’s donor. There is only one way a donor spot becomes available, and that is if the one in possession of it dies.”
She rounds the desk and steps forward until she is a few inches from me.
“Prove to me that you are willing to take it by force, and I will give it to you.”