Chapter 21
The training room reeks of leather and sweat, the musty scent clinging to the stone-clad walls.
In the center of the room, Ivana and Piper are locked in an intense battle.
A large glass ceiling allows starlight to leak through, bathing them in a white glow that causes the sweat on their exposed skin to glisten.
I step forward, curiosity pulling me in as I watch them exchange blows.
Piper throws a kick in Ivana’s direction, but she pivots at the last minute, grabbing her leg and sending her crashing to the floor.
Ivana moves with a lethal grace that lets me know that she went easy on me down in the dungeon.
Piper rises to her feet, and I watch as they glide and whirl around each other, their moves so fluid they almost look like they’re dancing. It’s disturbingly beautiful to watch, and yet I still have no desire to train with these monsters. I’m seconds away from walking out when Ajax calls out to me.
“Hey, Red, you made it.”
I roll my eyes. As if I had a choice when the prince sent two guards to escort me here, after leaving me alone in my room.
He walks toward me, and I keep my eyes on him.
He’s wearing a tight-fitted vest, and his toned arms are covered in sweat.
Just like all noble-blooded vampires, he’s beautiful to look at, but that doesn’t fool me.
Beneath that skin lies a monster, just like the rest. It doesn’t matter how gentle he acts; sooner or later, they always turn on you.
Behind him, I see the pair end their sparring match, turning their attention to me. Great.
“I heard you had a rough night,” he says when he finally comes to a stop in front of me, rubbing his hands together.
“I guess.” I try to keep the hostility out of my voice. I have no interest in conversing with a vampire, but befriending them might just earn me enough trust to get the hell out of here when the time is right.
“I thought we could start with the basics, get you warmed up, and see what you can do first.”
Athriel snorts.
Warmed up, she learned from the best. You arrogant fool, not a single one of you can best her.
He can’t hear you.
Well, then tell him what I said.
I internally smile.
Telling him would mean revealing that you exist, and I’m not about to let them know that.
Good point. Just don’t embarrass me by losing a fight to one of these bloodmongers.
They’re strong, and without my blood running through them, I don’t stand a chance.
Not according to the prince. You share some of his gifts now. Use them.
“Are you ok?” Ajax asks, a strange look on his face.
I shake my head to clear away the thoughts.
“Yes, I’m fine. The prince said that I’m siphoning his powers?”
He looks unsure but nods. “Yes.”
“What exactly does that mean?” I try to keep my tone light.
“It’s…not really my place. I’m sure Karius will speak to you about all of that. I’m just here to help you manage some of the effects the change can have on your body.”
I refrain from rolling my eyes again.
“The change?”
He nods. “It’s what born vampires go through in adolescence.
It’s our bodies molding to adapt to our new powers.
But it seems that yours may all be coming at once.
” Memories of a similar conversation fill my mind, and I remember bits and pieces of what Iza was saying when I had lost complete control.
I always thought that vampires were born as they were, monsters from birth. I guess I was wrong. That small fact might be my way out. If I can tap into the prince’s strength, I might finally have a chance to get the hell out of here.
“Fine,” I say, and he looks surprised by my compliance.
“Ok.” He steps back, looking around the room. “Let’s focus on your speed. That’s what kicked in last night.”
I turn to find Ivana and Piper staring at me.
“Is there a need for an audience?” I ask, gesturing to them.
Ivana’s mouth curves into a smile, and I look away. Ajax shrugs.
“I’m afraid this space is where the royal guards train, so you’re going to have to learn to share.”
“Great.”
I try to ignore them, but I can feel their judgmental eyes on me, and suddenly I’m dragged back to my first day at the bloodhouse, back when I was a newblood learning how everything worked.
The older purebloods always seem to see newbloods as fresh competition that they didn’t want to deal with, and they treated us accordingly.
That’s why I tried to help any newbloods that came after me.
“The first thing that changes for a vampire is their senses. The order is different for each of us, but it’s always the senses first. They usually come one at a time, which helps us to get control before the next appears.”
“So last night wasn’t the end of it?” I hate the fear I hear in my voice.
He shakes his head sympathetically, his eyes soft. “I’m afraid not. Last night your body was morphing, if you like, in order to prepare it to be able to move faster without injury.”
“I felt my bones breaking.”
His face twists at this.
“It’s usually a much slower process, tiny fractures here and there that heal quickly, but this is new territory for all of us. But the sooner we get them under control, the easier it’ll be each time.”
I look around and find Piper stretching and Ivana showing her how to do it better. At least their attention is off me.
“What do I need to do?”
“Just run.”
I look at him as if he’s stupid, and he laughs.
“I need to see how fast you can go and how much control you already have. It’ll help me to see what we need to work on.”
For once, I don’t argue. I step forward and ready myself, taking a deep breath.
“Whoa, hold up, Red. I need to go through some ground rules first, otherwise you could take down this entire room and everything in it.”
“I don’t understand.”
“When I say run, what I really mean is a light jog. Anything faster and you’ll lose control. Just focus on a point across the room and run toward it, and then stop a couple of feet before you reach it. That’s all.”
I nod in understanding and then do exactly what he said, moving forward at a gentle pace, but my body doesn’t seem to listen to the command.
My body catapults across the room, and everything becomes a blur.
I try to focus on the spot I was initially looking at, but the entire room is a mix of colors.
I scream out in horror, knowing that I’m about to knock into something.
I find myself colliding with something hard, and then I feel the weight of my body crashing to the floor, yet something softens the blow.
My breath comes in sharp and fast. It takes a moment before my eyes clear, and I find myself lying on top of Ivana, her dark eyes narrowed in my direction.
It’s then that I register the warmth of her hand around my waist. She must have stopped me from crashing into the wall, and I somehow took her down to the floor with me. I let out a sigh of relief.
“Thanks,” I say between breaths.
She says nothing and only pushes me off her until my back lands flat against the cold stone floor. I lie there for a second, trying to catch my breath. Ajax appears over me, his face twisted in amusement.
“That was a light jog?”
“Yes,” I snap.
“Damn, I underestimated Karius’s strength.” He scratches the top of his head. “This is going to take way longer than I thought. Come on, let's try again.”
He holds out a hand to me, and as much as I want to ignore it and get up myself, I don’t have the energy. I slip my hand into his and let him pull me up, moving back to the same spot as before, ready to embarrass myself all over again.
Training goes terribly.
That’s an understatement.
I don’t recall asking for your opinion.
You never do.
After my initial fall, Ajax made me run at least a hundred more times, and every single one ended with me lying on top of Ivana before she pushed me away without saying a single word.
Even after a hot bath, my calves are burning, and I want to do nothing but crawl into my bed and sleep, but I have something I need to do first.
“You did ok.”
I side-eye Piper, and she laughs.
“I fell every single time,” I remind her as we walk side by side toward the library she promised to show me after I told Ajax I wanted to see one.
Apparently, the palace library is the largest and most well-stocked in the entire court, and I want my own answers about this stupid bond, so that’s where I’m going.
I didn’t tell them that, of course, and instead sold a tale of wanting to read some books to pass the time in between training.
Piper, of course, had to be the one to volunteer to take me.
I hate that I’m starting to wonder whether this is really just an act or if she’s genuinely this nice.
“I think I pissed off Ivana.”
Piper shakes her head and smiles.
“No, she’s just very serious, that's all. You’ll get used to it once you get to know her.”
“I lay on top of her at least a hundred times today, and she didn’t so much as say a word to me.”
“Oh, she doesn’t speak, that’s why.”
That catches my attention, but when I turn to Piper, she seems hesitant, as though she is considering whether she should have said anything.
“Like at all?” I say as casually as I can, my eyes studying the carved walls of the palace and the portraits that hang there.
They all look to be of crowns that clearly ruled before the current prince.
I wonder how many wars they’re each responsible for, how many human deaths happened under their watch.
“She hasn’t spoken since the war.”
A strange feeling twists inside my gut, making me wonder what one must see to just completely stop speaking.
Then I remind myself that it is because of a war that her own kind started.
If anyone is to blame for the trauma she experienced, it’s the prince.
He sanctioned the war, so anyone harmed because of it has him to blame.
“We’re here.”