Chapter 6 Danni
Danni
As the strange man who claims to be my mate takes center stage, captivating the audience’s attention like royalty, an odd sense of gratification grows within me.
Each sensual movement of his body charges the atmosphere inside the tent as we all wait for him to speak.
He commands the room effortlessly, and a gentle hum deep inside my bones swells with pride.
He certainly isn’t what I expected a vampire to look or act like.
The one I watched murder my mother had a twisted, grotesque face with low-set eyebrows and sharp gleaming teeth protruding from its mouth.
The gorgeous man at the center of the ring is nothing like the creature that haunts my dreams. In fact, none of the other vampires here are.
They’re all ethereally beautiful in the most devastating way.
Each carries themself with a bloodthirsty superiority.
The stranger locks eyes with me for a split second.
My breath catches as my world narrows down to a singular intoxicating shade of red.
The spell between us is broken when his deep, husky voice booms throughout the tent.
“We hope you’ve enjoyed the show so far.
I can smell how excited you all are for the next act.
While you were all entranced, my assistants scoured the room for the perfect candidates to help us with the rest of our show.
” His voice drips with regal stoicness, a stark contrast to the informal tone he used with me.
This man clearly wears many faces. My stomach tightens at the thought of getting to know the real man behind the mask.
Damn it, Danni. Focus.
“But don’t worry: if you’re not chosen, there will be plenty of opportunities for you to impress The Five. The majority of you will still have a crucial role to play in our world. You will have the privilege of becoming the literal vein of our community by feeding our elite race.”
My blood chills to hear the words coming from his mouth. I see right through his beautiful illusion.
This is so wrong.
The cost of having your dreams come true is to become a human blood bank.
My anxiety peaks. I’ve no choice in the matter: I have to complete the training. I don’t have a plan on how I can save the hundreds of people in here, but I’ll worry about that later. Right now, I need to go with my gut and put my trust in him if I’m going to make it through.
I study the rest of the vampires. Not a single one of them even vaguely resembles the bloodsucker who killed my mother. Maybe that one is hiding somewhere else—yet another reason for me to keep going.
“Now, for those of you who have been chosen to become a Familiar, Celeste here—” He gestures to blondie, who stands too close to him for my liking. “She will bring you to me.”
He clasps his hands together, and all at once, a dull chatter fills the tent. At least the crowd isn’t all brain-dead now.
Blondie leaves the ring so fast I miss it.
She approaches random people in the crowd and gestures for them to head into the ring.
Her face is emotionless, eyes fixed on the center of the ring where he still stands.
My blood rages with an odd jealousy; when her eyes snap to mine, I can’t help the glare I give her.
I almost lose my nerve, however, when she takes long, graceful strides towards me.
No, fuck that. I won’t give her the satisfaction of coming over and telling me I was chosen to take part in the training.
I’m still in control. With bated breath, I make my own way to the stage, trying my best to ignore the flutters erupting in my stomach as I get closer to him.
With each step forward, doubt creeps its way through me. I fix my gaze on the floor and concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other before my mind begins to spiral.
How could I be so stupid?
I’d completed police academy training, but in what world would I believe I can complete a training regime designed by bloodthirsty monsters? From what I’ve read, vampires are faster and stronger than the average human. Some documents even state they have an ability to control minds.
No, I can’t do this.
I’m quite literally walking into certain death…
As I reach center stage, the mysterious vampire’s deep voice startles me out of my thoughts of impending doom. “For those of you who have been chosen to compete in the Familiar training, I’d like to formally introduce myself.”
I don’t dare look up at him. I’ll only get lost in his stupid eyes again, every inch of my body set on fire from his stare.
“My name is Knox. While I’m not one of the Five Masters of our realm, I, too, will be taking a Familiar this year.”
A jolt of electricity buzzes through me when I finally learn his name. Knox. It sounds like a melody written only for me.
I give myself a mental shake. I need to get a grip and take a very cold shower at the first opportunity I get.
“You will be observed by The Five during your training. They might even participate with you so they may test your compatibility.”
My eyes dart over the vampires still left inside the tent. Which ones are The Five? If they are the most elite type of vampire here, that means they must be the strongest.
The only type of hierarchy I read about in my research held very little detail. The older the vampire, the more respected they were in vampire society. If this circus followed the same structure, then The Five must be the oldest ones here.
But nobody here looks any older than forty!
I continue scouring the rest of the crowd, clutching my bag tighter to my chest as my heart thunders beneath my rib cage. What if the one who murdered my mother is a member of The Five? Will they still die from a stake, or will it take something with a little more oomph?
Knowing my luck, the only weapon able to kill them will be a stake made from a thousand-year-old tree that can be found only in the most remote place on earth. It also probably has to be blessed by the Pope or some shit.
“We only want the best of the best,” Knox said to the small group gathered around him. “To ensure that, you will receive training before each test starts.”
My stomach drops. How long will the training take? I have a job to do, a vampire to hunt and kill. I glance around at the rest of the chosen few; nobody else seems to have a million questions dancing on the tip of their tongue. Well, there’s no way I’m going into this shit show completely blind.
“What does the training consist of exactly?” I ask as softly as I can, despite my burning desire to scream at the vampires for daring to enslave people without their consent. Nobody here is in their right minds. They can’t possibly be able to make this kind of choice freely.
Gorgeous red eyes flash my way. That prickling sensation creeps up my neck again. I’m noticing a very specific pattern here.
Wonder if he gets the same feeling?
“All of your questions will be answered in due time. For now, let us enjoy each other’s company before the training begins.”
His voice is like a soft caress against my spine.
And I fucking hate it.
Finally, I meet his gaze, consequences be damned. If he wants me to trust him, he needs to prove why I should.
“So, you just expect us to train for something we know nothing about? At least tell us what a Familiar actually is before we throw our lives away for a dream.”
Knox’s eyes turn almost black as they blaze with fury. I regret the question as soon as it leaves my lips, but I raise my chin anyway.
Good. Someone else here should feel as angry as I am.
The people gathered in the ring begin to shift on the spot as if my voice had popped an enchanted bubble, causing them to think about what they were doing before entering into a life-threatening situation.
“Please, Master, let me dispose of her.” Blondie pleads in Knox’s ear like some pick-me bimbo. “She does not deserve the spoils the role of a Familiar offers.”
Wait, did she just call him Master?
For some odd reason, it sets my blood on fire. A ringing, higher-pitched than her voice, buzzes in my ear. My lip curls in disgust; not because of what she just called him, but from how close her mouth and tongue had come to his ear. My hand shakes with rage at my side.
What the fuck is happening? Why do I feel the urge to rip off her head?
Knox’s silky, charismatic voice does nothing to soothe the fire raging inside of me.
“Tonight, you will attend a meal where you can all get to know each other better. For the duration of your stay, you will reside in luxury—a little taste of what’s to come, should you be successful.
” I sigh. I guess now isn’t the time for a Q&A. Or Blondie’s beheading.
Knox gestures to the very back of the stage where a huge curtain conceals our uncertain future.
Hesitantly, I walk towards it with the others.