Chapter 28 Danni
Danni
I spend the night wandering the corridors in my blood-splattered gown. My hair hangs in disheveled, tangled strands and black streaks of mascara line my face.
Knox doesn’t come for me.
Nobody does.
And I’m glad for it.
There is so much to unpack in my brain. Every time I so much as think about Knox, the bond thrashes painfully inside of me, so I focus my attention on Egor’s speech instead.
From what I can gather, Egor seems to think that I’m descended from the line of binders who cursed them long ago. Which must be the reason they murdered my mother. But that assumption did not quench my thirst for revenge one bit. The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it all sounds.
I never witnessed my mom use any kind of magic—and I went through all of her things after she passed. There were no spell books or clues to a hidden lineage buried deep in the walls. She was a normal person who did normal things.
A typical case of mistaken identity, right?
The vampire never saw me that night. I hid beneath my mom’s bed and watched while it all happened. I saw his face back then and I have yet to recognize him here. He has to be a member of The Five… and I’ve met only four of them so far.
Besides, my aunt is still alive and living her best life behind a white picket fence. If we are descended from some sort of magical bloodline, then wouldn’t they come for her, too?
The pieces of the puzzle don’t fit together at all.
How am I ever supposed to find out the truth?
After wandering what feels like hours, my feet take me to the entrance of the circus. I stand before the red velvet fabric, struggling to pull my mind into a linear train of thought.
The final training is today. I’m exhausted from fighting the bond inside of me, as well as wrestling with my own morals.
As I wandered the corridors, I found myself trying to defend Knox and rationalize everything he had done.
There isn’t a doubt in my mind now that every move he’s made is to keep me as his… pet.
I shiver in the silence.
After tasting his blood last night, I can see why the Familiars are so… willing. An undeniable pull of power had pumped through my body.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like it.
But it also spurs another question: why did Knox let me stab him?
I could see and hear everything once I tasted his blood. There’s no way in hell he didn’t hear me fumbling with my bag to take out the stake. So why did he let me do it?
A shuffling noise comes from behind me, pulling me from my thoughts. I whirl on the spot, both annoyed and terrified to not be alone.
“There you are, Chosen One.” Damon’s voice slithers across my skin.
He’s dressed in the same clothes as last night.
Just like my own, the fabric is stained with blood.
He leans casually against a wooden pillar in the backstage area, his arms folded across his chest as his mischievous garnet eyes look me up and down.
“What do you want?” I ask.
“Oh, what everyone else here wants… Freedom.”
I frown. “What do you mean, freedom?”
Does he know a way out of here?
Damon’s deep chuckles reverberate low in his chest. “And give the game away this early? Not a chance! It’s only right that we have a bit of fun before everything is revealed.”
My jaw clenches. “If you’re here to torment me with more ridiculous riddles, then please just leave me alone. I have a training session to prepare for.” I dismiss him and turn back towards the red curtain.
My first mistake.
Damon dashes in front of me in a split second, his white teeth gleaming brightly. “I have a proposition for you. One I think you’ll like. But you have to play my game in order to get the answers.”
I roll my eyes. “Yeah right, like you could possibly have anything that I want.”
I turn away again, but he grabs my wrist, brings it up to his face, and inhales deeply.
“Let go of me.” Panicking, I struggle to get my arm out of his grip.
“Say you’ll play my game and I’ll give you an answer now. If you don’t, I’ll tell everyone you broke the rules and tasted your master’s blood before the binding.”
A chill washes over my skin.
How does he know? Can he really smell it? Or is he smelling the bond?
Shit. I clamp my mouth shut.
“The answers you seek lie deep below our feet,” he says. “All you have to do is play my game and I’ll help you.”
“Why would I even want your help?” I hiss.
“Oh, trust me. If you knew what was coming, you’d want every ally you can muster.” His eyes dance and swirl with satisfaction. He knows he’s got me backed into a corner. His ominous words ripple in my mind.
Is there really something else coming? Or is this all one big joke to get me to interact with him?
“Fine. I’ll play,” I say through gritted teeth. “But what’s in it for you? And don’t tell me it’s because you’re bored.”
“My own motivations will be revealed soon enough. For now, I’ll answer one question. Be careful which one you ask.” He grins like the Cheshire cat.
I wrack my brain, trying to come up with a good one. But there’s so many.
“Why do you want to help me?”
Damon’s mischievous expression falls and his eyes grow distant. I guess he was thinking that I would ask if I was really the Chosen One or maybe why Egor wants me dead.
“Because I think you’re the key to it all.”
“The key to what?”
“Ah, ah, ah. You only get one. Good luck today. I’ll see you at the ceremony.” He leaves me with more questions than he answered.
Annoying prick.
The sound of voices travels through the backstage area.
The training must be starting. Megan rounds the corner first, determination glinting within her brown eyes.
Then the rest of the Familiars follow. I regret not getting to know them all better during our time here.
I was so caught up in trying to save them, despite them not wanting to be saved.
“Please tell me you’re not wearing that,” Megan says as she approaches. I glance down at her outfit and then over at everyone else. They’re all wearing some sort of combat gear like they’re going to war.
What is this next training? The freaking “Hunger Games”?
“I didn’t get time to change,” I mutter as panic rises in my stomach.
“Well, you’re going to struggle wearing that.”
God, I hate her mean girl attitude.
“How do you even know what we’re doing?” I snip back.
“Egor told us all last night at the end of the harvest. Weren’t you there? Knox was.” She raises an eyebrow as she looks me up and down. The bond constricts uncomfortably in my chest.
“Knox was at the harvest?” I want to be sick.
“He certainly drank his fill last night, if you know what I mean. I guess that doesn’t make you so special after all.” She gestures to the two open wounds on her neck.
A ringing fills my ears and my conscious mind separates from my physical body. One moment I’m looking at Megan’s smug face, and the next she’s sprawled out on the floor. All I know is that my wrist throbs and my knuckles have split open.
“Holy shit!” One of the other Familiars runs over, and I glance up to see Cyprian’s chosen, laughing with the others as they watch.
“I guess she’ll be just fine in a ballgown. Huh, Megan?” he teases.
Why don’t I remember hitting her?
The bond hums in satisfaction.
Is it taking over my body? Or did I simply just lose control?
As a loud, ear-splitting voice fills the backstage, my hands fly up instinctively to block it out.
“The final part of your training is about to begin! Please come into the arena. Your new life awaits you below.”
Below?
We all walk out one by one into the arena. My heart pounds when I see the space is completely empty. There’s no audience this time.
Without warning, the entire room tilts on its axis like some kind of funhouse. I fly forward, colliding with another Familiar; I manage to grab tightly onto their shirt for balance, screaming as everyone is pitched in the opposite direction. The floor suddenly opens up, and we all fall through.
My hair whips around me, my next scream caught in my throat. When I finally manage to see where I’m going, I immediately wish I hadn’t. I look down and see nothing. Nothing but darkness and shadows.
A bottomless abyss.
My body twists and turns in midair as I freefall. There’s no beginning and no end. I can’t even see the other Familiars as they fall. I wonder if my life will flash before my eyes. I could do without reliving those memories before the end.
I gasp and squeeze my eyes shut tighter when I suddenly collide into something. I expect it to feel hard, but it’s like a soft, warm cloud.
I open my eyes a crack, my vision flooding with a blindingly bright light. It’s like I’m in Heaven’s waiting room. Everything is white. I’m talking brilliant white. The cold shiny floors, the ceiling that I apparently fell through. There’s no walls, just endless space.
“How is this possible?” I say, searching the vast space for anyone else who might be here. But it’s just me.
Where did the others go?
“Hello?” My voice is swallowed by the silence. There seems to be no way out, just endless light.
Am I dead?
The ground beneath me begins to rumble. Not this again!
I try my hardest to keep my balance as something solid and shiny cracks through the surface.
My eyes widen in terror. A tall mirror bursts through, coming to a shuddering halt in front of me.
An eerie silence is cast throughout the expanse in the aftermath.
Hesitantly, I look into the mirror and see only emptiness. What am I supposed to see?
The glass abruptly warps and I’m face to face with my reflection—at least I think it’s me.
I appear bright and healthy, maybe even a few years younger than I am now.
I’m not wearing a torn, blood-stained ballgown.
Instead, a burnt orange suit that looks way more expensive than I could ever afford fits me perfectly, as if designed and tailored just for me.
What is this?