Chapter 1
1
ONE YEAR LATER…
A smile tugged at my lips as I wove my way through the rows of the Candidates to assume a position in the very front. A year ago, I’d stood in this very spot, shaking with dread at the prospect of being chosen as a vassal. Now, I stood with confidence—no longer the timid creature I’d been at eighteen. The wooden dagger strapped to my thigh and hidden beneath the skirts of my gown helped me to feel more at ease. The long, slender blade was honed to a needle-like point intended to pierce through a vampire’s heart. As I’d suspected, no one had searched me when I’d arrived at the estate. Since the clans were all that stood between us and the Dark Witches, no human would make an attempt on their lives.
Madam St. Clair stood before the grand staircase leading up to the second story of the mansion, her back to the wide stone steps. Her shrewd gray eyes narrowed when she noticed me in the front row, and I wondered if she could see the determination in the stubborn set of my jaw and the resolve in my hazel gaze. Squaring my shoulders, I lifted my chin, then lowered it slightly—I needed to appear eager, not defiant.
As the human Governess of New Haven, the Madam oversaw the Selection for the Duvals every year. Convincing her to send me as a tithe again hadn’t been difficult. While the Selection was an accepted reality in our world, people didn’t usually volunteer to go as Candidates.
“Lord Duval would be pleased,” her exact words had been when I’d asked. “He seemed interested in you last year.”
Henry Duval had almost chosen me last year, and I hoped he would this time. I needed to stay on the Duval Estate as his vassal so I could search for Josephine’s Tear, the amulet my mother had believed could destroy the supernatural. In a world ruled by vampires and threatened by witches, it could be humanity’s only hope for salvation.
We’d lived in this world ever since the Red War over a century ago when Dark Witches had appeared in our land, terrorizing and sacrificing any humans they could get their claws on in an attempt to resurrect their Dark god. Our warriors had fought valiantly but had been outmatched against a powerful, wicked enemy we’d barely understood. When our future had seemed bleakest, vampires had emerged from the shadows and fought to defend humanity. They had been able to decimate the main force and drive the remainder out. But our salvation had not come without a price.
“The Selection will begin in a few minutes.” Madam St. Clair’s husky voice rang out in the foyer, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Remember, you are all here for a noble reason. If you are chosen, you will provide fresh, willing blood for the Duvals, our saviors and protectors. It is an honor and a privilege to be selected.”
I grimaced at her words but quickly schooled my features.
Most didn’t see being selected as an honor. Our subservience to the vampires was a necessary evil to keep our country safe. Dark Witches were still out there, roaming the Black Forest, a hungry and unnatural place even the vampires knew to tread with caution. After the vampires had prevailed in the Red War, they’d divided the country into seven regions, each ruled by a familial vampire clan, and constructed warded stone walls on the border with the Forest. Still, Dark Witches occasionally slipped through our defenses and stole away humans to sacrifice.
When a vampire had killed my mother a year ago, my father and I had lied and said Dark Witches took her. Who would believe the alternative? A vampire killing a human just to feed their thirst was unthinkable. Countless human lives had been lost during the Red War, and the vampire clans had established strict rules about bloodletting. In the Empire of Seven, preying on humans was forbidden. Instead, each town in a region was required to send a Candidate to the capital for the yearly Selection, where the vampires of the ruling clan chose vassals to live with them, providing access to fresh blood until the next Selection when someone new was chosen, and another cycle began. The Selection had been carried out every year since the Red War, and everyone believed in the system the clans had established. I’d believed in it as well until last year when everything had changed.
I had hunted in vain for any mention of Josephine’s Tear after discovering my mother’s note. I’d scoured high and low, even venturing into the other regions of the country, but my search had rendered no results.
I still didn’t know what “power of three” signified, which left my mother’s scrawled reference of “Vincent Duval” as my only lead on finding the Tear. Vincent had been the head of the Duval clan ruling over our region but had disappeared a year ago, around the same time my mother had died. The Selection was a perfect opportunity for me to gain access to the Duvals and their mansion. As a vassal, I also hoped to infiltrate the cloistered vampire society so I could search for my mother’s killer. But first, I needed to be chosen.
Telling myself to focus, I glanced at the young man standing in the front row to my right. When he offered a small smile, one side of my mouth turned up in response. There was no harm in being friendly—he was not my competition. As far as I knew, Henry Duval always chose women, not men, as his vassals. The Candidate to my right was probably here for Henry’s sister, Isabelle.
“You, come to the front,” Madam St. Clair said a moment before a demure young lady joined me in the front to my left. She was a picture of innocence with big doe eyes and full, lush lips, and that made me nervous.
He will choose me, I told myself, taking a steadying breath.
As if I’d conjured him with my mind, Henry Duval stepped into the foyer. He looked just as I remembered, not having aged a day. As a vampire, he was forever frozen in time, a still life of eerie perfection. His thick, wavy black hair was swept back from his face, revealing his chiseled features—high and broad cheekbones, a straight nose, and a wide and full mouth. He was wearing black breeches and a white dress shirt that molded to his powerful body.
A few soft gasps escaped the other Candidates when the Lord walked in before a hushed silence settled over the room. Isabelle joined Henry a moment later. She was still utterly beautiful, with black, thickly curled hair and deep-brown skin. Her lips were painted a vibrant shade of red, matching her low-cut gown. The color reminded me of blood, and I suppressed a shudder, schooling my features and swallowing thickly to relieve my suddenly dry throat.
Henry strolled through the foyer, moving with fluid grace, and Isabelle followed close behind, her long gown clinging to her legs like liquid. The Lord glided down the first row of the Candidates, stopping abruptly before me. My pulse quickened as I met his stormy blue eyes.
“Sophie?” he asked, his voice as deep as I remembered. It had haunted my dreams for a few weeks after the Selection last year.
I sucked in a sharp breath, relieved yet unnerved that he remembered me. This was my moment. Forcing my shoulders to relax, I curled my lips into a smile.
“My Lord,” I breathed, inclining my head to gaze up at him from beneath my lashes.
The game of pretense did not come easily to me, but I was hopeful my behavior conveyed the message I was trying to send—choose me, I want to be yours.
A muscle flexed along Henry’s jaw as he stared at me, his expression unreadable. Our gazes locked and held for what felt like a small eternity as I waited for what he would do next. So much hinged on me becoming his vassal. Human lives were on the line. It felt like what happened tonight would change the course of history.
That was why when the Lord broke eye contact and turned to the young woman next to me, my heart tumbled all the way to the pit of my stomach. He was losing interest. I had to do something— anything . In a desperate attempt to keep the Lord’s attention, I grabbed his hand and immediately dropped it when my fingers brushed the cool skin. There was a question in his eyes when they darted back to mine, but I found myself at a loss for words. So, instead of speaking, I bit down on my lip, drawing Henry’s attention to my mouth. His gaze dropped to my lips before moving lower.
My body tensed under his appraising stare, and I wanted to fidget but held myself still. The emerald-green dress I was wearing cut low across my chest, and my hair was pulled up with a few wispy strands left down to frame my face. My appearance was a calculated move, which I knew had worked when Henry’s gaze lingered on my exposed neck. His features sharpened, becoming stark. A few moments passed before his eyes returned to mine. They were darker—almost black—with hunger that made my skin crawl.
“I choose you as my vassal,” he said, his voice low and thick.
Relief snagged in my throat. My chest felt tight, my heart fluttering like a caged bird.
“And I choose you.” Isabelle stopped before the young man to my right.
She breathed the words rather than said them, sensual and soft. It was as if everything about her meant to entice and seduce.
“My Lady,” the young man purred. “May I?”
Isabelle inclined her head, and my brows knitted as I watched the man take her hand. He brought it to his mouth and skimmed his lips over her knuckles. If the coolness of her skin bothered him, he didn’t show it.
“The Selection for this year is complete.” Madam St. Clair’s voice rang out in the foyer. “The vassals stay. Everyone else is dismissed.”
There were a few sighs of relief and some of disappointment from the other Candidates as they began leaving the estate through the double front doors.
I looked at Henry and found him watching me, his eyes now back to deep blue.
“My father is right outside. Can I say goodbye?” I asked him, expecting to be shut down.
To my surprise, he nodded, and I turned around and walked toward the open doors.
A gust of cool night air washed over my skin when I stepped outside. My father looked dejected, standing by the carriage several feet away from the mansion. Two lamps by the driver’s seat cast his face in a soft, warm glow as shadows crept across his features.
“Did you get selected?” he asked when I approached.
“I did,” I replied.
His shoulders slumped, and he rubbed his forehead, briefly closing his eyes. I knew that what I had to do weighed heavily on him. He’d aged so much during the past year. His once blond hair had gone gray, and his face now had more wrinkles than smooth lines.
“You know why I’m doing this. This is the only way—” I cut myself off, not wanting to speak the words aloud in case we were overheard.
My father opened his mouth as if to argue but clamped it shut. He knew I was right.
“Do you still have it?” he asked instead, his gaze flicking to my thigh.
“I do,” I said with a small nod, referring to the dagger.
“Good. That’s good.” He dragged a hand down his face with a heavy sigh. “Sophie?—”
“Father,” I interrupted. I couldn’t handle a drawn-out goodbye. Emotions clogged my throat, making it difficult to breathe. My chest tight, I stared at my father’s face, trying to commit all the sharp lines to memory. “I love you,” was all I said, fighting back sudden tears.
“I love you, too,” my father rasped, pulling me into a tight embrace.
I hugged him back, holding on for a few moments as if trying to cling to my old life and everything that I was.
“I think our time is up,” he whispered all too soon.
Pulling away from him, I glanced over my shoulder and found Henry standing in the doorway of the mansion, watching our exchange.
Scowling, I turned back to my father and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
“Sophie, are you sure?” he asked, his worried gaze searching my face.
I wondered if, at that moment, he was not seeing me standing before him but my mother. He didn’t want to lose me like he’d lost her. When I’d told him I’d made finding the Tear my mission, he’d been crestfallen. He’d lost the trust in the clans on the night of my mother’s death as I had, but the desire for retribution hadn’t enflamed his heart as it had mine. He’d wanted to keep our heads down, terrified of incurring the vampires’ wrath if we’d exposed them. But I couldn’t return back to my old life, knowing the truth.
“I am,” I told him, looking within.
This felt like my destiny—my purpose. I would do this for my mother and for my people—for the world where humans wouldn’t have to choose between two supernatural evils. It was time we stopped serving one blood-thirsty creature to protect us from another deadly threat. It was time we reclaimed our world.