Taste of Fate (Vampires of Sanguine #1)

1. Tavia

Chapter 1

Tavia

I watched as people filed in the assembly room, tension and anxiety on everyone’s expressions. Couples and families clung tightly to each other as they came through the doors and found a place to stand in the waiting crowd.

All the worried faces and hushed conversations were understandable. It wasn’t every day we gathered to find out which one of us would be sacrificed to the vampires.

No, this occasion was a once-in-fifty-years type of deal, an event called the Half-Century Selection. The last time it happened was before most of us were born. The elders would have been children, teenagers at the oldest, when the leading vampire clan came to collect their blood pet.

Amy and I stood against the back wall of the large room, mostly invisible as people came through the double doors, which were propped open. A gentle breeze blew in pink and white petals from the orchard. My cherry trees had just completed their first bloom and I was eager to harvest the fruit to make my cider, wine, and beer.

Some people walking in shot us dirty looks if they noticed us leaning against the wall. I mean-mugged them right back while Amy ignored them.

She was full of nervous energy, shifting her weight and fidgeting with her hands. Even among the low murmurs of people filling up the room, I could hear her breath quickening.

I draped my arm over her shoulders in an effort to soothe her while also keeping her still. If she got too worked up, she could have an asthma or panic attack.

While she was a bit older than me, at twenty-seven to my twenty-four, Amy was smaller and always came across as younger. She had been born premature, and life in a world ruled by vampires wasn’t easy. Along with her asthma, she also had a heart murmur that prevented her from doing a lot of strenuous activity.

In Sapien, the last purely human community in the vampire territory of Sanguine, everyone was expected to work hard and contribute to our little stronghold of humanity. It didn’t matter if someone had asthma, a heart condition, or a broken leg. Not pulling the correct amount of weight led to bullying and ridicule.

I loved Amy like a sister, and there was nothing I hated more than a bully.

When she was six, a boy pushed her down in the mud and made her cry. I tripped him as he tried to run away, then jumped on his back and pounded into him as hard as my three-year-old fists could manage before adults peeled me off of him.

Amy and I had been inseparable ever since.

Our birth parents had left Sapien—and us—to integrate with vampire society. At least, that was what we’d been told with lots of disapproving head shakes and mutters about abandoning your fellow man.

In Sapien, the only thing worse than someone who didn’t pull their weight was someone who left to live among the vampires.

So Amy and I had been raised together like sisters by the entire community. She became known as the quiet girl who preferred cooking, reading, and knitting. As for me? I was the loud-mouthed bulldog who didn’t let anyone fuck with her best friend.

“I already feel terrible for whoever’s going to be selected.” Amy popped her knuckles, the nervous tic she always fell back on. “No one deserves to be offered up like a sacrificial lamb. Isn’t there another way?”

An excellent question I had no answer to. I lifted one shoulder, watching the elderly council members talking among themselves on the raised stage across the room. “Why change a system that works just fine for the dinosaurs in charge?”

“Tavia!” Amy hissed and smacked my side. “Have a little empathy. It can’t be easy choosing who it’ll be, either. Everyone in the compound will judge the council’s decision. Nobody wins here.”

Yeah, right. It wasn’t like we were voting on who to sacrifice or picking randomly from a lottery. The council had been taking anonymous suggestions via notes in a letterbox for the past month, but it was ultimately their decision. And I would never be convinced that it wasn’t a popularity contest. Whoever kissed the council’s asses would be safe. Everyone else was in the running to become a vampire’s next meal.

Every member on the council was at least in their fifties. Harold was nearing eighty. A cynical part of me knew that none of them had put their own names down for consideration, despite all their talk about self-sacrifice for the good of our people.

“Hey, girls.” Robin slid through the throng of people and leaned against the wall next to me with a humorless smirk. “Ready for the shitshow?”

Robin was a woman in her forties with short brown hair, frizzed with gray, and the cheeriest blue eyes I ever saw. She was one of the few who looked out for me and Amy, and was the closest thing we had to a mother-slash-older sister figure. She was also respected enough to hold sway with the council and other community elders, which came in handy when I got in trouble. Which was, to say, a lot.

In my defense, the only reason I had a troublemaker reputation was because the same bullies who picked on Amy ran off and squealed when I gave them a taste of their own medicine. You’d think it would be a simple lesson. All they had to do was stop being assholes, and my fist would stop breaking their noses.

“Do you know who they chose?” I watched Peter, another councilman, close the doors of the assembly room, which meant all one-hundred-and-eight citizens of Sapien were present.

Robin shook her head. “Norma said this morning they were up late into the night discussing it, but not a word of what was decided.”

The murmuring crowd quieted as Nancy, chairwoman of the council, stood and shuffled over to the microphone stand at the edge of the stage.

“Thank you for coming, everyone—” she leaned away from the microphone as a loud screech of feedback filled the room.

People slapped hands over their ears, muttering complaints as someone adjusted sound levels. Nancy tried again, and was successful the second time.

“Thank you for coming, everyone,” she said solemnly, eyes glassy as she scanned the room. “No one is happy about this day. This is the hardest decision any of us have had to make, and we did not make it lightly.”

She turned to pick up a framed document on the stool next to her and held it up for everyone to see. The paper behind the glass was ancient and frayed at the edges. Whatever words that had been written were now faded to the point of being barely visible.

“This is the original agreement made two-hundred-and-fifty years ago between the human colony of Sapien and the ruling vampire clan. At the time, that clan was Carpe Noctem, but power is constantly shifting in the vampire world.” Nancy set the document down and laced her fingers in front of her. “The agreement is as follows: Upon receiving a blood pet from Sapien every half century, the leading vampire clan will forbid any feedings, kidnappings, or blood rituals being imposed upon our citizens.” She looked solemnly over the crowd. “Since the inception of this agreement, the vampires have always honored their end. We have been able to thrive in a world that works against us because of this sacrifice we must make.”

“Here, here.” Harold thumped his cane on the stage in a show of support while low murmurs of agreement swept over the crowd.

I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes, crossing my arms while I propped one foot against the wall. Robin glanced at me and smirked, knowing exactly what I was thinking. Could it be any more obvious who would sleep easily in their beds tonight, their necks cozy and safe from any and all fangs?

“No one looks forward to this day,” Nancy went on. “And yet, we must look deep within ourselves to find gratitude for the Selection.” Nancy took the microphone from the stand and began walking across the stage, staring directly into people’s eyes like some kind of evangelist. “The clans fight amongst each other, and humans near them get caught in the crossfire. A human man, woman, or child walks down the street, and a vampire can make a meal out of them with no consequences. These poor, misguided people are at constant risk with no community to protect them.”

A few people in the crowd began to cry. Roughly a third of Sapien had someone close to them, a parent, child, or sibling, leave the settlement to see what life among the vampires was like. None of them had ever come back.

Sapien’s walkaways weren’t the only ones either. Other human-only settlements were now ghost towns because their populations had either been fed upon or integrated into vampire society.

No one from Sapien ventured into clan territories much, but everyone knew the rumors. People whispered about humans switching to a nocturnal schedule and allowing their blood to be drunk, either freely or in exchange for money. They became neighbors, friends, employees, and even lovers of the monsters who ruled us.

Sometimes, when Amy’s bullies were especially cruel, and the council did nothing to stop it, I wondered how much worse it could really be out there.

Nancy let out a shaky breath and wiped one of her eyes, not that I could see any tears. “One sacrifice for fifty years of peace. Fifty years of not having to worry about the monsters that come lurking at night.”

Tell that to Amy, who got dragged from her bed by the Hoyle brothers and dumped in the pigpen one night as a “prank” , I thought bitterly. The poor thing had nightmares of being kidnapped for months after that.

I didn’t have the physical strength to dish the same treatment to two grown men, but I was petty enough to dump pig shit inside their boots and all over their laundry in retaliation. Amy had begged me not to, but they left her alone after that so I considered it a success.

“Fifty years is over half of a lifetime for most of us.” Nancy had reached the far end of the stage and began retracing her steps toward the middle. “What’s better? Giving up one person to them once, maybe twice, in a lifetime, or losing dozens of us, maybe even more, to their fangs in that time?”

“Keep telling yourself that, Nancy,” I muttered.

Robin snorted.

For all I knew, Nancy was probably right. But based on how hard she was trying to convince the crowd that this was the Only Way, it didn’t feel right. I personally couldn’t think of any solid proof that humans were any better than vampires. How did we know our walkaways didn’t want to come back?

“As long as our humanity is preserved, as long as the loyalty to our species keeps going,” Nancy said passionately into the microphone. “For the good of humanity, we will continue to bear the burden of this bittersweet agreement.”

Harold thumped his cane again and soft applause sounded through the room. I wondered if anyone, in our two-hundred-fifty year history, fought or spoke out against the agreement. If they had, there was none of that rebellious spirit in the room now. Just quiet, reluctant acceptance.

Nancy replaced the microphone on the stand and straightened her spine. “Thank you all for listening, and for contributing to the good of our community. I’ve kept you all long enough. As painful as this is, I won’t stall any longer.”

She took a deep breath that shook a little. “The person who has been selected as the blood pet is…” Her eyes lowered, unable to make contact with anyone in the room. “…Amy Aster.”

There was a beat of stunned silence. Then I heard Amy’s squeak of shock next to me, followed by blood roaring in my ears.

What the fuck?

For some reason, I never expected it to be her. But once the full force of reality hit me, it made perfect sense.

“No.”

I stepped away from the wall and in front of my best friend, spreading my arms as if to shield her from an attack. “No fucking way, that’s not happening.”

“Tavia.” My name from Nancy’s lips carried a note of warning across the room. “I understand this is difficult?—”

“I’ll go instead.” The words left my mouth before they were a fully formed thought in my brain, and it took a few seconds to process the full weight of what I was saying. But there was no way I could let Amy be the blood pet.

She was treated like shit here, yes. But better the devil we knew than the devil we didn’t.

And with her health conditions, being regularly drained of blood would be far more difficult than for most people. For her, it would be nothing short of torture.

“I’ll be the blood pet,” I said, resolute in my decision, even though I was jumping off a cliff into a massive unknown. But I’d always been an act first, think later kind of girl. “Sacrifice me, not her.”

“Tavia, no!” Amy pleaded from behind me. She pushed on my outspread arms, but physically, she had never been stronger than me.

“As I said, Octavia. ” Nancy boomed my full name from the stage like a stern grandmother. “The council’s decision has been made.”

“Did the council even bother to ask for volunteers?” I shouted back. Of course they hadn’t, because who the hell would sign up? “You should have done that first, not this secret-meetings-late-into-the-night bullshit. I’m volunteering, so take me.”

The crowd began to pick up volume as several animated conversations took place.

“We should vote. All of us should have input on this decision,” someone shouted.

I shook my head. At this point, Amy would likely be selected by the majority anyway. The council already put her forth as their choice, and most people wanted to make the council happy.

“There’s no need for a vote when you have a volunteer right here,” I argued, stretching my hand high into the air. “Just choose me and let this be settled, Nancy.”

The chairwoman stepped away from the microphone and turned to the other council members on the stage. They huddled together, whispering amongst themselves as the crowd buzzed with energy.

People shot looks at me over their shoulders, all wearing different expressions. Some with disdain and sneers. Others with muted surprise and respect. I met all of their gazes head on, daring any of them to come forward. Where was the shit-talking and insults now, huh? Who else in this crowd of sheep was brave enough to sacrifice themselves for someone else?

After a few minutes, the council members broke up their huddle

“Octavia,” Nancy called from the stage, no longer using the microphone.

I swallowed the thick knot in my throat and straightened. “Yes?”

“Come see us in the council chamber.” She jerked her head to the side before heading down the small steps at the side of the stage.

I turned around to find Amy flat against the wall, tears streaming down her cheeks as she stared at me. If this worked, I had saved her life. But I had also broken her heart. We would never see each other again, and I’d probably be dead before the end of the week.

As much as I wanted to hug her, rocking her gently from side to side like I always did when she cried, I forced my gaze away and looked at Robin.

“Take her home,” I instructed. “Stay with her there. Don’t let anyone in but me.”

“You got it.” Robin slid an arm around Amy, her face grim as she looked out over the crowd. She didn’t like this any more than the inconsolable young woman at her side, but she was tough enough to put a brave face on, and wise enough to deescalate if things got ugly.

With a final heart-wrenching glance at Amy, I turned away and the crowd parted for me as I headed for the room where my fate would be decided.

“Why are you offering yourself in place of Miss Aster?” Nancy got right down to business as soon as the chamber door closed and the council members settled in their seats.

I squared my shoulders and met her stare head-on. “Because she already suffers enough as it is. She’s given all that she can to Sapien, and her reward for it is to be kicked around like a dog. It’s honestly abhorrent that you would make her suffer more by choosing her for this. You know she would suffer more than the average person.”

Nancy leaned back in her seat, putting down the pen she’d been twirling. “You know, I remember the last Selection. I was twelve years old and I’ll never forget that terrible scene.” Her eyes locked on mine. “They didn’t just drink her blood. As soon as the vampires received their blood pet, they tore into her like a pack of animals. They ripped her apart and ate pieces of her in front of the whole community.”

My stomach turned, but I stood firm. She was trying to intimidate me, to make me back down and save my own skin. It would never happen, though. When it came to protecting Amy, I was bullheaded to a fault.

“I remember it as well,” Peter chimed in. “I was oh, maybe fourteen. Threw up all my dinner that night and couldn’t help Pop butcher meat for months after that.”

I turned a disgusted gaze to him. He’d watched one of their own get violently slaughtered, her life cut short for no reason, and recalled it like any story from the good ol’ days.

“The silver lining was,” Nancy went on, “that poor girl didn’t suffer long.” She gave me a pointed look. “It was a brutal, terrible thing but she went quickly.”

She went quickly. Like a lame old goat that had been taken out to the pasture and shot.

The suffering aspect wasn’t even the point. It was the fact that the Half-Century Selection existed at all and was never questioned. It was the fact that they used it as an excuse to get rid of people they saw as less worthy.

The council overlooked everything Amy was great at doing, and saw her as the weakest link in the community. I’d bet my entire batch of cherry cider that was the reason they’d chosen her to be the blood pet. In their eyes, they were cutting dead weight.

In mine, they were heartless fucking bastards and Amy was worth more than the whole room of them.

Standing as tall as I could, with my chin high and my hands clasped behind my back, I willed my voice to not shake as I met each of their gazes.

“My decision remains the same. Select me in place of Amy as the blood pet.”

I couldn’t handle them sending my best friend, the sweetest and most selfless person I knew, out to slaughter. At least this way, I knew I’d be preventing her from a premature death. It would hurt like hell to never see her again, but I took comfort in knowing I stood up for her one last time.

Amy would be devastated. But at least she’d live on. She had to.

“Why are you really doing this, Octavia?” Nancy asked after a long silence.

Because Amy is the one person who deserves a better fate than this. Because no one in this godforsaken community has a shred of empathy, so who else is going to? Because I hate all of your games and your politics, and I’m fucking tired. There was no simple answer to that, and especially not one that they were prepared to hear.

“It’s just the right thing to do,” I said.

“And you’re absolutely sure about this decision?” Harold peered at me with his beady eyes.

“Yes.”

I was likely in shock and not fully processing the consequences of what I’d done, but that would come later. My mind was made up. And there was simply no option but to keep Amy safe.

Well, safer.

“Alright, then.” The council members all looked at each other. “We are not barbarians or murderers.”

The ones who didn’t speak nodded their agreement.

I held back a snort. Whatever helps you all sleep at night.

“Since she is standing here, of sound mind and giving her full consent, it’s decided.” Nancy brought her hands together. “Octavia Franz will be given to the ruling vampire clan as the next blood pet in the Half-Century Selection.”