Turned vampires remained frozen at whatever age they’d been cursed. There were all kinds of ages, shapes, sizes, and ethnicities represented in the Court, but it was easy to spot a bornling. They usually appeared no older than forty, had preternaturally smooth skin, hair, and athletic builds regardless of their diet and exercise habits, and exuded a certain glow that was most simply attributed to the raw power in our veins.
As something of a hybrid, vampires—both turns and bornlings—retained some human traits. Camouflage, I supposed. We breathed, bled, and had the capability of eating and drinking anything we pleased, though bornlings rarely indulged. Turns, on the other hand, tended to miss their days as living humans and preferred to continue eating regular meals and drinking a wide range of beverages, not just blood, despite the fact that there was no survival instinct to do so. It was a creature comfort, pure and simple. Generally, the older a turn got, the more their human habits fell to the wayside.
Regardless of origin, no vampire could withstand sunlight. It wasn’t as dramatic as most movies made it out to be, but it was unpleasant nonetheless and reserved for only dire emergencies. The healing from sun exposure was painful and took an extended period of time.
Tonight, as usual, the gala was filled with bornlings as they were generally the only vampires able to reach nobility. Turns usually held lower positions, though there were a few notable exceptions. Over the decades, some turns had been clever enough to maneuver past the unspoken caste system and climbed to power and prominence.
Jupiter was a turn, but watching her in the crowd at the bar along the opposite wall, it would have been easy enough to mistake her for a bornling. She’d been a vampire for as long as I could remember. Turned at the age of twenty-four, she would retain her youthful beauty for a millennium.
She could be one of the turns who moved up the ladder; she was smart enough. Why had she sworn allegiance to my father’s house? What could have gone so wrong that she was left with no other option? Was this new love interest of hers worth staying behind and taking the position of a servant for?
I scanned the faces at the bar on either side of her, wishing I’d managed to wheedle the man’s identity out of her before we’d come downstairs. He could be anyone. More than a few heads turned her way as she pushed away from the bar, two beverages in hand, and crossed the room back to the dais. She’d changed into her own evening gown and applied a little make-up in the final minutes up in my bedroom and looked stunning. My father had almost immediately sent her to get us drinks, though he hadn’t asked me if I was thirsty.
For the record, I wasn’t.
I knew I needed to feed. It had been days since my last meal, but the idea made my stomach flip-flop and churn.
I immediately stopped thinking about food when a tall man caught Jupiter by the elbow. She turned back to him and her face broke into a wide smile. It was him! It had to be. He said something, his chiseled face stoic, and Jupiter burst into a peal of laughter that wound through the crowd. A smile twitched at the man’s lips but he didn’t laugh along. Mr. Serious, huh?
Jupiter nodded her head in our direction and the man looked up, meeting my eyes. The hint of a smile fell and his jaw reset in a firm line. He said something else to Jupiter and her own smile faltered. She held up the glasses and then scurried away.
The man’s dark eyes lingered on me for a moment and then he turned away and melted into the crowd.
That was … odd. What had Jupiter told him about me?
The band transitioned to a new song and I shifted my weight, cursing my high-heeled sling-backs. I’d been forced to stand in one place while my father greeted every member of the Court. Everyone was polite, if not a little too polite. I got the feeling I was chum in the open sea. The sharks were circling. They didn’t want a physical bite out of me, of course, but they were all salivating over me just the same. Each of them wanted to be the one to scoop up a juicy tidbit of gossip and carry it back to their cluster of friends. I could almost hear them: What did she say? Did she seem happy to be home? Where do you think she’s been this whole time?
“How long do we have to stand up here?” I hissed in my father’s direction as soon as our latest group of hangers-on flittered away. I would put money down that he was purposely making me wait. He wanted me uncomfortable. In some sick way, my discomfort pleased him and made up for the list of transgressions he held against me.
There wasn’t a therapist in the world who could undo our issues.
“You’ll stay here, and smile, for as long as I tell you to,” Lord Vaughn told me, his tone even and cool.
Heat crept up my throat, but I forced a serene smile when I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. “Honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t bother having a taller pedestal built for me to stand on. It would be more fair to those seated on the other side of the room. We wouldn’t want anyone to strain their eyes after staring at me all night.”
“Silence,” Lord Vaughn seethed through his smile. His dark eyes flashed at me—the dark look only lasted a fraction of a second but was fierce enough to cut glass.
Jupiter joined us and his gaze shifted back to the rest of the ballroom. “Sorry that took so long,” she said, handing me a glass.
I promptly set it on the tall cocktail table separating me and my father. “It’s not a problem,” I told her and then shifted my attention back to my father. “Am I allowed to go to the little vampiress’s room?”
“No.” He scowled at me. “You’ll remain here, where I can see you.”
“Really?” I scoffed. “It’s your call, but I can pretty much guarantee that whatever little princeling you’re waiting to introduce me to would prefer if I was allowed to use the facilities. This might be a black dress, but I’m pretty sure he’d notice if I—”
Lord Vaughn hissed. “Take Jupiter with you. She’ll make sure you don’t dawdle.”
I glared at him. So, that was how he planned on playing it, huh? Use my fear of Jupiter being punished for my transgressions to keep me in check.
Nicely played, Dad.
Swirling away, I stormed from the ballroom, not caring what the gossip mongers would say about it. The sound of Jupiter’s frantic footsteps followed as she chased behind me.
I didn’t slow down for her as I left the ballroom through the large archway and stalked down the hall, my heels clacking furiously on the hardwood floors. A cloud of whispers followed over my shoulder and I heard someone say my name as I swung around the corner. In a way, I supposed I’d brought it on myself. I was the one who’d left, who’d chosen to stay away. I left time for the gossip and rumors to percolate. And now, five years later, they were boiling over.
With a groan, I shoved open the bathroom door. Jupiter followed behind me. “Lacey, are you all right?”
“Define all right.”
I went to the sink and leaned against the vanity. The bathroom was cold and the marble underneath my palms bit into my skin. It wasn’t the guest bathroom, so apparently my father hadn’t bothered to have it heated. The old mansion had been updated with zonal heating, most of it underneath the floors, but in the sprawling eight-thousand square foot home, it wasn’t practical to heat the entire thing. My father didn’t run short on money by any means, but he held onto every quarter like it was his last. Except, of course, when it came to matters of the Court. Then, he transformed from a miser into a Powerball winner, eager to showcase his wealth and power.
Jupiter appeared in the mirror, taking her place beside me. Her delicate features were twisted with worry.
“I don’t think I can do this, Jupe.”
“You’re stronger than you realize,” Jupiter replied. “It’s not the best-case scenario, of course, but you’ll be safe here at Court and you won’t have to spend every minute of your life checking over your shoulder. You father will ease off you once he has what he wants. You’ll be able to build a new life here.”
“Oh, yes. All I have to do is chain myself to some pompous toad and I’ll be living on Easy Street.”
“Lacey, I just—”