Chapter 24

He tookme back upstairs to the dining area. Everything looked the same, yet so different to my eyes now. So many doors and hallways and corridors that I was sure I would never get used to this place, even if I never left.

There were no guards by the walls, not like there had been outside by the gates, which wasn’t surprising. I doubted anybody around here would dare step a toe out of line in the home of the Evernight brothers.

But right as we entered the dining room, a guard seemed to appear out of thin air behind Valentine, and he whispered something in his ear.

Valentine suddenly looked murderous.

“I have to leave for a little while. Start eating. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he said, and panic settled in my chest instantly, as if I’d already forgotten who he was. I’d already forgotten what he represented—and his fangs.

“Of course. I’ll be fine,” I said anyway, and I walked into the room before he had the chance to smell my bullshit.

Fuck, I didn’t want to be in this place all alone.

Too dark. Too unpredictable. And his brothers…

“I’ll be right back. Nobody will hurt you, Sunshine. Don’t be afraid.”

I turned around with my chin raised, hands behind me fisted tightly. “I am not,” I lied.

Valentine smiled like he could see into my mind, but he said nothing, just pulled the door closed. The sound of it echoed in my head for a good minute after. A long sigh escaped me, and my eyes closed.

It was okay, just the dining room. I’d been here that morning. I would be just fine.

And with that thought in my mind, I went and sat in the same chair as before, praying nobody came to eat me until he came back.

Nobody cameto eat me in the next twenty minutes or so, only Aster and Vinny served me food. I had to choose from three different options like I was in a restaurant, and I ended up eating the same simple things I ate at the Paradise when Claus prepared everything without having to ask me what I wanted. That part, at least, had been perfect in the Paradise. My body had changed so much in such a short time because of the food I ate, and the workouts Jennifer made me do. Just last week I’d actually started to enjoy cardio a little bit, and now here we were.

I was halfway done with the food when I heard footsteps outside the doors. I thought for sure it was Valentine and I was relieved, which surprised me a bit.

But Valentine hadn’t hurt me—yet—and he’d actually hidden me behind his back against his own brothers, so for now, he was the lesser evil in this place until I found a way out. I’d stick to Valentine until I left.

Unfortunately, the doors opened, and three women came into the dining room. Valentine was not with them.

I froze, my food barely going down, and I had no clue whether to stand, to leave, or to pretend I didn’t see them. No clue if I should even say hello.

I recognized them. All three had been in that room having tea in the morning, and the eldest of them with the shawl over her blonde hair was already smiling at me now.

Fuck.

“Oh, how nice to see you here, new girl. Fall, wasn’t it?” she said, surprised at the sight of me.

“And sitting at the head of the table—nice,” said another who hadn’t spoken to me that I remembered. She was taller, skinnier, absolutely breathtaking, and her black dress was made of rich velvet that accentuated her hourglass figure perfectly.

“Leave her be. It’s just her first day, poor thing,” said the third, slapping the back of her hand to her arm. “Remember our first day?” And she looked at me like she was about to start crying happy tears soon. She, too, was gorgeous, with rich brown hair that fell all the way to her hips, thick silver bracelets on her right arm almost all the way up to her elbow and baby blue eyes that seemed genuinely kind.

“I remember it well enough. I didn’t sit at the head of the table to eat that day. Or any other day after that,” said the taller one again, pulling out a chair from the middle of the long table.

“She’s fine. Nobody else is here right now,” said the other, taking a seat at the woman’s left.

“Was I not supposed to sit here?” I said, surprised at how steady my voice sounded.

But there was something about these women, probably the fact that they’d been human before, that didn’t scare the shit out of me like everything else in this place did.

“Don’t mind Lucinda. She’s very bitter by nature, but her heart is kind enough,” said the eldest as she sat on the right of Lucinda, who couldn’t stop flinching as she folded the black napkin in front of her, as if everything she was looking at disgusted her.

“I’m Cynthia, and that’s Vera. She’s Italian,” the woman with the blue eyes said.

“I am, indeed,” said the eldest, raising an empty glass at me.

“Where’s Aster? We’ve sat here almost a minute. This is rude,” Lucinda was saying, when Cynthia slammed her elbow to her arm. “What?!”

“Aster will be here soon,” Vera said, never looking away from me.

“What’s your name again?” Lucinda asked.

“It’s actually Autumn, but everyone calls me Fall,” I said, and that made her stop for a moment.

“Fall,” she repeated, her nose wrinkled as if she were tasting the name on her tongue, and she looked absolutely disgusted, except… “I like it,” she concluded with a nod.

“What an odd name,” Cynthia said.

“There are no odd names. There are just names,” Vera said, just as the door half hiding behind the strange painting opened again, and out came Aster and Vinny to serve the women food, just like they’d done with me not half an hour ago.

While they did, I kept my eyes on the table and ate the rest of my food, feeling excited, not just afraid. These women were like upgraded versions of the girls at the Paradise. I don’t know what it was about them, especially Lucinda, but they intrigued me. I genuinely didn’t mind that they’d caught me in the dining room.

“Well, Fall, how do you like the Evernight Court so far?” Vera asked after Aster and Vinny wheeled their cart back to wherever that half-hidden door led.

“It’s…” I shook my head and sighed deeply. What would be the point of lying to these women? “It’s scary as hell,” I admitted reluctantly.

“It’s not scary. It’s a castle! The safest place in the Woods,” said Cynthia, laughing as she drank her juice.

“It might be a bit scary for a newcomer,” Vera said, as she cut the meat she was served into teeny tiny pieces. “I remember the first time I set foot here with Master Romin. I was incredibly excited, but I was probably a bit scared, too.”

I shook my head, ready to ask her about a million questions, when Lucinda beat me to it.

“I wasn’t. This place is an absolute fairytale. There’s no light and no people. What more could you possibly want?” she deadpanned, then reached for the wine Vinny had poured for her. She was the only one drinking so early, it seemed.

“I assume you knew,” I said, playing with the glass of water in my hand. “You knew about all of this before you came.”

They all looked at me. “Of course,” they said in unison.

Of course, they weren’t scared—they knew about all of this, and they chose to come here anyway.

“Where…” I cleared my throat. “Where did you come from?”

“Faeries’ Aerie,” said Cynthia.

“I’m from Witches’ Wing,” said Vera, and when she saw that Lucinda didn’t care to answer while she ate, she added, “and Luce here comes from Skinwalker Soil.” The way she said her name was different, with an accent—not Luce, but more like Loo-cheh.

“Yes, yes, so thrilling,” Lucinda muttered with her mouth half full.

“She got her period today,” Cynthia said, patting Lucinda’s shoulder, and the other stopped chewing to look at her like she wanted to murder her.

“We’re eating.”

“What was it like?” I said before Cynthia could reply. “What was it like for you to find out about Ennaris?”

As I said those words, even though I knew who they were and that they knew so much more than me, I still expected them to burst out laughing and tell me that I was delusional, that there was no such thing as Ennaris or magic or any of the things I thought I’d seen and heard. I’d just lost my mind.

And a part of me actually hoped they would, except…

“It was so magical for me,” Cynthia said. “I kept seeing this unicorn in the woods at the back of my fiancé’s house. I knew deep in my heart that it wanted me to follow it, and one night, I did. Then I saw Agerta, the fairy assigned to keep an eye on the surrounding lands for potential brides, and she showed me down a rabbit’s hole—literally!” She laughed, and she was so happy. “We came out in Faeries’ Aerie, and from then on the people took me in and fed me and told me all about the handsome Evernight brothers, and how they thought I could be their next bride.” Her cheeks were flushed now. Bright scarlet. She waved her hand off. “Of course, I said yes to the ritual. The rest is history, as they say.”

“I was at my father’s vineyard in Italy when a witch found me and gave me a series of tasks to complete for her to determine my worth. I found it very entertaining, so I played along, never actually suspecting what she was until I brought to her all the things she’d asked for, and she did her first magic trick right in front of me. Naturally, I was obsessed, but old Ilemia knew how to play me perfectly, so she disappeared for two whole months and left me bitter and in grief, ready to submit to her the moment she came back to me, if only she would teach me that magic trick.” Vera met my eyes. “And you know the best part? It was simply this!”

She raised her hand and waved her fingers around, and suddenly a bright green light jumped into existence, perfectly round like a glowing crystal ball the size of my fist. It was breathtaking.

Vera laughed. “This silly old trick did me in—but it looked so much more impressive in the vineyard at night.”

I was stuck looking at the light without daring to even breathe. I understood perfectly why that trick had convinced Vera—it was the first thing you thought of when you heard the word magic. A glowing light ball that somehow melted in the air—and it was full of glitter.

Vera waved her hand again and the green light disappeared just as fast as it had appeared, leaving no trace behind. “Suffice to say, when she offered to take me with to Witches’ Wing, I said yes right away, and I haven’t looked back since.”

“Lucinda, your turn,” Cynthia said, and when she nudged the woman in her arm, she looked up at us like she just remembered we were still there.

I pulled my lips inside my mouth to keep from smiling. I liked Lucinda.

“What’s to tell? I got kidnapped while I was hiking and brought to Ennaris. They told me I either die or accept to become a ruler’s bride. I chose the latter.” And she shrugged.

Both Vera and Cynthia laughed as they looked at her adoringly, and my shoulders were slightly shaking, too. She was funny without really meaning to be, which made it all the better.

“And you?” Cynthia said then. “How did it happen for you?”

My laughter died instantly. “I was actually lied to by Mama Si. Don’t know if you know who that is, but?—”

“Of course, we do,” said Cynthia, shivering visibly.

“The original seductress,” said Vera, nodding her head as she put a tiny piece of food in her mouth, her smile gone. “Master Romin says she’s extremely powerful, that he’s very careful about keeping her under control.”

“They say she’s awful,” Cynthia whispered, and Lucinda was finally curious enough to look at me.

“What’s she like?”

“Uh…beautiful. Very smart. Very cunning. Within a month, she basically convinced me to come here and offer myself to this place without knowing what I was doing,” I said.

That certainly surprised them. “A month? Are you serious? The witches pampered me for ten!” Vera said.

“Oh, you poor thing,” said Cynthia. “That is so sad!”

“It’s not sad. Just the way of the world,” Lucinda said, pushing her plate away as if to say she was done with her food. “What did she tell you? What did she promise?”

“Magic. That I’d have…magic. Power,” I said, cheeks heated up, ashamed.

“Oh,” Vera said. “Well, you do get that.”

Yes, apparently, I would. I’d seen her making that light ball with my own eyes just now. “How does it work exactly? You were all human, weren’t you?”

“Yes, we were. But the moment we get bitten by the dragons, the magic starts to let us through. We start getting small charges, like electricity going down our bodies at first, but then after the Blood Call, it comes to you all at once,” Vera explained.

“And tries to drive you mad. Sometimes it succeeds,” Lucinda said, throwing a quick look at Cynthia.

“Don’t be a brat, Luce,” Vera said. “It takes some time to learn to master the magic, but with the help of your chosen Master, you’ll get the hang of it.”

Master. That word made me want to fucking gag, so I chose to ignore it.

“What about the Blood Call? What exactly is that? How does it happen?”

The women gave each other a knowing look. Then Lucinda told me, “Since you don’t know already, all we can tell you is that you’ll enjoy it. A lot.”

I shook my head, about to tell her that I wouldn’t, that I wouldn’t even be around long enough for the Blood Call, but Vera beat me to it.

“Oh, don’t look so gloomy, Fall. We live a good life.”

“A very good life, indeed,” said Cynthia. “We’re practically queens.”

“We’re not queens,” Lucinda muttered.

“How? How does this whole thing work?” Because so many pieces of the puzzle were still missing, and I needed to see the bigger picture asap.

Vera sighed. “Oh, dear. You really don’t know anything, do you.” It wasn’t a question.

“I really don’t.”

“It’s very straight forward,” said Lucinda. “The Blood Call determines which of the Evernight brothers is more compatible with you, meaning which one of them is more likely to get you pregnant. Once you know that, you become that brother’s bride, you feed him with your blood, and you basically fuck each other’s brains out any chance you get in hopes to get pregnant and bear the next Evernight heir—which is much more difficult than you might imagine. I’m sure you’ve noticed there are no fanged kiddies running around here.” She stretched her lips as if she were meaning to smile. “That clear enough for you?”

Exactly what I’d feared. Fuck.

Closing my eyes, I took in a deep breath to calm my racing heart.

“However, even if the brides don’t get pregnant, they can choose to leave the castle when they’re older and no longer able to carry children. They can choose to live in any of the Isles, or even go back to the human world,” Vera explained.

That would have been great—if I didn’t have to spend decades being fucked by a vampire first. No, thank you.

“But anyway, I am Master Grey’s bride,” Cynthia then said, wiggling happily in her chair. “He is the second strongest of the brothers, and has the biggest dragon right after Master Romin, despite being the third-born. He even got the scars of his wings earlier than any other Evernight,” she proudly said.

I almost choked on thin air. “Wings?”

“Yes, wings,” Cynthia said with a huge smile. “They gain wings when they’re older and gather more power. For Master Grey, they started coming out when he was still in his twenties. They’re not out all the way yet, though.” She laughed. “But don’t let that scare you—he’s such a gentle giant.” Lucinda snorted. Cynthia flinched. “Well, I mean he is pretty scary. Just saying, he’s not as scary in bed, though between these walls”— she put her hand on the side of her mouth and whispered—“I like it better when it’s scary.” And she winked.

“Of course, you do. We all do. We’re women,” Lucinda muttered.

“Luce and I are Master Romin’s brides,” Vera continued, and now I choked on my own spit.

“Excuse me?”

Again, they exchanged a look, and Vera said, “There’s four of us at the moment, including Rachel and Anna. Master Romin is the eldest Evernight brother, and he is our ruler. He’s pretty much in charge of the Woods and most of what goes on in the Seven Isles. His wings came out of him just as he turned forty.” I could have sworn she said that because of Cynthia, as if they were competing about whose Master was better and who got his wings sooner, which was so fucking beyond me. “Master Romin also has the best chance at siring an heir.”

“Oh.” That was the best I had. Oh.

“Master Grey has two brides—that’s me and Amita. Zoe and Gretchen are Master Emil’s brides, and Paris and Mariposa are Master Tristian’s,” Cynthia said.

Ten. There were ten of them—all those women I’d seen in the morning. They were all the brides of those men, the same men who’d scared me shitless with just the way they looked at me.

“You don’t mind?” I wondered. “Sharing your partner like that and being in this place—you really don’t mind?!”

“Like Cynthia said, we live like queens. And our masters treat us with much more respect and dignity and love than any other man I’ve ever come across in the human world,” said Vera.

Even Lucinda nodded. “Absolutely. One hundred percent.”

“What about the blood? Do they bite you?” They all nodded, smiling. “And?! You don’t find that horrifying?” And disgusting and nauseating and all things bad?

“Of course not!” Vera and Cynthia said at the same time, while Lucinda just looked at me like I might be green or something.

“It’s a privilege to feed my master. Knowing that my blood keeps him alive fulfills me. It’s the least I can do,” Vera said.

“They take so little,” Cynthia whispered. “And it feels so, so good…” She sighed with her eyes closed.

It definitely didn’t look like I was going to fit in with these women if that’s what they thought.

“What about Valentine’s brides?”

“Oh, Master Valentine is the youngest. He’s barely twenty-four years old. He just got his dragon about a month ago, so this is the first time he’s actually competed for a bride,” Cynthia said.

“They usually don’t get brides for the first five or six years, so he’ll be alone for a little while longer,” Vera said, but Lucinda snorted.

“He’s not alone. He spends most of his time out there—what, you think hunting animals is all he does in the Woods?”

“Lucinda!” said Cynthia dramatically, covering her mouth as she giggled.

And Lucinda grinned. “He probably has all the townswomen lining up to suck his?—”

The door basically burst open. A miracle it didn’t come off the hinges completely as Valentine came through, looking like he was on the brink of setting something on fire.

Vera, Lucinda and Cynthia were already on their feet, bowing their heads to Valentine. Meanwhile my ass was glued to the damned chair as I gripped the armrests and looked up at him, trying not to be glad that he was here. Trying not to feel safe in his presence, especially now that I knew what the hell was waiting for me if I stayed here.

He barely glanced at the women as he stepped closer and said, “Are you done eating?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

He came around the table and offered me his hand. “Come on. I want to show you something.”

The women were all looking at me through the corner of their eyes, and I’d be a damn liar if I said I wasn’t glad and absolutely relieved that Valentine was going to take me away. A break was what I needed. Right now.

So, I grabbed his hand and let him lead me outside the dining room without a word.