Chapter Two

“A Master must be made to understand that all rules of possession are void in times of life-threatening emergencies,” Zari said as she munched on a fry. She was seated cross-legged on a chair, next to her Master, who was in his usual position at the head of the table.

A rare scowl appeared on Alexandru’s normally smiling, handsome face. “No.”

“Be reasonable, Master,” she cajoled. “What is one feeding in exchange for saving a life?”

“Read my lips, my pet. NO.” He fisted her hair, bringing Zari forward so he could kiss her hard. “Everything of you is mine, and I do not care how many men have to die because of it.”

YOU CAN PUT ME DOWN now, Master. Zari didn’t really mean it, but she thought she owed it to herself to say the words. After all, this feeling of wanting to be close to Alexandru and being attracted to him was simply a side effect of his powers. It was not real. She had to remember that.

Alexandru gently lowered Zari to her feet upon reaching the spiral staircase, a majestic masterpiece with rails made of gold and the steps covered in lush red carpet.

His sly smile reappeared when he caught the look of dismay on his pet’s face. “Disappointed I let you go?”

“Of course not.” But as usual, her face belied her words as her cheeks turned pink with guilt.

His smile widened. “Liar.” He adopted a regretful tone. “I’m sorry, pet. I don’t think I can carry you all the way to the first floor. You’ve gained a little weight—-”

Her jaw dropped. “I did not!” She wrapped her arms around her middle, feeling self-conscious. Had she? Come to think of it, she had noticed how she ate more than most girls in school. All of them seemed to survive only on leaves and fruits while she couldn’t survive a day without being a carnivore. Was that why—-

Alexandru’s laugh put a halt to her thoughts. “Relax, pet. I was only teasing.”

The look on his face told Zari he meant it. She sputtered in indignation. So many words flew into her mind, but in the end all she could grit out was, “Bully!”

Still laughing, he reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. “You must forgive me. It’s only because I’ve been away from you for far too long that I need to have my fill of your blushes.”

His words made her blush harder and she accused, “You’re doing it again.”

“Am I?” He looked at her with sham innocence, and he did appear like a black-haired prince who could do no wrong.

Just like that, and her irritation vanished. Gah! She was so hopeless. All he had to do was give her his puppy-eyed look of innocence and poof! There went her always-justified feelings of anger, and instead she was left feeling all gooey and mushy.

Was there really no way to combat a vampire’s powers of sexual attraction?

Alexandru tugged on her hand then, making Zari glance up. “Shall we go?”

She went with him, walking with her Master hand in hand even as she asked, “Where?” Her voice was embarrassingly breathless, but she couldn’t help it. A part of her was still in shock by the fact that Alexandru was really here with her.

As they descended, Alexandru asked, “How are you finding school so far?” He rubbed her knuckles as he spoke, a simple gesture that had her swallowing as it sent tingles all over her body.

Clearing her throat, she mumbled, “It’s fine.”

“Liar.”

Her Master said it in such a cheerful tone she had to glare up at him.

Alexandru chuckled. “But you are. I only had to spend a few seconds in your class to know that everyone hates your guts.”

“They do not.”

“Of course they do. I’m your Master, aren’t I?”

“Yes,” she said very seriously. “They hate me because you’re my Master and you are a disgrace to your race.”

Laughter, dark and as sinfully attractive as its owner, followed her words, and it was clear to see that nothing she’d say would succeed in putting a dent in his humongous ego.

When they reached the foot of the stairs, Zari was surprised when she felt Alexandru reach for her head and ruffle her hair. She was even more surprised when she heard her murmur in her mind. I’m sorry, pet.

Their gazes met, his green eyes unreadable, her gray eyes questioning. What are you apologizing for, Master?

I’m apologizing for leaving you her for so long, despite knowing that your personality wouldn’t have allowed you to make friends easily with the other pets.

His sincere apology made her frown very hard at the ground. His words touched and embarrassed her, but at the same time, a part of Zari was also hurt. She was right then. Her Master had known the predicament she would find herself in. He did know her well enough to guess she’d have trouble fitting in.

But in the end, he had still left her.

Perhaps if Zari had been any other pet, she would have been able to tell him he was wrong for leaving her. She would have been able to demand he take her with him next time. But she was not. She was Zari, the human pet who had forced herself on her Master.

So out loud, she said, “I’ll make friends eventually, Master.”

“I’m sure you will.”

She grimaced. “You could have tried to sound more convincing, Master.”

“If I had,” he argued, “what would be the fun in that?”

Before his pet could think up a retort, he changed the subject, asking soberly, “Have you seen anything unusual lately?”

She frowned. “You mean, about...” She wasn’t sure if she could say it out loud and so she continued in her mind, Are you talking about visions?

He nodded.

No. I’ve tried touching every surface to have a feel—-

A laugh escaped him. It doesn’t work like that, pet. It starts with a color. Remember when we were at the tunnels and you told me the first thing you could see was just black?

She cried out, You mean the whole time I’ve forced myself to touch the soil at the graveyard—-

He laughed harder.

“Master, you should have told me!”

He protested innocently, “I thought you’d have figured it out.”

He was about to say something more, probably something that would either have her gnashing her teeth or blushing and wishing he was far, far away again, when someone called his name.

Both of them turned around, and Zari saw the headmaster of La Scala Legaturia walking hurriedly towards them, an amazed expression on his chubby face. She had always thought that all headmasters of nonhuman schools like LSL would have long white hair, a beard, and an air of wisdom. However, Sir Richard was the complete opposite. Balding with gray hair, short, and chubby, the headmaster more often tripped than not—-

“I am so glad to be able to reach you, Master Alexandru—-” A look of horror crossed Sir Richard’s face as he managed to miss seeing the huge warning about the wet floor in front of him and started to slide.

—-like now.

Both Zari and Alexandru reached for the headmaster, and they each managed to catch a hold of his arms, preventing him from falling.

“Are you all right, Sir Richard?” Alexandru asked, only releasing the man’s arm when the headmaster had finally regained his balance.

Sir Richard smiled sheepishly as he took out his handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his brow. “My apologies, Master Alexandru. Old age, you know.”

Zari wisely held her tongue despite knowing age had nothing to do with it since Sir Richard was immortal like her Master. The headmaster had his pride, too, after all.

Most other pets would have laughed at the headmaster’s lame excuse, but his pet didn’t, and his eyes gleamed in approval at Zari’s sensitivity. In the ways that mattered, Zari definitely promised to be the best human pet he could ever ask for.

To the headmaster, he said congenially, “I understand, Sir Richard.” He didn’t say anything else, simply waiting for the other man to speak.

Sir Richard glanced at Zari.

Zari automatically said, “May I be excused, Master Alexandru?”

You are getting better and better at this, pet.

The sheer amount of happiness she felt at the compliment made Zari want to hang her head in shame. Dear Lord, she was hopeless. Hopeless, hopeless, hopeless!

Out loud, Alexandru said formally, “Of course. Please wait for me at the courtyard.”

“Yes, Master Alexandru.” She managed to remember to curtsy before leaving.

In her mind, she heard her Master remark in mock amazement, Are my eyes deceiving me? Did you actually remember to curtsy?

She pressed her lips together firmly, not wanting to smile. Not funny, Master.

A smile underlined his voice as her Master replied, I will be with you shortly. Thank you for being understanding, pet. It is beyond what I expect and deserve.

As Zari slowly made her way to the courtyard, she found herself mulling over Alexandru’s last words. Was he saying her good behavior was more than what he expected and deserved? If so, why? She hadn’t been living here for more than a few days when she started to hear people constantly talking about him.

To both pets and vampires at LSL, Alexandru was a celebrity of sorts, a vampire whose skills in the battlefield were unmatched. His charm was just as legendary, and Zari had lost count of the number of times she heard the other girls gushing about him.

When she considered all the great things she heard about him, Alexandru’s words made less and less sense. If anything, he deserved a human pet who was a lot better than she was.

Zari absently seated herself on one of the stone benches lining the pathway. Her position allowed her to enjoy a sumptuous view of the school’s picturesque courtyard, with its marble fountain and ivory statues, but the beauty surrounding Zari was lost on her.

Would Alexandru always be a mystery to her?

Would she always feel undeserving of him?

And last but not the least, would he really keep her waiting much longer? The question crossed Zari’s mind when nearly two hours had passed and there was still no sign of Alexandru. Had he forgotten her? Had he left her? Had he—-

Don’t think that way, Zari, she scolded herself. Her Master may be a lot of things, but one thing he was not was rude. A man who insisted that she avoid cursing, carry anything heavier than a kilo, and open doors without assistance would never be discourteous enough not to let her know she could go ahead without him.

Right?

But Zari forgot her troubles soon enough when she heard a commotion at the edge of the courtyard, which was near one of the school’s main gates. There were lots of shouting, and the sense of urgency surrounding the men who came running into the courtyard was unmistakable.

They were carrying a stretcher with a bloodied and injured man on top of it, and one of them kept shouting “Ajuta” over and over.

She understood enough of the language now to recognize the word ‘help’ and Zari didn’t hesitate, hurrying towards the men. She kept one hand behind her, making sure that her skirt didn’t inch up and expose her cotton undies as she ran. The preppy uniform LSL insisted on was ridiculous, the way its buttoned-up top was so tight and its skirt so short.

When she reached the men, she asked, “May I be of assistance?”

“You’re human, aren’t you?” The one who appeared to be the leader asked, a desperate look on his face as he gestured for his men to lower the stretcher on the ground. “Are you Unclaimed? Lord Erou has lost a massive amount of blood, and he needs to feed right away. It’s the only way he can fight off the poison that’s entered his body.”

She was not Unclaimed, but—-

Zari looked down at the man on the stretcher. He was extremely good-looking , she noted absently, but what made her swallow was how pale he looked. Vampires were extremely strong, and even that was putting it mildly. She could only imagine what this man had gone through in order to be near death.

“Miss? Could you tell me if—-”

Zari wordlessly offered her wrist.

“Thank you,” the man said feelingly.

She expected him to use a knife or any other sharp object to slice her flesh, but instead he pulled her forward, and she found herself falling on top of the man on the stretcher.

A second later, she felt warm breath warming the side of her neck before fangs pierced her flesh.

In her mind, she heard Alexandru hiss in displeasure. Who dares taste my pet?