Chapter 6

6

Ella

"How dare you eavesdrop on us!" my stepmother said as she crossed the room. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

I knew in that instant I had no chance of winning her over—not alone. I turned to the butcher and seamstress. "My sister matters more to me than anything in the world. I'll do whatever you need if it helps get her out. I'll infiltrate the castle, serve the bloodsuckers, smuggle information. You name it."

My stepmother moved between us, her anger collapsing into mortification. "I'm so sorry. I assure you, this will never happen again. Ella will never repeat a word of what she heard."

The butcher chuckled. "She has her father's spirit, that's for sure."

My father? Had the whole family been in on the secret? I fought down the bitter taste of the truth and straightened my shoulders. He could be my in.

"I am my father's daughter, and I want to be a part of this. I hate the immortals. You know I'd never betray you—not with my family's life on the line."

The seamstress crossed her arms, fixing me with an iron stare. "This is about more than learning what has happened to your sister, or even getting her out. It's dangerous work."

"If Belle can do it, so can I."

"You're not your sister," my stepmother hissed bitterly, leaning over her desk. "You don't even know what you'll be asked to do."

"Does it matter? I can sew and bake and scrub and tend animals. Whatever those bloodsuckers need, I'll do it."

"And what if they want a piece of you?" she asked. "What if they want you to pay their blood tithe?"

Although my stomach churned at the thought, I straightened my back. "If it means getting my sister back, what does it matter?"

The ferocity in my stepmother's expression slipped into a deep sadness, and she looked away. "I've already lost Belle to the castle. I will not lose you, too."

My heart twisted. She'd never talked like we were worth anything at all to her, and yet it almost seemed as if she cared.

The butcher fixed me with a grim look. "You'd be in a precarious position—a servant with no protection. If they caught you spying, girl, do you have any idea what they'd do to you?"

I gave a bitter laugh. "One of them nearly killed me yesterday. As long as they rule, we're all in a precarious position."

The seamstress straightened as if someone had just prodded her with a stick. "You were attacked by an immortal?"

I took a deep breath, willing away the memory of the dark rider. "In the forest. I stabbed him before he could bite me. When a pair of lords showed up, I ran."

Silence cloaked the room as all three of them stared at me, mouths agape.

"You didn't tell me you stabbed one of them," my stepmother breathed.

The blood drained from the butcher's face. "To harm one of the immortals is a death sentence. The lord could've beheaded you then and there and been within his rights."

I shrugged. "He didn't. I doubt he even realized what I'd done. He was hunting the bloodsucker himself and barely noticed me. We're little more than dung to them."

"Stabbed one of the immortals…" My stepmother slowly shook her head as she sank onto her desk chair.

The butcher glanced over at the seamstress with eyebrows raised. "She can obviously handle herself, and Belle would trust her. Maybe it's not the worst idea."

The older woman nodded. "She already knows what we do. We wouldn't have to let anyone else into the circle."

My stepmother pressed her palms into the dark wood. "I can't believe you two are considering this! She's the spitting image of her mother with that silver hair. She'll stand out even more than Belle. She'll draw attention ."

My father had always said how much I'd resembled my mother. When he'd said it, it had filled me with sunlight, but coming from my stepmother, it had always been a condemnation. As if it were something to be ashamed of.

I pulled my hair back self-consciously. "Then I'll wrap my hair. I'll dye it. I'll be quiet as a mouse and keep my head down. I won't speak to anyone. I'll work hard, and no one will notice me. You know I work hard."

"What about the manor?" my stepmother protested as the argument slipped away from her. "What about the animals? Without you here?—"

"Tarran can do it. He owes me for catching his pig a dozen times over, and his father can spare him. I can pay him, too—I've put a little money away."

The seamstress snorted. "Well, you can't question her enthusiasm."

"What do you say, Lucille?" the butcher asked. "She's your ward. It's your decision."

My stepmother looked from one to the other, then to me with a mournful expression. When she spoke, her tone was hushed. "Neither Belle nor I wanted this life for you."

Maybe all they saw was danger, but they had hope. Working for the resistance was a chance to stand up to the bloodsuckers and make my life mean something. To find my sister.

"I don't care," I said. "It's the life I want. Give me this chance to matter ."

She studied me for a long while, then closed her eyes. "Fine." When she opened them, all emotion had drained from her face. "You need to understand that we will not coddle you. You will become an asset in a greater struggle, a soldier expected to put her life on the line to protect our secrets."

"I understand."

She unlocked a drawer, pulled out an old, tattered prayer book and a long, slender knife, and laid them on the desk. "Then you will swear an oath of secrecy and obedience to our order, or this goes no further."

I stared at the book. It was matted with dark brown patches. Dried blood.

I shuddered.

"Cut your palm and place it on the book." Perhaps noticing my hesitation, she said, "We've all sworn the same oath."

I picked up the blade and drew a thin line across my skin, then pressed my hand down on the ornate circle etched into the leather cover.

My stepmother locked my gaze with ice-cold eyes. "You must swear to never betray the name of anyone who is part of our circle or to ask the identity of other members. Everyone in this room is your superior, and you must swear to obey orders and never take things into your own hands."

"I swear."

Her expression hardened. "All our lives depend on your silence and obedience , do you understand?"

"I do."

She placed her cold fingers on top of mine. "Then swear it on your sister's name."

"I will, by my love for Belle." I would do anything they asked if it led to getting my sister back.

"Then may the Fates bind you by your oath," she said, her voice like iron. I could almost have sworn something tingled across my skin, but a moment later, it was gone.

The others bowed their heads in acknowledgement, and I swallowed.

The butcher's solemn expression slipped away as a broad grin split his lips. "It's been a long time since we could brag that someone in the resistance had actually attacked one of the bloodsuckers."

"And there are reasons we don't," the seamstress said.

He shrugged. "Either way, I'm glad to have her with us."

My stepmother cleared away the book and blade. "There's no guarantee Ella will be hired. The immortals may take one look at her and her hair and send her home. You two should find another applicant. With a second, there's a better chance one will get a job."

The seamstress nodded. "I'll see who I can find."

My stepmother took me by the arm. "Now, if you'll excuse us for a moment, I need to speak with our new recruit."

She escorted me out of the room, and as soon as the kitchen door closed behind us, she spun me around. "I should whip you for that stunt, you insolent girl."

Her temper couldn't smother the glow within me. "Thank you for letting me go," I said, and gave her a hug.

She froze, holding me for a second, then stepped back, her expression almost tortured. "If you don't want me to sell this place in your absence, you'd better go hire that farm boy to take care of it. It's not my burden any longer, and the application is tonight." I turned to go, but her hand tightened on my arm. "You'll speak of this to no one, and certainly not to that boy. Belle's life depends on it."

"I'll keep my promise."

As soon as she released me, I darted down the back steps and hurried along the road, finally running toward something for the first time in my life.