Chapter 13

The three of us walk back to the House Rothorne apartments in silence, giving me a chance to properly look around. It seems as if the castle I could see from the town is just a front to a much more impressive structure, and from the crests carved on the doors, there are dozens of noble families living at court.

Eliza shuts the doors behind us and lets out a sigh. "I'm glad that's over."

"For five years, at least," Bella says. "Though who knows what strays Uncle Gerard will bring back next year."

"Do you think he has a list of all the dhampir he's sired?" Eliza muses.

Neither of them have seemed to realise I'm still here, or if they have, they don't care, which might be the more likely answer. I stay quiet and linger in the doorway. I want to learn more about the family I've suddenly found myself part of.

"At the rate he goes through heirs, he probably has to," Bella responds, heading over to a jug on the sideboard and pouring two glasses from it. Her gaze locks on me, and she surprises me by turning over a third glass and filling it too.

"How fast does he go through heirs?" I ask.

The two of them exchange a look, and I can tell that they're trying to work out how much to tell me.

"Don't worry, you're safe. You're a girl," Eliza says with a reassuring smile.

"Unless you displease him." Bella hands me a glass. "It's just wine."

"Thanks," I mumble, taking it from her.

"It's your brother you should worry for. Uncle Gerard is known as particularly unlucky when it comes to heirs. Daughters not so much."

"So I have sisters?" I ask, a little surprised by that, and the fact I haven't been introduced to them yet if they do exist.

"Oh goodness, no," Bella responds. "At least, none he's ever brought to the castle to become his daughter in name as well as blood. I suppose the odds are that he has plenty of dhampir daughters kicking around, he just..." She trails off, presumably realising what she's saying.

"Leaves them to die?" I push away from the wall, realising that if I want answers, I'm going to have to be the one who goes after them.

"I don't know," Bella says quietly. "But I assume so."

I nod. "And the boys?"

"He brings them into the family when he's in need of an heir and ignores them otherwise," she says. "Or at least, that's what I've seen over the past thirty years." She looks to Eliza who just nods in response.

"It's been like that for as long as I can remember."

I swirl the wine around my glass, noticing that it does smell different to the goblets from the main hall. "How often do I have to drink blood?" I ask.

They both look surprised at the sudden change of topic, but it's quickly followed by relief that they don't have to continue down the topic of dying heirs.

"Once a day or so," Eliza says. "But most people drink more than that. And the cooks put blood in some of the food too. You've tasted it, you know why."

I think back to the sweet taste of it on my tongue. "Yes, I can see that. And do I have to..." I clear my throat. "Kill people to get it?"

"It'll be delivered in a goblet any time you ask for it," Eliza says. "No death necessary."

I nod, trying to get my head around it all without completely freaking out. It is a relief that I don't have to kill anyone, but I'm not sure it makes anything about what I've just witnessed any better. If anything, it makes it far worse. Nobody needed to die. Bastian didn't have to become a killer.

I wait for some kind of pity for my brother to settle within me, but it doesn't come. Perhaps I've always sensed that there's this side to Bastian, and tonight is just the first time I've properly seen it. But is that possible? It's so far from the sweet and caring brother I remember from when I was small. Or even from the resourceful companion he's been since Da died. Though even then, I can see where the bitterness about our position has been seeping into him. When I think about it, I can see that his resentment has built over the years, and it's all come out tonight, when he's been able to claim what he sees as his birthright.

Though if what Eliza and Bella are saying is true, his birthright is only his because of timing. If it had been any other Golden Moon, perhaps we'd have been left to our own devices and perished when the sun rose.

A shiver runs down my spine. Lord Fallmartin isn't someone to be messed with and I need to keep my wits about him if I'm going to survive as a member of his House, even if I'm clueless about how to do that. I have no skills and no knowledge of the world around me, which are both going to put me at odds with the man now in charge of my fate.

I look up, realising that my cousins have continued their conversation while I've been thinking. I should have used my time more wisely and asked them more about my current predicament, but when I don't really know what questions to ask, it seems pointless.

A yawn overtakes me and I stifle it with my hand. Apparently, being a vampire doesn't make me impervious to sleep. Then again, it's been a long day, and I'm not sure I should stay awake much longer.

"I'm going to bed," I say.

The two women look at me, but don't seem surprised by my announcement, which is reassuring. I don't want them to think I'm running away from them.

"Do you need help with your dress?" Eliza asks.

"I'm sure I'll be fine," I assure her with what I hope is a friendly smile. I set down my wine glass and make my way from the room. I recall the twists and turns necessary to get to the room she showed me earlier. The corridors all kind of look the same, but I still manage to find the right room.

The moment I open the door, I'm jumped on by Pip, who lets out a loud whine. I collapse to the floor, leaning back against the doorframe and scooping my dog into my arms just in time for the first sob to escape. She lets me cry into her fur, but I can tell she'd rather I was fussing her.

She smells as if she's had a bath since I last saw her, and she's definitely had a groom. It's barely been a few hours, and even if a lot has happened for me, I'm still surprised that the servants have managed to pamper her like this.

I sniff and wipe my eyes, pulling back so I can see her properly.

Pip cocks her head to the side, one of her ears flapping open and the other staying bent. It's strange to think I'm sitting on the floor of a castle in a ballgown with my scruffy dog in my arms, but it's far from the weirdest thing that happened tonight.

"I'm so glad you're here," I murmur to my dog. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

She makes a soft rumbling sound that she normally makes when she's getting a particularly good scratch. I don't know how I'm going to get through what's to come, but I do know that I'm glad I have Pip to keep me company.