It’s not as if you’ve had her long and amusing humans are easy enough to find.”
I wanted to cry out that I was innocent. That such a thing should count for something, but I held my tongue. Stefan would say something in my defense. I knew he would.
“She’s not my pet,” he said, seeming to look anywhere but at me.
That was not the argument that I had been hoping for. In fact, it only seemed to make things worse. While I certainly didn’t want to be regarded as a pet, I wanted to be counted as something to this creature. After spending our nights together for almost a week, I thought I was something . At the very least, a friend.
“Then why are we even discussing this?” Elizabeth said, sounding thoroughly exasperated by the waste of her time. “She’s nothing. Carla, kill her and let’s be done with this business.”
Carla laughed and I wanted to scream. The air froze in my lungs as I stared hard at Stefan, waiting for him to say something. Was he really going to allow me to be killed for something I didn’t do? He said he believed me. I know he believed me. It was more of a matter that he didn’t wish to dirty his hands with me. I wasn’t worth his time. I wasn’t worth putting him in a potentially vulnerable position. I was nothing to him and it hurt more than I wanted to admit.
I was about to die but it wasn’t the brutal ending that was coming for me that created the knot in my throat. It was Stefan’s betrayal.
“Wait,” Mira said, jerking all eyes to her. She lounged in her chair, her chin resting in her left hand while she twined the fingers of her free hand through the man’s. “I think I would like to have her for a pet. She’s adorable and can keep Danaus company during the day.” The man beside her rolled his eyes as he dropped her hand. He crossed his arms and frowned at Mira as if he were annoyed that she was dragging him into this.
“Why? She’s going to die,” Elizabeth argued.
“Only if she’s actually guilty. If not, she remains safe within my care.” Mira sat up and gave a wide smile that was full of fangs and menace. I wasn’t exactly sure this was an improvement over my current fate. No one ever said they felt safe when they were in the company of a vampire. Well… I had… with Stefan, but not anymore.
“No!” Carla screamed. She started to run toward me and I froze. She was moved with frightening speed so that she was nearly a blur of garish color. There was no escaping.
A ring of flames burst up from the marble, surrounding me in a neat circle. I gasped, lurching back a step away from the wave of heat while Carla screamed. Her hard-soled shoes scraped along the marble as she fought to stop herself in time from plunging into the flames. Sliding the last few feet, she halted mere inches from the circle of fire and then jumped back, landing on her hands and knees in her haste to reach safety.
The nightwalker’s face was twisted with impotent rage and anguish. My heart went out to her. She saw me as Sabrina’s killer and there was a chance that I was now escaping justice. I knew that I would be heartbroken as well if someone I cared about had been harmed and the killer was walking away.
“I’m sorry, Carla,” I murmured with a shake of my head. “But I didn’t kill Sabrina.
I had no reason to harm her.”
The nightwalker hissed at me as she rose to her feet. “Lies. You’re guilty and your lies will catch up to you in the end. Not even the Fire Starter can protect you. You will pay for what you did and I’ll be there when you do.”
Carla ran from the massive throne room, disappearing through a pair of wide double doors on the other side of the chamber. At the same time, the flames surrounding me disappeared and I breathed a small sigh of relief.
“This matter is still not settled to my satisfaction,” Elizabeth said irritably.
“True,” Mira murmured.
“I don’t like the idea of Sabrina being murdered and there being no one to
I wanted to cry out that I was innocent. That such a thing should count for something, but I held my tongue. Stefan would say something in my defense. I knew he would.
“She’s not my pet,” he said, seeming to look anywhere but at me.
That was not the argument that I had been hoping for. In fact, it only seemed to make things worse. While I certainly didn’t want to be regarded as a pet, I wanted to be counted as something to this creature. After spending our nights together for almost a week, I thought I was something . At the very least, a friend.
“Then why are we even discussing this?” Elizabeth said, sounding thoroughly exasperated by the waste of her time. “She’s nothing. Carla, kill her and let’s be done with this business.”
Carla laughed and I wanted to scream. The air froze in my lungs as I stared hard at Stefan, waiting for him to say something. Was he really going to allow me to be killed for something I didn’t do? He said he believed me. I know he believed me. It was more of a matter that he didn’t wish to dirty his hands with me. I wasn’t worth his time. I wasn’t worth putting him in a potentially vulnerable position. I was nothing to him and it hurt more than I wanted to admit.
I was about to die but it wasn’t the brutal ending that was coming for me that created the knot in my throat. It was Stefan’s betrayal.
“Wait,” Mira said, jerking all eyes to her. She lounged in her chair, her chin resting in her left hand while she twined the fingers of her free hand through the man’s. “I think I would like to have her for a pet. She’s adorable and can keep Danaus company during the day.” The man beside her rolled his eyes as he dropped her hand. He crossed his arms and frowned at Mira as if he were annoyed that she was dragging him into this.
“Why? She’s going to die,” Elizabeth argued.
“Only if she’s actually guilty. If not, she remains safe within my care.” Mira sat up and gave a wide smile that was full of fangs and menace. I wasn’t exactly sure this was an improvement over my current fate. No one ever said they felt safe when they were in the company of a vampire. Well… I had… with Stefan, but not anymore.
“No!” Carla screamed. She started to run toward me and I froze. She was moved with frightening speed so that she was nearly a blur of garish color. There was no escaping.
A ring of flames burst up from the marble, surrounding me in a neat circle. I gasped, lurching back a step away from the wave of heat while Carla screamed. Her hard-soled shoes scraped along the marble as she fought to stop herself in time from plunging into the flames. Sliding the last few feet, she halted mere inches from the circle of fire and then jumped back, landing on her hands and knees in her haste to reach safety.
The nightwalker’s face was twisted with impotent rage and anguish. My heart went out to her. She saw me as Sabrina’s killer and there was a chance that I was now escaping justice. I knew that I would be heartbroken as well if someone I cared about had been harmed and the killer was walking away.
“I’m sorry, Carla,” I murmured with a shake of my head. “But I didn’t kill Sabrina.
I had no reason to harm her.”
The nightwalker hissed at me as she rose to her feet. “Lies. You’re guilty and your lies will catch up to you in the end. Not even the Fire Starter can protect you. You will pay for what you did and I’ll be there when you do.”
Carla ran from the massive throne room, disappearing through a pair of wide double doors on the other side of the chamber. At the same time, the flames surrounding me disappeared and I breathed a small sigh of relief.
“This matter is still not settled to my satisfaction,” Elizabeth said irritably.
“True,” Mira murmured.
“I don’t like the idea of Sabrina being murdered and there being no one to
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