Chapter 30

ELEANOR

Jessica had been showing me how she tied her hair with a ribbon using my wrist, then suddenly, she’d sniffed me, her eyes had turned bright red, and she bit me. Hard.

I felt her fangs digging deep into my skin. I howled in pain, pulling away from her, but she held on tight, her iron-cold grip on my arm keeping me in place.

Suddenly, Mother was standing in the doorway and behind her were all the other adult vampires, and I knew I was in trouble.

“Mother, it’s not my fault,” I told her seriously.

“Get your fangs off her, or I will rip your throat out!” Mother snarled at Jessica.

Jessica looked up at her, her crimson eyes wide. She drew back slightly, her tongue still darting forward to taste my blood.

Mother seized her opportunity and grabbed me, picking me up so fast I let out a cry. The room was a mess with pureblood vampires, and I couldn’t keep up.

Mother had me shoved up against the wall, but the beautiful red-headed vampire was trying to get at me, her eyes bright red, her fangs bared.

Mother fought her off, but I was grabbed by a man with dark hair who bit into my shoulder.

I let out another scream, and suddenly I was being ripped away into Aric’s arms, who threw me across the room, like a baseball, into Venus’s arms.

Tossing me onto her shoulder, she zoomed away, and I found myself back in the hall with the thrones.

Venus dumped me on the ground and zoomed to the back of the room away from me, covering her nose with her hand, her eyes blazing red.

The rest of the vampires quickly followed us down. Phoenix rushed to her twin’s side while Aric came to crouch next to me.

His eyes were bright red, his whole frame trembling, his fangs bare, a low growl emerging from his throat. He was staring at the bite on my wrist, licking his lips. Mother shoved him away, snarling.

“Stop this now!” a thundering voice boomed. “Control yourselves!”

It was the king. The red-eyed, snarling crowd parted as he walked toward Mother and me. His eyes were also red, and his lips curled back into an evil smirk.

He crouched down to my level, staring at me.

“You’ve caused quite the commotion, pet,” he growled at me.

I shivered. I could feel my heart racing, my wounds throbbing. I just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry.

I wanted to be far away on my boat on the Amazon River or Whisper’s back, racing through the chestnut trees in Poitier. Anywhere but here.

“I’m sorry,” I blurted, my tears falling freely. The king blinked at me, scowling.

“Rose, I’m sick of this game. I don’t like watching humans cry. It’s pathetic.” He was talking to Mother.

“We’ll leave, now,” she answered quickly.

“Fine, but the human stays. I’m getting peckish.”

“You have a dungeon full of every ethnicity of blood bags!” Mother snarled.

“And yet, your pet smells the sweetest.” His eyes blazed.

“Please,” her voice grew soft. “My lord, please.”

He let out a loud sigh and glanced down at me.

“This isn’t fun anymore,” he admitted to her. “Rose, your options haven’t changed. Make your decision. Now, or I will do it.”

Mother was silent for a long time, then, very slowly, she turned to me. She crouched down and gave me a small smile. She reached out and wiped my tears away with a cold, trembling finger.

“My baby.” Her red eyes were brimming with red tears. Slowly, then began to overflow and streak down her face.

The room was silent. I could only hear my breathing, ragged and blocked with snot.

Mother pulled me into her arms and hugged me tightly. Which I knew must be very difficult for her, considering I was covered in blood.

“Rose.” Demetrius appeared next to me. He crouched down.

She shook her head at him.

“Get away from me,” she growled at him.

“She’s my daughter too,” he replied softly.

She hissed at him.

“Get. Away. From. Me. Now!” she hissed. Demetrius rolled back, his eyes on me.

“Eleanor,” he stroked my hair. “I love you, Eleanor.”

My eyes widened. “Demetrius.” I reached out for him, but Mother grabbed my hand, pulling it to her chest, where her heart was.

She pressed my palm to her chest, and I could just, very faintly make out the slow beat of her heart. I blinked at her.

“Eleanor, remember Whisper?” she asked me, and I nodded back.

She gave me a determined smile. “Remember the feeling of the sunshine when you would row your boat on the Amazon? Remember your first sunburn?”

I nodded at her. “Yeah, it hurt a lot,” I replied. She nodded in agreement.

“Do you remember what the sunshine looked like on the snow in Alaska?”

“Of course.”

“And the sunshine in your room in Poitiers?”

“Yes.”

She smiled at me. “I want you to hold onto those memories, my darling.”

“Mother, you’re scaring me,” I told her softly. Her crimson eyes closed for a long time, then when she opened them again, they were bright sapphire spheres. She smiled at me.

“Don’t be afraid, my darling,” she pushed my hair behind my ear. “You don’t ever have to be afraid again. I promise.”

“Okay.”

Behind her, I saw Aric stepping forward. Behind him, Phoenix and Venus appeared, blood tears slipping down their faces. I glanced at Demetrius. He had his head in his hands.

“Mother?” I turned back to her. “Mother, what is happening?” My voice was squeaky. I felt my heart beat faster.

Mother stroked my cheek.

“I love you, my darling,” she told me.

“Mother?”

She held my shoulders firmly.

“I love you,” she repeated, then she pulled me against her and pushed my hair back.

I let out a gasp when her fangs sunk into my neck. The pain was atrocious, just like when Jessica had bitten me. Mother was holding me so tight; I couldn’t move from her grip.

“Mother, please!” I screamed, pushing back at her with all my strength, but she stayed locked onto my neck, and I could feel her sucking at my blood.

I screamed.

“Aric! Demetrius!” My tears were running freely down my cheeks. My heart racing, I pushed at Mother’s face, but her eyes were closed. She wasn’t looking at me. She kept sucking.

Aric appeared, behind the king, his red eyes wide. But he didn’t move.

I felt my whole body shuddering, my heart shattering.

“Please stop,” I begged her.

My head was starting to spin, and I could barely lift my arms to push Mother back anymore.

Dark spots were beginning to cloud my vision. I felt my body sagging.

“Please,” I mumbled. “I’m sorry.”

The darkness filled my vision, and I felt myself topple to the ground. Everything around me

spinning.

“If she survives, she’ll wake up in two days,” I heard Mother’s voice whisper.

Then the spinning stopped, and everything went black.