The flames from the fireplace flickered, casting vague shadows across the expanse of the chamber.
I stared at the entrance through which Lord Fashire had left.
This was my only opportunity while he was preoccupied with his tests. A sour taste filled my mouth as the memory of the burly vampire flooded my mind. How could I have forgotten? Lord Fashire might not be the only vampire Lord dwelling here.
But I gained nothing by sitting and waiting for my fate to unfold.
There was a possibility that Lord Fashire would perceive me as a threat based on whatever results he obtained and get rid of me.
I quickly burst out of his chambers.
Instead of a hallway, I found myself on a verandah overlooking an open space within the castle. Snow cascaded down from an exposed ceiling, settling upon a bed of pristine whiteness several floors below.
I looked around quickly, not wanting to waste time. I was well aware of how large castles were.
And I could get lost in this one.
But as I walked, something felt wrong. Back in Lord Lorn's castle, the Lords' presence permeated every corner. Here there was nothing. The air felt lifeless, and every sound I made bounced back to me in thin empty echoes.
The soft pad of my bare feet, my unsteady breathing, and the faint rustle of my clothes.
I felt painfully exposed because of this.
I moved through open spaces, hallways, and empty parlours, too afraid to venture into any closed chamber. What if I opened a door and found something worse than silence?
The sound of movement made me stop in my tracks and I could swear my heart nearly stopped. I was afraid that whoever was making those sounds would hear me and seek me out.
I stood still, plastered against the wall right near the corner that turned to another passageway. The sound of a door opening accompanied the footsteps.
"Is it all right for us to be roaming about like this? Where is Edna?" someone whispered.
"Not really," a soft familiar voice whispered back. "I believe we should return. Our Lords' sudden arrival must already be unpleasant to Lord Fashire."
A heavy feeling settled in my stomach.
No, it couldn't be.
Melody?
I remained still. For a heartbeat, my mind split in two. The rational part told me I must have been imagining her, that fear was playing tricks on my senses… and another foolish part of me clung to a strange hope that Melody was here, also using the potion…
"That's true. It will not bode well if he storms away and meets us here—"
Without thought, I burst out of my hiding place, rounding the corner to face the servants. The startled servants jumped at my sudden appearance and I went stiff.
I had undeniably heard Melody's voice, and I was certain I wasn't hearing things.
But I didn't see her.
The shock on the faces of the servants slowly morphed to stark horror and I felt a frigid touch cascade down my body.
Lord Fashire stood behind me, his icy fingers resting calmly on my shoulders.
Biting cold air rolled down my body in waves and I trembled.
What chilled me even more was the haunting expression etched into the servants' faces. I didn't even want to look up at Lord Fashire to meet his eyes.
One thing became abundantly clear amidst the biting cold that seeped into my skin: He was furious.
"Do we have a problem?" His voice, laced with an icy edge, slipped into my ear.
The words hung in the air, directed at me, but the paralyzed servants seemed unable to break their gazes from Lord Fashire's—something I could very well relate to. It took a few agonizing seconds for me to comprehend the question, and I flinched, coming to my senses.
"No," I breathed out, not turning to look at him. I was aware that even the slightest tilt of my head would bring me eye to eye with him. "No, my Lord."
Each word I uttered released a plume of white mist into the frigid air, and I realized with a sinking feeling that the incessant rattling sound I heard was the chattering of my teeth.
"Oh, but are you sure about that?" Panic constricted my throat.
His slender fingers tightened their grip on my flesh. It wasn't painful, but the sudden firmness held an unspoken threat.
"Yes!" I piped, risking it all to tilt my head to the side.
Our eyes locked, and I froze. Lord Fashire's harsh gaze rendered me mute.
"Leave us," he growled, his attention shifting to the servants standing in front of us.
"Yes—yes, my Lor—" one of the servants stammered before another wordlessly dragged her away, vanishing from sight.
The world around us blurred, and the hallway dissolved into a dizzying whirl. Once again, I found myself transported back to Lord Fashire's chamber.
Lord Fashire spun me around to face him. His hands forcefully gripped my shoulders once more.
"I don't recall granting you permission to leave this room," he declared, his eyes narrowing with a steely glint.
"I—" My heart refused to slow its frantic pace, and my chest felt as if it would burst from the strain.
Each breath came in heavy gasps, underscoring my growing discomfort.
"I—" I tried again, but the words lodged in my throat.
A light-headed sensation washed over me, leaving me disoriented and vulnerable. What was happening?
"Ple…please…" I pulled, tugging at his hands with increasing desperation. I felt like I was suffocating.
To my dismay, he wouldn't release me. An indifferent gaze met mine as my throat began to swell. Air expanded inside my chest like rising dough, pressing against my lungs, and windpipe. I clawed at my neck, unable to breathe.
He was doing something to me!
"That was risky," he drawled, his voice resonating as if speaking directly into my mind. "Very risky. I do not recall giving you permission to leave…"
I wriggled and pulled at his hands with all my might, desperate to break free.
My vision swayed, my chest burned, and that dense pressure in my throat only seemed to expand. My eyes watered as the buzzing in my ears swallowed the rest of his words.
A deafening burst of cruel laughter seeped through the pain and dug into my chest.
He let go and I crumpled to the floor, gasping, and belching out trapped air as the pressure slowly released. I curled in on myself, sobbing.
He sighed, and walked away. "You are to never leave this chamber without my permission. Ever."
My eyes stung, my throat tightened, and my chest ached. A blooming sensation of rage bubbled underneath the pain.
I didn't yet know how or when, but one day, I would end him!