I breathed in deeply and closed my eyes. Chills ran through me as the memory of Sofia Novak filled my mind. Queen of The Shade. I wondered if she still lived there now that her husband was a human—whether she might be living in an island almost identical to the one I was approaching now.
“We’ve arrived,” the vampire said, breaking through my thoughts.
The boat shuddered as we hit the sand. Looking around, I stepped out cautiously and followed him across the beach and into the darkness of the forest. I looked up at the tree tops, half expecting to see tree houses perched up there. But there were none.
All was silent, except for the occasional screech of a bat or squawking of a bird in the trees.
Focus now, Kiev. Focus.
The first thing I had to do was make sure that my life wasn’t at risk on the island. Once I had the vampires’ trust, it would be easier for me to venture out and possibly find the witches’ location.
Kidnapping a witch against her will was out of the question. Unless she co-operated, I had no chance of getting out alive—not to speak of having her cast a protective spell over Matteo’s island. I’d have to win one over, perhaps on the promise of a better life.
I was beginning to wonder where exactly the vampire was leading me. Just as I was about to question him, an opening came into view about a mile down the winding forest path. Once out in the open, I found myself standing at the foot of a tall black castle. It was massive and ornately carved, with a single wide turret reaching into the sky.
I followed the vampire through a small courtyard and up the castle’s steps. He withdrew a large key from his cloak and opened the double doors. I shivered as I looked around the empty entrance hall. Although this castle didn’t look much like the one that had served as my prison for centuries in The Blood Keep, buildings like this always made me nervous.
A grand red-carpeted staircase in the middle of the hall led upstairs. Colorful tapestries hung from the walls, and all the curtains were drawn. The place seemed well lit—dozens of lanterns hanging from the walls—not gloomy like my Elder’s home. It exuded comfortable luxury, rather than cold opulence. It was obvious that this castle was all the witches’ conjuring. No group of vampires could have constructed such an elaborate building on this remote island without help.
I was so surprised that it took a few moments for the obvious to strike me.
“Where are the other vampires?” I asked.
“They’re on a trip. They’re not due back for about a day. You’re welcome to stay until they return.”
I couldn’t have arrived at a better time. For whatever reason, this old man saw me as no threat, and he didn’t seem to be asking questions. That meant that while the others were gone, I might have free rein over exploring the place. He didn’t seem to be the type to get in my way. And the vampires would have had to leave at least one witch behind to keep up the spell.
“Who is in charge of this island? Do you have a leader?” I asked.
He opened his mouth to speak, but then hesitated, as if thinking better of what he was about to say.
“The Lord and Lady,” was all the reply he offered.
He might as well have remained silent, for his cryptic answer told me nothing about who they were. I didn’t press, however.
Instead I said, “I’ll wait. You’ll provide me with a room here?”
“Of course,” he said, looking taken aback that I’d even ask such a question of him. “Follow me.”
He led me up the carpeted staircase to the level upstairs, which was just as lavish, with its crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. We continued climbing upward until we reached one of the highest floors. We had already climbed up into the turret, and looking out of a window, I saw that there was only one more level above us.
“Our Lord and Lady occupy the highest floor of the turret, while this floor here is for guests of honor.”
I nodded with approval.
“How many vampires live here in total?”
“About fifty,” he replied.
It seemed a tiny number given the spaciousness of this castle.
He stopped outside a door at the end of a corridor and opened it. I followed him inside. The room contained a king-sized bed and had an ensuite bathroom. There were cabinets and a table and chair in the corner. Deep red velvet curtains hung by the windows and the bed sheets were made of silk. Like everywhere else in the castle, the room exuded comfort.
I walked over to the window. It offered a view of the forest and the sea in the distance. It was dawn now, and like in the real Shade back in the human realm—Sofia’s Shade—I could see where the boundary of the witches’ spell started, keeping the sun’s rays out.
“Are you hungry?” the old man asked.
I turned away from the window to face him. “No,” was my immediate response, for I hadn’t been hungry for several days due to my splitting headache.
That was when I realized that the migraine and the coughing had vanished. I tried to think back to when I’d last experienced either and realized that it was while I was on the rowing boat, just before I entered the boundary of the island.
It must be a coincidence.
“Actually, I could eat something,” I said. Now that my headache had subsided, I was hungry. Ravenous, in fact.
“I’ll bring you up a meal. Make yourself comfortable.”
“No, I’ll come with you,” I said, seeing it as an opportunity for a guided tour.
“As you wish,” he said.
I followed him out of the room and we climbed back down to the ground floor. We reached a trapdoor near the back of the building.
“I’ll be back in a moment,” he said.
As soon as the trapdoor opened, the unmistakeable smell of human blood came flooding out. My mouth salivated instantly. It’d been so long since I’d tasted human blood, every cell in my body was crying out for it. Screams echoed out of the dark dungeon below, along with the clinking of chains against metal.
The vampire emerged with a young man. He pulled him toward me by the scalp while the boy struggled to break free.
“This one is freshest. Newly in,” the vampire said with a small grin. “That’s why he’s fighting more. He’s young too. His blood will be sweet.”
He pushed the boy toward me. I grabbed him by the arms and stared at him. It took all the restraint I had to not immediately rip my teeth through his throat.
“Please! No!” he screamed.
“What are you waiting for?” the vampire asked, raising an eyebrow at me.