anything to me if they had. Humans, even armed with weapons, were far weaker than we were. It wasn’t exactly fair when my teeth and nails acted as weapons, and my body healed with every wound I placed upon them.
While fear might not be a sensation I was accustomed to, surprise was. Identical men stepped from the darkness, their movements a mirror of each other. They towered over me. Though I was considered tall for a female, they must have been close to six and a half feet in height and rippling in layer after layer of hard muscle. Their hair was a dark brown, the rich color of freshly turned soil. The light was too muted in the hallway to give me an impression of their eye color, though it wasn’t dim enough to mask the disdainful curl of their lips or the only visible difference between the two—one sported a ring in his lower lip.
The sight caused my own lip to curl in response. “Witches.” No vampire would be foolish enough to decorate themselves with a ring through their lip, and they were far too outspoken to be fully human. Blood witches were the only humans who escaped our hunger, many living in companionable peace within our walls. Although they didn’t consume blood, they needed it for their spellcraft and enjoyed our practices, joining in with eager abandon as they collected the offerings they required. “As if you have room to talk about my practices.”
Although I hadn’t seen the two of them in the castle before, it was far from a surprise. I preferred my solitude and my studies, inevitably ignoring the ebb and flow of the humans who acted as both servant and food supply and the blood witches who came to utilize our resources in exchange for their manipulation of the technology in the castle. “We tend not to roll in our food,” the one with the lip ring grumbled.
“At least we use the food source,” I retorted, crossing my arms and ignoring the blood that crackled there with the movement, “rather than simply wasting it on spells for your false perception of power.”
Both sets of eyes flared, the pair moving in harmony as they held up their hands, red lightning sparking in their palms. “We are far from faking our power.”
I drew my shoulders back, unintimidated by their display. “I am Elsie Crauford. This is my home, and these are my people. I am next in line for the vampire throne, and you will give me the respect which I am due.”
“I’m Draven.” The man with the lip ring executed a mocking bow, and I hissed my irritation. “This is Crowe.” He indicated his twin with a lazy wave of his hand. I merely arched a brow, turning away from them to continue my course. Witches weren’t worth my time. “I assume we’ve missed the bleeding?” he called after me, and I snorted. As if that was a challenge to deduce. Besides, our family fed at traditional mealtimes, and all visitors were made aware of when those times were—even if it was just to ensure that they did not end up on the menu themselves and were safely ensconced in their chosen rooms. Witches were fools, there was no question about it.
Chapter One
Elsie
The door to my chamber clicked shut behind me and I sighed, wrinkling my nose at the stale smell that now emanated from me. Dried blood aged far too quickly, especially when pressed against our skin as if we leached every source of life from it and into ourselves. I headed to my shower, letting the spray warm as I stripped the clothes from my body and dropped them to the floor heedlessly. Blood had even soaked through the thin cotton of my tank top and shorts, and barely a hint of my ivory skin could be seen through the crust that had formed on me.
I breathed out a sigh of relief as the water cascaded over my frame, rinsing away the reminder of what I was and what I could never be. Even my hair was stained with blood, and I began to scrub it enthusiastically, knowing it would take time to return it to its natural shade of blonde. The flush on my body remained as I washed away the blood, my ivory skin holding a rosy, healthy glow that wasn’t due to the heat of the water.
I often wished I could get the same enjoyment out of water that I