A Violet Fire (Vampires in Avignon #1) - Kelsey Quick Page 0,37
process.
As his footsteps dissolve to light echoes, Gemini scowls.
“Don’t like him?” I ask.
“No one does,” Gemini mutters, exchanging raised eyebrows with the nurse.
I look between them, trying to catch on. “Why?”
The nurse reaches into the lower cabinet to pull out a blood pack filled with water and a package of fruit. My stomach growls with sudden need as she walks toward me, her noisy heels clacking along the way. I half expect her to hang it over my head like the last guy in charge of feeding me, instead she merely drops it into my lap.
“He jus’ puts our lord on edge.” She turns back toward the counter. “Sibling rivalry sorta’ thing, I would guess.”
“Oh.” I look down to my anklet as I drink the blood pack of water. It’s still there, looking ratty as ever. The metal pieces are jagged, reminding me of fangs sinking into flesh, as Zein’s did last night; pushing me to recall my desire for freedom and my hatred of vampires.
My stomach knots in either painful hunger, or bitter anger, and Gemini seems to notice.
“Come, come. Get dressed, eat that, and I will escort you back to the seraglio.”
I glance at my body, briefly frightened by the fact that I might be naked. To my relief, fully clothed.
“I am dressed...?” I inform him, speaking slowly as if that will make it truer than it already is.
“Ugh. With those rags from the Distribution, still, yes. I still have yet to figure out how they call that ‘fashion.’”
He gives me a glance up and down with disgust as he explains. “I escorted Savvy up here earlier with your robes, but you were still unconscious. That girl sat here for quite a long time waiting for you to wake up. Anyway, they are at the foot, there.” He points to the end of my cot.
Savvy never ceases to amaze me.
“She was here?” I say a bit awestruck, until I remember last night.
My chest instantly tightens as Zein’s threat screeches through my thoughts. Her fate now rests in my hands. If I don’t stop trying to escape, he will kill her. I swallow hard as I grab my assigned robes—identical to the ones Emi and Anaya were wearing last night. Finally dressed after countless rounds of trial and error—awkwardly and modestly commenced in the small space behind the curtains—I expose myself. Both Gemini and the nurse look me over for a split second before nodding.
The nurse comes up to me, applying salve to a crimson ribbon in her hand while on the way.
“Okay now, don’t move,” she says, reaching up to remove the bandage from my neck. She then replaces it with the ribbon, wrapping it repeatedly before finishing it off with a bow—hiding the twin wounds.
“There. That’ll do for now. In the future you will ‘ave to do this yourself,” she declares.
I nod, inspecting the ends of the ribbon that hang to my knees. Everything about my wardrobe is doll-like, pristine, and somewhat unnecessary. I purse my lips with annoyance. My rebellious nature returns as I start to feel like a certified object.
“Are you done? Come now,” Gemini urges, standing to walk out of the room.
“Do I have to go with you?” I ask somewhat sarcastically, expecting a quippy reply that never comes. Instead, he takes his leave while shaking his head. I jog after him, scarfing down the apples and water like I have never known hunger before. My legs still shake, my body is still weak, but I manage to catch up to Gemini.
A long silence ensues until I begrudgingly mutter, “I’m sorry for... you know, being rude.”
“Oh, I don’t care, particularly. But you really can’t go parading your indignant personality around here. Despite our castle having come to a comfortable coexistence, humans are still at the bottom of the hierarchy.”
I raise my eyebrows in offense but I listen to him. If any negative opinions about my attitude get back to Zein, it’s now Savvy’s life that I have to worry about, and I don’t think I can physically endure losing anyone else.
“You must start referring to every vampire here by ‘master’ or ‘my lady,’ aside from Lord Zein and Ambassador Narref, of course. Your regard for your nurse was far too informal. At least pretend to respect your superiors,” he lectures.
After a brief pause for a self-contained monologue of internal conflict, I reluctantly respond, “Yes... master.”
He chuckles at my octaves of disgust while my mind wanders.