A Violet Fire (Vampires in Avignon #1) - Kelsey Quick Page 0,45

my will… and that’s about it.” I pick at my fingernails as I make eye contact with Emi. “Did you think it was something more forbidden?”

She and the rest of them fidget a little in their own way, their eyes darting back and forth from mine to each other’s.

“Is that the latest supply talk?” I ask, annoyed. “I’ve only been here for one day.”

Emi slides her petite hands along the edge of the table in front of her, tinkering with one of the two circlets on her fingers. “It’s just strange behavior… coming from our lord. He usually only summons a handful of his supply units, while the rest primarily go un-summoned, tending to the chores. On top of that, he rarely ever uses his fangs.”

I knew the fangs part, but the rest is weird. I scan the room of supply units, hunched over, eating their bowls of potatoes, and quickly find that most don’t have a red ribbon around their neck or arms: no marks. They’ve never been summoned before. Anaya has a ribbon around her neck and arm, Emi just around the arm, and then a handful here or there, but they all seem clumped together. In fact, ribboned units are cleaner, hair pinned and lips painted, noses higher in the air than usual. Like they actually form status cliques based on whether Zein drinks your blood or not. I shake my head. Two, fresh puncture wounds on a new unit must really be a rarity to make everyone think the new supply unit is getting frisky with their master. I gag thinking about it.

“No. There’s no truth to that assumption whatsoever,” I say, still trying to get the taste out of my mouth. “And I have no idea why he summoned me.” Except to make it clear that Savvy’s and Katarii’s lives were in my hands, but we can leave that part out.

“Well—,” Savvy butts in, looking to me as if asking for permission that I don’t give—but it doesn’t stop her. “—I don’t know if it means anything, but Wavorly was born into a free-roaming colony. She apparently has a hair and eye pairing that’s uncommon, so that’s probably why he decided to take her from there instead of going to Saya.”

Emi’s eyes nearly swallow her face while Katarii’s shift with unease.

“So that’s the strange history.” Emi rests her chin on her knuckles.

Glera merely tilts her head, crossing her arms over her chest.

I nod lightly. Every other supply unit here was probably harvested from Saya’s breeding houses, judged for investment on blood type, future beauty potential, and how meek they were expected to be in nature. My being here is especially strange because my blood type is B-, and Zein tends to stick with O’s and A’s. My beauty potential is lacking, though I do have the unique features to negate that, I guess. And as for meek in nature? We don’t need to go there. I was far from it even back then.

“What was it like? Growing up in a place ruled by humans?” Emi asks with immense interest.

“I don’t really like to talk about it,” I mumble as dark and bloodstained memories try to resurface, but I bury them expertly.

“I can understand that,” Glera responds, “Don’t worry. We don’t need to know.” I meet her warm, steadfast gaze, and I smile.

“Thank you.”

Luckily, Emi follows Glera’s lead and says nothing more.

“You were brought in by Lord Zein, himself?” Katarii asks quietly.

“Yeah, he saved me from a rogue vampire when I was little.” I sigh from the tiresome subject. “A poor investment on his part. I’m nothing like what I should be.” And it’s true. Zein has saved me several times. I should be grateful, but something holds me captive to the edge of chaos. What is mercy if I’m still in chains? I’m unable to answer that question, so it only solidifies my resolve.

Katarii shifts her gaze downward and picks at her food. She’s upset. I half expected her to react this way, though I will never understand it. Cain-bred supply units are raised to desire the favoritism of their vampire master. So, to her, I’m an unworthy and unappreciative recipient of Zein’s sparse attention. In fact, everyone at this table, in this room, even—if rumors spread as they did in Nightingale—probably thinks that. I swallow down a sudden wave of nausea.

Glera uncrosses her arms and shifts toward me. “Well, your luck has been remarkable, Wavorly. And Zein choosing to accept you despite all that