Shit.
My mates will be looking for me. I was supposed to meet them for dinner. They’ll be worried about me. They’ll be...
Wait a minute.
I close my eyes, and I realize that I can hear...everything.
I can smell...everything.
There’s a bee buzzing on a flower about twenty feet away, and I can hear it gathering pollen. There’s a bird flying in the sky, and I can hear it breathing as it flaps its wings.
It worked.
I’m a fucking vampire.
I look up at Abigail, and I grin.
“I can never repay you,” I whisper.
“Don’t worry,” she laughs. “We have all of eternity for you to try.”
I’m not sure whether I should be thrilled or scared, but either way, I laugh and grab her and hug her. Everything is going to be okay.
Everything’s going to be fine.
Then I hear a loud, booming voice.
“Tyana! Where the fuck are you?”
Abigail looks at me and grimaces.
“But you have to tell them,” she says. “And leave me out of it.”
Chapter 11
WHEN I WALK INTO THE castle, I know that I’m quite a sight to see. My hair is disheveled and I know I’m covered in blood. Abigail is – probably smartly – hiding away so that no one knows what we did, but the truth is that we both know, and her brother isn’t stupid. He’ll immediately figure out what happened, so I just have to do my best to hold him at bay until he calms down about this change.
Because oh, it’s a wonderful change.
The humans who see me can instantly tell. A couple of them murmur under their breath. I know what they’re thinking.
They probably think that I’m crazy, or that I have a suicide wish. I look at one of them and make eye contact. I remember that my mates told me they can calm down humans with just a look. Can I do that now, too?
Instantly, the human seems to relax. I turn to another and focus my attention on her. She does the same. Her shoulders slump and she seems to immediately calm down. I look at the third girl, and again, she calms down.
Good.
I don’t need them alerting my mates to the fact that I’ve gotten into trouble while I was supposed to be out exploring the grounds with Abigail.
“Tyana!” This time, it’s Matthew’s voice that booms. I don’t yell back. Instead, I follow the sound until I reach the dining hall. I glance at one of the grandfather clocks in the hallway. It’s suppertime.
Well, it was.
I’m late.
It’s okay.
I push open the doors and step inside.