I should hate him.
He's one of them—a vampire.
The thought looped in my head like a broken record, each repetition louder than the last. No matter how angry I was that they hadn't told me the truth, the fear lingered. Living under the same roof as vampires, knowing what I'd seen them do, made my skin crawl.
And yet, it wasn't just fear that gripped me. There was something else, something I couldn't quite name. Every time Damian came near, it felt like a storm was brewing inside me. It was as though something within me—something wild and untamed—was caged, clawing to break free.
But I didn't want to think about that.
For two days, I locked myself in my room, refusing to see or speak to anyone. They didn't try to force their way in; they only left trays of food outside the door, a small
