Arabella's POV
The castle was unsettling at night.
It wasn't the eerie silence or the faint candlelight flickering against the walls—it was the weight of what was to come. Tomorrow night. The ball. The biggest event of my life. And the most dangerous one.
I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, my heart restless. I was going to be surrounded by vampires. Hundreds of them. Maybe even more. And I was going to be the only human in their presence.
The thought alone was suffocating.
I sighed, pushing off my covers. There was no way I was getting any sleep like this. Maybe a glass of water would help.
I moved to my desk, reaching for the pitcher, when something outside the window caught my eye.
A shadowy figure moved across the front courtyard, his form graceful yet commanding. Even under t
