Controlled

One: Death sentence

“Where are you taking me anyway?” I asked, gazing out the window at the blurs of green—trees, Evergreen, which would’ve been pretty and easy to see had we not been moving so fast.

They’d put me in a car. After having sat in that cell for hours, it’d felt like an upgrade at first, my even fine leather couldn’t help my nerves. I was trying my best to hide it, but my heart was picking up with every mile we passed.

I knew people that’d gotten arrested before, and nothing like this had happened. They said they’d been brought to a lawyer, then a judge, then jail. Well, there was a bit more in the middle, but there hadn’t ever been a car, they hadn’t mentioned this long distance, and never had they brought up a vampire. Maybe this was different because it’d been murder.

“It was an accident,” I voiced suddenly, disturbed by my own thought. I had said this several times already, but it felt it was important to reiterate.

Neither the driver nor the man beside me responded. I didn’t understand the quiet, so I gazed over, trying to see if something was wrong. But the vampire beside me was fine, just staring forward and keeping a firm grip on my wrist.

His grip was tight but not painful—more uncomfortable than anything due to the coldness of his skin. He’d been holding me like that for at least ten minutes now, and my skin still hadn’t adapted to it; it still felt as though I was touching snow.

It was better than the handcuffs from before, but I preferred freedom.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked again, staring hard at the male’s face.

He briefly glanced in my direction before looking away, forward. “To the Court.”

“Where’s my attorney?” I asked. “I get one. I know my rights.”

“You don’t get one,” he said, unnatural beauty working to curve a small and perfect frown. “Not for a case like this.”

“I said it was an accident.”

“You can tell the Court,” he replied, resting his head back. The man shut his eyes briefly. “I’m sure they’d love to hear it.”

The driver made a noise from the front, almost like a snorted chuckle, which caused a smile to rise onto the face of the man beside me. I wanted to ask what was so funny, since I obviously didn’t get it, but I didn’t want to look stupid and give them another reason to laugh.

Okay—they didn’t matter. I had to stay focused.

“What ‘Court’ are you talking about?” I asked. “Why are we driving all the way out here for it? The jailhouse—”

“The jailhouse cannot provide the proper punishment,” the man went on to say. His eyes were still shut, and, if it weren’t for his speech, I’d have thought he was sleeping.

I would never get over how eerie they were… vampires. They’d been public for years now, and still… their inability to act so human while being so dead scared me. It was no wonder they’d blended in for so long.

“People kill people all the time,” I said a little slowly, shakily. It was hard to admit what I’d done… what we’d done.

Briefly, my mind went to him. Was he scared for me? Had he already packed his bags and moved on to the next town? Would he wait?

Would I get out?

Focus, I reminded myself. Now wasn’t the time to think of other people.

“I don’t really know the law,” I admitted. “The new law. I mean, could I…” I paused, sensing emotion was about to overcome me. Swallowing, I went on, “Am I going to die for this?”

His eyes opened, and they regarded me curiously. I’d always thought it strange that vampires had normal eye colors; the stories always suggested red. His were blue.

“Will I?” I pressed. The car had gone violently silent—different from before, when it’d all just felt like a lengthy dose of the silent treatment.

“Yes,” he said finally.

Oh.

Oh.

I didn’t even know how to respond. My heart was racing. “Oh.”

He looked at me, and I knew, without a doubt, that he’d known I was going to die the moment he picked me up from the police station. Was that why he’d been so quiet? Was he trying not to get attached?

“Why?” I demanded, holding his gaze. “I didn’t do it on purpose… and it was self-defense, anyway!”

“That isn’t what the report says,” he replied.

“They didn’t even listen to me when I was giving my statement.”

“She was a diplomat,” he told me, and I froze. That changed things. “And one of us.”

“A witch,” I said. “She was a witch.”

“Still better than a human.” He looked away.

I swallowed and blinked back a foreboding tear. “She still tried to kill me first,” I said.

“And you can tell the Court that,” he replied. “Maybe they’ll listen.”

“Maybe?” I hissed, voice bitter.

“Depends on their mood,” the vampire admitted. “It would be a hassle for them to go out of their way to explain to the witches why someone that killed their own is going unpunished.”

“A hassle,” I muttered, shaking my head. I glared at the blurring trees. “What about the Constitution?”

“We wrote a new one.”

“Due process?”

“It’s a bit different now,” he replied.

I scoffed. “At least you’re honest. What’s your name?”

“Yours first,” he said. “You wouldn’t tell the police.”

Because they wouldn’t have helped me once they figured out I had nothing to my name. Because they would’ve just thrown me to the dogs, never looked at me twice. Just a street kid.

I sighed. That’d happened anyway.

“It’s Cassie.” As soon as I said it, I realized that I could’ve lied, but it didn’t really matter what I told him. If what he was saying was true, I didn’t have much time left.

“Nickname?” he asked.

I leaned my forehead against the glass. Cold. Almost as cold as him. “Nice try—your turn. Name.”

“Lukas.”

My free hand stretched on the leather of the seat, black and new. From what I remembered of the time between getting out of the cell and being put in here, I’d seen the car itself. It was a black sedan, sleek and clean, and I hadn’t had a chance to get a look at the plates.

Not that it mattered.

“Who’s on the Court, Lukas?” I used a bit of emphasis on his name. I didn’t know what I was thinking… that he might feel sorry for me and let me go?

I didn’t think he would answer, but he surprised me by doing just that—and quickly, too. I figured he might be realizing what I had, that it didn’t matter. “The generals and commanders,” Lukas said. “Those were their old titles, at least.”

Drinking in the information, I realized that it had to be a high court. “Huh,” I said.

There was some quiet while I tried to think of more questions, but Lukas interrupted my concentration. “So is it a nickname?” he said

“Yeah, for Cassandra.”

“Last name?”

“Is this for a report?” I asked, thinking that, very soon, a report might be all that was left to leave a record of me.

“Yes,” he said.

“How far away are we?” I questioned, before he could say anything else.

Looking to Lukas, I found that he was staring out the window parallel to me. And he then said, as though he could tell the distance from the placement of a certain tree, “Five minutes.” His head turned forward. “You’re nervous.”

Right. Creep could hear my heart.

“What’s the likelihood that I survive this?” I asked.

Lukas was quiet, and I wondered what the driver was thinking; he’d been so silent through it all. “Low,” Lukas said.

Oh.

Figured.

I looked back out the window, but the view was blurrier than before. Tears were coming, strong, and I couldn’t stop them. It was starting to set in, what should’ve set in hours ago.

Someone had died, and this wasn’t a situation I could get myself out of. This might actually be it.

Back after my parents, I used to want nothing more than to be with them again, but then I’d met Andy. Things were different now. I liked life with him.

Andy…

I should’ve been mad at him. It was, technically, his fault; she’d been trying to kill him. It hadn’t involved me. But maybe it had. Maybe it involved me from the second she tried to hurt him.

There was no anger, no blame. I should’ve felt it, but there was only regret and fear, all concerning myself. I couldn’t be mad at Andy.

My eyes shut, silent tears falling, all which I quickly wiped away. “What’d you mean by generals?” I asked dimly, trying to distract myself.

Strangely, his grip tightened on my wrist, and I looked over. His jaw had tightened. “What?” I wondered.

“We’re here,” Lukas told me.

Sure enough, we had slowed down, and I could see us approaching gates. There was a guard at them, but I couldn’t see what the person looked like from where I was seated. There was a slam of a car door, and I noticed that the driver was gone.

“What’s he doing?” I asked Lukas.

“Getting us inside,” he replied, voice tenser than it had been before. Just as he finished talking, the driver got back inside. There was a moment where the changing of gears and whirring of gates were the only noises, and then we were moving once again.

As we drove past, I briefly could make out the deathly pale complexion of the gate guard. He stared after me for a moment, and I wondered if he knew what was about to happen. I looked away.

“What did you mean by generals?” I asked again as we cruised up the long driveway.

“They led us,” Lukas explained, paused, then reiterated, “they lead us still.”

“Led you,” I remarked. Did that mean… “Were they the ones that…?”

That decided to attack?

The car rolled to a final stop, and I started shaking. “Cut that out,” Lukas said.

Swallowing, I tried but quickly found that I couldn’t control my body; it felt like something else had climbed inside. “I—” I started.

The driver opened our door. I was the closest to the outside, Lukas beside me, clinging to my left wrist. Still not in complete control of my body, seeing the outside… freedom so close, a sense overwhelmed me that I couldn’t contain. I bolted.

Tried to, rather.

As soon as I made the initial jerk to sprint, Lukas tugged me back to him with a force so immense something snapped. And immediately, an extreme and merciless pain filled my arm.

I cried out, too late, body beginning to tremble once more as I looked down to see my wrist turned at an unnatural angle. And still, he was gripping it, making the agony all the worse.

“Please, please let go,” I begged, actually sobbing then. “It hurts!”

Lukas sighed loudly, then used his body to get me out of the car and onto unstable legs. Once there, he switched his hold to my other arm, grasp uncompromisable. The pain was still unbelievable but a little more manageable, and I tried to sniff out my gratitude, but Lukas began walking, dragging me behind him.

Before I even knew it, we were at the entrance to a building. The doors were surrounded by dark stone and colored a wooden brown themselves, guarded by two burly men that looked ready to break every part of me at just one directive.

Lukas nodded to them, and they held the doors open for us, bringing us into a glamorous interior. It was hard to take in any of the decorations through my stinging pain and Lukas’ quick movements, but I could see various paintings and banners and old artifacts that looked extremely expensive as we drudged along.

With each step, I grew more and more nervous. My heart was thundering, echoing in my own ears, and my entire face felt hot. I should’ve been thinking of what I was going to say to the Court, but I was too panicked to process anything but the fact that I could be dead soon.

Death was always impending in this new world, but it hadn’t ever come this close to me before. There had been risks, there had been close calls, but nothing like…

I licked my lips; they tasted salty, from the tears. “What if they don’t kill me?” I asked.

“You’ll go to prison.”

“For how long?”

“Up to them.”

Lukas pulled me to a sudden stop, the force of it stunning me just as his words did. I had no idea what he was doing or why he had paused; my vision was unclear, watery, and I couldn’t rub at my eyes on account of Lukas’ hold on one hand and the other one being broken.

“What?” I murmured.

He let go of me, surprisingly, and I wiped at my face while he said, “They’re on the other side of these doors.”

In alarm, I glanced to our right, seeing a set of dark oak doors with intricate patterns carved into the sides of the wood. We had arrived.

“I’ll give you a moment to compose yourself, and then we’ll go in. You will walk in front of me, and you’ll stop when we are directed to by the Court.”

Blinking, I tried to follow the directions but ended up only hearing every fourth word or so; the fear was unbelievable. Uncontrollable.

My good hand shakily rose to my head to let my hair down from its ponytail, and I started to finger-comb strands into desired places. My mom always said I looked best with my hair down. Maybe this would change something.

“Keep your eyes down at all times, unless you are told otherwise,” Lukas continued on. “I will explain your case, and then you will explain your side. After that, they will decide on a verdict.”

I smoothed my shirt down. It was ruffled and a bit muddy, sweaty and gross since I’d been in it for so long. Sniffing, I nodded, saying, “What else?”

He had grown quiet, so I glanced upwards. Lukas’ face, inhumanly perfect, was impassive, but I thought I might’ve seen some pity in his eyes.

“What else?” I asked.

“If they decide to kill you, they’ll be doing it here.” He averted his eyes for a moment, briefly gazing at the door before returning to me. “Today.”

What I wondered next was really just how they were going to do it, but what I ended up saying was, “Will it be fast?”

He nodded once. “It won’t hurt.”

“What’s the probability I get jail?” I asked weakly.

“Don’t be expecting that.” He took a second’s pause. “John believes in ‘an eye for an eye.’”

The name threw me through a loop for a moment, and I blinked. “Who’s John?”

“The leader. His decision is the one that matters.”

John. One person. Judge, jury, and executioner.

“It’s time to go in now,” Lukas said. I could tell by his voice that he thought I might run again. “Remember what I told you.”

I was quiet. I’d made the mistake of asking questions before, and now I knew too much. My mouth was dry, and I felt like I never wanted to say anything ever again.

Lukas nudged me forward, and I briefly hesitated before reaching for one of the knobs and pushing.

The sight made me do a double-take. Through TV and school, from what I remembered from the both of them anyway, I’d been expecting a courtroom… a place for a judge and lawyers and witnesses, but instead there was a lounge room. It was a dimly lit area, a blazing fire and a lamp in one corner the only luminating features. In front of a marble fireplace was a couch and three separate chairs, all luxury-looking and colored a dark red.

Two heads sitting together on a couch gave away the number of inhabitants in the room, and somehow that reminded me that I was supposed to be looking down. Quickly, before anyone could notice, I did just that, walking further into the room.

The floor was wooden, though a large, interestingly patterned carpet covered most of it. It was nice to stare at, something to distract myself with, and I stuck to the edges of it as I approached the side of one of the chairs.

Everything was facing the fire.

“Who is this?” a woman asked, cutting through the silence.

Lukas’ presence infiltrated my senses from behind, his shadow coming to cast over my own on the ground. “Her name is Cassie, and her case must be heard.”

There was a silence, cutting, and the fire crackled.

“A human,” the same woman said, surprise lilting her tone. “Why did you bring her here?”

“She’s been charged with the murder of a diplomatic witch who was visiting for the financial conference,” Lukas replied.

There was a pregnant silence, and I looked at the floor with an intensity I’d never put forth ever before. I was wishing with every bit of me that the ground would open up from underneath and swallow me whole. It’d trap me in eternal darkness, but anything would be better than this.

The male finally spoke, voice distinctly a proper British. John, I was guessing, started by letting out a small chuckle, then biting out, right through his teeth, “Cassie.” It was clear that he was making fun of me.

“A nickname, sir,” said Lukas.

There was a pause, then a hum, and the woman input, “We’ll have to phone Asia and explain the situation. Can’t risk an international incident.”

“Explain that the killer has been properly punished,” John added. Properly punished, I was thinking to myself. What did this mean?

Again, silence.

Twenty, thirty seconds had to have passed before Lukas spoke again, saying, “And I’ve brought her here for you to decide upon that punishment.”

There was a small sound, clothing shifting with a body, and then I felt eyes on me. “We haven’t had many humans here,” the woman mused quietly. “Takes a lot for them to get into this sort of trouble.”

I wanted to defend myself, to say something, but my mouth was very dry, and I was recalling Lukas’ words. He’d said he would explain my case, and then I would get my turn. I needed to wait.

“Might as well get this over with fast,” John said. “I’d like to enjoy our evening.”

 I trembled, and the woman said, “Mmm… Shouldn’t we hear her side first?”

John let out a sigh. “It doesn’t really matter, does it?”

“Still, I think we should,” the woman admitted. “Why don’t you tell us your story… Cassie?”

It was my turn to speak. Speak.

The events of the past day flooded through my brain, and I found that I didn’t even know where to start. Bring up Andy? No, then they’d go after him. But then they’d never understand why the witch was attacking me. And then—

“Cassie,” Lukas said.

“Okay.” My voice shook. Just speak. “It was—it was an accident.”

“But you did kill her,” John summarized, and I was quiet. “You did kill her, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

He let out a sigh. “Well, that’s all I need to hear.”

“No, please!” I cried, making the brief but fatal mistake of raising my face, and thereby my eyes, and looking in their direction. There was only a single second of me meeting the woman’s eyes, but that was all it took.

She stood very suddenly. Quickly, my eyes were back on the ground, and my heart was racing impossibly faster. Crap. Crap. Lukas had told me not to. He had told me!

“What is it?” John asked, the apathy leaving his voice, concern swiftly replacing it.

The woman didn’t reply, but her footsteps, soft and fast, could be heard throughout the incredibly quiet room. Soon, she was in front of me, her swaying purple dress indicating the presence.

“Look at me,” she said.

Uncertain if it was a trick or not, my eyes slowly, bit by bit, travelled up her dress and ended on her face. We both gasped slightly at the sight of one another; I didn’t know why she did, but it was her beauty that had startled me.

Her skin was snow-white, eyes a darkish blue and hair a long brown. She wasn’t human, and I knew that immediately. Her face, forever youthful, had flawless proportions, and, if I had to guess, I would say she’d died in her mid-thirties. She was the most gorgeous vampire I’d ever seen. I couldn’t stop looking.

“I thought so,” she said, studying me just as I did her.

“What?” I asked, alarmed.

She reached a hand out, tentatively, resting her fingers an inch from my face. “It is you.”

“Grace?” John spoke, standing.

She lowered her hand and briefly gazed back at him before returning her eyes to me. “I didn’t recognize you at first.” Her gaze fell. “What happened to your hand?”

I followed her eyes to my wrist, seeing that it was already swelling, and Lukas answered for me. “She attempted to run away.”

“He won’t be happy,” she clucked. Grace took a step back. “This wasn’t how I thought it would happen.”

“And what, exactly, is happening?” John asked.

Grace pursed her lips before turning away from me entirely, walking over to John. She then began to speak very rapidly and quietly. As she did so, I looked at John, taking him in a bit.

He was tall, sort of, maybe six foot and had blonde hair that was combed in an old, out-of-style fashion. He was beautiful but seemed angry, and there was a brutal energy around him. Just like Grace, he was a vampire.

I turned away before John noticed me staring, looking behind me at Lukas. He seemed just as lost as I was, which comforted me to know I wasn’t just stupid.

By the time I faced Grace and John again, she seemed to have finished. He was gazing at me in interest, eyes searching up and down. “Yes… I see it now.” he finally said. “Lukas, would you go fetch Sam?”

“Of course,” he said and immediately set to it. Lukas’ steps could be heard as he backed away, doors closing behind him.

I was then left alone to John and Grace’s stares. The fire behind them made their figures dark, seemingly ominous, and, even though Lukas had broken my wrist, I desperately wanted for him to come back.

“What’s… uh, what’s going on?” I slowly asked.

The pair exchanged a look, having a conversation with their eyes. Grace seemed to win, as she turned to me with a smile while John frowned.

“How about some proper introductions?” Grace proposed. She waved at the chair in front of me. “Come, sit.”

The change in atmosphere was giving me whiplash. Was I still on trial, or were we friends? Was this some sort of test? “Uh,” I just said.

John huffed to himself, sitting back down on the couch, but Grace continued to stare. I relented, eventually, only because they could kill me, and I took a seat.

“Good,” Grace commented, plopping down beside John. Immediately, she linked their hands together, and I tried not to show surprise. They were together?

A log fell from the fire, ambers and ashes erupting all about from where it landed.

“So what is…” John began, sighing, then continuing, “What is your full name?”

“It’s Cassandra David,” I said.

“Ah,” John said, glancing at the fire.

“My name is Grace,” Grace said. She gave John a glare before continuing, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Yes, this whole experience had been a real pleasure.

“And this is John,” she rushed on to add, motioning to the man next to her.

“Hi,” I said before averting my eyes back to the ground.

“I’m sure this all is very confusing,” Grace said. “You’re probably wondering what’s going on or… well, what’s going to happen to you.”

I waited for her to continue, but she had gone quiet. “I am,” I said, in case she was waiting for me to talk.

“The girl should explain what happened in more detail before we simply—”

Grace cut John off by clearing her throat. I glanced up to see her smiling at me. “Everything is going to be all right,” she assured.

The doors opened suddenly, and we all turned to see Lukas enter, followed by a male vampire I had yet to meet. The newcomer was short, hair brown and messy, and he had a face that was handsome for a human but bland for his species.

“Sam,” Grace greeted, standing. She said, “Cassie, this is Sam.”

“Samuel, please,” the new man said. “She doesn’t know me.”

“Sam,” Grace admonished.

He rolled his eyes. “Why did you call for me?” He paused after saying that, expression thinning as he looked over me. “Oh. Interesting.”

Grace hummed. “So you see.”

“What is going on?” I voiced, jumping to my feet. My irritation had finally grown stronger than my fear. I’d had enough.

“My advice is to rip the band-aid off,” Samuel spoke, completely ignoring me. “Just tell her.”

“And what about Will?” Grace asked.

“He could be a problem,” John agreed.

Samuel tsked. “Maybe. Her wrist is likely broken.”

“What’s going on?” I repeated.

Everyone was quiet, until John let out a sigh. A hand came to his temple, where he applied a brief pressure, and then he released, saying, “Lukas, could you get Will?”

“Will? Why?” Lukas asked, confusion matching my own. At least he knew who Will was.

“This concerns him.” John’s hand left his head and went into his lap, curling into a fist. “Don’t question us.”

Lukas released one short nod. “Yes, of course.” He then disappeared out of the doors, a small click left behind.

“Are you sure that’s wise?” Grace asked.

“Sam seems to think so,” replied John.

“This will be interesting,” Samuel remarked to himself, walking over to take his own seat in a chair very close to my own.

Grace sat down as he did. “You shouldn’t stay if you’ll just patronize him when he comes,” she said.

I felt exhausted from just trying to follow the conversation, and I briefly shut my eyes. Tears laid there, just beyond the surface, and they started falling as soon as I opened my eyes.

“Oh, don’t cry,” Grace said, sounding upset herself. “Really, everything will be all right.”

Desperately, I wiped at my face, refusing to let them catch a trace of how they were affecting me. I wanted to be strong, but I just didn’t understand what they were doing or why they were doing this.

What did they gain?

I looked down at my hurt hand and tried, mainly just to see what would happen, to bend it, but I quickly found I couldn’t and gave up. I’d never actually broken a bone before, which was surprising given my lifestyle, but I’d always been carefully—or maybe just lucky. In either case, all my injuries hadn’t been this severe. It was freaking me out… this lack of control over my limb.

What was I going to do with this? I had no insurance or money… and a cast would make it too hard to pickpocket.

I was getting ahead of myself, assuming that I was going to survive this. I needed to slow down. Take the situation in.

What did I know?

One: I had committed a crime. Two: The consequence of committing this crime was death. Three: They weren’t killing me. And that was it.

I just wanted some answers. “Who is Will?” I asked, and Samuel laughed. Confused, I glanced at him, seeing a wide smirk line his face.

“He’s—” Samuel started, then got cut off by Grace stating his name in warning. His smile grew, and he went on, “He’s important here.”

“Why is he important?” I replied. “Why bring him?”

“This concerns Will,” Samuel said.

“Sam,” said Grace again.

He rolled his eyes. “Oh, I know. Relax.” Samuel’s eyes, which I suddenly noticed were dark brown, cut into me. “It’s best for Will to explain this to you.”

“Why?”

“Lots of questions. Very curious girl,” said Samuel.

“It’s a curious situation,” I fired back.

Samuel turned to John and Grace. “I like her.”

John sighed, and Grace let out a huff, worry coating her face. “Cassie, just ignore him and listen to me, all right?” She didn’t wait for me to respond before she went on. “When Will arrives, don’t look at him right away. It’s—it’s important that you don’t do that.”

“‘Why’?” Samuel mimicked, before I could ask for myself.

It bothered me, but there wasn’t time to think about it. “Yeah, why?” I just said.

“He might react badly,” Grace offered, after some thought.

“Why? Because I’m not human?” I asked. The more questions she answered, the more baffled I became.

There was no time for her to answer. Suddenly, Grace and John both stood, walking over to the door. I glanced to Samuel to see him still sitting and smiling. He mouthed to me, Eyes closed. And then, to demonstrate, Samuel briefly shut his own eyes before reopening them to watch my reaction with a smirk.

The doors then opened, but I kept my gaze on the fire. The uncertainty of a new person’s arrival into this made my heart start to race again, and I was trying to control my breathing.

“Well, I’ve brought him,” Lukas said first, breaching the tension.

Grace replied, “Thank you. It would be best for you to go now, Lukas.”

“Yes, of course.” A moment after he said that, the doors shut, the sound final, resembling the slam of a coffin.

There was a silence, brief but there, until a new, distinctly masculine voice spoke up. “Why did you bring me here?”

I stilled, not out of fear. I wasn’t sure why, but a lightness filled me at this voice, and I felt a bit better, safer somehow. It was a drug, taken in my sound alone.

It took nearly everything in me not to look around and see who it was that stood there, speaking right then. This was Will; it had to be Will, and it helped to have a name, but what did he look like? The urge to know was unquenchable, and I ended up gripping the sides of the chair to stop myself, repeating the mantra: Don’t look, don’t look, don’t look…

“Something has come up,” Grace began hesitantly. Her voice came from behind, where she, John, and Will all still stood.

“What is it?” Will pressed. “This had better be important. I was in the middle of…” He paused. “Why is there a human here? Do you need help with a judgment?”

There was a brief pause. “No,” said John finally.

“Something bigger!” proclaimed Samuel, causing me to glance in his direction.

Will sighed. “Why is he here?”

It was becoming harder and harder not to look with each word Will said. I touched my hurt wrist and applied a light pressure, releasing a shaky breath. The pain helped keep me centered. Focused.

“We thought his advice may be of use,” Grace said.

“And what advice has he given?” Will asked.

“To get this over with.” Samuel sighed, eyes flickering over to my face. We looked at each other for a second, and then he went on, “You did take your time showing up, didn’t you?”

“Who is he talking about?” Will asked, irritation coloring his tone. “Get what over with?”

My wrist was throbbing. I had to stop touching it, or I’d cry out, and I doubted that would make the situation any better. I put my good hand back to arms of the chair, digging my fingers into the fabric.

“Come find out,” Samuel teased with a big smirk on his face.

“I hate when you toy,” Will replied in a grumble, and Samuel only laughed. I found it disturbing how much he was enjoying this… whatever “this” was.

As soon as the chuckles died off, I heard footsteps approaching in Samuel’s direction, and Grace and John calling out for Will. “Wait a minute,” Grace started.

“Will,” John tried.

In my periphery, I could see an arm. Will’s. He had stopped himself right in front of Samuel’s chair, only feet from me. “Is everything a game to you?” Will suddenly hissed. His anger was enough to distract me from my wrist.

Unable to stop, I glanced over, seeing arms resting on the top of Samuel’s chair, gripping it tightly; Will was leaning down, close enough to land a hit, and I didn’t understand how he’d become so furious so fast.

Samuel just laughed again, causing Will’s back to tense further. “You’re making a bad impression,” Samuel cooed.

Slowly, Will’s head turned, and he finally looked at me. Our eyes met, and we both stared.

I just looked at his eyes at first, which were so deep and focused and green, and then I went to the rest of his face. In the dimness and the dark, it was hard to make out distinct features, but I could tell and could honestly say that he was indescribably perfect. Not in the way that all vampires were. He wasn’t perfect because of the vampiric transition… it was something different. Something else.

My gaze went back to his eyes, setting camp.

Will suddenly released his grip on Samuel’s chair and, completely forgetting him, took slow steps towards me. The whole while, we were looking at one another, and it was only until he was right in front of me that he stopped.

The entire room had gone quiet, which I hadn’t noticed until Will spoke. He said, “Who are you?”

His voice broke my spell, and I blinked whatever was left of it out of my system. The awe I’d felt before disappeared. “I…” I tried to talk, having no idea what I was even saying, but my voice just died out.

Will was still looking at me, seeming unable to tear his eyes away. “Grace, John,” he said, addressing them while still focusing completely on me. “What is happening? Who is she?”

“She came in…” Grace slowly began.

The true insanity of the situation set in. I had been jailed, and then threatened, then injured, and then brought here. They wouldn’t answer hardly any questions, spoke around me, and had now brought this guy in here for no reason other than to screw with me.

An unprecedented anger filled my bones, and I found myself spitting out, “So are you going to kill me, or what?”

“What? Kill you?” Will asked, eyes widening. He looked over my chair, finally staring at John and Grace. “Why does she think we’re going to kill her?”

“Well, she is a criminal,” Samuel said.

I gazed at him, astonished. How had he known that? Grace and John hadn’t told him.

“What?” Will demanded.

Samuel sighed. “Isn’t it obvious? Think of how she was brought in. This room? Lukas? Come on, Will. Have half a brain for once.”

“Sam,” Grace warned. “This isn’t the time.”

Samuel smirked, settling into his chair, eyes trained on Will and me. He seemed to almost crave conflict. I didn’t understand why.

John cleared his throat. “Samuel is correct, though, Will. She was brought in, having committed a crime.”

Will’s gaze went back down to me then quickly back up to glare at the others. “Well, it doesn’t matter what she did. You won’t be killing her.”

That was reassuring, at least.

“Of course,” Grace said swiftly.

“I won’t let you,” Will still pressed, nostrils flaring.

“What did she do, though?” Samuel asked. He said it in a way that made me think he already knew. He said it like he was trying to lead everyone to a conclusion he’d come to long ago. “It had to be big to bring her here.”

I was quiet, waiting for someone else to speak, but no one else was, and finally Will just said, “I said it doesn’t matter what she did.”

Samuel hummed. “I guess she’ll be cleared of all charges then.” His eyes flitted over to me. “Which means she’s free to go.”

I sat up straighter, surprised. “I can leave?” It was only until I saw Samuel’s smirk widen that I realized I’d said exactly what he’d wanted me to, what he’d been expecting me to say. I felt like an i***t, but there wasn’t much time to reflect on it.

“You want to leave?” Will asked, pulling my attention.

The question confused me. Why would I want to stay? I went to ask that, but Grace voiced, “She should stay for the night. It’s dark already, and it will be unsafe for her to return soon.”

The Midnight Pact. Right.

If, and that was a big if, they drove me back, I’d still run the risk of getting attacked from the time it took me to get to where I was staying. I hadn’t walked during the night for years now, and I wasn’t about to start now.

“So I stay here… tonight, and then you’ll let me leave tomorrow?” I asked uncertainty. This situation was still entirely unclear, and I didn’t know where I stood.

“Of course,” Grace replied, voice becoming louder as she walked to Will’s side, standing a foot off. “You’re free to do as you want.”

I blinked at the hyper focus of Will’s gaze and of Grace’s own. “So let me get this straight… you’re releasing me of all charges and letting me go?”

“Yes,” said John. I still couldn’t see him, but his voice carried.

“Why?” I said.

Will and Grace exchanged a look that unnerved me. Grace eventually glanced back to me, saying, “We should leave the two of you alone. It’s about time we retire anyway. You were our last case.”

The two of us? I wondered. Who were they leaving me alone with?

Samuel stood with a flourish, an impish grin still stationed on his face. “Sure,” he said, looking to me before he turned and walked for the exit. “Good luck, new girl.”

New girl?

“Sam,” Grace sighed.

“I’ll be seeing you!” he called out, the doors shutting behind him.

Grace followed in Samuel’s direction, disappearing from my vision. All of the movement made me feel inclined to stand for myself, and, at my new height, I saw that she had joined John at the doors.

They were just about to leave when Will’s voice got furious. “What happened to your hand?” he demanded.

John let out a sigh, and I recalled what he’d said before about this maybe being a problem. He turned in our direction, saying, “She ran, and Lukas accidentally—”

“Lukas did that?” he demanded and immediately turned away from me to stride to the doors.

Both John and Grace quickly jumped into his path, their hands extended in a let’s-make-peace gesture. “She was trying to run,” John said.

“Let’s try to calm down,” Grace followed up with.

“I don’t care. I’ll kill him,” Will said, fists clenching. His body was stiff, stopped in front of the two of them. “I’ll kill him.”

“William, mind your words. You aren’t yourself right now,” John warned.

My forehead wrinkled. Why wasn’t he himself? Why did he care that Lukas had hurt me?

“And you’re making a bad impression, as Sam pointed out,” continued John.

Will glanced back in my direction, shoulders falling at the sight of me. He took a breath, then two, shut his eyes and told the pair, “Okay.” He let out another, heavier breath. “You’re right.”

“Just watch and deal with her for tonight. You’ve got enough going on,” John said. A small string of affection seemed to leak into his voice, before he masked it with the clearing of his throat. “There’s no need to rampage.”

Will scoffed but nodded nonetheless, and John and Grace stared at one another for a few seconds before finally leaving. And then it was just Will and me in the room.

Another log fell, briefly drawing my attention, and I took a step closer to the flames, feeling a bit of the heat on my skin. Andy had tried to teach me how to set a good fire, but I’d never been able to get the technique down right. Even when we’d been in the woods for the entire month of April two years back.

“What’s your name?”

I tensed, recalling my company, turning to see Will only two paces behind me. He’d moved from the door, though he’d done it so quietly I hadn’t even noticed.

With the both of us alone and standing, I could better take him in. Will was taller than me; the top of my head came up to a little lower than his shoulders. His features were still hard to fully appreciate in the light, but I was noticing then his thick brows and thin nose, strong jawline and chin. His hair was dark brown, curly, a bit unruly, looking as though he didn’t care about it. And his eyes…

I looked away, back to the fire. “It’s Cassie.”

“I’m Will.”

The fire blazed. I asked, “So where am I sleeping tonight?”

“We have guest rooms,” he replied.

“I was expecting a dungeon.”

Will laughed, prompting me to look back at him. “No, you’ll, uh,” his speech stumbled under my gaze, “you’ll have a room. A nice one.”

“Okay,” I said, then paused in suspicion. “Why though?”

“What? So you can sleep well and—”

“No, I mean…” I put my eyes to the floor before they made their way back to the fire. “Why are they putting me in a nice room? Why am I being pardoned?”

“Ah… well, that’s, ah…” He seemed to struggle for a word before settling on, “Difficult to explain.”

“It was like they knew me,” I said, speaking almost to myself as I tried to work through it, “like you know me.”

Will went silent.

My shoulders fell with a mighty exhale, and, all at once, my adrenaline, my energy, seemed to leave me, and I was just tired. “Is anyone going to ever tell me what’s going on, or should I just be grateful they didn’t kill me?” I asked wearily.

“I’ll explain it to you tomorrow,” he promised.

“I’m leaving tomorrow,” I pointed out.

There was another pause. When Will spoke again, it sounded like he was in pain. “Well… before you leave then.”

A pang went through me, but I repressed it. Andy said he loved my compassion and empathy, but he was often there to point out how they controlled me. I wasn’t about to feel sorry for a vampire.

“Fine,” I said, turning and carefully keeping my eyes off of Will’s face. His eyes were hypnotic, and I figured that was his gift. Some vampires had one, a special ability.

“Where are you going?” he wondered as I stepped towards the doors.

“I’m tired.”

Somehow, my body felt his approaching, even though he made no noise. Will was right behind me when he said, “I’ll show you the way.”

Something about how he said that…

My hand trembled as it reached for the knob, pushing against the weight to make my way out of the room. Out in the hall then, I glanced around at my surroundings, noting that this place had the appearance and feel of a great art museum.

“You like it?” I heard from behind.

“It’s okay,” I said.

Will quickly came to my side, bringing his hands to clasp one another in front of him. “Red is Grace’s favorite color,” he remarked, probably thinking I was fixated on the walls. “Almost everything is painted like this.”

I didn’t like red. Reminded me too much of blood. Blinking away the thought, I said, “Well, lead the way.”

If Will was surprised by my dismissal, he didn’t show it, he just nodded and began to walk. His pace was slow, easy for me to follow, but he remained one step ahead, in the lead.

My eyes kept finding a way to either Will or the ground, despite the fascinating and intricate building I was in, and the urge to stare at him usually won. To make sure I didn’t go the wrong way or fall, and to manage the desire, I kept my focus on his shoes. They were heavy boots, black, coated with some dry mud up the sides of them.

“So is John in charge of you or something?” I asked suddenly. I’d been wondering since Lukas had first mentioned the man’s name.

“Me? No.” He hesitated. “But besides a select few, yes. He approves or vetoes most laws, and he is the head of the judiciary and the military.”

“That’s a lot of power for just one person,” I remarked bitterly. Will’s feet turned right, and I followed. “How did he get it?”

“It was his idea,” Will told me, “to rise up. He’s been rewarded.”

I understood Lukas’ “founder” comment suddenly, and my face twisted. “And what was your part in it?” I asked.

He got quiet. Maybe he could feel my anger. “Everyone on the High Court was instrumental in creating the new society,” he finally replied. “I’m a commander.”

I didn’t respond, a whiplash from my emotions stopping me. The fury made it hard to place words together into a sentence, the fear causing my breath to seize, the hurt pungent enough to cause my skin to turn cold. The only intelligent thoughts I could muster were to shut up, be quiet, and keep it together.

On the off chance that I did open my mouth, I knew that I would just begin screaming, and then I’d probably start hitting him. He’d kill me next. Best to be quiet. Will and everyone else here had taken enough from me already.

“Cassie?” Will asked. “Are you all right?”

His feet stopped moving, and then turned. Facing me.

“Look at me,” he said.

“No.”

“Cassie, look at me.”

I set my jaw. “I don’t want to look at you.”

He went quiet for what felt like an eternity. It might have just been a minute, thirty seconds, ten, one, but his silence was cutting and deep. It made me uncomfortable. “Can you just take me to my room?” I finally said.

“Fine,” he muttered roughly, voice jarringly hurt.

I ignored my guilt, which… I wasn’t even sure why it appeared, and continued to focus on getting out of this situation and away from him. Away from all of them.

He resumed walking, shoes thudding on the ground, and I followed behind. We didn’t talk really after that. Not much to say. Something had shifted in the air, a line drawn, not meant to be crossed.

Will stopped again three more turns later, saying to me, “Here we are.”

I finally looked up, finding us stopped in front of a single brown door. It had a brass knob just like the ones my parents had, and I reached out to it, holding onto the metal.

“There’s a bathroom inside, too,” he told me. “You should be fine.”

“Right.” I let out a breath. “Yeah, thanks.”

We both hesitated, and for some reason my hand refused to twist the knob. My eyes shut, and then I heard him say, “Good night, Cassie.”

“Yeah… uh, night.”

I walked inside, quickly closing the door behind me. My eyes adjusted to the dark after a few seconds, and I was able to spot the bed a few paces in front of me. Besides it being large, I couldn’t tell much else about it, and I instantly set out for it, collapsing on top.

The rest of my energy went towards tugging my shoes off and squirming my way under the covers. My head then fell onto the softest pillow I could remember feeling; it made my body light, made me feel like I was flying. The sheets, silk, covers just as fine but equally warm, made me eager to stretch my legs out and enjoy it. While I could.

Once I settled and as I laid there, my mind briefly raced. A million thoughts were cycling, such as… I was wondering if they were really going to let me go tomorrow, wondering why they were letting me go, wondering if I was safe, wondering how long it would take for my wrist to heal, and I was wondering about Will.

I wasn’t thinking about how I blamed him or how he had been part of starting it or anything like that. Instead, there were just his eyes. There. Prominent in my mind.

Unsure why, I thought of him more than I thought of myself. Will was even the last thing that went through my head just before my drowsiness overcame me, and I crashed, the psychotic day finally catching up.