Suddenly, I’m feeling much warmer.
“Um, thanks?” It comes out sounding more like a question, which only makes my cheeks flush hotter.
His eyes glimmer with amusement. “Ada, aren’t you going to introduce us? She’s a fellow sewer rat now!”
“No,” she says flatly.
The human doesn’t look away from my face while she answers. After a moment, he cocks his head, as if he’s asked a question and expects an answer. Uncertain, I don’t react, and after another second, I drop my gaze. I take a drink of water from the glass Ada sets in front of me, not because it’ll quench my thirst, but to do something with my hands. Eventually I dare another glance at him from under my lashes.
But he’s gone.
I realize I’m chewing my lip so hard the skin tears. The bright, vibrant taste of blood bursts on my tongue, cracking the door open of that cage inside me.
Fuck. I’ll have to find a public feeding facility. My choices are limited—non-existent, really.
Something hard and desperate steals over me. “How do you… sustain yourself?” I ask Ada, fumbling over the words.
“That’s private,” she says, sipping her tea.
The hunger grips me even tighter, and I narrow my eyes at her. An instant later, without any warning, my fangs pop out.
The other vampire slams her mug down on the counter—tea sloshes over the sides and onto the counter—and snarls at me, baring her own fangs for a moment before they retract into her gums. “Do not threaten me.”
The flash of pure, animalistic fury makes my breath catch. “Who are you, really?” I demand. Why the hell would Gabriela send me here?
“You ask the question, but you aren’t prepared to know the answer.” There’s a thinly-veiled warning in her low voice.
I let out a breath, frustration blazing through me now. Whoever she is, she must be old. Only Elders are so skillful at dodging every question. “Why are you in Oldbel? Why aren’t you—”
“Listen closely, because this is the only free advice you’ll get from me—don’t ask questions. Ever. Questions get you killed.” Ada is quiet for a moment before her expression smooths out. “Breakfast is at 6:20 p.m. and supper is at 3:00 a.m. There are two bathrooms upstairs, one at each end of the hall, and shower schedules posted outside the doors. All the slots are likely taken for tomorrow, but you better write your name on there now so you can shower on Friday. I expect everyone to do their part in keeping the common areas clean. This means picking after yourself and putting dirty dishes in the sink—and reporting anyone who isn’t. Any questions?”
“I can show her the way to her room.” The human male is back. “Hell, I’ll even show her the way to work tomorrow, since Nina and I are assigned to the same sector.”
Ada stares at him for a long moment. “Don’t forget to show her where the laundry is,” she says finally.
“If only I could forget, Ada. If only I could. I’m pretty sure no one else in this house even knows how to find it. Shall we, Your Highness?” The human flashes another grin at me. At this proximity, I’m able to notice his crooked front tooth.
I slide off the stool, push it in, and glance at Ada one last time. “Thank you,” I murmur softly before turning away. She says nothing.
The human pushes off the door frame and steps into the hallway. “I’m Drew,” he tells me. “Andrew Frederick Hayes. But just Drew, usually.”
He holds out his hand, and I notice a ring on his middle finger. I gently put my hand in his, and his touch is warm and solid as we shake. I study the ring as our hands move up and down. The shape of it is strange. There are no words, no symbols or designs on it. I frown for a moment before comprehending that I’m looking at a small, golden skull.
“Aren’t you going to tell me your name?” Drew asks. Startled, my gaze snaps back to his.
“As if you don’t already know it,” a girl snaps as she brushes past.
“That horribly rude young woman is my sister, Nina.” Drew scowls halfheartedly. Once the girl is out of sight, he gives me a sheepish smile. “I just thought you deserved a chance to choose an identity, like the rest of us have.”
His kindness combats against the chill clinging onto me with sharp, cruel claws. “Thank you. Really.”
Together we climb the wooden flight of stairs, each step creaking, and when we reach the top I notice Nina at the other end of the hall. She stands with her back to us, writing on a plastic board mounted to the wall. The shower list, I remember Ada mentioning.
Hearing our approach, Nina turns around and finally meets my gaze. She’s the spitting image of Drew—same lanky frame and curly brown hair. Hers hangs just below her shoulders in deep waves and shines in a way that shows she puts effort into maintaining it. I don’t want to imagine what my hair looks like right now.
I pause, taking a few beats to consider it before I say, “Hey, I’m Charlotte.”
My name suddenly sounds so delicate, so breakable. I wish I could take it back.
“Charlotte,” Nina echoes. “Fancy.”
Frowning at her, I catch my bottom lip between my teeth for a moment. She’s right. It’s the name of a princess, which I am no longer. “Charlie,” I say. “Call me Charlie.”
“Okay. Catch you later, then, Charlie.” She turns and goes down the hall, into one of the bedrooms, and shuts the door. There’s nothing cruel in her behavior… just guarded. Though I’ve only just met her, tells me Nina Hayes has known fear and pain.
Suddenly a beam of sunlight catches my attention as it filters through the large window at the end of the hall. Morning is rolling in, inevitable as a tide. Adrenaline has kept me going for hours—I’m still riding that high, waiting for it all to come crashing down so I can pass out and spend some hours away from my shitty new reality.
“Did I lose you?” Drew’s voice filters into my thoughts and pulls me back.
I blink at him. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did you say something?”
He shoots me yet another grin. I don’t smile—it feels like my mouth has lost the ability entirely—but something stirs in the pit of my stomach. “No need to apologize. C’mon, I’ll show you to your room.”
Room. Bed. Sleep. “Thank you,” I repeat. “It’s been… it’s been one hell of a night.”
“To put it lightly.” Drew steps forward to lead the way, and as we pass the shower list, he pauses, snags the marker, and scribbles his name down. Then he holds the marker out to me. “Better do it now while there are still spots open.”
Accepting it from him, I scribble my new identity across the white piece of paper. Charlie. In a way, I like it more. Maybe, like the brown eyes I once possessed, it fits me better.
Once I’m finished, Drew walks to the last door on the right side of the hall. He pushes it open and the hinges release a long whine. “This will be your room. Lucky for you, one of Ada’s boarders left yesterday, or else we would’ve had to stick you in the basement with the other vampires.”
The joke slips past me as I take in the darkened space. To say that it’s smaller than my old room would be putting it generously. Similar to the rest of the house, everything is made from wood. The floor, the ceiling beams, the walls. No lovely paint or wallpaper. There’s one small window at the far end, and a single light bulb dangling over the bed. The bed in question is rusting and rumpled, with scratchy-looking blankets and iron posts at the head and feet. The pillow looks no better than a sack of potatoes.