My grip tightened around the edges of the heavy tray. Harsh tremors ran through me and my knuckles turned white as I fought to suppress it.
I just could not stay calm.
The Lords had returned ahead of schedule. Two of them, with new pets in tow. And with four servants still on vacation, Becca and I had been ordered to serve them.
In their private chambers.
Becca walked beside me, pushing the metal cart ahead. She hummed under her breath, seemingly immune to the gravity of our task. I wished I had a similar coping mechanism. Even if I did, nothing would stop the violent turmoil within me.
I had been hiding in this castle for five years. Five years of taking my aunt's potion, of masking my humanity beneath a vampiric disguise. The crimson liquid granted me the ability to turn into a vampire, and it was potent enough to fool even the nobles if I was careful.
But there were rules.
Each sip was enough to last me a week.
I could not spend too long around the noble Lords, and I most certainly should not be anywhere around them when the effects of the potion was wearing out.
And I have never had to serve the Lords directly.
Until tonight.
"It'll be fine," Becca murmured, though her humming had stopped. "We serve the pets, we leave. Simple."
I didn't answer. There was nothing simple about this.
If anyone discovered what I was, I would become one of those unfortunate human pets. Blood bags for high-ranking vampires. Lucky to survive a decade, especially when most didn't last nearly that long.
And Lord Fashire...
My stomach clenched at the thought of him. The red-haired monster. The most ruthless Lord in the castle. I had seen his ever-changing parade of human playthings discarded like broken toys.
Rarely did any survive beyond a few weeks.
We crossed the threshold into the grand wing reserved for the Lords, and Becca's humming ceased entirely.
I drew in a deep breath and straightened at the sudden shift in the air. The atmosphere pressed down like stone. Every inhale was heavy and stifling. My throat scraped dry and my tongue shrivelled up in my mouth.
Our footsteps echoed loud and sharp against the polished floor as hallowed halls stretched out endlessly before us.
I had never felt so exposed in my entire life.
'Do not look into the Lords' eyes.'
'Keep your head down. Breathe, and move.'
'Simple.'
Becca caught my eye and nodded. Her earlier spark had died, and her skin was a shade paler than before.
We climbed to the upper floors in silence. Sometime later, we stood before a grand set of double doors. Gold-etched texts and patterns embellished the dark wood, and its imposing presence served as a point of no return.
Becca stepped away from her cart and approached the doors. She pressed her weight against one and pushed.
The door resisted at first before it then broke the silence with a heavy groan and opened before us.
This was it.
Lord Fashire's wing of the castle.
Of course, we just had to serve him first. He did not have the patience or temperament to tolerate us attending to anyone else before him.
Becca ushered her cart inside, and I followed closely. As she pushed the door shut, I froze, shocked by the chilling beauty of the vast hall. Radiant chandeliers hung from a lofty ceiling, scattering faint light across polished black tiles and pale grey walls.
The air was bitterly cold. Shivers rippled through me, and Becca trembled too. We nearly doubled over, struggling to regain our composure before venturing through an arched entryway that led into another corridor lined with doors.
At the passage's end loomed one far larger than the rest.
Lord Fashire's bed chamber.
Silence pressed in and the temperature plunged further with every step we took. My pace slowed. Becca's seemed to falter. Her mouth opened, and just as she was about to announce us, a deep voice interjected from behind the doors.
"Come in."
His voice slid through the air, smooth as silk, yet foreboding. My breath clouded before me.
"Ye—Yes, my Lord," she stammered.
Becca was reaching for the door to push it when it swung open on its own. A gust of icy wind struck me. I stood frozen, terrified the tray would slip from my hands and crash to the floor.
'MOVE!'
My legs moved, and just like that, I took my very first step into the lair of the most fearsome predator.