Chapter 1
ESTRELLA
Darkness followed me wherever I went. Looming walls of black velvet, interrupted only by the blue and silver banners of the current vampire tsar, bore down on me. My black heels clicked across the smoky quartz floor, coated with the aura radiating from the vampires around me that had settled in a thick fog, the different colors of their powers blending into a muddy black.
My uncle, the Kulta Headmaster, reminded us how fortunate we were upon entering the family carriage—an acolyte family rarely saw the inside of the tsar’s city estate, even one as esteemed as the Kultas. But perhaps it was the beatings and threats that dampened any sense of gratitude. Being at the tsar’s castle was no different from the events in the academy ballroom; this was merely an auction, and we were the wares.
Which is why a vampire was currently coiled around me. We were supposed to be dancing, yet he had abandoned the pretense, choosing instead to rake over every inch of me while swaying side to side. His orange aura radiated off him in smoky plumes and seeped into my skin, filling my lungs with thick, poisonous vapor. Brick-colored hands glided over my exposed collarbone, tracing the edges of my revealing dress, before grasping the gold collar around my neck. He wrapped his fingers around its embossed surface, forcing my head back until my straw-blonde hair tumbled over my shoulders. I did my best to accommodate his wandering gaze without flinching.
“You are quite beautiful,” he purred, his slimy voice crawling over my skin and leaving a trail of something sticky behind. I knew I would feel that residue long after I bathed in the lukewarm water of the acolyte’s quarters.
“Thank you, sir,” I replied, the words scraping from my dry throat. His true name was Edward, the Count of the Javali House, but it didn’t matter. I was to call him “sir” as a symbol of my servitude.
His hand trailed down, sliding over the low bust of my corset bodice to the tight bustle over my rear. I shuddered but remained silent. Complaining or reacting was not an option, especially when my cousins around me received the same treatment. My twin was out there somewhere, likely reveling in the groping and suffocatingly sweet words. She believed we were princesses in this story; I knew we were chattel.
“I’m thinking about the fun we could have if you came home with me,” he murmured, gripping my bustle tighter to press his hips against mine. I didn’t want to dwell on what I felt—the scratchy red fabric of my gown was the only barrier between me and his… slime.
“That would be a dream, sir,” I said. More like a nightmare, one I had endured countless times.
He leaned closer, the scent of his cologne and hair wax overwhelming my senses. Slicked-back chocolate hair brushed against my temple as his fangs scraped over my earlobe. “Imagine how powerful our spawn would be.”
I wanted to kick him, just to feel the edge of my heel dig into his groin and hear him howl. It wouldn’t do anything but get me whipped, but I could do it. It might make him think twice before saying the word “spawn” again.
The thought of being reduced to warming this monster’s bed and producing wretched, bloodthirsty offspring made me want to scream.Instead, I lowered my eyes, allowing a lazy smile to spread across my lips. This would be my life, regardless of my desires. The Kulta family produced some of the most highly sought-after acolytes on the Ulara continent. My unique ability to breed with these monsters defined my very existence. I would be sold off to a vampire like Edward to aid in creating the next generation of vampires. As if we needed more.
The venom found in a vampire’s second set of fangs could also create vampires, but the process was brutal, slowly killing the victim while the venom took hold. Besides, a vampire’s beast form wasn’t transferred through bite. No, acolytes were far preferable to the vampire elite.
As the song ended, Edward released me. I felt a wave of relief at his absence, even as the ghosts of his fingertips lingered on my flesh. I inhaled gratefully, pushing past the smoky aura clogging the air. He opened his mouth, likely to utter something dreadful, when a new aura enveloped us, choking out the orange fog and bathing us in an overwhelming black.
Another vampire emerged from the shadows like a wraith of the night, his hand creeping through the darkness until it found Edward’s shoulder. The newcomer’s aura was overpowering, snuffing out the light around us like liquid black. Tendrils of darkness spidered through the air and wrapped around my limbs like warm vines. This was no smoky power typical of vampires I had met; this was an ink-like blackness that left a void in its wake.
“May I step in, Edward?” His voice was like honey—thick, sweet, and dripping with amusement.
Edward's reaction was explosive. A snarl ripped through the sultry orchestral music, and he began to change. His fangs stretched to the length of my hand, thick as my pinky. Horror crept through me. We were taught that a vampire's bite could be pleasurable if they chose,but there was no way those didn’t hurt. Spikes as long as my forearm tore through his embellished suit jacket at the shoulders. What stood before me now was the beast form of the Javali House, ready for blood. He spun to face the newcomer.
Vampires had never terrified me as much as my headmaster and his whip, but even I knew to be fearful now. Powerful and violent, vampires left acolytes caught in their brawls in pieces. I tried to step back but found the newcomer’s power binding my legs. Panic gripped my heart. Edward lashed out with his claws aiming for the man’s face.
The man caught Edward's wrist with a steady hand. Shadows unfurled around him, revealing a face like that of a dark angel—rounded, with a dimple popping at the corner of a smirk. Dark curls framed ruby eyes that glowed in the surrounding darkness.
“Oh, Edward, you may want to rethink that choice.”
He stepped from the shadows, revealing a tall man with broad shoulders clad in the most exquisite black fabrics. He didn’t shift forms, but he didn’t need to. He was magnificent and terrifying all on his own. Tendrils of black spiraled through the air, commanding obedience and respect without uttering a word.
The air crackled with intensity as they sized each other up. I didn’t move—didn’t even breathe—as I awaited the inevitable destruction.
“Of course, sir.” Edward dipped into a stiff bow, his spikes retreating into his shoulders. He turned back to me, his eyes lingering over every inch before he spun and disappeared into the fray.
It made no sense for Edward to leave without a fight. Amicability and reason weren’t in a vampire's nature. His absence could only mean he knew he wouldn’t win against this newcomer, which should terrify me. But it didn’t. At least now I might avoid the sensation of those massive fangs puncturing my skin.
I regarded his replacement with tense curiosity. He had acommanding presence, his unusual aura drawing in all light, demanding my attention. He was beautiful. He stepped forward, looming a head above me even in my heels. Then he dipped into a bow, his curls falling around his creamy cheeks and obscuring those all-consuming eyes.
“What’s your name, doll?”
Collecting myself, I curtsied. “Estrella.”
“Estrella,” he repeated, my name sounding like sin from his lips. It made me feel weak in the knees. He extended his hand. “May I have this dance?”
I took his hand, the burned ‘K’ on the back of mine flashing through my vision as the ever-present reminder that I was nothing. Nothing to anyone, including this man. Which made his mannerisms strange—asking for my name when he could change it to whatever he wanted, bowing to an acolyte as if I deserved respect, then asking to dance as if I had a choice. It was an illusion of civility, a waste of time, but a part of me enjoyed pretending. "Yes, sir.”
