This wasn’t a kiss; it was punishment.
His lips were cold and cruel and his breath filled with hatred.
He bit through my lower lip and as I cried out in pain, parting my mouth, he poured the blood from his wrist into it.
The blood seared like molten lava, burning its way down my throat.
I wanted to spit it out, but he held me firm, forcing me to swallow.
A hundred years ago, we’d been in the same position.
He was dying and I leaned down to feed him my blood.
His lips had been warm, soft, filled with the innocence of youth and gratitude.
To prevent him from becoming a vampire, I chose to form a blood pact.
At the time, he promised that if he survived, he would protect me for a lifetime.
A lifetime.
Such a bitter, ironic word.
Sebastian finally released me, stepping back, his twisted satisfaction evident as he watched me struggle to swallow his blood.
“Sebastian!”
Gwen’s voice cut through the tension, filled with clear displeasure. “How could you do that?”
“Shut up.”
Sebastian’s voice was cold and dismissive, never leaving my face as he waited for any sign of change. His blood churned inside me, fighting against the broken blood pact.
My skin cracked more rapidly, flaking away piece by piece like it was decaying at an accelerated rate.
“Something’s wrong.”
Sebastian narrowed his eyes, his voice tinged with panic. “This isn’t just a blood deficiency.”
He grabbed my jaw once more, his grip so tight it felt as though my bones might crack.
“Tell me, Eulalie, or I’ll show you what real pain is.”
There was a flicker in his eyes, something I couldn’t quite place.
Was it fear?
Reluctance?
I didn’t dare hope anymore.
“Very well.”
He straightened, sneering coldly. “Since you won’t speak, I have other ways to make you.”
He turned to the guards at the door. “Bring up Eulalie’s family.”
My eyes flew wide, my body trembling with terror.
No. Not them.
Sebastian caught the panic in my eyes and the corner of his mouth curled into a cruel smile.
Gwen laughed too, walking to the lab bench. Her fingers brushed the cracked skin on my arm, delicate yet mocking.
“Eulalie, why don’t you just talk? Spare your parents some suffering.”
I bit my lip and the taste of blood was bitter in my mouth.
After they were captured, I had done everything to protect them if Sebastian used them to threaten me.
“Sebastian,” Gwen cooed, “I want to be alone with Eulalie for a bit. Maybe women talking alone will reveal something new.”
Sebastian glanced at me thoughtfully, then nodded.
“Fine. Ten minutes. But…”
“Don’t worry, I know my limits,” Gwen said sweetly.
The door clicked shut behind Sebastian, leaving only Gwen and me in the lab.
Her smile vanished in an instant, her eyes now cold, filled with hatred.
“Who do you think you are?”
She leaned in close, her voice a whisper in my ear. “How dare you let Sebastian kiss you?”
I had no strength to answer. It had never been my choice.
Gwen moved to the tool rack, her fingers brushing over the silver instruments with an unsettling familiarity.
“Did you know? I’ve studied every kind of torture device for monsters like you.”
She picked up a slender silver needle, its gleam sharp under the light.
“This one’s my favorite. It’s made to pierce the nerve endings of vampires. Not deadly, but the pain? A hundred times worse.”
With slow, deliberate movements, Gwen raised the needle and pressed it beneath my fingernail.
