Change is sweeping through the world, as humanity fights for autonomy, discord tears apart the foundations of the vampire order, and dhampirs return to the world after centuries of war between two powerful peoples. Dhampirs, creatures known to heral...
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Returning to the Fleur territory smothered the churning emotions Tara rose within him, and the looks of disdain and hatred as he passed calmed him back to his normal emotionless demeanor. No one liked him here and they didn't even bother to fake it. The Fleur vampires were all human sympathizers and the Zehirs had been the exact opposite. Tanya, his house head, had liked humans silent and in cages or not breathing, and it wasn't as if he could have changed any of that. Still, the human servants skittered away and hid at the side of a Fleur at any chance they got.
Jesse hadn't been entirely forthcoming about his situation to Tara, but he hadn't seen a reason to burden her with his issues. The poor woman had enough of her own. He had been hungry, but he hadn't wanted to tell her that. Feeding here was miserable, so he abstained more often than not, most times near to starving himself. If he were not an experienced warrior used to going without and pushing himself to the limits of his sanity, he'd have lost it a few times already.
The blood slaves in the Zehir territory had by no means been willing, but he'd treated them kindly where his compatriots hadn't cared. No one had ever wanted to give him their blood, but the Zehir blood slaves had accepted him as the lesser of evils and treated him with at least a modicum of respect.
The pampered Fleur blood donors looked on him with scorn and disgust. Jesse was the embodiment of everything they hated, but their house head had instructed them to care for him as they were required by their alliance with the Arcs. That meant tolerating him in such a fragile manner that all they did was not kill him. It was better than being dead, but not by much here.
There were approximately two humans alive who didn't want him dead, and zero vampires who wouldn't crush his skull for nothing more than their own amusement. Silvia cared for him but loved Neil Arc more, so when her mate had told her he couldn't stand him, she hadn't fought to keep him around.
Tara was practically the only person in centuries who had said they wanted him around, but she didn't know him. Not really. He had no right to chase her and no business putting his death and pain-filled life anywhere near hers. Tara's struggles, as he'd seen, were nothing more that fitting in with her human occupation. If the woman knew how he'd bloodied his hands with so many innocent lives, she'd regret giving him her blood.
Even now, he could feel the pulse in her neck, sense where she was in human society, and he wanted nothing more than spend his evening with her. Jesse had no right to sleep with her though, just as much as Lorenzo had requested he stay inside as much as possible. Leaving on the days he wasn't supposed to always ended in pointed questions that he was forced to answer lest being cast out.
Today, Lorenzo had yet to bother him, and Jesse flicked his eyes around the halls as he progressed to the greeting chambers. The main Castle of the Fleurs was vast, nearly three times the size of Neil Arc's, but it was silent. Not even whispers lingered as he'd past the normal gossiping human servants, and by the time he was outside the greeting hall, the corridors were barren of anyone.
