After being betrayed by the ones who she cared for most, Cleo must make a decision as a war breaks out between vampires and humans-- which side she'll take in it.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Come on. We're pros at breaking out of places now, right?" Felix said, offering me his hand. "Just like old times."
"By old times, you mean a few weeks ago escaping from the other place I was locked up at?" I responded, staring down at his hand.
"Exactly."
I lifted my hand and hesitated before touching his, dropping it back down. "I'm not sure, Felix."
His eyes narrowed. "You want to stay locked up here?"
"No, I don't," I said honestly. If he had asked me twenty-four hours ago, I would have said yes, but not now. "I'm really injured. I have to be careful. I'm afraid if I get hurt anymore, my body just might give out on me. And I'm not being dramatic when I say that. When Kaz shot me, I think he hit tore my tendon."
Felix froze. "What did you just say? Kaz shot you?"
"It was by accident," I said quickly, and then realized I'd just defended Kaz hurting me while trying to kill my father. "I mean no, it wasn't," I corrected, biting the inside of my cheek, feeling unsettled. Why had my first instinct been to defend Kaz? Why did I even think for a second it was an accident that he shot me? He clearly hadn't cared if I was in the way or not. He wanted my father dead more than keeping me safe.
"What is wrong with Kaz? Why is he acting like this?" Felix asked, his hand balling into a fist. "How could he do this to you? I thought he was in love with you. I guess that was far from the truth."
I didn't answer, the memory of Kaz's confession slipping into my mind. He'd seemed so sincere. Could all that have been a lie, too? Was it all fake? Or...
"No matter, Cleo. I'm healthy," Felix assured me. "I'll fight our way out if I have to. And I can carry you if you can't walk yourself. This place isn't too big."
"Where are we, anyway?" I asked.
Now that I was a little sounder of mind, I took in my surroundings properly for the first time. The room wasn't exactly elegant, but it also wasn't like a prison cell, either. In fact, it reminded me of my room back at the academy. There was a queen-sized bed I'd yet to use, opting to stay curled on the floor, a vanity, two plush-looking recliners, a small table where my cold food sat, and a bookcase with a few dusty books and a box of tissues. I didn't think I was at some sort of vampire jail, but I also wasn't somewhere like Claude's estate.
"This is one of the royal family's estates," Felix told me. "Not the main one, though. There are a few. It's why I took so long to find you. I thought you'd be at the main one. But no, you're here, and not even in the main building, either."
I didn't know how to feel about the fact that Claude hadn't actually thrown me in a jail cell. Relieved? But he had still arrested me in the first place. Why would I feel relieved I wasn't in an actual cell? Everything was so confusing now. I rubbed my forehead, a dull ache forming. "How did you figure out I was in this building?"
