A Different Path

Chapter Four

Felicity returned to her parents in the grand salon of the castle, a room she had always loved. The walls adorned with impressionistic landscapes, the verdigris silk sofas trimmed with dark red fringes—the ambiance held both romance and grandeur. Bronze statues and ornaments from her father's collection embellished the niches beside the fireplace, while vases filled with vibrant hyacinths, tulips, and narcissus added bursts of colour.

Amidst this splendour, Felicity's mother sat by the fire engrossed in a book, while her father remained hidden behind a newspaper. Gerhardt was nowhere to be seen.

"He's spending some time downstairs," her mother explained without lifting her eyes from the pages.

Felicity shivered. It meant that Gerhardt was enduring punishment in the dungeon—a clear indicator of their father's profound anger.

As if divining her thoughts, her father lowered his paper and fixed her with an irritated gaze. "Was there something you wanted?"

Felicity made her stand. "I won't be feeding on the Herd anymore," she stated, bracing herself for the onslaught of questions she knew would follow.

Surprisingly, her father said nothing. Instead, he focused intently on his newspaper.

"Now, dear, tonight was distressing for all of us, and Gerhardt is facing the consequences of his actions," her mother said as she turned a page.

Her father looked up from his paper and nodded in agreement. "Even your mother had her moments of unease at the beginning, didn't you, Cassie?" he remarked to Felicity's mother.

"Especially at the beginning," she sighed. "After you turned me."

Felicity clenched her jaw, frustrated by their lack of understanding. Didn't they realize this was a momentous decision for her? Surely her mother could empathize; after all, she had once been human herself. But Cassie always sided with her father, failing to grasp Felicity's perspective. The inadequacy of it all nearly made Felicity growl in exasperation.

Then a thought occurred to Felicity—had her mother willingly participated in her own transformation from human to vampire? She had posed the question once before, only to receive a vague response about the complexities of marriage. It provided no real answer.

Taking a deep breath, Felicity steeled herself. "I'm not leaving until you hear me out," she said.

Reluctantly, her father set aside his paper, and Cassie placed her book down as well, their gazes focused on Felicity.

"I've made a pledge," Felicity stated with determination. "No more human blood. There must be another way."

Her parents exchanged a glance, and then her father said, "You know as well as I do that vampires need human blood to survive. It's what our bodies crave. We have explored other sources of nourishment, but nothing else can sustain us or restore us, at least not on a consistent basis."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "You may be able to abstain from feeding on humans for short periods, but eventually, it will catch up with you. Your body will demand its due, regardless of how determined your mind may be to resist. And when that happens, you'll have no choice."

Despite her father's words, Felicity refused to waver. She clenched her jaw, "I don't believe it's true."

Stepping away from them, she added. "There must be another way. I won't become a monster like the rest of you."

Her mother sighed deeply, her gaze a mixture of sadness and understanding. "Felicity, darling, we all struggle with what we are. Being a vampire is never easy. We must feed on humans to survive; it's simply a fact of life."