Bree sat on the floor in the room for a long time.She had Fawn’s head on her lap and she was stroking her head and hair.Fawn was an empty corpse, light from lack of blood, her gray skin drying up and her body now stiff and becoming brittle. The punctures in her neck where Zane had fed on her were slightly torn and the skin was peeling back from the holes. All around the wound was a purple bruise from the force of Zane’s sucking.It was swollen and the only part of her body that wasn’t hardening and drying.
Bree held Fawn against her, hoping somehow that she would return to life.It hadn’t fully sunk in yet that she was really dead, lost forever.All of her life’s blood, all that kept her the thinking, loving, smiling girl that she was, was now flowing through the great vampire’s veins.Bree didn’t know how she would face him again.And what if by some chance he was right, and Fawn’s soul was now trapped inside of his vampire self, unable to break free, fueling the fire that killed, feeding the hunger that caused him to just eat and consume more souls?
Bree knew that her husband was not a devil.He was not bad, just harmed over and over again by hundreds of years of angst and disappointments and fear.He had learned to love Bree, a human.He had done hurtful things to her when he had hated her before he had learned to love her.But, he did not stop with Fawn the way he had stopped with Bree.Even if Zane had a change of heart now and regretted harming Fawn, it was too late.
She was gone.
Bree eventually ventured out of the windowless room.When she stepped into the hall the light from the chandelier temporarily blinded her. When she looked into another room that had a window, she saw that it was dark outside.She wondered if Madeleine and Hannah had any idea of what had happened. Probably not, they lived in a whole different wing and the walls of the castle within were cement or stone.
Zane would have to get more slaves to tend to his quarters now.No, thought Bree, I won’t allow it.I’ll just do the work myself. I’m sure he won’t mind, after all, he is so mad at me right now.He’ll think of it as punishment.But, would he?She knew she dare not say anything, he’d accuse her of ‘meddling in the affairs of his slaves’.
Bree sighed.She was so weary, so mentally exhausted and this in turn made her body weak with her depression. She loved Zane, she knew she did despite everything, and she understood the scope of his pain, but she was at her wits end about how he went around dealing with it.She wasn’t sure if she wanted to see him for a while, though.Besides, he said he’d summon her when he was ready to see her.She didn’t know if this meant she had to stay hidden away in a room somewhere, to stay out of his way?
Bree looked at the soft chiffon folds of her white dress.There was the stain of blood that blaringly marked it, as well as spots where it had smeared to.She thought of Fawn and pain seared through her.That moment that she had bled these stains, the girl was still alive.Only earlier that day.Not that long ago at all!The sudden grief washed over Bree again like a tidal wave.
Bree wanted to yell at Zane.She wanted to hit him with her fists.Rage consumed her.Yes, she would go to him.How dare he be the boss of her after what he had done!She and Fawn hadn’t lied to him to be evilly deceptive, they just wanted protect themselves, and him too, Bree thought.Protect him from his own anger and his own intense regret later.
But, what if he didn’t forgive her this time?
Fear rose in the pit of Bree’s stomach.Where could Jasper be?Would he be resentful toward Zane if Bree was dead or thrown into the dungeon?Then, Jasper would be confused and soon filled with hate and sorrow and pain – just like his father.
Bree began to search the quarters for Zane.She wouldn’t let him just leave her like this.She called out to him and went into rooms looking and looking.He did not respond… either he was not here or he was not interested in seeing her.
