-Arabella-After that vampire grabbed me unexpectedly, I went mostly unnoticed as I made my way to the bathroom. It took me a while to get there in these shoes, trying to not fall or trip over someone. I pray I don't run into that attendant who almost hit me because I accidentally scraped her leg with my pointy heel.My initial fear of being seen in this skimpy outfit has dissipated now that I've seen the other attendants; even with only a thong and a thin wraparound top, I'm pretty much covered compared to most.It's humiliating and debasing, and I can't help but think that it must be part of what they want. To dehumanize us, to advertise to others that we're their food, their toys, and completely under their control.And I've willingly signed up for this.I take a seat by the enormous pool when I'm done, trying to look inconspicuous. If I hadn't asked to go to the bathroom, I would have slipped up in front of Stella. It's one thing to be subservient to the man who
-Ronan-Martin Van Arder is doing all he can to sell me this development idea, and all I can think of is that the car is taking too long to get here."That area has been occupied by fishermen and broken-down old homes. You'll probably find people living in your property somewhere along the coastline, by the marshes.""I'll think about it," I say, hoping that will make him shut up and leave me alone."I've heard we might join bloodlines soon." He winks and nudges me with his elbow. "What would be better than to expand the new family business?""I have no idea what you're talking about," I say coldly. "Excuse me. My car is here."The limo that pulled up to the driver isn't mine, but he doesn't know that, so I leave him standing in the foyer and head outside. A clearly intoxicated vampire and her attendant step out, almost bumping into me.Something isn't right.The distance to the parking space at the entrance of the property isn't so extensive. It wouldn'
-Arabella-I wake up with a gasp, feeling like I'm drowning. I start flailing around, accidentally hitting Ronan in the face. He grabs my hands and pins me down to the wet floor."Arabella, calm down." His voice is firm, but gentle, and his piercing eyes bore into mine as he holds me there. The only source of light is a phone lying next to me.It takes me a few seconds to come back to my senses.There's a strange, metallic yet sweet taste in my mouth. I'm covered in what looks like Ronan's jacket, and the intolerable pain and cold from before has been somehow dampened.It's still there, like a headache that threatens to come back in full force when I move. But everything seems…muted. My head is also fuzzy, in a warm and dreamy way.Memories of where we are and what happened to me flood my mind."The guys. They… Are they gone?""I took care of them," Ronan says. "What did they want?""I… To scare you, I think. They asked me questions about you," I say
-Ronan-I don't know how long I spend on the bed, holding Ara as she drifts off to an uneasy sleep. It's been so long since I've rested with someone that there's something comforting in having a warm body next to me. In a way, not sleeping is a blessing and a curse.Getting in the mindset to rest, to really shut myself down and relax my mind, has always been difficult for me. And humans do it effortlessly. They have to sleep, or they die.After one or two hours, Arabella's breathing finally slows down and her eyelids flutter, which means she's finally in deep sleep.I slide my arm out from under her, and I freeze when I feel her arm press down on my chest."Stay with me," she mumbles, still completely asleep. "I don't wanna be alone. There's pancakes."I laugh, realizing she's dreaming, but it also makes me wonder who she's dreaming of. In her head, she's asking someone to stay for breakfast. There's so much I don't know about her yet.And why shou
-Arabella-Ronan has just thrown away five million dollars.I still can't wrap my head around someone spending so much money on a stupid stone. Just a few thousand dollars is the difference between someone being able to make a living or not, and Ronan has just spent a thousand times that on a chip in order to be able to track me. We drive back to the house in silence, Ronan messing with his phone and me staring out the window."I have to go meet my father. Finish storing your clothes and the groceries. And if you're done before I return, you can go to the library and wait," he says once we're at the front door.The car speeds away the second I close the door, and I let myself in.I've forgotten about the clothes, and now that Ronan has brought it up, I can feel the anger surging inside me again. Every single bag those people brought earlier today is from a luxury brand. I can't even fathom how much money he spent, and if he plans on taking me to parties wear
-Ronan-It's been three days since I locked up Ara, and I've regretted my decision since day one. It was necessary; even if I enjoyed seeing that she had opposed Desmond, she needed to understand the gravity of her actions. Any attendant that harms a vampire, ANY vampire, and not just their owner, can have their contract irreversibly terminated. If that happens, the attendant's debt has to be paid back and doubled. It is my choice if I decide to end the contract, of course. But if Desmond wants to cause trouble out of spite, the correct and acceptable thing for me to do would be to let Ara go, and have her pay me back. Which I have absolutely no plans to do.I've asked the housekeeper to leave the mess in the library intact. I wanted to make Ara clean it up, but I'm having second thoughts about going through with it. It's nothing compared to what other people do to their attendants, but this just isn't me."Sir, what will the attendant have today?"
-Arabella-I can't believe we are on our way to Mercer House in the middle of the night. One phone call and Ronan got someone to open it for us, simply because I told him that's where I'd go if I had the chance.Even though I'm still angry that he made me spend three days alone and confined to that room, I feel my rage dissipating. He's at least trying to be nice, which is much more than I thought he would do for me. He has also overlooked the part of the contract that enables him to basically return me and put me in a position where I would owe him the money I would never have. We make it to the city in a few minutes, and Ronan steps out of the car first, extending a hand to help me out. For an outsider, we could be a normal couple given how attentive he's suddenly acting toward me.The red brick facade brings a smile to my face. It's been so long since I've been here, and the memory of my father threatens to bring tears to my eyes. "After you," Ronan says, gesturing
-Ronan-I text Blanca on the way home, asking her to clean up the mess in the library. I can't bring myself to ask Ara to do it now. The moments we shared in Mercer House are gone, and Ara sits in the car in silence, looking out the window. She blushes, gently shakes her head, then smiles and frowns again, like a movie is playing inside her head.A very dirty movie, if she's replaying what we've just done.When we arrive, the library looks like it had never witnessed me and Desmond fighting. Ara follows me in after cleaning herself up in the bathroom, and her stomach audibly growls."I forgot you haven't eaten," I say. "You can go make something for yourself. But first, let me show you something."She has a curious look on her face when I reach out to the secret latch on the bookshelf behind the couch, and a large portion of it slides into the secret room I added when I renovated the place.Her eyes widen and she pokes her head inside."What is this pla