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I don’t knohich called to me more, his music or his blood Trapped in darkness, weak to the point of death, I woke only to suck his soul dry until the notes and droplets ed in my veins Whoever he was, he was my inferior,a princess if you can’t kill your subjects?

His blood was spiced ine; I could tell thathe was playing It wasn’t any of the Freesian lullabies fro that had been popular at court I could even pick out the sound of his fingertips stroking the keys without the telltale loves Peculiar No wonder I could s his delicious skin frohed, andscent But the atte Leather I was trapped, tucked into a ball, boxed and balanced on ain, my hand stole sideways toward the an to carve a way out

The tiniest sliver of light stole in, orange and murky Fresh air hit my face, and with it, his scent It took every ounce of well-bred patience for me to remain silent and still and not fumble and flounder out of whatever heldinQuickness That is how the enemy falls, princess You are the predator’s predator The queen of the beasts Now kill hi and sharper than was fashionable in court, and the rest of the leather fell away in one long curve I lifted the flap with one hand and dared to peek out

The roo and wooden floors Spindly chairs perched on round tables Across the rooe, and on that stage was a harpsichord, and playing that harpsichord washim there, the princess receded, and the beast took over Body crouched and fingers curled, I sidled out through the hole, lued tohi so about someone named Jude I wasn’t Jude, so it didn’t matter

The refined part of h-heeled boots and swishing taffeta I kneell enough how to stalk inso since my days in a linen pinafore and erlided toward the stage, hunger pounded in time with my heartbeat and his slow keystrokes It felt like a lifetime had passed since I had last eaten And maybe it had Never had I felt so drained

I made it across the roo about Jude in a husky voice so sad that it moved even the animal in me I stopped to consider him from behind deep-red velvet curtains that had definitely known better days But I didn’t see a man Just food And in that sense, he had all but arrayed hi around with his shirt open, boots off, and gloves nowhere to be seen Exposed and reeking of alcohol, he was an easy target

He broke off fro it to lips flushed pink with blood and feeling I watched his neck thrown back, Ada roar overtook e and on him in a heartbeat

Tiny as I was, the momentum from my attack knocked him backward off the bench The bottle skittered across the floor, and he led in his long hair, the other pinning down his chest, long talons prickling into his flesh and drawing pinpoints of delicious blood to pepper the air I took a deep breath, savoring it The kill was sure I ss

His red-ri, and he s smashed into my head, and he rolled h Red liquid streah reen glass from my shoulders The uppity bastard had hit me with his bottle If I hadn’t already planned to kill hiing wine froer, ale of my delicate condition to leap forward and slice ed ends of his blasted bottle I hissed again and went for his throat, but at the last ood, not anyhtened My arer was in his mouth, and when he pulled it out with a dramatic pop, his lips were stained red with my blud Now he just smelled like me And less like food

"Not today, Josephine," he said with a cocky grin

I struggled to stand tall and not wobble Now that he had sedht as a snowflake, beyond hunger My heart was barely beating And I felt more than a little bewildered

"Oh, ht swoon And you’ve ruinedto draw and quarter you"

I did swoon then As the world went black, I felt his hands catchingirl," he said I s deep and ently helped round I could barely irl, and you’re the most badly behaved servant I’ve ever hter and music followed me into my dreams

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BeforeFour great gulps, and I gasped for lass tube held to round

"More," I rasped "I dehed and sed again Someone chuckled The blood ran down my throat, cool and warm at the same time It tasted exotic Must have been the local flavor

"How long have you been hiding in that old suitcase?"

I opened my eyes, suddenly aware of the unladylike nature of s splayed out over the dusty wooden boards A loved hureedily as a child with holiday sweets My hair had fallen to disarray, and so locks around my face were tinted red hat sround--after I’d finished the last drop, of course