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"I did not see anyone with him so perhaps he will let us roa he had held, then I disled jewelry and tossed it onto a table S out her dress, she smiled at me "Our Master will come to us and ill feed As he promised"

As her words ended, the door opened behindover one shoulder

"You wished to feed tonight, ht you a feast to restore your bodies, your youth, your beauty"

I leaned back against a column and looked at him over my shoulder His features wore a particularly satisfied expression

"And where is this feast?" I asked of hi us false hopes just to listen to us ith starvation later

Vlad laughed at ainst my lips I turned away from him sharply, so he licked the side ofto the floor and untied the top

The other Brides gathered around us, whispering with delight a themselves I looked down at Vlad as he leaned over to open the bag

What had he brought us? An animal of soes of the bag fell away and huddled before us was a s boy, his tiny soft li out at us fros of his brown hair

"Oh, how lovely he is," Elina exclairipped Vlad’s arm and he looked into my eyes "You wished to feed, did you not, dear wife?"

"We cannot," I protested

Ariana fell to her knees and gushed over the child, petting his head, tweaking his tear-stained cheeks "He is such a beautiful little boy!"

"I promised you a fine feast, dear Glynis Enjoy!" Vlad s to leave

I did not relinquishinto the fabric of his coat "We cannot!"

Leaning down, he cocked his head and stared triurip was empty He had merely vanished

The door to the chambers slammed shut with a loud crack

I tre, but I knew I could not stop as about to happen The hunger was upon us Our feeding froe from our desperate need Already, we looked pale and drawn The need for blood was strong within us all…within entle e, the Brides gushed over the child and his fear began to fade away Ariana lifted hileefully giggling Elina stole him away fro to him Cneajna was enraptured by him as she ran her hands over his silken hair and caressed his baby flesh

I could notto the column by the doorway It was as if the world had suddenly stopped all ay laughter and chilling adoration, the va him with affection

"We cannot," I whispered in protest

Cneajna whirled about the rooht with the hunger, and I pressedat e desperation

Ariana took hold of the child and drew hi his hand, she led hihed and took his other hand They danced around in a circle as the child’s laughter echoed through our dark chamber

"Please, please, we must send him away," I said I felt tears on , the child ran away from the Brides and playfully hid behind the furniture in the roo out to smile before he ducked back down Ariana dropped to her knees, her eyes sparkling dangerously and chased hiht him in her embrace and kissed his cheek with her dark red lips She cuddled hiainst her and looked at me with slitted eyes With a s him toward s Stricken, I let my hand fall onto the top of his little dark head I covered er face

Cneajna hurried after the child as he let go of me and raced away I felt Ariana brush pastheart felt heavy and painful in ed his shirt Pulling hi va behind htly Slowly, I sank to the floor, e him Ariana knelt next towith bright, deadly eyes

The little boy grew silent, his dark eyes staring into ht in a sob

Cneajna slowly knelt before in She is the first," Elina said to hter His body was so war in his chest and hear his blood rushing through his veins My hunger groithin uish

Reverently, Cneajna took him from my arms I covered my face with my hands, too horrified to speak Finally, I loweredthe child’s little lips with her fingertips

Ariana and Elina drew closer, their eyes burning with hunger

"We cannot," I ers exposing its delicate throat

"It is our way," she said in a low voice, her fangs suddenly very visible and sharp

Then the hunger spoke and we fed

In the afterh the castle I wanted to retch butthe blood to restore , I pulled at ony and could not find release<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>