Page 4 of The Coven’s Sacrifice

Sienna marched ahead, her small frame moving faster than I thought possible, even though she appeared to be in no hurry, her legs moving gracefully under her dress. I tried not to gawk at everything we passed, but it was difficult. So many oil paintings adorned the walls. Most of these were landscapes and thankfully not of the men who seemed to look through the paintings. No, these were comforting and wonderfully beautiful. They seemed to be of different places, all foreign to me, but realistic, so perhaps the painter had travelled earth and worked on each one as they went.

We were in the middle part of the mansion, thankfully. I’d feared we would venture into the vampires’ territory. It felt safer for me to stay away from there; for as long as I could, at least.

Sienna stopped by two wooden doors. They were closed and seemed less than inviting to me. She didn’t mind though, just opened them and gestured for me to enter. I did, finding myself in a big dining room. Walls painted in a dusty blue, the curtains were all closed even with the setting sun outside. A huge oak table filled the middle of the room, and sitting around the table were three men. One of whom I’d already met hours prior.

“Colin,” Jacob greeted, his smile friendly. “Come and sit.”

It surprised me that it was only three, especially when the table fit around twenty. Maybe the rest had yet to show up? I sat down at the end of the table where Jacob had gestured for me to sit. I couldn’t help but take in the two other men. One seemed intent on ignoring my presence, while the other gave a small smile and a nod.

“My name is Harland,” the one who’d smiled said, offering his hand. He had curly red hair, pale skin with freckles and brown eyes. Looking anything but the traditional vampire. But neither did Jacob, so perhaps my visions of vampires were totally off.

“And this grump here is Alexander,” Jacob introduced the last vampire, making said vampire glare in Jacob’s direction; only to Jacob’s amusement.

Alexander was tall and lean, his eyes a beautiful dark green shade and his hair was black and styled in a neat, yet effortless style.

Another door opened, a different brownie walking into the dining room. They pushed a trolley with food on it, stopping next to my seat and placed the different plates all around me. They then placed their arms behind their back and bowed slightly. “I am Nicco, the chef. My pronouns are he/him. Let me know if you have any preferences. I can communicate with you over the computer if desired.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said, feeling awkward as he continued to bow, eyes not meeting mine. He then stood, nodded once, and simply turned and walked out.

I turned back around, only to feel all three sets of eyes on me. A blush threatened to form, but I fought it back. This was the perfect time to ask questions. There was no way I was risking them leaving without at least having one thing figured out. I doubted they would all sit together like this each day with me. So maybe this was a rarity I needed to exploit.

“Can I ask a question?” I asked, trying to sound as polite as possible. It felt weird being around vampires. They could probably kill me in seconds if they wanted to.

“Of course!” Jacob beamed, looking at ease as he waited for my question. The other two just continued to stare at me.

“I was wondering what my purpose here is.” That was the most important question to ask. Anything else would just be a bonus.

Jacob tilted his head, and I focused only on him as he seemed to work out how to reply. “You are the first to ask that question without trembling,” Jacob supplied, looking intrigued.

I hated knowing my ancestors, the ones who’d been where I was right now, had felt such fear of these men. I felt it too, but perhaps it felt different for me because I hadn’t known this would happen to me. My ancestors had all known once they turned thirteen of their destinies as sacrifices. Years of pent up fear and worry would make anyone tremble in the face of these men.

Instead of saying all of that, I shrugged. “I like to know what is expected of me.”

Jacob’s lips widened into the feral sort of smile I’d seen on him earlier. “My, my, you truly are something special, are you not?” he rasped.

“Um.” What was I supposed to say to that? Better to get back on track. “So, what is expected of me?”

“Feedings,” Alexander answered, speaking for the first time. His tone was bored and richly deep, not a hint of anything pleasant in it.

Nodding, I focused on him. “And is that all?”

“All?” Harland tilted his head. “Did you expect something else?”

“I had no idea what to expect coming here,” I answered honestly. “We know very little of what the sacrifice’s purpose is; other than being sent here, never to be seen again.”

Harland seemed to think that over. “The sacrifices that came before you had all waited until we told them what to do. We figured that meant you knew of your fate.”

I shook my head. “I think they waited because they feared the answer. I fear the unknown more.” Another truth.

“Eat,” Alexander interrupted, making it sound like a demand. I eyed my empty plate and sighed. It seemed I would have to wait for more answers.

As I filled my plate with enough to sustain me until the morning, I noticed the silence in the room. They were still there, watching me, but why weren’t they talking to one another? I was suddenly glad I had something to do with my hands and mouth, savoring the different spices and juices from the meat. Nicco was an amazing chef, and realizing he would be cooking all of my future meals was helping a lot with my mood.

“You belong to us now,” Alexander rumbled, interrupting the quiet. I suddenly missed the silence as the heaviness of his words settled over me. “We are not human, and we will not act like it. We might need more from you, and you will give it to us. Whatever it is.”

With those words, Alexander rose and left the room.

Whatever it is.