Page 33 of Deadly Alliances

“For a place that’s run by vampires, I’d say we’re treated very well,” he answered. “Every human here has earned the right tobe considered as a potential fledgling. No one is abused, not even when the vampires feed off of them.”

I blanched, the thought turning my stomach.

“Hey vampires gotta eat, just like the rest of us,” he said.

“I know, it’s just…kinda gross,” I said. “Do they… Have they…”

“Fed off me?” he finished for me.

I nodded.

“No. Shifter blood is repugnant to them. They prefer human blood.”

Something inside me relaxed. Despite Kendall’s betrayal, I didn’t like the idea of him being bitten and drained by a vampire.

“You say that the humans here are taken care of, but everyone is so scared of Hadrian. And upstairs, they seemed afraid of me.”

Kendall crossed his arms. “Yeah, well you’re walking around with a couple of vampire guards. Besides, no one wants to get on Hadrian’s bad side, and since you’re his daughter...”

“I get it. I just don’t understand why they fear him if he really isn’t hurting any of them.”

He shifted in his seat. “He’s united the vampires, the first time that’s ever happened, as far as I’ve heard. I imagine you have to be at least a little ruthless to keep so many vampires under control. He’s built himself quite the reputation, and I’m sure he’s earned the fear they show him.”

I nodded as I chewed on my lip. His reasoning made sense, though the whole atmosphere of fear still bothered me.

“Are you afraid of Hadrian?” I asked.

He laughed. “Terrified. But he’s kind of charming, too. Like, if Hadrian likes you, everything is right with the world.”

I was starting to understand that. I’d had a taste of that the other day when I saw the pride in his eyes aimed at me. It had felt really good, and I found myself softening toward him despite myself.

I cocked my head as another question entered my mind. “Why can’t I go downstairs?”

Kendall gave me a wry smile. “That’s the dungeon.”

“So he really does have a dungeon.” He’d mentioned it the night I was brought here, but I hadn’t seen it, and it had pretty much disappeared from my thoughts. But knowing it was just below me sent a shiver down my spine.

“Hadrian has a lot of things, but yeah, he has a dungeon. Like I said, you’re not going to get a bunch of bloodthirsty vampires to behave by patting them on the head.”

“No. I guess not,” I mused.

“But hey, it’s not like it’s full or anything. Most of the time when someone goes down there, it’s only for a day or so before being restored.”

“Oh.” I wasn’t sure how I felt about all of it, but at least I was getting the truth—both the good and the ugly.

Kendall sighed. “Look, my advice is to keep your head down and your ears open. You’re smart. And you’re Hadrian’s daughter. You’ll be fine. Heck, you could probably do something relatively stupid and still be fine. Unlike the rest of us.” He smiled at me like it was a joke.

I stood as I returned his smile, though it didn’t quite meet my eyes. I felt the strong need to be alone again, to think over everything I’d learned. “Thanks. That gives me a lot to think about.”

Kendall stood too, grabbing the door for me. “Any time. Really. My door is always open.”

“Thanks,” I said again. I walked into the hallway, tugging on another strand of hair.

“Arya?”

I turned to face him.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” he said, sincerity shining in his beachy eyes. “For everything. I hope we can move past it.”

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