Page 1 of Blood Bought

Chapter One:

Icould feel them beforeI could see them.

Vampires. Not just any vampires, strong ones. The kind that took their position of power in our territory a little too seriously, a little too far. They exuded this aura of darkness and magic, something that not even the worst witches in Hivell could compare to. No, this was something only Obsidian vampires – the true born – could pull off.

And they were coming right toward us.

“Kendall, up,” I whispered to my little sister. Human like me and all of thirteen years old, she wouldn’t stand a chance against one of them if they were here for her. “Come on, it’s time.”

She glanced up with wide eyes. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. Quickly.” I tugged her up from the table where she’d been doing her homework and rushed her to her bedroom, then watched from the doorway as she moved the faded pink rug and hid under the floorboards. It wouldn’t stop them from finding her, not for long, but it might buy our father a little time to get home from the market.

The moment she was safe, I tugged my long black hair to the front and tried to hide my neck as much as possible, then stood by the door until I heard the knock.

Here. They really are here.

“Can I help you?” I yelled through the half-rotted wood.

“We’re looking for the daughters of Senna Silk,” a man said, voice low and dripping with a century’s worth of malice. “It’s rude not to invite us in, you know.”

Mom. It really is time.I swallowed thickly and opened the door, standing as tall as I could as I took in the two intruders. “She’s gone, then? My mom?”

“Are you Adalind or Kendall?” the woman asked. “We were told to deliver this message to the eldest.”

I glanced between them with my heart hammering in my chest loudly enough to make the red rings around their black eyes get a little brighter. They were both hungry. “Adalind Silk, and no, you cannot come in.”

The woman snarled, twisting her beautiful face in a way that sent a chill up my spine. “You think we don’t have other ways to get to you, human? You know the bargain that was made.”

“I don’t actually, seeing as how I was only a baby when it was made and my father hasn’t exactly been forthcoming with the details,” I argued, more firmly than I felt. “But your deal was with her, so if you’re here...”

“She’s dead,” the man confirmed flippantly, flashing me a pearly white smile that contrasted stunningly against his sable skin and dark, natural curls. It was almost haunting in its beauty, especially since they were here to take me. “Seems she wasn’t as cut out for the job as she thought. Now, you can either let us in and maybe we’ll give you some choices, or you can refuse and we’ll simply wait here until one of you sets foot outside. I’d really rather not, so be a doll and just let us in.”

“Hush, Malik,” the woman scolded. “Don’t give her options. You know how stubborn humans can be.”

I stood my ground a little taller and tried not to let the news send me to my knees. It wasn’t as though I’d ever met my mother, anyway. “Whatever you have to say, you can say right here. I’m listening.”

He nudged her. “You tell her, Aerin. It’s an incredibly boring story.”

The way Aerin’s sharp features softened should’ve made me feel better, but it didn’t. Every inch of the tall, blonde vampire promised violence from her braids to the smudged black paint on her high cheekbones. That slender frame wasn’t fooling anyone. “Fine,” she snapped. Since Asa Silk didn’t see fit to share the details, let me bullet point this for you. You nearly died when you were thirteen months old. Your mother petitioned the Alphas for Obsidian blood to heal you, which she was given for a price. Thirty years of service as either bait or a bloodwhore. She started off the former, but they always break eventually. The guilt eats them alive. She was bait for eighteen years and only made it two years as a bloodwhore, which means the Alphas are owed an additional ten.”

“See?” Malik interjected. “Boring. Tale as old as time.”

None of that sounded boring — it sounded like someone I should’ve been raised by sacrificed her lifeandher death for me, and my father hadn’t told me. All he’d ever said was that she owed the vampires for something that happened long ago and refused to speak about her.No wonder he’s always resented me. It was my fault.“Ten more years?” I asked, stalling and praying he’d come back and we could somehow run away. “How does that work?”

Again, Malik elbowed Aerin to get her to talk. “Simple. Either you or your sister will take her place. If you survive those ten years, you’re free to go. If you don’t, then we’ll come back here for whichever one of you is left. The Alphas always get what they’re owed.”

I thought about Kendall, about her innocence and the life she had in front of her. Abouthermom and how badly she’d hurt if I sent her only daughter in my place. Even if I was selfish enough to send her to this fate instead of going on my own, I’d end up there myself anyway. She wouldn’t last a month being as young as she was. “So... what? That’s it, then? I just come with you and possibly never see my home again?”

“In a nutshell,” he agreed. “We’ll give you the night to pack your things and say goodbye, but you should be aware that if you try to run or find a way out of this, we’ll slowly start picking off the people you love one by one. Savvy?”

Holy fuck.I couldn’t breathe — I should’ve known that they could read my every thought, my every intention, even the ones that hadn’t fully formed yet. Any chance of saving myself was gone before it even occurred to me. “Fine,” I said numbly. I refused to fall apart or beg or cry. Not me, not now, not for them. “Come for me at eight am, I’ll be here.”

I slammed that door in their faces and tried to control my breathing as I felt that power slowly rescinding, but never quite disappearing. They hadn’t gone far, but at least now I knew that Kendall was safe.

“Ken?” I called. “It’s okay, you can come out now.”

I could hear her scrambling out of her hiding place and running toward me, but the sounds felt muffled and far away. “What did they want?”

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