Page 54 of The Last Sacrifice

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Turning at the soundof a knock at her door. Talia rolled her eyes as Ghost stepped in to the room. A medical tray balanced perfectly in one hand and a bottle of whisky gripped in the other. Kicking the door closed behind her, she gave Talia a head to toe inspection before giving an approving smile.

“It’s a good look,”

Glancing at herself in the reflection, Talia pulled a face. She had worn more formal dresses in the last three days than she had her entire life. This one was a deep red form fitting dress with a plunging neckline and an almost hip high slit. It was beautiful, with an elegant silver filigree swirling across the red silk. Making it look at certain angles like they decorated it with skulls and crosses. A gothic dream.

“If you want to look like food,”

“what?”

“All that soft ample flesh on display.. dressed up like a turkey dinner. You know vampires crave Arcandian blood. It’s kinda of addictive. Gives them one hell of a buzz. I know at least one witch that makes her entire income off feeding two vampires her blood once a month,” giving her a grin. Ghost gave a wink.

“Its quite lucrative,”

Turning back to the maid, Talia took a deep breath.

“Unzip me please Lena” there was no way she was going there looking like some prized fancy dinner. She was nervous enough as it was.

“but the King sent this dress for you to wear tonight,”

“He is not the one wearing it.” Taking a deep breath, she kept her tone firm. “Unzip me please”

“You heard her” Ghost’s voice brooked no argument.

With a heavy sigh, the maid moved behind Talia.

Placing the tray down on the small table in the room. Ghost poured the whisky into the glasses. One with ice, the other with none.

Holding it out to her. The small ice cubes clicking against each other.

“Bribery will only get you so far.” Stepping out of the dress, Talia reached for the drink. “But I will not say no,”

Wrapping her fingers around the glass, she closed her eyes and lifted it to her mouth, savoring the sweet scent of the drink.

Too many years working at the small bar had given her a taste for whisky and scotch. But what Draven stocked here was some of the finest whisky ever made, and they granted her unlimited access to it.

Ghost saluted with her glass before downing the entire contents in one neat mouthful. Before pouring more into her glass. Giving a half smile, Talia shook her head as she faced the wardrobe.

Over the last few days, she had been so grateful for the company of Ghost.

The vampiric maids had only tended to her. They had been all bows and whatever the mistress wants.

She had asked Draven to dismiss them. After one of them had commented on her blood type, making her skin crawl.

The whole thing was ridiculous, anyway. She didn’t need servants; she had been dressing herself since she was four.

But he had been adamant that she have attendants. It would show his people how important she was to him that he gave her such an entourage. On Ghost’s suggestion, Talia had changed her request to having human staff. Draven had compromised by giving her human ghouls. Humans who drank vampire blood. Making them unquestionably loyal to their masters.

But even the ghouls treated her like she was more than she was. Their looks a mixture of awe and jealously.

Lena was the best of the lot. But conversation was still very one sided.

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