I felt cold tears coursing down my face as I stared up into the face of the monster that claimed to be my Master. I could not comprehend his words. They were twisted and strange to my ears. All I could fully understand was my absolute despair and desperate desire to be far from this place. And the hunger, the awful, tearing, consuming hunger.

Vlad grabbed my face with one hand, squeezing it fiercely, his long nails digging into my cheeks. “Do you understand my words, dear wife? Do you understand?”

“I do not want to be in this place,” I cried out.

Snarling at me, his face twisted with his rage. He pulled me across the floor by my hair, then slammed me into the wall. “You are my wife. You will not leave this place. You are my Bride and you will feed!”

The cold stones of the wall pressed against my cheek as I fell against it, my strength gone.

“Do not turn your face from me!”

“Mercy on her, Master!”

“Silence, Cneajna! Do you hear me, Glynis?”

I could feel his anger pressing against my back as I hid my face against the wall.

“I will not be ignored!” Vlad struck me again, this time across the back of my head.

I fell to the floor, my hair splayed out around me.

“Mercy! Please, give her mercy! She is young and foolish! She-“

Cneajna was cut off by a furious blow across her face.

“Silence! Do not defy me!” He turned back to me and kicked me brutally in the ribs. When I did not respond, he howled.

Instinctively, fearing the next assault, I began to crawl away from him, my hands sliding across the stones. Breathing heavily, tears blinding my eyes, I scrambled desperately away from my tormentor.

To my surprise, I heard Vlad began to laugh with delight. I blinked my tears from my eyes and dared to look over my shoulder. To my shock, I was staring down at Vlad and Cneajna. Both vampires were gazing up at me with vastly different expressions.

Vlad was definitely delighted.

“Yes! Excellent! Look at yourself! Yes, this is much better! Much better!” Vlad continued to chuckle, his anger gone.

Still bemused by the whole situation, he sauntered from the kitchen, his laughter trailing behind him.

I could not believe I was clinging to the wall like some miserable insect. How I had accomplished such a feat was beyond me.

“His anger is spent. Come down, Glynis,” Cneajna said in a soft, tired voice.

I hung on the wall, staring about in wonder and fear. “I do not think I know how to come down. ”

“Come down as you went up. ” Cneajna wearily pushed her heavy hair back from her face. “Come down now, Glynis. ”

Hesitantly, I began to push my body downward. When my foot touched the floor, I backed away from the wall with an awed expression.

“Is this what I am? A creature that climbs walls like a spider?”

“You are a vampire, my dearest. ”

I whirled about and stared at the cowering servants standing behind Ilona. “And these creatures. What are they? Our food?”

“Our servants. We do not touch them. ”

I raised my hands. My nails had broken off from their original length, but they still looked sharp and deadly. “If I am to feed, then who?”

“Our Master will pick your first kill. ”

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