I have no idea what to wear to a gathering like this so I pick several long-sleeve outfits out and lay them across the bed. I choose the thin, black lace shirt because it looks the most comfortable. I wear black pants and black boots that have gemstones in them. My entire outfit is black and I hope that will help make me more invisible.

I leave Cain's shirt out in case he wants to take it with him, though it wasn't exactly a great concern of his. The events of this morning feel like a lifetime ago now. Being pinned against that mattress in my underwear with the creature's body trembling as he fed from me, the fear leaking from my skin in high doses of sweat. The agonizing torture that he inflicted upon me without giving me the right to scream it out. I've always been careful about not touching a creature in the past, but now I am obsessed with it.

It's exactly six when Cain walks through the door. I rise up from the bed uneasily, he glances over me and a small smile spreads across his lips. He doesn't dress any differently, just wears a usual black shirt with dark blue jeans.

"You look nice," he says.

"Thanks."

"They're waiting for me. Are you ready?"

I want to shake my head and tell him that I'm not going, that I'll remain here, but I'm so desperate to get out of this room that I can't bring myself to stay. I've spent the entire afternoon trying to teach myself how to plait my wavy black hair, and I finally perfected it. The plaited braid is tied at the bottom tightly and I can feel it resting on my spine. I convince myself that because I've endured so long of doing it that it would be a waste not to go, which is the most ridiculous reason I can think of.

"What kind of gathering is this?" I ask.

"It's a dinner party," he says. "It might alarm you at first but you'll get used to it."

That unsettles me, but I don't question it further. Christian told me this morning that they bring their humans along and I can't imagine that they'd do that unless their intent was to feed together.

"I know your dinner is usually at seven so I've had the slaves prepare your meal ready for when you arrive," he says as I follow him out the door.

"Won't the others find that strange?"

"This is my palace, Aurora, if they do then they won't comment on it."

Every hallway we walk down is empty, as though he's cleared the entire floor of the guards. I wouldn't put it past him. As we reach the staircase that I remember from my first day, I suddenly realize that he's cleared the entire palace of the guards. I only see humans walking around. Some are cleaning the floor, others the windows, while some are walking in pairs, laughing together.

"They are so much happier when the guards are not here," Cain says.

"I don't blame them. Where are they?"

"Outside. I'll signal them if there's trouble, but I can handle it by myself."

"You did that because of me?" I say.

He nods. "I don't need to explain why."

He turns left and leads me through a set of double, oak doors. The moment I enter, I freeze in place as a dozen red eyes stare at me. The dining room is large, but their bodies make it look tiny. They are scattered out among the chairs with their human girls in their laps. They are cradling them like parents cradled their children. The girls are silent as their owners feed from them and the creatures talk over them as though they are not even there. I've never seen anything like this and I don't think I can handle it. Cain notices my hesitation and he clears his throat, pointing down to the head of the table, to where two chairs are positioned, a small distance from each other.

"No Bella tonight?" a creature asks Cain curiously. "She's new."

"You are not to look at her," Cain responds.

The creature darts his eyes away immediately and I feel all the other curious eyes that were boring into me do the same. I take my seat at the far left in front of the covered tray while Cain takes the chair next to mine.

"Eat," Cain whispers.

I remove the cover from the tray, being met with the delicious smell of chicken and pasta in a creamy sauce. It feels wrong to be eating when across from me there's a girl that looks no older than thirteen being fed on.

"Forgive me," a creature says as he keeps his eyes on the table, rather than at us. "Why is your human eating?"

"Because she is hungry," Cain responds. "Do you not feed your humans when they are hungry?"

"Well yes but, we do not feed them that." He looks at the plate then quickly removes his gaze. "I did not look at her, I swear."

"Relax, Dimitri, you would have to do a lot more than that to meet the end of the blade."

"Good to know," he says. "Are you not eating with us tonight?"

"I do not plan to," Cain says. "My human is just observing. Just ignore that she is here and relinquish your concerns. Axel, please start."

The creature called Axel squirms slightly in his seat as he looks at Cain while trying his hardest not to move his eyes over. They can all feel me staring at them and they cannot look back, it's the oddest feeling, especially because I'm so used to it being the other way around. Axel breaks the connection from his feeding to concentrate on the conversation, I watch as the girl is given her movements back, she presses a hand sharply to her mouth to stop herself throwing up and then closes her eyes willingly, staying still in his lap.

"We are here to discuss the suicides," Axel says. "It is becoming concerning."

"How many?" Cain asks.

"We have collected global data and in the last thirty days, there has been an increase of five hundred. Over half of them from the breeding centres."

"Five hundred in one month?" Cain says, rubbing his chin with shock.

"These specimens are the smartest we've ever encountered," Dimitri says. "They know that killing themselves prevents us from consuming them. They are studying us just as closely and they are understanding our patterns. And the disturbing thing is, most of the suicides were from humans that have never been fed on. They are dying before we even have a chance to taste them. There could be a completed soul lost among them."

I look at Cain but he keeps his gaze forward, not daring to give anything away. Maybe the reason they're committing suicide is because they're being forced to have sex with strangers and conceive children to bring them into a world that will destroy them. That's why. I don't say that, but I am very tempted to.

"I still believe that the completed soul is out there," Cain says. "I always find them. It is like fate."

Dimitri nods. "Of course. I did not mean to dash your hope. The breeding centres are on high alert for suicide attempts but like I said, they are smart. They are finding a way. Some even while pregnant."

Cain exhales a breath, I can't tell if he's angry by that or saddened. "Are they being cared for enough?"

"They are given exceptional treatment, five meals a day and vitamin tablets. They are taken out for long walks and some are even given pets to boost their morale. They are treated better than the children at the nanneries. It isn't their treatment that is causing them to do it."

"It is the thought of handing their baby over to us," Axel says. "We tasted the desires of mothers when we first came here, the need to protect their children is above all else."

I chew down a piece of chicken with a sudden unsettlement as I think of my mother. It's not often that I think about my parents because I wanted to block that part of my mind out, to protect myself so that I could stay strong for the children. I remember the creatures that fed from them, I haven't seen them since but I have never forgotten their faces. The male took my mother and his female companion, his lover, took my father. They fed together as though it was an exciting game. I wonder if the creatures could feel how much they loved me through their deaths, if any part of them even cared. The moment it was over, the female creature dragged me from underneath the kitchen table and the next thing I knew, I was in the air, paralyzed. I imagine this is what happened all over the world. Creatures just entering houses and killing their way through our population. There are millions and millions of them, and they never stay in the same place for too long. They are always travelling—searching— for better souls out there.

"If the suicides continue at the breeding centres then we will face a global food shortage," Axel continues "There's too many variables. Some of the girls are not getting pregnant at all. Some babies are born dead, some don't survive past the first year and are dead before they are tasted. We have come to ask you, to beg you, to reconsider dropping the age limit."

"No," Cain says.

"My King," a creature says from the far side of the table. "There are millions of humans in nanneries that can highly satisfy us. By the time most of them come of age, we will be starving."

"Then stop killing the humans so quickly," Cain says. "You act like each life is replaceable but now you are beginning to understand how important preservation is. I've heard of a group living in the east that only taste the souls of animals. They don't even consume humans at all. There are other options out there."

"Consume animals?" Axel says, his voice loud with disgust. "Those specimens are nothing compared to the human and you know it. In the last eight years, since our arrival, six billion humans have died and fifty thousand have been born. That just shows how hungry our kind becomes and how concerning the numbers are. There are far too many of us for a mere fifty thousand."

"You do not need to educate me on hunger," Cain says angrily, making Axel bow his head. "There will be more and more humans to consume once they reach the age. The figures surrounding the births are frightening but we will make do. This isn't the first time this has happened and we will cope with it like we always do."

"That is what you said the last time," Axel says. "And I guarantee you will be ringing the bell soon just like then."

The bell? What bell? I stare at Cain for an answer but he keeps his eyes forwards, his nostrils flaring angrily at the mention of it.

"Do not speak of the bell in this room," Cain says.

"Why not? The human is just an observer, isn't she? Only the completed can-"

"Stop talking!" Cain yells, banging his fist down onto the table. He shakes the whole thing and I have to grab on to the plate to stop it from flying off.

His anger makes all of them terrified. They hang their heads, silence sweeping across the room. Cain calms himself and looks at me, as though he's apologizing with his eyes for his violent outburst. I pick up a glass of water and I swallow it fearfully.

"I am passing a new law that humans under the age of thirteen will not be fed on if they are dying," Cain declares. "If any of you dares to challenge that then it will be the last thing you ever do. I am also making it a new law that humans, all humans, will be treated as equally as those at the breeding centres. To curve the suicides. No more cages, no more torture, no more starving them of basic needs. They will be treated fairly until I say otherwise."

I glance around the room. There is only silence. They are itching to say something. Most of the girls are unconscious now, their heads sleeping against the creatures' chests.

"Yes, Axel?" Cain says. "I know you are desperate to comment on that."

"If I may?" Axel whispers, Cain nods. "You are taking away our kind's choice of how they keep their food. They will demand an answer to that."

"Will they?" Cain says. "The law starts now." Cain drops his gaze to the girls in their laps. "Right now."

It even takes me a moment to understand what's happening, never mind the creatures. They all look at each other, waiting for another to give their human up first. Most of them are passed out so the girls couldn't leave their laps if they wanted to. Cain rolls his chair back; the squeak is the only sound in the room. He brings out the blade and he walks towards the closest creature who sits so straight that I can see his Adam's apple bobbing.

"When will you realize that these specimens are sacrificing themselves for you?" Cain says quietly as he drags the blade along the creature's arm. The creature lets out a small growl with annoyance and Cain pricks the blade into the girl's fingertip. "Do you ever thank them?"

Cain moves on to the next creature, repeating the same procedure. The girl owned by him is still conscious and she gasps as her energy is returned to her. Cain reaches Axel and at first he is reluctant to give him his arm.

"You are brave to defy me while I am holding this," Cain says. "You might be the most powerful leaders in your regions of the world but this." Cain grabs Axel's arm forcefully and slowly pierces his inner arm with the blade. "Is all my world."

Axel clenches his teeth in anger. He looks away as Cain returns his human her energy. He continues around the table and the rest are compliant. When he returns next to me, most of the girls are awake and being asked to remove themselves from their owner's laps. They are confused but they do as they're told.

"Christian," Cain yells.

Christian, who is on the other side of the door, waiting for be called in if needed, almost runs through it. "Yes, sir?"

"Prepare these girls some dinner," he says. "And feel free to join them. Oh, and bring Aurora some dessert."

"Yes, sir, right away."

The creatures are so shocked that many of their jaws open. I didn't expect him to do that, but there was no one way anyone was expecting him to do what he does next.

"You all may leave," Cain says. "I'll see you again next month with the reports."

They stand abruptly at once, their gazes locked to their humans that stand inches from them. Axel is the only one that dares speak.

"Without our humans?"

"They are mine now," Cain says. "You all have several other pure humans at your homes waiting for you. Call it payment for your defiance."

"You are breaking the law," Axel says, blinking in astonishment.

"I am the law." Cain growls in his place, his body tensing with guard. "You will enforce what I have discussed with you today or your immortality will end. If I hear about any humans still in cages by the end of the week, I will hunt you down one by one. Is that clear?"

They nod, it takes Axel a further few seconds but he eventually succumbs to Cain's threat. I knew Cain's power as King was mighty but I didn't think he could make a dozen creatures surrender over their humans as easy as that.

"Leave," Cain repeats. He keeps his eyes on them as they move towards the door. Even after he hears them exit the front, he still waits several seconds, like he's sensing their true departure into the sky.

"Please sit," Cain says, gesturing his hand to the empty chairs that the girls haven't moved an inch from. "Aurora will take care of you. You are safe here."

As the girls take their places, I look up at Cain with confusion. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Talk to them," he says. "Have a conversation. I'll return later."

"But-"

Cain leaves the room and I am suddenly being stared at by a dozen strangers. I'm glad they've been saved but I have no idea what to say to them. They don't quite realize just how safe they are and they are looking at me like they're still afraid, as though they'll be punished if they move.

I take a deep breath. "Hi," I say. "I'm Aurora. Welcome to the palace."