If I had a beating heart, it would be thundering in my chest as I book it full throttle to the kitchen where I heard Kinley scream. My mind is racing, picturing Kalista covered head to toe in Kinley's honey blood. I wasn't thinking when I forced Kalista to eat the heart. As a fledgling, she could have acquired to the taste quickly. Kinley's hammering heart, due to her fear of us, would be impossible for the princess to resist with Kinley's potent cinnamon blood also in the mix.

How could I have been so careless?

The tension in my body gets released immediately when I see Kinley standing alone in front of the open fridge. There is an empty glass on the counter and a pitcher of filtered water spilled on the ground by her feet along with a half-eaten heart that is among pieces of a broken plate.

Damn it, Sabrina. She lied. Kalista didn't finish the heart. She probably couldn't stomach the whole thing. Human heart is a delicacy that can take some getting used to.

I guess I don't have to worry about the princess ripping Kinley's heart out any time soon for she doesn't yet have a taste for the life-giving organ.

This discovery might mean more to me if there weren't three other vampires who do have a taste for heart in the house.

I must not have put enough dream shade in Kinley's water. Either that or I didn't get enough down her for the effects to last through the night. Dream shade is known to make humans thirsty when they wake. Regardless, she should not have come out here alone.

Kinley raises her gaze from what remains of the heart near her bare feet to me, noticing my presence. It's at this same time that I hear the front door open. The others are arriving back home from their night out.

Before I can even take a step, Kinley unglues herself from the opened refrigerator door she has been plastered against. "Don't. Don't come near me."

Even in the dimly lit light of the kitchen that is kept aglow by the fridge, I can make out the glistening sheen in Kinley's eyes. The heart on the floor must be reminding her of the night she lost her parents.

Instantly, my throat begins to burn and for a split second, I am kneeling in the field of flowers beside the little girl who tripped over the rock and scraped her leg. The thing is the little girl isn't the little girl anymore—she's Kinley.

The image changes quickly, the flowers turning to hard stone beneath my feet. I am no longer in a field of flowers and am instead inside a lavishly decorated room.

If I had to guess based on the stone flooring and walls, I'd say I'm in one of the rooms inside the castle I was heading toward in the distance.

"Don't come any closer," Kinley says. In lieu of sleep clothes, she's wearing a dress styled in an ancient fashion I've never seen before. It's revealing, elegant, and flowing with soft sheer fabrics and silks.

I drop the three heads I'm holding by my feet, black veins marbling me with their intricate pattern.

Shit. I'm still under the effects of the antherest.

It doesn't matter how hard I try to fight my way back to the real reality I am pretty sure is the one with Kinley by the fridge, all I can see is this alternate reality. The one where I'm my grandfather and Kinley is the little girl all grown up.

Kinley looks to be sixteen. The same age she was when she lost her parents. I only know this because of the pictures I saw of her in the police report in her therapist's office from that night.

"I mean it. Stay away from me." The glee and admiration that shone in the little girl's eyes are no more. Instead, fear permeates the air...her fear of me.

Glistening burgundy drips off my fingertips as I walk toward Kinley, cold blood splattered across my face while copious amounts drench my clothes. She keeps backing away from me.

"You killed them." Her voice hitches. "You...you slaughtered them."

"You don't need to be afraid. I did it for you. They won't ever bother you again."

Kinley hits the wall behind her, turning her face as I raise my blood-soaked hand to touch her bruised cheek.

"Bother me? They were teasing me like they have done since I was a child."

"I guess I didn't find it funny."

"I can't believe there was a time when I wanted to be like you. You're nothing but a monster, a creature from hell who lacks any kind of compassion."

"Yes, I suppose I am." I grab Kinley underneath her chin and press myself against her as the frantic and wild vibrations of her heart pulse throughout me.

"You slay my kind, and you slaughter your own kind. Is there nothing you won't kill?" Kinley's sea-green eyes turn from terror to hate. I can still see traces of the little girl in the field of flowers.

It pains me to see how I have gone from her great slayer to a demon that isn't even fit for a life sentence in the fiery pits of hell. It is the never-ending reminder of our differences. She's not the little girl who wishes to be a vampire anymore. Instead, she wishes for freedom, to escape from the destiny that awaits her. The one she keeps fighting so hard against.

I pull Kinley away from the wall by her throat, careful not to squash her delicate bones as I crush her against my steel frame. "The only thing these hands of mine never wish to kill is you."

The surroundings of the castle crumble down around me, the antherest finally wearing off until I am left staring at a Kinley clad in fuzzy sleep pants and a sweatshirt. Her eyes are wide with confusion and her pupils are dilated with fright as I have her by the throat while I crush her petite frame against my much larger one.

It appears, in my drug-induced state, I was acting out whatever scene my mind conjured up. It felt so real, more like a memory being woken inside of me than an herbal cocktail of random synapses firing.

I know that is what antherest does, distorts reality, yet I have to wonder if it is possible that Kinley comes from the bloodline of the little girl. Is that why I have such a strong attraction to her? Because our bloodlines share a connection to the past through our ancestors?

"Are we interrupting?" Dorian asks, a hint of delight in his voice.

"It looks as if we caught our brother trying to train his new pet." Serena snickers. "From the looks of it, I'd say it isn't going well.

"She isn't a very bright creature. She did attempt to tell both Dorian and Tristan off. That isn't a smart thing to do when either of them could rip her throat out before she can blink," Sabrina says, coming up next to Dorian.

Dorian's gaze hasn't moved off Kinley's foot, a shard of glass not doubt embedded in her flesh from when she dashed through the broken plate.

"I found her outburst to give her some character." Dorian wets his lips with his tongue. It's a sign I need to fix Kinley's foot, and I need to fix it fast before I begin to have problems.

Kinley yelps in surprise when I pick her up by her waist and set her on the counter.

"What happened?" Kalista asks as she takes note of the broken glass and heart on the ground.

"She got thirsty and seeing a half-eaten heart in the fridge wasn't something her mortal sensitivities could handle." My tone comes out gruff, letting Kalista know I am not happy she didn't do as I instructed.

Kinley reflexively grips the counter when she sees me reaching for the chunk of glass that is stuck in her foot.

"It's embedded pretty deep." A frown pulls my lips downward.

"Does this human ever stop bleeding?" Sabrina huffs in annoyance. Something tells me she doesn't like the way Dorian acted toward Kinley earlier. He was too flirty and playful.

Interesting. My sister is jealous of a human.

"You all have fun. I'm going to go check on the house Meirru." Dorian states, waving at us from behind as he is already walking off.

"Wait!" Kinley hollers after him and then sucks in air loudly as she feels me pulling the remaining part of the glass shard out of her foot. Her blood-filled cheeks grow pale as she stares at the large piece of glass in my hand.

She looks like she may faint.

Kinley jumps, her head hitting the top cabinet behind her at Dorian's sudden appearance beside her while I'm still knelt on the ground to tend to her injured foot.

"Just kidding." He grins, leaning his weight on one arm on the counter. His calculated distraction worked beautifully.

Kinley doesn't find it so clever as her eyes narrow at him. She doesn't like him using Maya to trick her in any capacity.

"Kalista." I stand, turning to face the princess. "Clean up this mess and count yourself lucky I don't make you eat the rest of the heart straight from the floor. The next time I tell you to eat all of something, it means all of it. Every scrap until there isn't even a microscopic morsel left."

Kalista opens her mouth to argue with me then shuts it promptly before words can leave her mouth. "I promise next time I will do as you ask," she says, her tone somewhat defeated sounding. She must figure that since ordering me around didn't work she's going to try and go the subservient route to win my affections.

Grabbing a clean hand towel from the drawer by the sink, I walk back over to Kinley. She gasps and a gagging sound catches in her throat as I bite into my wrist. I guess I should have turned away from her on that part.

I take a page from my dream with the little girl and soak the rag in my blood.

Kinley sits stiff-backed as I kneel in front of her again. Her foot jerks from me as she winces before I even make contact with her foot.

"Hold still," I growl out, my thirst for her cinnamon blood growing prevalent as it escapes and is dripping less than a foot away from my face.

Kinley inhales a jagged breath and holds it in while I carefully wrap her foot with the cloth.

Ideally, I would have liked to drain my blood into a large bowl and dunk her foot in it. The healing would go much quicker. However, if Kinley finds this nauseating, she isn't going to fare well watching me dunk her foot into a cold bowl of my blood.

"Where did you guys go this evening?" I ask, rinsing my hands and forearm off in the sink.

"We went to the pier then to Deviant House Seven," Serena answers stretching her arms above her head from a night packed full of dancing.

"You took Kalista to House Seven?" I look over at the Princess noticing for the first time how little she is dressed in. She's got a skintight, plum purple strapless dress on. It compliments Serena's short and tight red dress and Sabrina's black dress with a plunging neckline.

"You'll never guess who we ran into either." Sabrina kicks off her three-inch heels.

"Kerrien Norvak's brother." Dorian flips around, leaning his weight on both his forearms on the counter as he faces everyone else.

"Damian? Why would Damian Norvak be in town? Last I heard he was in France."

"Said he's got a cousin that is to be paired at the end of the month so he came over early to party. Best part is we learned Kerrien will also be joining them in three days."

Nothing good can come from Kerrien Norvak coming to town. There is too much bad blood between us.

"Why would he come three weeks early? Kerrien hates the States." It's one of the reasons I stay here because I know I won't have to ever run into him. The last time I saw him, it nearly ended with me ripping his head off his shoulders had my father not stepped in.

"He caught wind we were here," Dorian replies, his attention back onto Kinley in a way that makes her uncomfortable. He's starting to be pulled into that toxic cloud of desire her scent causes.

Kinley screeches as I lob her over my shoulder without warning. "I see. He's here to ensure he is the one the princess is paired with in the end. He undoubtedly will cause issues for us while he is here. It's best to avoid him if at all possible. Kalista, it is best if you are never left alone with Kerrien. You said it best; he comes from a brutish family. Kerrien is known for taking what he wants when an opportunity arises. You are royalty, which means whoever lays claim to you first will be your mate whether or not a pairing ceremony has taken place."

"Wh-what?" Kalista stops mopping up the water on the floor.

I shoot a look over to Dorian. "Alekos didn't tell her?"

Dorian heaves a heavy sigh. "He didn't want to alarm her. With Therrien there and some of the others, it has never been an issue. I was supposed to inform her, but the right time has never presented itself."

Kalista pushes to her feet. "You're saying that if that animal defiles me I'll have no choice but to be paired with him?"

"Yes, it's been this way since before our time. It's why your father has been so adamant about you staying within the castle walls. As the princess, you are held to different standards than the rest of our kind." My grip on Kinley's legs tightens as she squirms uncomfortably with my shoulder digging into her stomach.

"That's not fair. Dorian was set to rule if I hadn't been born. He's been with hundreds and you're telling me because I am a female the rules are different." Kalista fumes.

"No, I'm telling you because you are a royal female the rules are different. Once you are paired with the male who claims you, you will be free to indulge in affairs the same as the rest of us. As it's four in the morning, I suggest you all get some sleep. Tomorrow we will discuss the things that will need to change when the other Norvak's arrive in town. I wouldn't be surprised if we're hand-delivered an invitation to the pairing ceremony for their cousin. It would be rude to exclude one of the original bloodlines from such a time-honored tradition."

I excuse myself without another word, carrying an upside-down, wounded Kinley over my shoulder.

Setting Kinley down on the chaise lounge, I head to the bathroom to retrieve a warm washcloth and a clean towel. Kinley winces, biting her lip as I unwrap the cloth soaked with my blood from her foot.

"You should be more careful. Bleeding here is no different than bleeding in shark infested waters." The corners of my mouth pull down when I see the wound is still open. It's too deep. I either need more blood applied directly into the wound or...

"What are you doing?" Kinley attempts to yank her foot out of my grasp. She doesn't succeed in getting her foot free, but she does keep it from being licked by me.

I stare at her for a couple seconds, assessing the way her heartbeat has spiked and her body trembles ever so slightly in nervousness.

"I'm trying to heal your wound," I state bluntly.

"By licking it!" she shrieks yet, at the same time, I can see blood pooling beneath her cheeks at the thought. I'm not sure if it's due to embarrassment or she simply doesn't know what to make of me being so "nice".

"Our saliva has healing properties as does our blood. It's how I healed the bite mark on your neck when I bit you at the bookstore. I can heal it the other way as this one seems to be repugnant to you."

"No no no." Kinley latches onto my forearm pulling it away as I am about to use my fangs to rip into my wrist. Her pulse ticks maddeningly in her neck. "Don't...don't do that either." What color she gained drains from her complexion at the thought of witnessing me tearing into my own flesh again.

"Human, it's this or my saliva. The wound is too deep and I am no expert with stitches."

"Fine, but I don't want to see." Kinley lies down, tugging the hood attached to her sweatshirt over her face.

I must be a cursed vampire. This is the exact situation I was trying to avoid with the broken mirror in the bathroom, yet here I am with Kinley's bloody foot right in my face.

Kinley's hands clench the chase in a death grip, a slur of mild curse words interlaced with the exhale she forces from her lungs. Her body has raised and twisted slightly off the chaise as she struggles to relax as I unhurriedly drag my tongue along the arch of her foot.

Kalista is right. I am a starving mutt.