Chapter 01

WARNING: THIS CONTAINS 18+, SEXUAL OR VIOLENT CONTENT

Amara's POV

“Who are you?” he growled, stepping closer.

I coughed in response, wiping the blood trailing down the corner of my mouth.

“I’m just a simple maid-servant,” I replied, forcing myself upright. “No, I’m lower than a maid-servant, someone whose name is worth not knowing.”

His gaze lingered on me longer than I expected.

“You do not cry?” he asked, as if he’d been waiting for tears and pleas.

Of course he would. Creatures like him enjoyed watching others beg for their lives.

But I had learned early that crying only brought more trouble.

“The sound of my cries would only be a nuisance to you, sir,” I said, bowing my head slightly.

I had no intention of provoking a vampire if I wanted to survive the night.

He watched me in silence. Then, slowly, he smiled.

“I’ll be back for you,” he muttered, licking his lips before turning and leaving the room.

I waited, listening closely until I was sure he was nowhere nearby. Only then did I raise my head and let out a trembling sigh.

Guess I actually have to leave now. The last thing I wanted was to be claimed by a vampire.

I hurried out of the room and ran straight into Master Valeth.

The sight of him made me want to vomit.

He was badly bruised, teeth crooked, and one eye swollen shut. Just when I thought he couldn’t get any uglier…

His eyes widened, and he tried to shout at me, but the words came out as a jumbled mess of spittle and rage.

Still, I got the message… I think.

I continued on my way to the servants’ quarters, ignoring the furious, muffled sounds coming from Master Valeth.

Whatever he had to say, I wasn’t interested. He’d done enough damage to my life already.

The hallway was empty, dimly lit by flickering lanterns. My footsteps echoed, loud against the silence, but I didn’t care anymore. Fear had taken a back seat to urgency.

I finally reached the servants’ quarters and slipped inside. The room was small and cold, shared with two others, but luckily, it was empty. Good. I didn’t want to explain anything or waste time.

I went straight to the old wooden chest at the foot of my cot and opened it.

There wasn’t much to pack. just a few threadbare clothes, a small comb, and a worn-out scarf my mother had left me. I stuffed them into a small cloth bag as quickly as I could.

My hands trembled slightly, but not from fear. I needed to survive. I was leaving this place. I didn’t know where I’d go yet, but anywhere would be better than here.

As I tied the mouth of the bag shut, my eyes landed on a tiny scrap of paper tucked between the wooden slats of my cot. A reminder of why I’d stayed so long, my mother’s last letter, smudged and fading, but still legible. I folded it carefully and slipped it into the bag.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway.

I froze.

They were slow and deliberate. Too heavy to be another servant. My blood ran cold.

Not now. Please, not now.

I snatched up my bag and crept toward the back door, praying to every god and spirit I could remember that I’d make it out before they found me.

Just as I turned toward the back door, a figure blocked my path.

“Amara?” a familiar voice whispered.

I froze. “Hilda...”

She stepped forward, eyes wide. “What are you doing with that bag?”

I didn’t answer.

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” she hissed, grabbing my arm. “Are you mad? Do you want to be hunted down like a traitor?”

“I have no choice,” I whispered. “You didn’t see what I saw tonight.”

“I don’t care what you saw!” she snapped, lowering her voice to a fierce whisper. “If the guards catch you sneaking out, they’ll assume the worst. And if I let you go, if anyone finds out, I’ll be whipped or worse.”

“I won’t let them know you helped me,” I pleaded. “Please, Hilda. I have to go.”

But her face hardened. “If you take another step toward that door, I’ll call the guards.”

I stared at her, stunned.

Hilda stood in my way like I was a stranger.

“You don’t mean that,” I muttered.

“I do,” she said, her hand already reaching for the bell cord by the wall. “Go back to your bed, Amara. Pretend this night never happened.”

I stared at her, calmly stepping back. I needed to think of a plan fast… there was no way I was letting a vampire get a piece of me.

I opened my mouth to try and persuade her, but…

“Ahhhhhhh!” a girl shrieked somewhere down the hall.

Hilda turned sharply toward the sound.

Hm. I guess miracles do exist.

Without wasting a second, I dashed out the door and sprinted through the courtyard. The estate’s exit wasn’t far now.

But as I turned the next corner, I froze.

I should have been irritated. I should have felt nauseous. But all I felt was shock.

Blood was splattered across the walls. Corpses littered the ground, some torn apart, others barely recognizable.

None of them were worthy of burial. They’d been ripped to pieces, as if an animal had feasted on them.

Then the realization hit me.

The vampires…

They had attacked earlier than planned.

They had attacked earlier than planned.

Panic surged through me. I turned to run, my heart pounding like a war drum in my chest.

The estate was no longer safe. I had to get out.

I was almost there, almost at the main gate.

Then I felt someone behind me.

I turned just in time to see a vampire diving toward me, fangs bared, eyes glowing with hunger.

There was no time to move. No time to scream.

But then Hilda came out of nowhere, slamming into the vampire with everything she had.

“No!” I screamed, reaching out as they both crashed to the ground.

The vampire tore into her before she could even react. She screamed begging me with her eyes to run.

I stood frozen, watching as the light left her eyes.

My best friend… gone.

Tears blurred my vision, but I forced my legs to move. I couldn’t waste her sacrifice. I couldn’t let her die for nothing.

I ran.

I turned toward the gates, heart pounding, blood roaring in my ears.

I was so close, just a few more steps and I’d be free.

Then…

Cold fingers curled tightly around my arm, yanking me to a dead stop.

My breath caught.

“Shit,” I cursed under my breath.

I didn’t know which could be worse.

Being claimed by a vampire or being killed by one.

I rationed my thoughts, I needed to survive. Yep, being claimed was better.

I turned to speak with him but the bloodlust in his eyes made me quiver.

And only one thought came to my mind.

Run.

But how could I? The moment I move, I'd be done for.

The vampire behind me began to growl. “I told you I'd come back for you.”

That was when I recognized him. The vampire from earlier.

The one who watched me bleed without flinching. The one who smiled like death was his lover.

Now he was even closer, and this time, he wasn't leaving without me.

I lunged toward the door, but he was faster, his hand snatched my arm with unnatural speed, yanking me back against his chest. Cold. Hard. Inescapable.

“Where do you think you're going, little maid?” he whispered against my ear.

I struggled, panic thrashing in my chest like a bird in a cage.

“Let me go!”

He chuckled low. “Now why would I do that, when you're far more interesting than you let on?”

He sniffed my hair and let out a satisfied breath.

“I can't wait to have a taste of you.”

Urgh disgusting.

Fueled by disgust and fear, I slammed my heel down on his foot, twisted hard, and broke free.

I ran.

Down the corridor. Past the cold stone walls. I didn’t know where I was going, only that I had to get away.

Footsteps thundered behind me—his and others.

“Restrain her!” one barked.

Two vampires appeared at the end of the hall, blocking my path. I skidded to a stop, chest heaving.

Then… something changed.

They froze.

Their eyes locked on me, wide, cautious. Like they'd seen their worst nightmare.

“What is she?” one of them muttered.

Before I could ask what the hell was going on, another figure surged forward from the shadows and struck me hard across the head.

Pain.

A moment later, everything went black.

I woke up to movement.

The floor beneath me rocked steadily, the air thick with incense and velvet. I was in a carriage or something like one, its walls were draped in crimson silk and the windows were too dark to see through.

Chains clinked as I sat up. I looked down and noticed my wrists were bound in something far colder than steel.

Silver.

I winced.

“You’re awake.”

His voice slithered through the dimness. He was seated across from me, perfectly relaxed, legs crossed, watching me like I was the main attraction in a royal zoo.

“Where are you taking me?” I demanded.

He smiled, teeth white and gleaming. “To your new home, of course.”

I glared at him.

He leaned forward. “Welcome, pet… to the road that leads to the Crimson Palace.”