I was a vampire. To keep Sebastian Remington’s beloved, Gwen Dawson, alive, I bit her.

But when Gwen woke up, tears streamed down her face as she cried, “Sebastian, I don’t want to live. I don’t want to become a vampire monster.”

Sebastian was furious. Without a word, he dragged me into the sunlight.

As my skin began to smoke and my flesh melted away, he sneered.

“You turned Gwen into a monster. This is what you deserve.”

Sebastian captured all the vampires, using them to find a way to return Gwen to normal.

I knelt before him, pleading, “Use me for your experiments. Let the others go.”

He agreed but then proceeded to execute my clansmen one by one, crushing their hearts before my very eyes.

He forced me to use my blood to nourish Gwen so she wouldn’t need to hunt.

On the fifteenth of every month, the blood pact required me to drink one drop of his blood.

Sebastian never made it easy for me.

He ordered me to stand by the bedside, motionless, as he made love to Gwen.

Gwen chuckled, her fingers gently caressing his face. “Sebastian, the way you treat her almost makes me feel sorry for her.”

Sebastian just laughed.

“Why feel sorry for her? She’s nothing more than an immortal monster who can’t even die. What’s there to pity?”

“My biggest regret was accepting her blood pact when I was on the brink of death.”

With that, he let the blood drip onto Gwen’s lips, then looked at me with a smile.

“Eulalie, don’t you need my blood? Come get it yourself.”

I smiled, a bitter realization settling in. So, this was how Sebastian saw me.

He had no idea I could break the blood pact. But if I did, I would only have one day to live.

——

I knelt, my gaze fixed on the drop of bright red blood on Gwen’s lips.

It was Sebastian’s blood.

But I didn’t move.

Sebastian’s dark eyes bored into me, his brow furrowing.

“What’s wrong? Disgusted by Gwen? Or my blood?”

The bloodlust from the full moon was tearing at me, but I stayed rooted in place.

This was the first time I had refused.

The pain from the blood pact surged through me, like a thousand knives slicing through my veins.

Beads of blood oozed from my skin, but I remained silent.

Gwen let out a soft laugh, licking the blood from her lips.

“Sebastian looks like she doesn’t want it after all.”

Sebastian kicked me hard in the chest, sending me crashing to the ground.

I coughed up blood, my body curling on the cold floor.

“If you don’t want it, then kneel.”

His words were cold, his eyes already turning away from me as he held Gwen in his arms, making love to her right before my eyes.

I listened to the unbearable sounds, the pain radiating through every part of me. Slowly, I succumbed to the darkness and everything went black.

At dawn, a sharp tug yanked at my hair, dragging me through the rough ground.

I knew it was Sebastian and I knew exactly what he planned to do.

What he didn’t know was that this time, my body could no longer heal itself like it used to.

He dragged me to the center of the rooftop and threw me down carelessly.

“Do you know, Eulalie?”

“I’ve always wondered, how much sunlight can a monster like you really endure?”

I looked up at him. For the first time, there was no fear in my eyes.

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

His shock was palpable, but the rage quickly overtook it.

“Looks like you really need a lesson.”

He crouched low, his left hand seizing my throat as his right reached into his pocket, pulling out a small silver knife.

The blade grazed my neck, sending a searing burn through my skin.

“Your disrespect last night... your arrogance today... they both need to be punished.”

The knife sliced into my skin slowly, over and over again.

The pain was unbearable and yet I kept my eyes shut, refusing to scream, refusing to beg for mercy.

That only fueled his anger.

He pulled the knife away, his grip tightening on my head, forcing me to face the east.

“Look, Eulalie. The sunlight is coming.”

Sebastian stepped back, taking refuge in the shadows, his eyes fixed on the punishment about to unfold.

My skin sizzled under the harsh rays, pain crashing through me like a tidal wave, but I remained still, my gaze fixed on the smoke rising from my arm.

But something was different this time.

My skin didn’t just burn; it cracked, revealing the flesh beneath and already turning to ash.

“What’s going on?”

His voice was laced with confusion for the first time. “You…”

I smiled. For the first time, I saw fear flash in his eyes.

He rushed forward, grabbing me and yanking me back into the shadows.

Even that rough movement tore my skin like paper and blood mixed with ash, leaving a trail behind me.

“What did you do?”

He demanded, his eyes ablaze with fury and something new: panic.

I didn’t answer. Just one more day and I would be free forever.

“Tell me. What did you do?”

He leaned over me, pressing closer, rage boiling in his eyes.

“Why is your body like this?”

I turned my head away, remaining silent.

With a curse, Sebastian slapped me hard.

My cheek split like paper, the wound refusing to heal, blood seeping out slowly.

He roared, his voice thick with anger, “Eulalie, answer me. What did you do to yourself?”

At that moment, the lab door creaked open.

Gwen walked in, dressed in a sheer nightgown.

She looked as though she had just woken up, sleep still clinging to her eyes, her movements slow and delicate.

“Sebastian, what’s going on?”

She yawned softly before her gaze settled on me.

Sebastian turned, his tone softening instantly.

“Gwen, why did you get up?”

Gwen walked over, her fingertips brushing the wound on my face with an eerie gentleness.

Her touch seemed full of pity, yet the pressure beneath it spoke of something darker.

“Why does she look like this? Her wounds aren’t healing at all.”

“I don’t know,” Sebastian muttered, frowning.

“It must be because she refused your blood last night. Now she’s being punished.”

Gwen tilted her head, her expression as innocent as ever, her gaze full of feigned purity.

Sebastian stared at me, his gaze thoughtful.

“You’re saying she’s like this because she didn’t drink my blood?”

“Of course.”

Gwen nodded with uncertainty. “She brought it on herself. How dare she reject your gift?”

I closed my eyes, tuning out their speculations.

Only I knew the truth about the broken blood pact and that secret would die with me.

Sebastian was silent for a moment before suddenly making a decision.

“Then I’ll give her my blood.”

I snapped my eyes open, shaking my head in refusal, but he grabbed my chin, his grip tight.

The sudden movement startled Gwen.

“Sebastian, what are you doing?”

“If her condition is because of lack of blood, then I’ll feed her mine.”

His tone was cold, commanding.

“I need her alive, at least until I find a way to make you human again.”

Sebastian pulled out the silver knife he always carried, slicing open his wrist.

Blood trickled down his arm and he held it over my lips.

“Drink,” he ordered.

I clamped my lips shut, resisting with everything I had.

“You really think I can’t make you open your mouth?”

Sebastian sneered, suddenly leaning down, pressing his lips against mine.

This wasn’t a kiss; it was punishment.

His lips were cold and cruel and his breath filled with hatred.

He bit through my lower lip and as I cried out in pain, parting my mouth, he poured the blood from his wrist into it.

The blood seared like molten lava, burning its way down my throat.

I wanted to spit it out, but he held me firm, forcing me to swallow.

A hundred years ago, we’d been in the same position.

He was dying and I leaned down to feed him my blood.

His lips had been warm, soft, filled with the innocence of youth and gratitude.

To prevent him from becoming a vampire, I chose to form a blood pact.

At the time, he promised that if he survived, he would protect me for a lifetime.

A lifetime.

Such a bitter, ironic word.

Sebastian finally released me, stepping back, his twisted satisfaction evident as he watched me struggle to swallow his blood.

“Sebastian!”

Gwen’s voice cut through the tension, filled with clear displeasure. “How could you do that?”

“Shut up.”

Sebastian’s voice was cold and dismissive, never leaving my face as he waited for any sign of change. His blood churned inside me, fighting against the broken blood pact.

My skin cracked more rapidly, flaking away piece by piece like it was decaying at an accelerated rate.

“Something’s wrong.”

Sebastian narrowed his eyes, his voice tinged with panic. “This isn’t just a blood deficiency.”

He grabbed my jaw once more, his grip so tight it felt as though my bones might crack.

“Tell me, Eulalie, or I’ll show you what real pain is.”

There was a flicker in his eyes, something I couldn’t quite place.

Was it fear?

Reluctance?

I didn’t dare hope anymore.

“Very well.”

He straightened, sneering coldly. “Since you won’t speak, I have other ways to make you.”

He turned to the guards at the door. “Bring up Eulalie’s family.”

My eyes flew wide, my body trembling with terror.

No. Not them.

Sebastian caught the panic in my eyes and the corner of his mouth curled into a cruel smile.

Gwen laughed too, walking to the lab bench. Her fingers brushed the cracked skin on my arm, delicate yet mocking.

“Eulalie, why don’t you just talk? Spare your parents some suffering.”

I bit my lip and the taste of blood was bitter in my mouth.

After they were captured, I had done everything to protect them if Sebastian used them to threaten me.

“Sebastian,” Gwen cooed, “I want to be alone with Eulalie for a bit. Maybe women talking alone will reveal something new.”

Sebastian glanced at me thoughtfully, then nodded.

“Fine. Ten minutes. But…”

“Don’t worry, I know my limits,” Gwen said sweetly.

The door clicked shut behind Sebastian, leaving only Gwen and me in the lab.

Her smile vanished in an instant, her eyes now cold, filled with hatred.

“Who do you think you are?”

She leaned in close, her voice a whisper in my ear. “How dare you let Sebastian kiss you?”

I had no strength to answer. It had never been my choice.

Gwen moved to the tool rack, her fingers brushing over the silver instruments with an unsettling familiarity.

“Did you know? I’ve studied every kind of torture device for monsters like you.”

She picked up a slender silver needle, its gleam sharp under the light.

“This one’s my favorite. It’s made to pierce the nerve endings of vampires. Not deadly, but the pain? A hundred times worse.”

With slow, deliberate movements, Gwen raised the needle and pressed it beneath my fingernail.