Penelope's eyes fluttered open to dim light and the faint scent of antiseptic. Her throat throbbed, raw beneath a coarse bandage. The memory rushed back—Ryak's jaws clamped around her neck, his teeth piercing deep into her flesh. Her pulse thundered in her ears. She swallowed hard, panic tumbling through her like a misstep down a flight of stairs.
Tears welled in her eyes and spilled freely. Lately, she'd been crying so much she wondered how she hadn't run out. She had begun to trust him—how foolish. His presence alone could chill the air, and his demeanor was even colder. She'd thought, perhaps naively, that she could change him. But now, all she wanted to change was her fate.
Why did this always happen to her? All she ever dreamed of was freedom and adventure. Instead, she found herself tangled with a deranged vampire who loathed her very existence—and another one who had nearly killed her.
Meanwhile, Ivy watched through a narrow crack in the door, her expression twisted with annoyance. Her brow furrowed, lips pressed tightly together.
"Great," she muttered to herself, "now I'm stuck with this imbecile."
Her tone dripped with irritation, her disdain growing stronger by the second. "I can't wait to get rid of her."
Ryak had told Ivy he was going to the mountains—to clear his mind, and maybe his conscience too. He said he'd be gone for a few days, but Ivy was sure it would be longer. She saw it in the way his lips pressed tightly together, in the anxious twitch of his jaw. He'd never been like that before.
He's not falling in love with her... Is he? Ivy thought bitterly.
She remembered vividly how he had once yanked her by the hair and whispered coldly that he would never love her—or anyone. Yet now, some girl shows up out of nowhere, and everything is falling apart. That girl was ruining her plan. Ryak was supposed to take her blood, make her his blood slave. But instead, she's the one losing control. She's the one becoming the slave.
And Ivy wasn't going to let that happen. She never will.
The door creaked open wider.
Ivy stepped inside, arms crossed, eyes sharp.
"Still alive, huh?" she said flatly, as if annoyed. "Lucky you."
Penelope's eyes flew open. Her eyebrows lifted as she sucked in a breath.
"Don't worry," Ivy sneered. "I'd love to finish the job that was left undone. But then, my hands would be covered in your vixen blood."
Her nose wrinkled. Her lips curled with disgust. Her eyes narrowed to slits.
Penelope, however, simply closed her eyes again, as if trying to shut the world out. She shrank into herself, buried in despair, silently wondering when it would all end—when she could go home.
She had never regretted her choices. Until now. Now, all she wanted was to undo everything.
Penelope didn't answer.
What could she even say?
"Thanks for the hospitality?"
"Sorry I bled all over your floor?"
Ivy took a step closer, her boots clicking softly against the wooden floorboards. The sound was deliberate—a warning. She leaned down just enough for Penelope to feel the heat in her voice.
"I told you Ryak doesn't care about you," she whispered. "He doesn't, and he never will. You're just... new. Different. Temporary. He only kept you here because you have something he needs."
Penelope flinched but stayed silent.
What is she talking about? Penelope wondered. What do I have thatRyak needs badly enough to kidnap me for it?
My Blood?
But every human has blood.So what's so special about mine?
Ivy straightened, clearly irritated by the silence.
"Say something," she snapped. "Come on—scream, cry, beg if you have to. That's what you're good at, isn't it?" She let out a dark chuckle. "I really want to hear you scream."
Still, Penelope refused to meet her eyes.
Ivy's fists clenched at her sides. She wanted blood—but not just the kind that stained the floor. She wanted to see Penelope break mind, heart, and soul.
That would be the real victory.
Not just bruises.
Ruin
Ivy turned abruptly and stalked toward the door.
"You're going to love what I have planned for you next," she smirked, then stepped out, slamming the door behind her with enough force to rattle the hinges.
Penelope was left alone with her thoughts.
What's next? she wondered. Another beating... Or the final deal
With tears streaming down her face, Penelope thought, How can someone be so cruel ? No food no water… She sniffled softly before wiping her eyes. Why am I eventhinking about food ? It's only the living who eats and it's a miracle I'm still alive. She sobbed quietly, her fingers lightly brushing the bandage on her neck.
Every living person has a purpose, but what was hers? None. She had none.
Meanwhile, Ivy stormed into the living room, her boots clicking angrily against the floorboards. Her lips trembled, and the muscles around her mouth and eyes twitched as a tear slipped down her cheek. Without thinking, Ivy used a finger to wipe it away. She stared at the finger for a moment, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise and her nose wrinkling in disgust.
Am I crying? she thought, scoffing. She sat down in one of the chairs, glaring intensely at the floorboards.
What am I becoming? she wondered, her mind racing. No not again. I won't be abandoned and I wouldn't be forgotten again. Not this time, not forever she whispered to herself as she clenched her fist, her thoughts darkening as she remembered the parents who had raised her. The devils in flesh.
All this time, Ivy believed everything was going exactly as she wanted. She thought everything would be alright—that nothing and no one could take Ryak away from her. He was the only person who had ever helped her, even if he did it for his own reasons. Ryak needed someone to do all his dirty work, and Ivy agreed after he saved her from her abusive parents.
Her parents didn't just neglect her; they abused her—emotionally and physically. They had always wanted a male child, and when they got her instead, their disappointment turned into cruelty. They were so unhappy with her that they would've gladly given her away for free to marry an old, wealthy man who was also a pervert.
In fact, that was exactly what they were about to do—when Ryak accidentally showed up. He saved her, not out of kindness, but because he was searching for a sidekick to assist him with a case involving rare, powerful blood and an ancient prophecy.
It was then that she knew she had found the one, and she would not lose him, especially not to some sly seductress.