Stefan
My face twisted instantly. Why the hell was she messaging me, and how did she even get my number? I would have remembered giving it to that… person.
But as the voice note played, it became obvious there had been some sort of mix-up. The message wasn't meant for me. At least not at first. She rambled for the first two minutes, utter nonsense. I was just about to delete it when I heard it.
My name.
That alone made my finger hover over the screen instead of pressing delete.
"I don't think I've ever disliked a human on first sight the way I dislike Princess Stefan," she hissed.
Princess?
I scoffed out loud. Really?
She went on, unleashing a three-minute tirade that would have made even the filthiest sailor proud. I should have stopped listening. I really should have.
But I didn't.
And when she called me "a spoiled, arrogant, pretty boy with too much power and too little sense," I chuckled. Actually chuckled.
It was strange, having someone hate me so loudly, so vividly, and without fear. Most people either adored me or pretended to. Being the school's princess came with a cult of fake worshippers, not bold critics.
She might be the exception.
Still, one question gnawed at me. How did she get my number? Asking her directly was out of the question. That would have been beneath me.
So I did the next logical thing.
I blocked her.
Click.
Silence.
But the curiosity remained.
And so I did something completely out of character. I unblocked her.
Maybe I told myself it was just to reply. To shut her up. Maybe I wanted to call her out for her little rant. But when I finally had the chance, I didn't say a single word.
Why?
That question lingered, bothering me all week. I had no answer. Not until another voice note came through. One I didn't expect. One that shouldn't have affected me.
But it did.
"Princess saved my life. I haven't been able to thank him… not because I don't want to, but because of how unapproachable he is. Without him being on that rooftop that night, girl, I would've been dead," she said.
Her voice was softer this time. Tired. Raw. She went on, venting about how alone she felt in this place. How her roommate had been replaced without warning. And how that same roommate, the one who vanished without a trace, was now a growing concern no one seemed to care about.
I clenched my fist.
Phone abandoned on the bed, I stormed out of my room. The girl's disappearance had been a thorn in my side for days. I didn't want to admit it, but Hope was right.
The vampire faction had something to do with it.
More specifically, the Dominions.
Arrogant, bloodthirsty bastards.
They are obsessed with drinking straight from the source. No control, no discipline, just thirst disguised as elitism. They've tried to cozy up to me, pretending they wanted to serve my will. But I wasn't stupid. I knew what they did behind my back.
I used to keep them in check. Pull their seals from lockers when I didn't want someone targeted. It worked most of the time. If I claimed someone, they stayed off. That was the rule. The unspoken agreement.
But that day, I chose the wrong locker. Hers.
And she humiliated me for it. Attacked me.
I never cared about disrespect unless it came from the werewolves. That threatened my position. My blood. My title. But this time? This disrespect?
It got under my skin.
Because for the first time in my life, I actually wanted the Dominion to punish a person.
A part of me felt it was unfair to the little snow bunny, even though she deserved it.
Still, I liked to keep my word. I had said I wouldn't interfere with whatever the Dominions did to her, as long as they didn't take her life or cross certain lines. Extreme boundaries. That was all.
Yet I found myself strangely invested.
There was something about the way she handled their mild bullying. Head up. Pretending she could weather it. I bet she thought she was doing fine.
She had no idea they hadn't even started yet.
And when they did, I doubted she would want to remain in Raventon.
Almost two weeks passed.
No sign of the missing girl. Too long. The longest the Dominions had ever hidden someone. I knew what I had to do. Smoke out the culprit.
And what better bait than a vampire party?
The Dominions always hosted secret gatherings near the edge of the woods. Wild, reckless events that flirted with breaking every rule. I was always invited, but rarely attended.
Not this time.
This time, I showed up unannounced.
Dressed casually, I walked into their sacred little den of sin, and the surprise on their faces was worth every step.
Humans were there. Tipsy, high on vampire pheromones. Lured in with half-truths and broken promises. Willing blood slaves, most of them. But willing didn't mean safe.
Nadia spotted me first. Of course.
She stepped forward like a cat in heat, biting her lower lip as her eyes raked over me.
"You came," she purred, excitement laced through her voice.
I gave her a once-over. Her tank top barely contained her big chest, nipples perking, and her fake blonde hair was tied in twin pigtails. She kept smiling, like I was a prize she had just won.
"Stefan," Christopher called, raising a glass over the shoulder of a dazed human girl. "What a pleasant surprise."
He was Dominion too. A known offender.
I stared at the girl clinging to him, her pupils dilated, neck already marked. She looked more drugged than drunk.
"She's a willing blood slave," he offered with a smirk. "Contract and all."
I didn't bother responding.
Instead, I let Nadia drag me deeper into the party. The air thickened with tension. My presence made them uneasy. Good.
But it was Nadia I came for tonight, not the other way around.
I let her think she was in control until I shoved her lightly against a wall, fingers tilting her chin up to expose her neck. My stomach rumbled.
My fangs slid down.
I may have failed to mention, I preferred vampire blood to human. Stronger. Richer. More alive.
Without a word, I sank my fangs into her throat.
She gasped, soft and needy, and I almost got carried away until I felt it.
A presence. Familiar. Jarring.
I froze.
Snapping my head up, I found her.
Bellarose.
Frozen in place. Her eyes were wide. Her lips parted.
She had seen everything.