After failing as a vampire hunter, 17-year-old Cleo is sent to an academy full of vampires as a false peace treaty. Her true objective is supposed to be finding the hidden heir to the dark world while befriending the current one, but the current hei...
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Coming back into consciousness was painful. Nausea rolled over me, and I had to fight the urge to vomit. My head pounded, and I tried to bring my hands to my face, only to find them chained above me.
That startled me into opening my eyes. At first, I couldn't see anything, but my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. I took in the dirt floor, the cement walls, the heavy iron bars across from me. A weight settled into my gut as I realized I was in some kind of prison cell. I pulled on my arms again only succeeding in causing more pain to myself as the metal cuffs dug into my wrists.
Slowly, the soreness in my arms started to creep in and I let them go limp, letting them hang there as I adjusted my footing. At least my feet weren't chained, too. I could work with that.
Where the hell am I? What happened?
My memories were foggy. The more I tried to think, the more my head hurt. I winced and swallowed hard as my stomach threatened to empty its contents again.
The screeching sound of a metal door opening made me stand alert again, my heart racing in my chest. A moment later, two men appeared behind the bars of my cell, leering at me.
I froze.
Hunters.
The same ones who'd come for me at the academy.
"Our little girl is finally up," one of the men cooed as he unlocked the cell door, gliding it open.
I pulled against my restraints again. This wasn't good.
"Don't look so scared."
"I'm not," I said through gritted teeth. "Aren't you the ones who are? Isn't that why you have me chained up? Afraid I'll knock you out again?"
His hand met my cheek and my head snapped to the side. "Shut up."
I didn't react to the pain outwardly, but inside, panic was beginning to rise. Last time they had said they didn't need to take me alive. If he wasn't hesitating to hit me, that meant I wouldn't get out of this uninjured if I put up too much of a fight. I had to be careful here. For now, I had to go along with whatever they wanted. If I wasn't dead yet, chances were, they at least didn't plan on killing me.
And as long as I was alive, I could escape eventually.
The hunter's hand returned to my face, but I didn't flinch. When he caressed my cheek, I went stock-still. "You're growing into such a fine young woman, aren't you?" I turned my head to the side as he gripped my jaw firmly. "Too bad you're so disobedient." He released me again, shoving my shoulder hard. "All that work your father put into you was for nothing."
I lost my balance and fell back against the cement wall, the concrete scratching my back through the thin fabric of my shirt. I repositioned my feet, trying to get purchase on the dirt, gripping the chain for support.
