Chapter 2
Outside the window, under the rose trellis, a silvery-white shadow flashed by.
I didn't have time to wonder what it was.
I was on the third floor.
Down below lay the rose garden and a black iron fence.
Behind me, Darian called out my name.
He didn't call me a blood slave.
He didn't call me a blood bag.
I heard him calling out my name, Elizabeth.
But it was already too late.
I hugged my stomach and tumbled out the window.
The wind slashed across my face, and I closed my eyes.
Before I hit the ground, someone caught me.
A strange boy's voice murmured in my ear. "Don't make a sound. I'll take you away."
His hands were cold, but gentle.
When I opened my eyes, I found myself in the forest outside the castle.
The boy was running with me on his back, his short silver hair drenched by the rain and clinging to the back of his neck.
"Who are you?" I asked, my voice hoarse.
"Leo Martinz," he replied.
"Are you from the Warren family?" I asked.
"I'm someone the Warren family kicked out," he said.
Barking echoed behind us.
They weren't dogs.
They were the night hounds raised by vampires.
Leo set me down behind a tree and clamped his hand over my mouth.
"Don't breathe too loudly, or they'll catch the scent of blood," he whispered.
I nodded, my teeth clenched.
The blood bond mark on my wrist started burning, searing with pain.
It felt like something was snaking through my veins, forcing its way into my head.
The pain was so intense that my vision went dark, and I clawed my nails into the tree bark.
Leo's expression darkened when he saw my wrist.
"Did you sign a master-servant blood bond with Darian?" he asked.
I couldn't say a word.
He cursed under his breath, "You're insane."
The night hounds swept past, splattering mud onto the hem of my dress.
I caught the voices of the servants nearby.
"His Lordship said to bring her back alive," one of them muttered.
Another voice, hushed, replied, "Lady Isabelle changed the orders. The kid can't stay."
"But His Lordship said not to hurt her," the first protested.
"So, are you following the Earl, or the Council of Elders?" the second shot back.
I went rigid all over.
They were ordered to bring me back alive, and the child wasn't allowed to stay.
It turned out that even this was part of his plan.
Leo glanced at me. "Can you walk?"
"Yeah," I said, gritting my teeth.
But the moment I tried to stand, my knees buckled, and I collapsed.
Leo caught me, frowning. "That's what you call being able to walk?"
"I have to go," I insisted.
"You'll die," he said.
"I can't go back," I replied.
He paused for a moment, then suddenly pressed his wrist to my mouth.
I stared in shock.
"Drink," Leo said, his voice low.
"Wait, you're a vampire, too?" I was surprised.
Leo gave a crooked smile. "Yeah, but a bottom-tier, last-generation coven, nothing special.
"My blood can mask your bond mark for a bit. It won't hold forever, but it'll keep you safe till sunrise."
I stared at him. "Why are you helping me?"
Leo flashed a grin, showing a bit of fang.
"I was here to steal the Warren family's blood bond key. Didn't expect to see you dive out the window," he said.
"Steal the key?" I repeated, still confused.
"They locked up my kind. I figure I deserve some payback," he said.
He pushed his wrist closer to me.
"Besides, Darian doesn't want me alive. And I don't want to make his life any easier," he added.
I leaned in and bit his wrist.
His blood was icy cold, with a hint of bitterness.
As the searing pain ebbed away, I heard distant hoofbeats.
Darian was here in person.
Leo muttered a curse and dragged me down the hillside.
Rain poured even harder.
My skirt was shredded by thorns, and my ankles were cut open by rocks.
When we reached the edge of the territory, the blood mark on my wrist clamped down hard, pain shooting up my arm.
I dropped to my knees in the mud, a broken gasp tearing from my throat.
Leo glanced back. "Cross that river, and you're in human territory."
The river was swollen, and the water was high.
It was pitch black, so deep that we couldn't see the bottom.
I turned to look back.
At the edge of the woods, a tall figure stood in the rain.
Darian didn't come after me.
He stood there, watching.
The rain was so heavy that I couldn't see his face.
But his voice cut through the storm. "Elizabeth, come back."
I held my stomach protectively.
"You told me to get rid of the child," I said, my voice shaking.
Everything went quiet.
Then Darian took a step forward.
I spun around and dove straight into the river.
The water closed over my head, icy enough to make me almost lose my grip.
Leo seized my arm and dragged me toward the far bank.
I was choking on the water, unable to make a sound. All I could see was that figure on the shore, standing still.
Darian didn't call my name again.
But on my wrist, the blood bond mark split a thin line.
It hurt like hell.
The pain was so sharp that I didn't even have the strength to hate him.
Once we made it to the shore, Leo hauled me into a beat-up old truck.
The driver was a middle-aged guy with a thick beard. When he saw me covered in blood, he was so startled that he dropped his cigarette.
"Who's she?" he asked.
"A pregnant woman," Leo said.
The driver's eyes went even wider. "Carrying a vampire's child?"
Leo slammed his foot against the door.
"Drive," Leo barked.
As the truck rumbled to life, I grabbed Leo's sleeve.
"Is Darian going to come after me?" I asked, my voice shaky.
Leo glanced at the rearview mirror. "As long as my blood keeps covering your bond mark, he can't track you.
"But if you bleed, or someone breaks the bond, he'll sniff you out and come running."
I closed my eyes.
"Then let me die," I muttered.
Leo spoke softly. "Are you really okay with your child growing up without a father?"
I opened my eyes and looked out at the night, shattered by the rain.
"He has no father," I said.
Only the engine's roar filled the truck.
After a long silence, Leo finally said, "Starting tonight, you don't have a name."