Blood Knight

La Prefazione

I crept silently down the dimly lit corridor, trying to control my breathing as the voices grew louder. Flickering light arose from around a corner, the heat from a torch warmed my skin. 

"She needs to know the contract now! I don't care what Alistair has to say, this agreement must be addressed and soon before our enemy takes us by surprise again. Do you remember what happened in 1821?"

"Yes, I remember," I could feel my breath catch in my throat. Monticello? Who was he talking to? "But this time it's different. We only need wait for three more weeks, and the agreement will be in full."

What agreement were they talking about? Was Monticello hiding something from me?

"Monticello if we wait any longer then both our families will be in ruin by the end of the year. Do you want that to happen?"

"No, of course not," Monticello's voice was clipped, void of any emotion. Like always.

"Then we must let the girl and her family know now, before it's too late. I know it may seem like an awful thing, Monticello. But it can't be any worse then the blood of thousands of vampires on your hands."

"Rumis, please, we can't tell her just yet."

I could hear a slight exhale of breath. The man Rumis had sighed sharply. "Do you remember what your father had told you those many years ago? That on Stella's 20th birthday she would-"

My eyebrows knitted together as I held my breath. Was he-

He stopped talking suddenly and I could hear the sound of clothing ruffling together.

"Is someone there?" 

Crap.

My thoughts went wild for a possible escape out of here, but I didn't have one. Both corridors stretched for an extra few hundred feet on either side of me, and Monticello and Rumis were around the other corner. I was trapped. 

Feet scuffled against the stone floor as the torch light grew brighter. I did my best to hide my strained breathing as my heart pounded against my chest. 

"Uh...Rumis, why don't we go back to the banquet hall? I'm sure my father would be disappointed to see that his right hand man wasn't in attendance."

There was a pause, and the pit pat of feet gradually began to fade. "We'll continue this discussion later Monticello."

"Of course."

The man Rumis had disappeared down the hallway, but I could tell Monticello had not left his position. Had he found me out? What if-

"Stella."

My heart sunk a hundred feet as the breath I was holding was released. I could feel my hands shake as I peered around the corner. Monticello was standing stiffly, the torchlight casting harsh shadows across his face. He wasn't angry, or upset. Actually, I couldn't read what emotions he was feeling.

"You caught me," my voice didn't sound confident, just shaky. I quietly bit the inside of my cheek.

"What are you doing out of bed?"

"Well...I-just..." I couldn't find a proper excuse for my disobedience. I had none, like always. I inhaled deeply and exhaled, trying to calm my nerves. "I was curious why you weren't by my door. You said you would be if I needed anything."

"Yes. Something came up. This was an exception."

My lips pursed as I studied his expression carefully. No matter how hard I looked, I couldn't depict what he was thinking. Always a mystery. "Why?"