"No, they're great. I was just wondering... do I own them? Is that how this works?"
He puts his fork down and looks at me more closely. "Technically, yes. I know you find that distasteful, given where you're from and the values you were raised with. But here it is the way things have always been."
"So I own their contract then?"
He frowns. "Yes," he says carefully. "But that contract was sealed in blood. Even you cannot break it. Just as we could not break your mother's contract once it was secured."
"I understand. Thank you."
I take another bite and he just looks at me, likely wondering what I'm up to now. He'll find out soon enough.
Chapter 9
FINDING PURPOSE
"A princess? No. She's a bastard. A Shade. Everything she has in this life she's had to work for. My father... my father did not treat her kindly."
—Fenris Vane
I may not be able to break the contract, but I'm determined to improve it. I train late into the night with Fen, then wake early and finish breakfast before he and Baron return from their morning hunt. I'm leaving just as he arrives.
"You look to be in a rush," he says, when I nearly slam into him as he enters the dining hall.
"Just have some research I want to do," I say vaguely. I don't want to tell him my plan yet, because I don't want him to try to talk me out of it.
"Anything I can help with?" He raises an eyebrow, clearly curious about my intentions.
"Nope. I'll be in the library most of the day if you need me." He's standing so close to me I can smell him. I want to step back, to clear my head from the influence he has on me, but I don't. Instead, I step closer and lay my hand on his chest, pointing to a spot on his shirt. "Blood?"
He looks down and frowns. "Apologies. I'm usually more careful."
"Fen, yesterday when Rodrigo attacked me. He said something about how you don't let them feed properly. What did he mean?" I'd been thinking a lot about the hierarchal structure here with the different races, and some questions were starting to pop up. Like how did the vampires get their human blood?
"My realm is stricter than others about feeding on humans. It causes some... unrest." He averts his eyes and I can tell we are dancing on a sore subject.
"Do you feed on humans?" The thought of him doing so does not settle well with me.
"When I must." He steps back. "But I limit the frequency of trips to your world for feeding, and I've curtailed the keeping of more than a minimum number of human slaves in our world."
"There are human slaves here? For feeding on?" This is the first I've heard of that.
"Not many, and nearly none in Stonehill. My brothers aren't as particular. Weren't you in a hurry to get to the library?"
Feeling summarily dismissed I nod and wish him a good morning before leaving. Baron follows me, and I hear my two guards trailing far enough behind me that I don't feel totally stalked.
I explore the castle looking for the library. I could just ask Marco or Roco for directions, but I'd rather find it on my own and see what else I discover in the process.
Sadly, I do not find any secret passages or exciting rooms full of treasures. I do, however, find a room full of dusty furniture and rugs that look like they haven't been moved since the dawn of time. I also find several empty chambers, that Marco informed me had been empty as long as he could remember. "The Prince isn't much of a decorator," he tells me. Roco smirks at that.
When I finally discover the library, I feel as if I've found the heart of the castle. Roco and Marco stand outside the door, apparently confident that nothing will harm me within the sacred walls of so many books. I've always loved libraries, always loved being surrounded by books, so many books I could never read them in a lifetime.
And this library, with its ancient scrolls and leather-bound books, is full of its own kind of magic. The room has a high ceiling spanning several floors, with stairs going up, and tall rolling ladders spread throughout to help access books and scrolls on the highest shelves. It smells of old leather and parchment and magic and mystery. I run my hands over the spines of books I've never seen, never even heard of. Books not written or available in my world. The thought boggles my mind.
"May I help you?" a deep voice asks.
I spin around, my heart pounding. "I'm sorry, I thought I was alone."
Before me stands a tall, lithe man with long white hair and a long white beard. He wears white robes with symbols embroidered into them in silver thread. His face is unlined, though his eyes and hair give the impression of agelessness. And his ears are pointed. He looks different than the Shade. Less vampire and all Fae.