Page 50 of Crown of Death

Vampire.

Cyrus is avampire.

Edmond is avampire.

Mina,Fredrick.

Allvampires.

And Cyrus is one hundred percent sure that I will be one some day,too.

But how can I believe him? How can I be one hundred percent sure? Cyrus says I have to die, but what if that’s it? What if he’s wrong, and I don’t wake back up after four days like hesays?

And thenwhat?

I’ll have to live here at one of the Houses? I’ll drink blood and lose all my humanity? Because, so far, none of the ones I have met seem to have much ofit.

Fitfully, I toss and turn in my larger than king sized bed. When I do sleep, my dreams are full of fangs. Full of cold castles. Filled with faces and faces and never-ending generations of childvampires.

I’m plagued by my own thoughts all throughout thenight.

When dawn finally crests through the open window in my bedroom, I’m exhausted. Butrelieved.

It’s time to deal with myreality.

I drag myself from the bed and head into the ornate and massive bathroom. Inside, I find an outfit hanging, ready for me to puton.

If they’re going to be picky and judgmental about what I wear, I’m going to ownit.

I shower. I dry my long, dark hair and style it into a severe and complicated up-do. I go heavy and dark with mymakeup.

Then I slip into the black pencil skirt. Red stitching outlines every feature. I pull on the top, thin, nearly sheer white fabric with a complicated lace overlay that shows off my shoulders and is open down the middle of myback.

I look at myself in themirror.

I look terrifying. Like I could command the world to crumble and it wouldobey.

Filled to the brim with confidence, overflowing with determination, I walk across my bedroom, and throw the doorsopen.

For some reason, I expected Cyrus to be standing there, waiting forme.

So, when it’s Mina standing there, I stop in mytracks.

“The Royal family is waiting for you,” she says with her heavyaccent.

Without waiting for me to catch up to speed, she turns, and walks out of thesuite.

I notice that the windows that once granted such a spectacular view of the city last night, are no longer anywhere to be found. Where they once were, there are now only mirroredwalls.

I follow, taking care not to trip in my highheels.

She guides us back to the elevator, and then we rise up, but not for long. It slows, and opens backup.

It immediately reveals a massive space. A wide-open ballroom with black floors and black walls. The roof rises high. High enough I only see black above us. And hanging from the ceiling, there are four gigantic mirroredchandeliers.

Every bit of the House of Valdez has been dazzling and overwhelming. I’m constantly looking all around me, inawe.

So, it takes a moment before I even notice the line of people across the greathall.