The Lost Mate

Lillian

More than a week had passed since Max had come and gone, and I was beginning to wonder if the whole encounter in the music room had even happened.

It was evening, and I stood in the extravagant entryway hall with a couple of other female wolves, dressed in a skimpy, slinky black dress that showed too much cleavage and was cut too high on my leg.

At first I’d hated showing so much skin around anyone besides my mate, but I’d become desensitized to it over time. And we werewolves were fortunate that our blood apparently gave us a bad scent as far as most vampires were concerned, and it couldn’t be hidden even with deodorizers or perfumes because it was deeper than our skin. Thanks to that, I was sometimes subjected to leers and harassment from the more coarse , but otherwise left mostly unmolested.

Our fellow slaves who were human weren’t so fortunate. I’d learned to steel myself against caring about them too much, because close to half of the humans who had been here when I’d first been brought were gone. Whether they were dead or resold to a new terrible fate, I didn’t know.

Fae blood was a rare treat for vampires, but unlike the humans, Montgomery set a high price on feeding off of them and was very stern about mistreatment of his property. As for the other kinds of creatures, their treatment really seemed related to demand from the monstrosities preying on them. Apparently some vampires would pay a lot to get their teeth into a harpy.

I was pulled from my thoughts by the opening of the doors announcing the first guests of the night. I hurried forward, several wine glasses of blood on a platter in my hands. Like everything else, it had taken time, but I’d become used to ignoring the way that everything smelled of iron and death around these creatures. I was very accomplished at pretending I smelled nothing, just like I was much better at hiding my fear.

I pasted on my hostess smile and welcomed the three vampires by name as I handed them their beverages. I pretended I didn’t notice how one vampire’s eyes was trained on my butt as I led them deeper into Montgomery’s lair, down a wide hall that led to the huge hall where the bulk of the non-blood related amusements were located.

I methodically repeated the process with subsequent guests, until a pair I didn’t recognize presented themselves. The male had black hair sculpted back from his face, and the female wore a deep green dress and had dusty blond hair swept back into an elegant chignon. I noted that the male’s tux had green accents that matched his partner’s dress, as if the two had intentionally coordinated. The frivolous care they guests took with their appearances to come to this hall of horrors disgusted me.

I led them over to the registration desk and checked their invitations, contacting Montgomery about the new arrivals, since he liked to personally welcome new guests.

Once I had their visit registered, I bid them follow me deeper in. The male looked around with curiosity, the female kept her cold gaze straight ahead, as if she was already bored by everything in existence, Montgomery’s delights included.

I doubted she’d be back anytime soon, but then then again she hadn’t yet experienced the sadistic wonderment of Montgomery’s circus. Perhaps she would become addicted to it like so many others before her.

We went down the long hallway, lit with intricate light fixtures, and I opened the door to the main attraction. The cold female swept the room without the appearance of interest, while the male’s eyes widened at the sight.

It was impressive, if a person didn’t know that it was built on the backs of the terror, pain, and suffering of helpless creatures, human and supernatural alike. The hall was dramatically lit and huge with vaunted ceilings, decorated part like an extravagant club for the ultra wealthy. It was part curiosity freak show, and part elite blood bar.

The calibre of guests matched the decor, the majority of these vampires were ridiculously wealthy, their bodies covered in formal designer clothing and dripping with gems as they watched the spectacle of other creatures performing feats of beauty, physical prowess, and magic.

Even now, I watched as the eyes of this new male vampire found poor little Autumn’s mother and raked over her. She was dressed in a revealing costume, her wings out as she contorted her body around a high wire. The performance was half circus performance, half stripper. Her act was far less dangerous for a fae than for a regular human, but still equally degrading.

At the sight of new guests, Montgomery hurried up to us, a deceptively wide smile on his evil face with a pretty young human female dressed in almost nothing scurrying behind him obediently. When he reached us, he extended his hand to the gawking male and then kissed the hand of the unimpressed female with a salesman’s enthusiasm.

“Welcome, my friends, to the Cirque du Sang,” he said, extending his arm away from us with a dramatic flourish to encompass the whole room.

“Impressive, Montgomery,” said the male, his eyes flicking back to the fae on the high wire.

“You’re drawn to the performance? Perhaps you may have a chance to meet Amy afterwards, if you’re so inclined,” Montgomery offered jovially. “For a price, of course. She’s a rare talent.”

“Indeed,” said the new vampire with a smile that sent a shiver up my spine. The woman accompanying him mimicked his expression, but it was as cold as every other movement I’d seen her make.

“Let me introduce you to the delights found within my sanctuary.” Montgomery waved me away dismissively before starting a tour of his cruelties with the same enthusiasm as Jonas showed me his scribbled art. The male vampire extended his elbow to the female, and she placed her hand on it as they followed their host.

I retreated back to my work station, only to find both girls busy with new arrivals, and the door opening again to reveal the next guest.

My throat when dry and my heart pounded when I saw who had arrived.

“Ah, Lillian, my favourite pretty little mutt,” said the newcomer, a sparkle that terrified me in his soulless blue eyes. He was fair of hair and incredibly handsome, but I had seen the corruption of the soul beneath that gentlemanly facade too clearly to ever be fooled by appearance or mannerism.

Pushing down my fear, I curtseyed towards Wulfric, my waking nightmare. My feelings meant nothing, because I still had to play my part. I smiled as sweetly as possible. “Welcome, my lord. How was your journey?”

“Excellent,” he said, and I swallowed hard. I didn’t bother offering because I already knew this one didn’t want a glass of blood because he wouldn’t want to spoil his appetite for later. I quickly led him down the long hall, his footsteps like the sound of a predator behind me.

“Thank you,” he said once I had escorted him inside. “I’ll be seeing you later.”

His words sent another shiver of fear down my back, but neither was I surprised by the threatening promise. Every time he came, he fed on me. Every nightmare that I had that wasn’t caused by Stonemason or Montgomery featured his influence.

I couldn’t afford to break down. I couldn’t afford thoughts of Max to weaken me. Taking a few deep breaths to try to calm my shaking, I hurried back down the hall to the entryway to fetch my next guest.