“Get out.”

  The car door opened with a click. I sat up, blinking in confusion. We were parked in front of a large manor house fashioned to look like a small European castle. Boxy, with square towers at each corner, and rows of tall, narrow glass windows. Gardens surrounded it, hemmed in by trees.

  Rough hands grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the car. I stumbled, nearly falling to my knees.

  I looked up at Narvi as I straightened. He sneered and pulled a small knife from his pocket, pressing it against my heart.

  I froze.

  Narvi grinned and grabbed my arm, holding it up to his mouth.

  “Let’s take a taste. Were you worth all this trouble?”

  He pressed the knife into my chest a fraction harder. Any more and he would draw blood. He could kill me in an instant.

  “Enough.”

  Narvi froze, and for a fraction of a second fear flickered in his eyes. Then he growled, dropped my arm, and moved to stand behind me. He pressed his knife into the small of my back.

  I twisted to glance behind me. We were on a hill, and I could see a small town not too far away. Beyond the town, past the forests, was a tall stone wall.

  It will be difficult to escape, but not impossible.

  Tarian and his mother set off toward the manor. Narvi pushed me forward, knife still pressed to my back.

  The message was clear. Disobey and suffer.

  If I was hurt, I wouldn’t be able to escape. So I followed Tarian and the woman into the building through a set of small but elaborately carved wooden doors.

  We walked down a long corridor furnished with red and dark wood antiques, old art in gilded frames, and heavy tapestries depicting bloody battles.

  A servant carrying a large tray paused in the hallway. “Lady Eudora, the priest is waiting in the red drawing room.”

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  The woman waved her hand and the servant scurried off.

  Lady Eudora? I haven’t heard of her. From the way that servant spoke, I would have thought she’s the matron of the house. But I can’t imagine a vampire duchess and her children kidnapping anyone. Vampires in that position are usually too busy running their domains and playing politics with other vampire houses.

  I gulped as we wound our way through the halls. That the matriarch of this vampire town was interested enough in me to take time off was not a good sign.

  We stepped into a drawing room decorated in the same luxurious antique style of the hallway. Everything was red, the walls, the carpets, even the wood accents had a reddish tint. There were no windows, and the lights were dim and flickered like candles.

  A priest was sitting at an antique desk, leafing through a folder of documents. He stood as we approached, turning to face us and bowing to Lady Eudora.

  “My lady.”

  His eyes were ruby-red, like gemstones, his blond hair thinning and his robes the simple everyday garbs of priests. When he spoke, I could see the tips of his fangs. Definitely a vampire. And Lady Eudora was definitely the matron. But why would a priest be needed in this situation?

  Lady Eudora turned to me as the priest busied himself with the papers once more. She took my face in one hand, her long nails digging into my skin as she drew close.

  “You will take your father’s place,” she murmured, her eyes an inferno of dark flames. “Or you will die.”

  I took in a shaky breath as the matron’s hand slid away from my face and she took a step back. Her nails felt like knives, and the feeling of her touch lingered like trails of ice.

  The priest turned to face us, handing a sheet of paper and a pen to Tarian. “Sign this and we’ll be done.”

  Tarian nodded once, signed the document, and handed the paper to me. I took the document, then nearly dropped it in surprise.

  A marriage certificate? They can’t expect me…

  The knife pressed harder into my back. I felt a trickle of blood slide down my skin. I glanced up at Tarian. His eyes were hard and dark, his expression blank. They did expect me to go along with this.

  I looked down at the paper again. What kind of crazy were these people? Who would agree to this?

  Tarian’s signature stared back at me, stark black against the white paper. Tarian Basile…

  I’m not very familiar with this house. I don’t know if they’re serious. If I want to live, I don’t have a choice.

  I gritted my teeth. There must be some escape. A way out of this. Something.

  Narvi growled, the sound low and primal. I was running out of time.

  I signed the document and handed it to the priest. He took it, signed it, and shoved it back in his folder.

  “Is that all, Priest Turner?” Lady Eudora asked, her voice thick and sweet like syrup.

  The priest gathered up his documents. “Yes, my lady. I will have it delivered to the human government offices today.”

  What have I done?