Her skin was gray and her breathing shallow, and she was so gaunt Max could see almost every bone. He ripped off his cloak, and as he covered Bennett the best he could, he noticed a mark above her breast. Max wiped away the blood, partially hiding what he thought was a scar, and a second later, his hands began to shake and the color siphoned from his face.

“Holy Mother of God,” Yannick said under his breath. “Those bastards.”

Max flinched out of his thoughts and looked to the door. “Give me your cloak, man,” he said, holding out his hand. “She’s freezing.”

“Of course, of course,” Yannick said, nearly ripping the ties that held his cloak in place to get it off. Ignoring Max’s outstretched hand, Yannick gently placed his cape on top of Bennett and then began to roll up his sleeve. “She’s going to need this,” he said, holding out his wrist.

“No, she can’t,” Max said, waving him off.

“What do you mean? She needs blood.”

“I realize that,” Max said, raising his tear-filled eyes. “But they starved her, and if she feeds on one of us right now, she won’t stop until we’re drained.”

“Oh,” Yannick said, pushing down his sleeve. “Well, how about I volunteer one of Napoleon’s or Simeon’s flock, or better yet, how about I volunteer Napoleon or Simeon? It would serve them right.”

“And it would make us no better than them,” Max said, gathering Bennett’s lifeless body in his arms. “No, we need to get her back to my home in Bonn. It’s only a day’s ride, and in the shape she’s in, she won’t awaken soon. She’s alive, and that’s all that matters. The rest can wait until we’re away from this place.”

***

“I woke up the next night in Bonn, chained to a bed.”

Ruby’s eyes widened. “Chained to a bed? Why?”

“A blood-starved vampire is like a rabid dog, and Max knew if he didn’t restrain me, I would have ravaged his staff until I had my fill. Instead, whilst I was writhing and frothing, the members of his household came into my room one by one. He cut their wrists or their palms, and after they bled for a while into a goblet, they were sent on their way, and he poured the blood into my mouth. That lasted for well over a day before he finally trusted me with a wrist, and I fed properly, stopping long before I could do any damage.”

“Well, I sure hope that your council damaged Napoleon and Simeon for what they did. The fucking bastards.”

“They sentenced them to a decade of sleep.”

“Ten years? After they practically tore you apart, all they got was a ten-year nap?”