Little Doll (Blackmoth House #1)

Chapter 18

Chapter 1 8

Nova

Fane made some adjustments to certain parts of Blackmoth House to make them more accommodating to me in the daytime. I still spent a lot of time in my stone tower, and in Astrid’s quarters, so that she wouldn’t be lonely. But he covered the windows in my old room with blackboards so that I could have some place to go with Ren when she came to visit me. He also had the library windows fitted with iron shutters so that if we wanted to spend time there, Fane would go in first and shut out the light. He acted as if his mission in life was to keep me safe.

I saw more of my brother Draven in the days that followed. He asked about the strange boards over my windows and the dark shutters in the library. I claimed the onset of my crippling migraine headaches had caused me to shy away from light, and that changes had been made to help me.

It wasn’t really a lie. I suffered from a headache every other night, at least. Some nights, I didn’t even get out of bed. Fane would steal away into the woods and return with a dead fox or rabbit for me, but the access to newly dead blood hardly did anything to soothe my pain. When it got too bad, and when all else failed, Fane would secret me away to my stone room and allow me to feed from the hearty blue veins of his wrist. He would grimace at the crunch, but then a lovely smile consumed his face as he closed his eyes and tipped his head back.

I had to rely on my own self-control to stop in time. To refrain from changing him or killing him. Fane seemed to become too caught up in the feeling of my sharp teeth in him to stop me. It was almost as though he didn’t care if I turned him into a vampire accidentally.

Despite the pain, and the hunger… We settled into a slow and easy routine. Sometimes it was Fane and Ren and I, late at night in the garden with Astrid. It was so good to share the secret of our little vampire child with someone outside our clan, although our mother would have our heads if she knew.

Other times, Fane and I played board games in the library with Draven. More like I played, and Fane suffered through. I was glad to once again be in the company of Draven, but as my relationship with Mother deteriorated, I began to see why Fane hated him.

She had a way of making herself present with us and showering Draven with affection and praise, while sneering upon Fane and me with contempt and disdain. Where once she and I had shared a bond that had seemed unbreakable, now it seemed her love was reserved only for Draven. In truth, I began to struggle with dark and jealous feelings toward Draven, where in the past there had only been love.

All the same, all troubles were made better by Ren. Her presence. Her laughter, livening the corridors of Blackmoth House. Someone to share the magic of the place. Someone to share the burden of our secrets. To Fane and me, she became like another member of our family. A tight little secret family.