Looking into her mirror in her bedroom, Lucette twisted to the side and smoothed her hands down her ribs and over her hips. Just days from her sixteenth birthday, she finally had the womanly figure everyone claimed she would. Dressed in her exercise clothes, the closest thing to a slayer uniform she owned, her new curves were easy to see—even if she was still broader in the shoulders and more solid and muscular than most girls.
Her hair had grown again too, but she kept it cut just below her shoulders. It was long enough to put into a tight braid and out of the way for training, but short enough to keep some spring in her curls when her hair flowed around her face.
Her mother had been right about something else, too. Her oversized blue eyes, sharp cheekbones, and strong brows didn’t look so freakish anymore. She finally saw her resemblance to her father, as if she were the softer, more feminine version of his handsome self. Boys had certainly noticed, too. She no longer worried that they were flattering her just to please her father, but so far, not one of them had made her feel even a fraction of what she had for Tristan. Ever since he’d gone back to Judra, she hadn’t heard a word from him. Not that she’d expected to. He didn’t know where to write her, even if he wanted to. He didn’t even know her real name.
Enough about boys, she thought. Now that she was about to turn sixteen, her main priorities were keeping her hands prick-free and her neck bite-free. She picked up a stake and the wood felt secure in her hand, but she looked down at her gloves lying on the bed alongside the dress she’d worn that day. If she wanted to keep handling stakes after her birthday, she should get used to holding them with gloved hands. A splinter would spell disaster.
But before she could put the gloves on, something crashed outside her bedroom door. She spun toward the sound, instinctively moving into a fighting stance. A guard always stood outside her door—one of a group her mother trusted with their secrets—but she heard another crash and knew something was definitely wrong. Still holding her stake, she ran over to the door and then opened it slowly.
According to her father’s crazy rules—rules she always followed while at the palace and under his watchful eye—she wasn’t supposed to handle doorknobs herself, not even with her gloves on, but she didn’t have time to go back for her hand protection. Besides, she had three whole days before she turned sixteen. It didn’t really matter yet.
She glanced down the hall, but there was no sign of her guard. She crept into the corridor, moving silently, her senses on high alert, just as Tristan had taught her. From around the corner of the corridor emerged two men locked in combat. One was her guard who fell onto his back, and an impossibly fast male—he had to be a vampire—leaped into view. The vampire bent, picked up the guard by his lapel, and began to bite. Lucette sprang into action, rushing forward, adrenaline pumping though her veins.
Two of the palace slayers leaped for the vampire, but the creature deftly slithered out of their way and headed toward Lucette.
“Princess, back to your room!” one of the slayers commanded. Instead, Lucette planted a perfect side kick into the advancing vampire’s chest.
Clearly not expecting that, the vampire staggered backward. But before he could decide whether to attack her or deal with the slayers coming up from behind, she ran, did a round-off to gain power, and then planted her foot in the side of his head. She landed with her stake ready, but couldn’t bring herself to plunge it into the dazed creature’s flesh. Up close, it looked so human, so alive, so clearly terrified at finding itself at her mercy.
She was still looking into the vampire’s eyes when one of the slayers drove a stake into it from behind. She staggered back.
This was nothing like seeing a straw dummy staked, or even watching real slaying from a safe distance. She covered her mouth with her hand, hoping she wouldn’t be sick.
The slayers and her guard snapped to attention, and Lucette spun to the side to see why.
She gasped.
“Lucette!” Her father shook with rage. “When, where, and how did you learn to do that?”
“I don’t blame her, I blame you.” Lucette’s father glared at her mother.
Lucette cringed. “But, Dad, it was all my idea. I pressured her, I begged her.” That wasn’t exactly the truth, but if it helped keep the peace, lying was worth it. “I wanted to know a few slayer moves, in case the worst happened.”
Listening, her father’s face softened, but then his anger returned. “It doesn’t matter whose idea this was. If this has been going on behind my back for nearly three years . . .” He shook his head slowly, his eyes narrow and his lips tense. “This is an unforgivable betrayal.” He turned to his wife. “You had to know that.”
Lucette’s mother held her chin high. “I suppose I did.”
“Yet you did it anyway.”
“I did it to keep our daughter safe.” Her mother’s voice was calm yet determined.
“To protect her, you thrust her into abject danger?” He looked at her mother with so much scorn it made Lucette’s skin crawl.
“You’re a fool if you think you can stop this curse.” Her mother stomped her foot, losing a bit of her control. “If you had your way, she’d be thrust into the darkness totally unprepared. She’d get bitten the first night.” Her mother looked down, as if ashamed by her outburst.
“Mom, Dad,” Lucette began. She could fix this. She had to. She might be the reason they were fighting, the reason they always fought, but she could also be the reason they made up.“Can’t we put this behind us? I know you both want me to be safe and happy. Dad, I know you want to prevent the curse from happening”—she stared at her ungloved fingers—“and Mom wants that, too. We all do. But if the worst happens, at least I’m prepared for that now. Isn’t that a good thing?” She forced a smile onto her face. “I’m so lucky to have you two as parents.”
Her father crossed his arms over his chest. “Lucette, please leave the room.”
“Why?” Her throat tightened.
“Because I need to have a private word with your mother.” His voice was so hard, so sharp. He had never spoken to her in that tone before.
“She can stay if she wants,” her mother said. “This concerns her, and she’s nearly sixteen. You can’t treat her like a child anymore. You’ve been pushing her to date since she was barely thirteen, and yet you want to shelter her from the very real dangers she faces. You can’t have it both ways, Stefan.”
“And you can’t have it both ways, either. You can’t expect me to trust you, when you’ve deceived me in the most blatant manner. In fact, all of this is a direct result of your betrayal. If you’d just invited her . . . What else have you been lying about? How else have you betrayed me?”
“I have not betrayed you. Ever.” Her mother’s voice shook.
“All you do is lie.”
Lucette felt tears rise in her eyes. She’d seen her parents fight many times, but never with such venom, never with this hate in their eyes. And it was all her fault.
If only she hadn’t been so determined to train like a slayer. If only she’d stayed in her room and let the slayers do their jobs. If only she hadn’t been cursed. Lucette looked back and forth between her parents, trying to think of something—anything—she could say to make this better.
“This is it,” her mother said, calm washing through her voice. “I’ve had enough.”
Lucette let a little hope sink back in. Maybe this was over. Maybe her mother would apologize and the nightmarish argument would end.
Her mother raised her chin. “I’m leaving you, Stefan. I’m moving back to my father’s estate, and I’m taking Lucette with me.”
Lucette felt as if she were being crushed. She turned to her father. He’d back down now. He wouldn’t let this happen.
“Fine,” her father said. “You can leave, but you are not taking our daughter.”
Lucette felt dizzy. The world felt distorted and upside down. It was now two days until her sixteenth birthday, and she sat on a chair in her bedroom, opposite her mother, faced with another impossible choice.
“Lucette,” her mother said, “you know how restricted your life will be if you choose to live with your father. If you think he was overprotective before, just imagine what he has in store after your birthday.”
“Why can’t you just stay?” Lucette’s voice came out high and whiny, and she was embarrassed that she didn’t sound more mature.
“That’s not an option.” Her mother’s voice was clipped. “You’ll love it on your grandfather’s estate. Rolling hills, sheep, and best of all, no vampires.”
“But what if I prick my finger?” Although it was horrible to think of being alone at night here in the palace where she’d lived her whole life, to be alone every night in the country—where she knew no one, didn’t know the area, and wasn’t convinced there wouldn’t be vampires—was terrifying.
There was a quick knock, and then the bedroom door opened. Her father strode into the room. “Have you decided, Lucette?”
Her lips trembled, and she fought to keep the rest of her body still. She was trained as a slayer, brave and strong. She could not break down, even though it was clear her parents weren’t changing their minds. They’d even refused to let her wait to make this decision until after her birthday.
She had to decide now.
If you were Lucette, what would you do?
OPTION A: Lucette should stay here with her father. Everything in her world is changing. If she stays here, at least one thing will remain constant. Her father might be way too strict with his rules, but with him, she has the best chance of preventing the curse from falling. With his rules, there’s no way she’ll prick her finger. If you think Lucette should choose option A, go to section 4: Glass Houses (page 113).
OPTION B: Lucette should go live with her mother. If she stays here, her father will have her living in a virtual bubble. The vampire attacks seem centered around the palace, so if she leaves, she might be safer if the curse does start. It feels cowardly to leave, since she’ll be the only one awake at night to defend the palace from vampires if the curse falls, but really, no one can expect one person—even one with slayer training—to protect the entire kingdom on her own. Besides, her mother has done so much to support her. If you think Lucette should choose option B, go to section 5: Country Living (page 147).