*Esmerelda*
My scream cut through the air like the sharpest knife. I had no idea what came over me or why I decided to scream and gain the attention of more than a hundred vampires.
The entire courtyard became still, and a hundred pairs of hungry red eyes were directed to where Headmaster Greg and I stood.
The headmaster’s face remained cold as stone, but his knuckles were white. This was dangerous. It took me back to my first night at the school. Back then, just as it was now, these vampires wanted to feed on me.
But just like that first night, the very presence of Elijah and his laws deterred them. It was that thought that made me certain I would always be safe with him. It did not matter that he was the oldest and most powerful vampire. I only saw a young man who would do anything to save humans, not just me.
Elijah looked at me as well. His hand had been halted. The wooden stake had pierced through Richard’s flesh but had stopped just shy of his heart.