Sold to the Night Lord - Chapter 88: Chapter 88

It sounds hollow. I drum my fingers on the vanity, impatient. When she finishes my hair, I stand abruptly, dragging the stool with me. I yank a loose black dress from the wardrobe—something I can manage alone—and belt it tightly. Flat shoes next, then I’m striding for the door.
"What are you doing?"
"Seeing for myself how busy he is."
She grabs my wrist. The world tilts, but I won’t back down.
"Don’t go."
"Why?"
"Just don’t."
I click my tongue, angry—not at her, at myself. Now I see it: pity in her eyes. My fault. I’ve made people pity me.
I wrench free and storm out, knowing exactly where to go. Saci whisper as I pass, but I ignore them. Let them talk. About my scars, about Cassian, about my sanity—I don’t care.
Cassian’s wing is colder, darker. I march past doors, around corners, until I reach the long hall leading to his chambers. My fist is raised to knock—when the door swings open.
A young woman, maybe my age, with golden waves cascading over her shoulders, blinks up at me with bright blue eyes. And just behind her, towering over her slight frame—Cassian.
"Oh, Elara. I suppose no one told you." Cassian’s voice drips with mock surprise. "Your services are no longer required."
I look up at him, confused.
"This is Maryse," he continues, gesturing to the golden-haired girl beside him. "My new feeder. From now on, she’ll be the one to sustain me."
I don’t understand.
The girl shifts uncomfortably, her dress rustling as she adjusts her weight.
"Maryse, if you’d retire to your chambers," Cassian says smoothly. "I’ll see you at dinner tonight."
Dinner?
The girl nods stiffly, offering me a tense smile before slipping past. I don’t watch her go. My gaze is locked on Cassian—on the smirk twisting his lips.
"What the hell is this?" I finally snap.
"What’s what?"
"You’re replacing me with her?" My laugh is jagged. "And since when do I offer my services? You’ve always taken what you wanted without asking."
"Since when are you so particular about wording, Elara?"
"I’m not." I tilt my chin up. "Just wanted to know what was stealing your time. Now I do."
I turn sharply, already walking away when his voice lashes out—cold, deliberate, designed to flay me open.
"Don’t tell me you came here begging for my attention." A cruel chuckle. "This is why I don’t involve myself with humans. So emotional."
I whirl on him, serpent-quick despite the dizziness clouding my head. My teeth grind together, fire scorching my veins. I want to break something. Him. My nails bite into my palms, drawing blood—I know it by the way his nostrils flare, scenting it.
"I’m Elara Voss. I don’t beg. Ever. My name might not be as grand as yours," I jab a finger at his chest, "but mark my words—one day, you’ll be on your knees. And I’ll be there to watch."
"I’ll wait with bated breath, little beast."
"Rot in hell, Cassian."
"Oh, Elara," he murmurs. "We’re already in it."
I stare at him one last time, disgusted with myself for ever believing he wasn’t the monster I first thought. Wrong. I was just a game to him. Worse—a toy, outgrown and easily replaced by something shinier. His gaze burns into me, but I don’t care anymore. I walk away before I shatter and give him the satisfaction.
Now I understand the whispers. Everyone knew. Even Evanora.
When did this happen? Yesterday? While I was recovering from an attack by his enemies, he was out finding a new pet to torment.
It shouldn’t matter.
I slam into my room—empty, thankfully—and the door rattles in its frame. Pacing like a caged animal, I glance at the balcony. Not caged anymore.
The cool air does nothing to soothe me. My hands tremble; I clench them, praying the shaking stops when I open them again.
I was a fool to think any of this meant something to him. Covering my face, I curse myself for letting him touch me, for believing his lies about respect.
The horizon taunts me. Freedom. My eyes burn, but I refuse to cry. One tear would crack the dam.
A dangerous thought takes root. The balcony isn’t that high. With a makeshift rope…
"I won’t die here," I whisper.
Decision made, I tear sheets from the bed, knotting them into a rope. I yank it taut—strong enough.
I’m leaving. Let his fury come. Maybe his indifference will save me—after all, what’s one lost human to him?
The door creaks open. Damn it. Evanora slips in, unsurprised by the scene.
"I knew this would happen," she says. "Don’t rush. If you let me plan—"
"I won’t trade one cage for another."
"With us, you’d never be caged," she snaps.
A hollow laugh escapes me. "Don’t lie. You live in that camp like a cult—rules, suspicion, no outsiders."
"We’re family."
"One I don’t belong to."
She steps closer, hesitant, as if I might hurt her. The irony stings.
"And what will you do out there? Die? If Cassian doesn’t find you, something else will."
"If I stay, I die anyway. At least this way, it’s on my terms."
Evanora grabs my hand, squeezing. "This is a game, Elara. He’s provoking you—and it’s working."
"I don’t care." My voice cracks. "I should’ve left sooner. I’m a prisoner."
Her face softens. Resigned, she pulls a wrapped bundle from behind her back.
"I’d hoped to take you with me," she admits. "Here. Food—not much, but enough for a few days." She tucks it into my bag. "Run fast, far. The woods are dangerous, but the roads worse. Cassian will send hunters."
"I know."
She hesitates. "Find Eleazar."
"What? Why?"
"He’s Cassian’s enemy. And at the camp… he noticed you. He’d protect you."
"I won’t be another vampire’s pet."
"His faction fights for change. It’s an option."
I shake my head, but she catches my face, pressing her lips to my forehead. A strange warmth tingles through me as she murmurs in an ancient tongue.
"A temporary veil," she explains. "You’ll be unseen. Use it well."
I nod, hurrying to the balcony. The sheet-rope unfurls into the dark. Evanora watches, jaw set.
"Thank you," I whisper. "I won’t forget you."
Her smile crinkles the corners of her eyes. "Nor I you. Now run."
I descend, the fall at the end just short of bone-breaking. A stumble, but I land upright. When I glance up, the rope is already gone.
Run. Run. Run.
That’s my life now. Better than a gilded cage, better than letting the castle devour me alive. How stupid I was to think this place made me feel alive.
I don’t know how far I’ve gone when phantom fingers brush the walls of my mind. I shake them off.
"No," I tell the empty air. "I’m done playing fate’s game. I’m my fate now. Goodbye, Cassian."
All I needed was a push to see the truth.
At least he had the decency to shove me.