JENNIE
"I thought you might need something a little stronger than wine today."
The words seemed to come from a billion different directions at once, all clashing inside my brain.
With a groan, I peeled my eyes open and attempted to focus. A pale blob hovered above me. After a moment of frantic blinking, the shape slowly converged into a frowning Jisoo. In one hand she held a shot glass, which she promptly shoved beneath my nose.
The amber liquid smelled like mouthwash. I tried to refuse it with a shake of my head, but Jisoo wouldn't budge.
"Drink up," she said sternly. "Think of it as medicine. Should I get you a spoon full of sugar?"
I cracked a tired smile and warily eyed the drink again. Brandy, I suspected. With a sigh, I opened my mouth and Jisoo poured the contents in, watching as I choked it down.
"Good."
After setting the shot glass on the floor, she perched on the end of the bed. Today she wore a black sweater, paired with a set of black tights and leather boots that reached her knees. Her green eyes were guarded as they warily scanned my own.
"How do you feel today, Jennie?"
I didn't like her tone. Neither did I like the realization that I was neatly tucked in bed with my upper body propped against a wall of pillows. Not to mention that I felt—as Rosé would put it—like "shit scraped off someone's shoe."
My body hurt. My brain hurt. My goddamn eyes hurt. It took everything I had in me just to suffer the burn of the alcohol traveling down my throat without vomiting.
"What happened?" I sounded like someone on their death bed. Considering that I had been in that exact situation a few days ago, it wasn't really an exaggeration.
I couldn't resist the frantic impulse that had me glancing around the room, searching for so much as a hint of an IV pole, or one of those damned beeping machines—or even, god forbid, a doctor. The fear turned out to be in vain once I recognized the same, windowless room I had awoken in yesterday.
"You've been out for a few hours," Jisoo explained in response to my question. "Lisa thinks you must have had a bad reaction. It happens sometimes."
A reaction? "To what?"
She shrugged. "To the venom. It affects some more than others—"
"Venom?" The images of last night flooded back, one after the other: teeth and blood… I couldn't resist the almost childish impulse that had me wondering out loud, "So, is she a snake or a vampire?"
Vampire. I couldn't even begin to explain how strongly that word affected me. Goosebumps prickled all over my skin, which promptly brought up the realization that, once again, I had been stripped naked. At least the cuffs were gone, I saw, glancing down. The only sign of them was an angry red circle on the inside of each wrist.
"It's in their fangs," Jisoo said finally. "It subdues the victims they feed on. Makes them docile and speeds up their heart rate for easier …"
Bleeding.
She didn't say it, but I knew that was what she meant. My own heart in my throat, I brought a trembling finger up to my neck and wasn't really surprised when I felt the gauze of a bandage.
"She bit me."
It felt worse to say it out loud. Inside my head the event could have been just some sick, twisted little fantasy—a nightmare. Out loud, the words hit the air with the finality of a death sentence.
There went my sanity.
"Lisa's furious," Jisoo added. "Most people can handle at least five or six bites worth of venom. In her opinion, if you can't even handle two, then there really is no place for you here, is there?"
She made it sound like a challenge and I could clearly picture Lisa grumbling. All this time, wasted for nothing.
"Where is she?" I didn't really process the motion of my hand flying out to swipe the blankets from my legs, but the next thing I knew Jisoo was holding onto my shoulder as I swayed on my feet.
"Jennie—"
"Where is she?"
Suddenly, it felt very important to see her, my Devil in the flesh. What little of Jisoo's words I'd understood didn't sit right.
Venom. Reaction. No use …
If the bastard thought some teeny weensy fainting spell was enough cause to revert back to her 'name or money' ultimatums she had another thing coming. I took a step, only to stumble as a sharp pain travelled up and down my leg. I gasped—it felt like I'd been stabbed, but a glance down revealed the true culprit.
There was another gauze bandage taped to the inside of my knee. Oh. I vaguely remembered that she'd bitten me there as well.
"Easy …"
With surprising strength, Jisoo hauled me upright and steered me back to the bed. It was only when she politely draped a sheet over me that I remembered that I wasn't wearing anything at all.
"You should relax," she urged
I didn't want to relax. I wanted to see Lisa. I wanted to know why I currently sported her bite marks on my body.
You know why, idiot, a part of me hissed and I huddled beneath my sheet. You just couldn't leave well enough alone, could you?
"Lisa's not even here," Jisoo insisted as I tried in vain to stand again. "She rarely comes before sundown."
Her words placated me somewhat.
At least I had the time to recompose myself. After all, it was hard to be intimidating when you looked like death warmed up. I observed the translucent flesh of my hand, watching the indigo veins snake and wind underneath. I was about four shades paler than usual. My hair felt like a bird's nest set on top of my shoulders. Only God knew what I looked like full-on from the front.
You had a bad reaction ... Glancing at Jisoo from the corner of my eye, I wondered just how 'bad' she meant.
"The first few bites are always the hardest on the body," she went on, glancing down at my bandaged knee. "It can overwhelm the system and cause dizziness or fatigue—"
"But?" I could sense a very big one hovering over the entire conversation.
Nervously, Jisoo tucked a black lock of hair behind her ear. She wouldn't look at me. "But rarely do people faint. Even after more than one bite."
I was horrified. Being 'out for a few hours' was one thing, but 'fainted' just sounded so …weak.
What would Mother say? Tsk, tsk, Jennie, a true Kim never loses control.
"Just for a few hours," Jisoo confirmed. "Lisa was worried—"
I didn't know why, but the thought of that stern face twisted in concern for me made something in my chest twitch.
"Shw hates leaving a contract unfinished," Jisoo went on, dashing any suspicion that she might have actually cared for my welfare. "The whole thing is negated if the signing party is no longer able to fulfill their obligation."
Of course that would be the reason for her concern; the woman seemed to live only for her silly little contracts.
But you were foolish enough to sign it.
"So what does that mean?" I found myself asking of the wall while Jisoo inspected the fingernails of her right hand.
"The terms have changed," she said after a moment. "If you can't be bitten, then that complicates the whole issue of you working in a feeding Den, doesn't it?"
That it did.
It was stupid—I should have felt relieved. If what she was saying was the truth then I was home free through no fault of my own. I could, for all intents and purposes, tell good old Lisa to shove her contract up her ass, along with that pen and still keep my stupid pride.
But I wasn't relieved. More like …disappointed, annoyed, and angry with myself, of all things.
Silly little Jennie, too damaged to even properly sell her soul.
"I do think she is overreacting, however," Jisoo added softly. "It's rare, but if a client has exceeded the maximum number of bites per worker they sometimes resort to cutting. It gets the blood flowing, but without the injection of venom …"
Cutting? The thought of Lisa taking a knife to my skin was more terrifying than the fact that her teeth had already pierced through a vein.
I wasn't sure how long I sat there, staring at the floor, but it wasn't until I felt Jisoo's hand on my shoulder that I glanced up again. While I was distracted she must have left and come back, because now she offered me a black robe that I was sure she didn't have before.
"Let's get you cleaned up," she suggested. "I'm dying to get my hands on that hair."
Hours later, I was back in the red dressing room, sitting on a stool before the mirror while Jisoo brushed out my shorn, damp curls.
It was a strange comparison, but I almost felt as if I was back in Kim Manor while a servant did the same—albeit Jisoo was a lot gentler than the former.
"I was right," she declared while observing my chalky reflection in the mirror. "This haircut does wonders for you."
Wonders. I would have scoffed if I wasn't afraid that she might take offense. The only thing 'wondrous' about me was how damn strange I looked without a mane of curls to hide behind. My eyes were two emerald saucers staring from the gaunt face of a ghost.
"I don't think I was meant for short hair," I said seriously.
"Nonsense!" Beaming, Jisoo dragged the brush through my hair once again. "It gives you character."
I wrinkled my nose and observed my reflection, trying to see whatever she saw, this mysterious woman with character. After nearly five minutes I still hadn't found someone noteworthy, but Jisoo suddenly pulled away and placed the brush on the table.
"I'll be back." Without another word she slipped through the doorway, leaving me alone.
I could hear her footsteps retreating down to the longue. Voices came next, and then shouts, that quickly faded into murmurs.
When minutes passed, and Jisoo didn't return, I stood and found myself creeping into the hallway after her. The angry voices came again, though from this distance I couldn't tell who they belonged to.
"So what now?" a woman was demanding. Jisoo?
"Don't look at me. Ask your Master. She knows the code—"
"There you are."
My heart felt as if it stopped as someone spoke directly into my ear. I swear every ounce of blood in my body surged down to my toes. I recognized that voice, all right. Heart pounding, I turned around to face Lisa.
So much for her not visiting the club during the day.
She wore dark colors again: black pants and a deep indigo sweater that made those eyes gleam. They scanned my own coldly as if searching for any hint of emotion—to exploit, I guessed.
"Well, at least you're standing."
Her voice gave nothing away and I crossed my arms over my chest in an effort to hide just how badly they trembled. Jisoo said that she had been furious, but looking at her I couldn't tell. She seemed like the same, arrogant bastard who had barged into my bedroom; ice cold.
"It's a good thing I ran into you," she went on, advancing closer. With every step she took forward, I took two back. "It's better if we get this over with now."
Her hand fell over the door and I backed away until I was fully inside.
"Get what over with?"
"You're done—" She shoved something at me that I barely managed to catch; my plain, brown purse. "There's a car out front. It will take you back to—"
"B-But what about the contract?"
"Your contract?" Her eyes widened and narrowed in quick succession. Is she serious? I couldn't tell if she was more surprised by the fact that I was asking about that stupid contract or that I had dared to interrupt her. "'But what about it, Ma'am?'" she intoned nastily. "And we will revert to the terms that I first suggested."
Money and the family name.
"B-But …Jisoo said that only I could set the terms of my repayment."
Lisa gaped at me. Literally, her mouth fell open and she just stared—for so long that I risked a peek in the mirror just to make sure I hadn't grown six heads.
"Are you sure that illness was affecting your blood and not your brain?" She wondered finally.
I had to admit that she had a point. The way I was talking, there had to be something wrong with me mentally.
From inside my purse my trusty checkbook seemed to weigh a thousand pounds. Use me! It pleaded. You've been falling back on me all your life—what's so different now?
Maybe it was the way she was sneering at me? Smug, haughty, as if she just knew that I would be a good girl and run back to my manor with my tail between my legs, eager to forget my naughty walk on the 'dark side'. A part of me agreed with her; bravery was overrated. It was much simpler playing the role of the docile heiress who communicated only with dollar signs.
But at the thought of surrender a larger part of me would scoff and I would forget all about being afraid, if only for a second. Lisa was unlike anyone I had ever met, terrifying in so many ways. I should only want to run from her, but …
I had this insane urge to pinch her instead, if only to gauge her reaction. Jutting my chin defiantly into the air, I did the next best thing—I kept asking questions.
"Why did you bite me?"
I knew the only logical reason, of course; practice for the real thing. She'd said as much during her little lessons, but for some reason I didn't buy that. She had noticed my reaction the first time. She had been worried …but then she'd bitten me again. Deeper, too—if the pain that flared whenever I moved my head accounted for anything.
I couldn't shake the way she had looked last night either—as if my reaction to her bites had proved some dark suspicion of her once and for all.
Silly, silly Jennie, a part of me scoffed. Always so paranoid.
"Why else?" The harshness in her tone made my nails clutch at the front of my robe. "Newsflash, Jennie; it's not your face people would pay for."
My cheeks flamed as the insult hit its mark. "But ...w-what about the contract?" I pressed, feeling like a child clinging to a ratty teddy bear as their only shred of comfort.
"Forget the damn contract," she snarled. "You can't be bitten. You can't work at the den. In fact—" she leaned closer until we were nearly nose to nose, throwing me precariously off balance. "I'm willing to go so far as to say you aren't of good use for anything. You should go now, while you have the chance."
She shooed me away: actually waggled her fingers in a way that told me to get the hell out.
I just stood there. Maybe I was stuck trying to think of a good comeback or perhaps I was just in shock? Either way, a silky voice took advantage of the silence before I ever got the chance to reply.
"It's too bad, Lisa." My head swiveled around to find Somi leaning against the doorway. Ample cleavage strained against the v-cut of her ruby red gown. "Her contract isn't yours to dictate."
Quicker than I could comprehend, Lisa moved. My first thought was that she had only turned to face her—until I realized that I was way closer to her than I had been before. My chin bumped her elbow as she blocked me from view.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Somi giggled but, with Lisa in my way, the only part of her I could make out were long pale legs ending in blood-red high heels.
"Raphael owns her contract, remember?" she said sweetly. "And only he has the final say in how and when she fulfills it. It's all in the code, though I could understand your lapse in memory seeing as how you've been reclusive for so very long."
Raphael? The name didn't ring any bells for me, but Lisa stiffened and the icy air wafting from her suddenly felt degrees colder. Almost without meaning to, she shifted and I could see Somi's face once again.
It was a few, tense seconds before she spoke again. "He's never had an issue with how I've managed them before."
"Well, he does now," Somi replied, tucking a piece of loose red hair behind her ear. "He wants her on the floor. Tonight. Mikhail has already made the arrangements …"
If I would ever see Lisa Manoban even remotely speechless, then this was probably it.
Her mouth opened and closed—I could hear the clink of her teeth snapping together. Eventually, she managed to find only two words to spit out in Somi's general direction. "Why now?"
Eyes glinting, Somi pressed a pale hand delicately to her mouth as if to smother her laughter.
"Because I called him, of course. It doesn't matter why she's here, or who she is—" She sent a cold glance in my direction before returning to Lisa. "We must follow the rules, and they state that she must be up for auction like everyone else."
I guessed that the 'auction' was what took place in the lounge at night, when those pale figures selected their choice girl from the bunch.
"Though," Somi added with a sniff, "whether someone wants her or not is another matter. Still! The rules must be followed—"
"She wasn't ready then," Lisa countered.
Somi seized her bottom lip and made a noncommittal sound in the back of her throat; So?
"I don't make the rules, darling. Raphael does, and he wants her treated just like anyone else. In every way."
With a chilling giggle, Somi turned on her heels and retreated down the hall. The click clack of her shoes hitting the wooden floor echoed like parting gunshots. When she finally disappeared into silence, I gathered enough nerve to tiptoe away from Lisa and face her fully.
Confusing snippets of the conversation spun around my brain, making me dizzy.
Who was Raphael?
What had Somi meant about my contract?
Eventually, the urge for answers outweighed any sense of self-preservation. "What was she talking about?"
"Are you happy?" Lightning-quick, Lisa seized my arm and yanked me closer, snarling the words into my face one by one. Anger blared through those silver eyes, threatening to scorch my skin from the intensity of it. "You wanted to play this game. You couldn't just take the easy way out. Well, it's too late to back out now."
She let me go so harshly that I stumbled back into the wall. My sore knee buckled, threatening to dump me onto the floor—but before I could so much as begin to sway, her hand was on my shoulder, holding me upright.
I didn't even want to put a name to the expression that crossed her face for only a second; rage? Anger? Pure, unfiltered hatred?
Fear?
"What's going on?" I croaked, "M-maybe if you would just talk to me, I could understand …"
Ha! Talk—the only thing Lisa liked to do was rant and rave and order. I waited for her to prove as much with another mocking reminder to call her 'Ma'am.' But she just stared me down for so long that for a moment all I could see was icy silver.
Beneath her scrutiny, my heart pounded, surging blood to every inch of my body. Could she hear it?
Abruptly, she turned her back on me.
"Get dressed. You want to talk? We'll talk." Near the threshold of the room, she glanced back over her shoulder and added, "I'm taking you to lunch."