Chapter 3
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My photographic memory helped me excel academically, but my status as Damian's "ward" made me a social pariah.
Nobody respects walking blood bags, after all.
I wasn't a person to them—just premium sustenance with a pulse.
I found Damian's portrait on the academy's honor board, his accomplishments listed in gleaming gold.
"Pureblood heir, prodigy in magical theory and ancient runology"—he shone like a distant star while I remained a speck of dust beneath everyone's feet.
I started avoiding him religiously. In hallways, I'd duck my head and scurry past; in the dining hall, I'd hide in the farthest corner.
Between us stretched an unbridgeable chasm—one he never noticed and I could never cross.
At the monthly assembly, Damian commanded the stage, speaking of vampire-human covenants with cold magnetism that held everyone spellbound.
I huddled in the human section's darkest corner, watching him from the shadows.
He basked in spotlight glory while I hid in darkness where I belonged.
My fingers itched with familiar compulsion as I opened my sketchbook, charcoal silently capturing his regal profile.
"God, he's gorgeous," whispered Rowena, my only friend. "Terrifying, but gorgeous."
She shivered slightly, instinctively recognizing the gulf between prey and predator.
I remained silent, adding an ornate iron gate in the corner of my sketch—a barrier between his world and mine.
One day, the vampire circles erupted with gossip.
Lady Genevieve, pureblood aristocrat, had finished her "recuperation" in Switzerland and was returning to St. Jude's.
She was Damian's childhood companion—a dawn rose with deceptive fragility, as though a strong wind might shatter her.
Her supposed "blood depletion disease" only enhanced her appeal—everyone loves a beautiful tragedy.
When she returned, Damian personally greeted her at the gates—the first time he'd ever shown public affection for anyone.
The vampire elite whispered that they were destined mates, perfect in their pureblood union.
From my corner, I watched him slip further beyond my reach, like a star vanishing at dawn.
