The gravel crunches under my boots with each step. My fingers run over the bumpy edges of the gold coin in my pocket. Before I could leave the house, Rahlan gave me a list of specifications for the new horse. It must be a destrier, fifteen hands tall, at least seven years old and many other things that have now slipped my mind. I simply nodded my head while he spoke, not paying attention. I grew up in a village just like this. We didn't breed warhorses, and these people won't either. Even for a gold coin, I'm expecting to choose between a younger cart horse and an older cart horse, and I plan to buy the one with the prettiest fur.

The sun warms my skin. The village is buzzing with activity – chickens clucking, people chatting and a blacksmith's hammer banging in the distance. A little boy and girl hurry past me, both working together to haul a bucket of water with them. It's just how I remember my home, completely different to the war-torn gloomy atmosphere in the village of Litton.

I follow the ring of the hammer, as I imagine that if anyone's willing to trade, then it'll be the blacksmith. Jaclyn agreed that he would be the best place to start, though she hasn't lived here long enough to know him.

The hammer's sound leads me around the chapel and left at the crossroads. A little further along the street, a stocky man comes into view. He's in a barn with an open front, hammering the end of a bent metal rod that's clamped between two heavy stones.

I step inside the shale-roofed three-sided barn. There are a few bundles of hay stacked in the corner, suggesting that he does own a horse. The man stops hammering at the sight of me. His hair is black and prickly, his face is shaven, and he's short like me.

Pinching the gold coin in two fingers, I take it out my pocket. "I'm in need of a horse," I say.

His hammer nearly slips out of his hand at the sight of the coin. Gold is a rarity in little farm settlements like these.

He puts his hammer aside. "Please, follow me," he says.

We head around the home to another barn, and he pushes open a long door. Two horses are tethered inside. One is brown with a long unkempt mane, and the other is a splotchy combination of white and brown. They're both cart horses, not nearly strong or fast enough to meet Rahlan's requirements, but they'll do fine for carrying us back to Litton.

The man holds out his hand to present the horses. "Ano and Ari," he says.

I step closer and rest my hands on Ari's brown and white prickly fur.

"Ano is the oldest at nine years, and Ari is his sister, a year younger."

Ari's splotchy fur pattern has already won me over. She's the one.

I carefully lift one of her hooves. It needs to be trimmed down, and the iron horseshoe needs reseating.

"Can you refit the shoes?" I ask.

"Of course." He takes the horse's halter and leads her back to the first barn where he keeps his tools.

He works to remove the shoes while I stroke Ari's nose. She stares back at me with her deep dark eyes. She'll grow on Rahlan over time. Since he already has Mittens, Ari may end up becoming mine. My horse-riding ability is limited to nothing faster than a slow walk, but I'm sure that Rahlan could teach me more.

"Julia!" a woman's voice shouts.

I whip around.

Jaclyn is standing at the entrance. Her shoulders roll with each panting breath, and her palms are covered in blood.

I rush to meet her. A rock forms in my stomach. Did Rahlan hurt her, even after she risked her life to save him?

"Hurry." She grabs my arm, coating my leather sleeve in blood. I stumble forward as she pulls me back down the road.

Finding my footing, I run beside her. "Your hands?"

"It's not my blood," she says.

Her words bring a moment of relief, but it quickly evaporates. If it's not her blood, then it must be Rahlan's. Does the Queensblood poison have latent symptoms that are only now taking effect?

Turning the corner, she slows down to a speedy walk – the fastest we can move without drawing attention back to her house.

Arriving on her porch, she glances to make sure no one is looking before opening the door and nudging me inside.

The closed window shutters keep the empty living room dim. My eyes land on the door leading to my room – where Rahlan was recovering just hours ago.

I shoot forward and yank the door open. My body freezes at the sight.

There's blood. Bevin, Ina and Aled are on the floor with their backs propped up against the wall. Rahlan is standing over them. The long steel blade in his hand is coated red.

Rahlan's gaze lands on me. Jaclyn steps around my frozen form and kneels beside Aled with a linen bandage in her hand. Aled's legs are stretched out, and blood is seeping through his pants. Bevin's holding one arm in the other, with a similar red stain on his sleeve. Ina's trembling, pressing her back against the wall as if she could pass through it if she pushed hard enough.

I recognize the hilt in Rahlan's hand. It's Bevin's sword. Bevin, Ina and Aled must have charged in here looking for me, hoping to claim the coins that I owe them for Rahlan's treatment. Jaclyn wouldn't have let them in, and there's only blood in this room. They pushed past her and stormed in here, only to encounter a vampire. Bevin drew his sword, and Rahlan disarmed him, thinking that they'd come to slay him.

"Your friend lobbied that I delay for a moment before ending them," Rahlan says to me.

Ina whimpers at his words. Tears are running down her cheeks. They're traders, not soldiers. Ina wouldn't have traveled from her home if she had any idea that this could happen.

I step between Rahlan and the Farians, blocking him, and hopefully providing a little comfort to Ina. My glare locks with Rahlan's gaze, adding weight to my words. "You are not ending anyone. We are leaving now."

I can't see Bevin, Ina and Aled's faces, but I can only imagine what they think of me – bravery when I first stood in front of Rahlan, and now betrayal that I speak as if I know him.

Rahlan takes a step forward, looking over my head at his victims. My feet remain planted where they are. He's considering pushing me aside and doing as he pleases.

"These Farians gave me the cure for the Queensblood," I say. "You'd be dead without them."

"Your preference is to sacrifice your friend?" he asks.

I glance back at Jaclyn. She has Aled's pants cut back and is wrapping bandages around his leg. Her gaze remains on her work, but the look on her face is grim. She put everything together faster than I did. After we leave, Bevin, Ina and Aled will tell the townsfolk that Jaclyn harbored a vampire, and her new life will be over. The only way she can keep her position as a healer is if Rahlan kills and buries the three of them.

"Jaclyn can come with us, back to Litton," I say.

Rahlan raises an eyebrow.

"She's a skilled healer, and Litton could use one."

Jaclyn doesn't react to my words, still looking glum. Heading back to live under vampires would appear to her like a return to slavery, but it won't be. I can make sure that her life will be different.

"Will you come?" I ask her.

She averts her eyes. "There's no other choice," she says.

I know it's a difficult prospect to face, but I'm sure that I can convince Rahlan to provide her with the resources she needs to keep her role as a healer.

"So be it," Rahlan says. "I shall subdue the intruders, and we shall leave."

Ina tucks her trembling hands to her chest. She still afraid that Rahlan will hurt her.

Rahlan pulls a blanket off the bed and begins slicing it with his sword, staining the material red.

"Julia." Bevin's whisper grabs my attention. "You will just stand here, compliant with our murder?"

"No. He will not harm you." I shake my head and kneel between him and Aled. "He's agreed to tie you up and leave," I say, speaking to all of them. Their expressions remain tense, not relieved like I am. I've been tied up by Rahlan enough to be confident that they'll be fine, but mentioning that to them would be humiliating.

Jaclyn is tying off the bandage around Aled's thigh. Bevin's sleeve will need to come off before she can work on his arm, so I reach for the ties on his shirt. Understanding my intention, he puffs out his chest to give me easy access to the ties.

Ina lets out a shriek as Rahlan grabs her arm and pulls her upright. His hands land on her thin shoulders, and he pushes her down to sit beside the bed, the force making her whimper.

"If your noisy lips draw any more suspicion to this cabin, I shall be forced to use my sword," Rahlan says.

Ina's eyes grow wide in fear. Her shaking form curls away from him.

"Relax," I say, "I won't let him hurt you." They at least have some assurance that they will be okay. When I first met Rahlan, I was alone, and he gave every indication that he was going to kill me. He mutilated my traveling companions' bodies, he threatened to behead me when I collapsed, and he almost let wolves devour me.

Rahlan positions her arms behind her back and ties her wrists together with a strip of the linen blanket. He loops the knot around the bedpost too, preventing her from just jumping up and running the second we leave. A part of me is relieved that Rahlan thought of that, and another part of me is disgusted at myself. A few weeks ago, I considered anyone who would bind another person to be a fiend, as they were just making the weak even more helpless. Now here I am on the opposite side, doing exactly that. Is there a way for us to escape the village without tying them up? I jumped onboard with Rahlan's plan without even hesitating. Am I allowing him to change me, leading me to emulate his non-existent morals?

Ina squeals as Rahlan pulls a strip of linen between her teeth, gagging her.

"Is that really necessary?" I say.

He gives me a sharp look, annoyed that I'm challenging him in front of them again.

I return his glare.

"'Tis necessary," he says.

Jaclyn finishes treating Aled's leg. The moment his wounds are no longer being tented to, Rahlan moves to bind him too.

Aled's glare follows the approaching vampire. Rahlan kneels in front of him and reaches for Aled's arm. Aled already has both hands behind his back, oddly compliant considering the fire in his eyes.

"Wait," I say.

Rahlan stops.

"Aled may have a dagger." I remember him taking it out to cut the bandage that he helped me wrap around my arm.

Aled's eyes land on me, burning. He's never looked at me like that before, even when he discovered the mark on my neck. His silent gesture sends the message loud and clear – I'm his enemy. I suppose that I better get used to receiving that look.

Rahlan lunges forward and grabs both of Aled's arms. Using his immense strength, Rahlan bends Aled's arms out from behind his back, revealing the dagger gripped tight in his fingers.

Rahlan squeezes his upper arm. A groan escapes Aled, and the dagger falls to the ground.

Being less gentle than with Ina, Rahlan grabs the back of Aled's neck and forces him to bend forward. Rahlan's hands latch onto Aled's wrists, pulling them high enough behind his back that he can't sit upright.

"Mind his leg," Jaclyn says.

Rahlan twists the linen around Aled's wrists, binding them together. A gag is forced between Aled's lips before he's allowed to sit up straight again. He's not attached to the bed like Ina. At least Rahlan knew better than to try move him with the gash on his leg.

Aled's fuming gaze finds me again. It looks even more disconcerting with the gag pulling back at his cheeks.

I took a surprise strike at Rahlan before. I only ever tried to hurt him once – when I learnt that he had killed my brother. Aled's attempt wouldn't have worked either, and he may have lost his life as a result.

I glance up at Rahlan's tall frame. He gives a subtle nod in appreciation. While he probably would have been able to dodge Aled's blade, the truth is that I did not want to take that chance. When it comes to choosing between the two of them, Rahlan, a vampire, is the one I'm closest to, the one I will protect.

Soon Jaclyn's finished with Bevin's bandage. Rahlan grabs his uninjured arm and frog marches him to sit by the bed. He ties Bevin's hands in front to avoid any further aggravation to the wound. Once Bevin's also attached to the bed with linen strips, Rahlan takes a candle off the nearby desk and pushes it between Bevin's teeth. Like a horse's bit, an edge sticks out of either side of his mouth. A linen strip is tied to both ends of the candle, holding it in place to act as a gag.

"You may begin chewing after we leave," Rahlan says. It's a temporary gag. We'll be long gone after Bevin has bitten through the candle, and then he'll be able to call for help.

Rahlan turns to Jaclyn. "Gather the belongings you wish to carry."

She packs up her medical tools and returns to the living room. For a moment, I consider leaving Bevin and the others to help Jaclyn pack. If Rahlan still wanted to hurt them, he wouldn't bother waiting until I was out of the room, but I decide to stay for Ina. I sit on the floor beside her trembling form and take her bound hand in my own.

Her eyes meet mine, still filled with fear.

I smile. "You'll be fine."

Bevin left his golden prize in the safety of his room. He'll be able to keep it after this ordeal, meaning that he'll be fine too.

With Aled, I'm unsure. He was the one who brought me into their group, and he's always been the hardest to read.

If I'd prioritized paying Bevin as soon as I woke up, their encounter with Rahlan could have been avoided. I must remember that even though Rahlan ate lunch in a human's home, he's still a vampire lord. He likes me, he tolerates his subjects at Litton, and he won't hesitate to murder anyone else.