What was that incessant noise? Katyia had the urge to throw a shoe at whatever it was just to shut it up. It sounded like a horde of bees buzzing, but that couldn't be right. Winter had fallen and snow covered the grounds, which meant no bees. Maybe her brothers decided to play some kind of trick on her. They knew she hated anything loud. Either way, she was going to have to get up and find out what it was. Maybe get a drink of water too. Her mouth was a landfill of cotton balls. A foul taste accompanied it.

Truthfully, she felt awful. Perhaps she'd fallen ill? The last thing she remembered was getting attacked by the ravager...that had to be it. The wound must have gotten infected. That would explain why she felt so terrible. Infections and fevers tended to wear the body out. Something she knew firsthand. Last year, she'd stepped on a rusty nail and thought nothing more of it until it caused a severe blood infection that almost killed her.

Sighing, she opened her eyes and sat up. She closed them just as quickly when a wave of dizziness swamped her. Okay, that probably wasn't the best idea. She'd been ill. Muted conversation reached her ears. She could hear people talking. While not clear, she heard a lot of people talking. Dozens. Why were so many people outside her room?

She eased her eyes open and looked around. Shock kept her still. Where was she? Certainly not in her comfortable room at home. Katyia found herself sitting on some kind of makeshift bed a few inches off the ground. The tent, while not large, still felt bigger than it looked. A small fire burned in the center, the smoke filtering up through the hole in the center of the roof. It reminded her more of a tipi that the Indians who once roamed the Americas used to live in. Furs were piled at the bottom of her bed haphazardly, like she'd kicked them off at one point.

And where the hell was that buzzing coming from?

Gah, her head ached. She squinted, her eyes taking in the smallest detail. The room didn't feel dark, even though she knew it was. The fire gave off enough light for a thousand fires. She saw everything. From the little bug that scurried across the hard packed earth floor to the tiny speck of paper that lay in the corner beside a set of leather boots. Her visions seemed sharper, clearer. She saw each individual wood grain in logs burning on the fire. It had never been this good before. Her surroundings breathed with a life of its own, from the wood holding up the tent to the earth beneath her. Each had its own song, each calling to her.

Did her magic go all out of sorts? Was that why everything appeared so strange to her now?

The tent walls whipped in on themselves, the severe wind whistling in her ears. More talking outside, louder than the wind. She put her hands over her ears, trying to block it out. Why was everything so loud?

Boots appeared in front of her and she looked up. Shocked, she could only stare at the man glaring down at her, his expression harsh. The mercenary who'd taken her home today. No, the vampire. What was he doing here?

Another man appeared, a hesitant smile on his face. She knew him...Greggor. Yes, that was his name. His gaze was kind when he knelt in front of her. He pulled her hands away from her head, but he didn't release them. He held them tight.

"How are you feeling?"

"I..." She shook her head, coughing. Her mouth was so dry.

Greggor took the glass of water handed to him and held it to her lips. He only let her sip at it when she wanted to gulp it down instead. "Better?" he asked, and she nodded.

The big brute squatted beside Greggor. His eyes were a piercing shade of blue. Ice cold. It made her shiver. "She looks odd."

Odd? She wasn't as pretty as Nicolette, but she did not look odd! "I beg your pardon?" The outrage in her voice caused Greggor to laugh. She shot him a look that would quail the bravest of hearts. He only grinned at her.

"Don't mind Roman," Greggor said. "Do you remember us?"

She nodded.

"Do you remember how you came to be here?"

Katyia frowned. How had she come to be here? All she remembered was the ravager attack and then...nothing. She let out a little growl of frustration and shook her head.

"It's not unusual to lose some of your memories for a time." Greggor tightened his hold on her hands. "The mind needs time to heal from the turn."

"The turn?" Confusion played havoc with her. What were they going on about?

"You're one of us now." The brute answered this time.

Her head snapped to look at him. One of them? No...he couldn't mean...no.

"It's true, little one." There was no kindness or mercy in his words, just hard truth. "You are a vampire."

She shook her head, her mind spiraling out of control. No. It couldn't be true. She jerked at her hands, but Greggor held on. She snarled and yanked, breaking free. Greggor landed on his back. He looked up at her and grinned like a fool. This was not funny.

This couldn't be happening. A vampire? They'd turned her into a monster. The need to cry welled up within her, but she squashed it. She couldn't break down in front of them. Show no weakness. Another lesson her brothers taught her.

"Calm yourself, girl," the brute commanded. "Getting upset does no good. What's done is done."

"How did I get here?" She forced the words out. Her throat burned with the need for some water.

"I think you need to rest..."

"No." Roman cut Greggor off. "She should know."

Greggor sat up, regret in his eyes. "Your father sent you."

"You lie!" she shouted. "My father would never send me here to the monsters."

"He did." The brute leaned closer, his smell filling her senses. "He sent you here to become one of us monsters."

Anger lit up those blue eyes now, but she didn't let it intimidate her as he'd surely meant for it to. "My father would never do that to me."

"Your father is a weak man."

She hit him. Hard.

"Do that again, little one, and I'll spank you."

"Speak of my father like that again and I'll take your head off." Spank her, indeed. The brute had no idea who he was speaking to. She'd give him a nasty case of boils on his beautiful face. That would serve as a lesson to him.

His eyes narrowed, but before he could say anything, the sound of pounding hooves reached them. He stood, barking at Greggor to watch her, and then strode out.

The first thing Katyia noticed was how nervous Greggor looked to be left alone with her. He'd gone to stand by the entrance, keeping a safe distance between the two of them. He regarded her with a fascinated suspicion.

The sound of her brother's angry voice sounded just outside, and she was up and running before Greggor realized what was happening. She'd shoved him out of her way and was outside in a matter of seconds, following the sound of Gavin's voice. She spotted him arguing with Roman and made a beeline for him.

He turned his head just as she launched herself at him. He caught her, but staggered under the force she hit him with. His arms came around her and she snuggled into him, feeling safe for the first time since she woke up.

"Kat?" He leaned back so he could stare down at her. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know." She gave him an honest answer. "They..."

"She's fine." Roman braced his feet apart. "You've seen for yourself no harm has come to her. Now leave."

Katyia shot him a scathing look. Brute. "No. I don't want to stay here. I want to go home."

She felt Gavin go completely still. She looked up at him. Anger and regret stared back. "You can't, Kat."

"But...then why are you here if you didn't come to take me home?" Hurt colored her words. Hurt and betrayal.

"I swear if I had known what Father was planning, I would have stopped him."

What? No. Her mind balked at the very idea. He wouldn't have.

"He made a speech to the people about an hour ago to address what he'd done and why. He said he couldn't ask them to give up their family if he wouldn't give up any of his. He gave you to them, Kat."

A single tear wound its way down her cheek. He'd just given her away? Why her? Why not Nicolette or one of the others? Because she was just his bastard daughter and they weren't. Olivia would never have allowed one of her children to go up for the slaughter. Rage sparked to life in her soul. A rage born of betrayal and a hurt that went deeper than anything she'd ever felt before. It hardened her. Gave her strength.

Her family abandoned her, threw her out.

Gasps and whispers began to grow around her. She had no idea in that moment that her eyes began to glow like a demon's while her face radiated the beauty of an angel. Greggor would tell her this later. Gavin looked down at her in awe. There was no fear on his face, but she could smell it on him. The scent hit her. It reminded her of her father's best brandy. Intoxicating. She leaned in closer, her nose following the delicious smell.

Roman yanked her away from Gavin, his arms like steel bands around her. She snarled, her teeth snapping at him. How dare he pull her away from that wonderful smell?

"Calm yourself."

She turned her head and glared up at him. He wasn't looking at her, though. His eyes were on Gavin.

"The girl needs time to adjust to her new life. She has to learn to control her bloodlust."

Gavin nodded, swallowing. She saw the slight movement of his throat. The fluttering pulse. It beat against his skin like the wings of a baby bird, rapid, swift, beautiful. Katyia closed her eyes and breathed him in. She could smell him, his fear, his love. His concern. Each emotion was a different flavor and her stomach cramped. Her throat ached. She needed to taste him, to taste all those flavors.

"When can I see her again?"

Some of the tension went out of Roman, but his arms didn't relax around her. "I will send for you if she wishes it."

Gavin nodded. "I understand." He looked at her, and Katyia managed to focus on his face and not the sound of his blood rushing through his veins. "I will see you soon, Kat. I promise."

Roman lifted her and was moving before she had time to do or say anything. "Put me down!"

He ignored her and kept walking. She kicked him. Not even a grunt. Granted, she'd had to kick backward, but she'd felt her foot collide with his shin bone.

"I said put me down!"

They entered the same tent she'd been in before, and he dumped her back onto the makeshift bed. How dare he?

"Listen and listen carefully, little girl." His eyes held a wicked light.

"I am not a little girl." She clenched her hands, wanting to wring his neck. The nerve of the brute.

"Then stop acting like one."

She gasped and stood up herself. "You have no right..."

"I have every right," he cut her off. "You are one of us now. I am the Chieftain of this clan, which makes me your ruler. You will do as I say."

"The hell I will...you can't keep me here...and what the hell is that buzzing?"

"You have quite the mouth on you for the daughter of a Regent." A hint of a smile tugged at his lips. It only served to make her madder. "The buzzing, as you call it, is all the insects scrambling around, seeking shelter from the cold."

"What?" she asked, momentarily derailed. "That's impossible."

"No, little one, not impossible. Haven't you noticed since you woke up, everything around you is in vivid detail? You are stronger, your vision better, your hearing sharper. You're faster, your reflexes quicker."

She paused and thought about it. Yes, she had noticed all the things he spoke of, she just hadn't understood what was happening to her. Confused. That was how she felt upon awakening. Now, she was just hurt and still very much confused.

"Why did you send Gavin away?" she asked. Gavin was the only one to come looking for her. She doubted Nicolette would be allowed out of their home, but surely at least some of her other brothers could have come with him? Why hadn't they? Did they consider her as tossable as their father?

"You were going to kill him."

"I would never!" she denied.

"You wouldn't have meant to do it." His eyes softened. "You are just risen from your change. You smelled his blood. I snatched you away before you bit him. As a newborn, you would have no control and might have torn his throat out before we could stop you."

She sat back down, thunderstruck. She did remember all those weird thoughts and sensations running through her. The flavors. Could she have really hurt her brother? Killed him? If what the brute said were true, then she owed him a great debt. Katyia would never have been able to live with herself if she'd harmed her brother.

"There are things you must learn, controlling your bloodlust being one of them." The man sat in front of her, his arms crossed. He looked very put out having to be here, talking to her. It irked. This wasn't her fault. She didn't ask to be turned. "There were some complications with your turning that you must be made aware of."

"Complications?"

"We had several ravagers break through our perimeter. One got into the tent while you were being turned. A fight ensued, and you got some of its blood in your mouth."

"And?" she prompted, her voice just as quiet as his.

"And its blood combined with ours during the turn. The virus that causes our condition morphed around the ravager's blood. It made you a hybrid of sorts."

"Hybrid?" Colors started popping everywhere, around Roman, her, the room. Blacks, reds, blues.

"Part witch, part vampire, and part...ravager."

Ravager? She was part ravager. Nausea hit her and she barely had time to lean over before she threw up. Red liquid spewed out of her mouth. She gagged more just looking at it. Vampire. Blood. She was throwing up blood.

It wasn't true. It couldn't be true. Her hands shook. There was no reality where being part ravager existed. Those things slaughtered her mother, her brother, and he was telling her she was now one of them? A ravager? Her fingers dug into the earth, spasming as the shock of it hit her full on.

The ground beneath her began to shake. The winds outside howled in outrage, whipping the trees so hard several uprooted themselves. Screams reached her, but it didn't register. A ravager? No.

Her fingernails dug into her skin, ripping, tearing. She wouldn't be one of them. She tore through the veins in her wrist, ripping upward. Blood spilled and she laughed, watching it fall to the ground to join the puddle that had spilled from her mouth. They might have done this to her, but they couldn't make her live like this.

"Stop it." The stern command was whispered against her ear. His breath sent tingles of awareness through her where its warmth feathered over her skin. Katyia blinked, woozy. Blood was draining rapidly from her wounds. How...the brute held her, but he'd been sitting in front of her. She reacted, turning, her elbow coming up and slamming into his face.

He pulled her close, his hands trapping her. Not even a grunt from the impact of her wild swing.

"Roman, what in God's name..." Greggor appeared in front of her. "What did she do?"

"What do you think she did?" he growled. "Get something to bind these wounds until they have time to heal."

"No." Her voice held steel. "I will not live with the blood of a ravager within me. I will not be unclean!"

"You don't get to decide that." Roman tightened his arms around her. "You belong to me now, little one. I decide your fate. Me and me alone. Understand?"

"I don't belong to anyone." She shook her head to clear it. "Certainly not you, brute."

Greggor took hold of her hands, clucking like a mother hen. "Why would you do this? Roman and I worked hard to keep you alive, and here you are trying to throw that life away."

"What life would that be?" she snapped. "One where the very creatures that stole everything from me can claim me as their own? I won't have it. I would rather die than have their blood coursing through me!"

The ground beneath them ruptured, sending them all spilling in different directions. Her hands shook. The ground shook. Roman cursed and picked her up, sitting and holding her captive in his lap while Greggor went back to bandaging her wounds.

"You might still." Greggor's lips thinned disapprovingly. "You've lost a lot of blood."

"You need to calm yourself, girl." The words were hard, cold. "None of us is going to survive many more of these outbursts of yours. I'm having a hard enough time convincing my people that you aren't dangerous. These little displays of elemental magic are not helping."

"I'm not doing anything." Her eyes began to droop.

"She needs blood."

"I'm aware."

Katyia tried to tell them no, she didn't need blood, but she'd just lost too much of it. Her vision became fuzzy, darkening until she saw and heard nothing. Blessed silence.