Chapter 43 PLANK ! SERIOUSLY !
Lilian — POV
She smirked, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, shoulders squared like she owned the dirt-stained clearing we’d just finished tearing apart. “Well, we’re not done yet. We start again tomorrow.”
I groaned, dragging my feet as I pushed myself upright. Every muscle in my body screamed in protest. My knees felt like they might give out if I bent them wrong, my shoulders stiff and burning from hours of fighting and being slammed into the ground. I brushed my hands down my arms, trying to dust off the grime clinging to my skin, but it was pointless. The fabric of my clothes was already ruined—dark patches of dried blood smeared across my sleeves and stomach like ugly reminders of how rough today had been.
I loved being clean. I really did. But right now? The thought of scrubbing blood out of fabric and skin made me tired all over again. I was exhausted down to my bones.
I exhaled slowly and tipped my head back, staring up at the sky. Dusk was settling in, the kind that painted everything in soft shadows and deepening blues. The sun was gone, but the light hadn’t fully faded yet. I could still see clearly—every tree, every crack in the road ahead of us—as if the night hadn’t quite decided to claim the world yet.
Seraphine didn’t say another word as we walked toward the main road. Her silence was loud, heavy. I watched her from the corner of my eye. She swung her hands as she walked, fingers flexing, shoulders slightly tense. It was subtle, but I knew her too well. That restless movement meant something was bothering her. She wanted to say something.
And it was starting to piss me off.
“Out with it, Seraphine,” I said finally, breaking the quiet. “You’re being so obvious right now.”
She arched an eyebrow and glanced at me like she genuinely didn’t understand. “Out with what?”
I rolled my eyes, annoyance bubbling up inside me. “I don’t know what game you’re playing, but whatever it is you want to talk about—just say it. The way you keep swinging your hands is starting to get on my nerves.”
She slowed her steps and looked at me with something close to pity in her eyes. Her lips pressed together, then she lifted a hand to scratch the back of her head, stalling like she needed a moment to figure out how to phrase whatever it was.
“Um… the elders called for a meeting tomorrow,” she said carefully.
I snorted, sharp and disbelieving. “That’s it? That’s why you’ve been acting suspicious?” I waved a dismissive hand. “You’re ridiculous. If you want to go to some boring party or whatever, just go. Nobody’s stopping you. Or what—do you suddenly hate the elders now?”
Her jaw tightened. “If you’d let me finish and hear the remainder of the story, maybe you’d understand why…” she paused, searching for the right words, “…why I was babying my words.” She inhaled, then met my gaze. “They want to meet you.”
The world seemed to tilt.
The words hit me like a bomb to the chest, knocking the air straight out of my lungs. For a second, my stomach churned so violently I thought I was going to throw up right there on the roadside.
“The elders?” I whispered, eyes widening. “You mean… the elders?”
Meeting the elders was one of my nightmares. Right up there with burning alive or being staked in my sleep.
“What do you mean the elders want to meet me?” I demanded, my voice rising. My hands clenched into fists at my sides. “Them kidnapping Mia wasn’t enough? So what the fuck do they need to meet me for now?”
Seraphine shrugged like we were talking about the weather. “Every vampire gets summoned by the elders once in a while. It’s normal. Though…” she hesitated. “Since my turning three hundred years ago, I’ve never been summoned. I’m usually only called when they need someone wiped out. A politician. A threat. Something like that.”
My head snapped toward her. “You’ve never been summoned?” My pulse started racing. “Then what the fuck do they need me for?” My voice dropped. “I didn’t kill any—”
She gasped and smacked my shoulder hard enough to sting. “Oh, young lady,” she hissed, eyes wide, “you definitely did. And twice, for that matter.” She paused, then softened. “But I don’t think they’re calling you to punish you. Probably not. Maybe they want to… initiate you officially.”
I frowned. “Initiate me into what?”
She leaned closer, lowering her voice like the trees around us had ears. “There’s a group. Fighters. They select a few vampires—six every hundred years. I think they want another set. And I think they’re considering you.”
Panic crawled up my spine and wrapped around my throat. I could feel it in my eyes, burning and suddenly going black. “What the fuck would they choose me for?” I snapped.
“Well, for starters,” she said calmly, “you’re TRUEBLOOD. And secondly, you adapt fast. I’m honestly surprised how quickly you stabilized. When you first turned, you looked like a zombie.” She smirked. “A really scary one. You’re cuter now.”
“This is not the time to joke, Seraphine,” I said through clenched teeth. My chest felt tight. “I’m still in school. I can’t just—”
She held up a hand, cutting me off. “Breathe.” Her voice softened but stayed firm. “If they take you in, they’ll train you. You’ll work for them. And let’s be honest—being a vampire gives you an advantage. Humans can’t kill you that easily.”
I stared at her like she’d lost her damn mind. “You don’t get it,” I said slowly, anger simmering beneath my words. “I don’t want to leave what’s left of my normal life to join those goddamned selfish bitches who call themselves elders.”
Seraphine let out a long sigh, rubbing her temple like she was getting a headache from my rant. “Why don’t you let it all out when you meet them tomorrow?”
I muttered under my breath, “Well, that’s if I even go at all.”
We parted ways after that. Seraphine claimed she had “stuff to do,” which was weird because she usually walked me straight to my door. I watched her disappear into the dark before heading home alone.
My house was silent when I stepped inside. Too silent. The kind of quiet that made the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. I shut the door behind me slowly, every instinct screaming at me to be alert.
“It’s fine,” I told myself. “You’re just paranoid.”
I moved deeper into the house, shoes barely making a sound on the floor. I reached for the light switch when something thick slammed into my side.
“Ouch—”
Pain exploded through my ribs as I stumbled back, barely keeping my balance. My heart slammed against my chest as my eyes dropped to whatever had hit me..
a plank. Seriously!