The Villains Must Win

Chapter 354: Alistair Cain 14

Being Alistair’s human blood bank meant many things, but foremost among them was confinement.

Each morning, when the pale light crept through the tall arched windows and the bells of the academy tolled the first hour, Alistair would depart without ceremony.

His coat would be buttoned to the throat, gloves immaculate, expression carved into its usual mask of cold refinement.

He would not look back as he left them behind, as though the rooms he assigned to Selene and Caroline were nothing more than a locked cabinet—useful, orderly, and silent.

Once the door shut, the silence would stretch.

It was not the peaceful sort of silence either. It pressed against Selene’s ears, crawled beneath her skin, and settled heavily in her chest.

The chambers were luxurious in a way only immortals could manage—dark wood panels carved with symbols she could not read, velvet drapes heavy enough to block out the world, a bed far too large for a single person.

Yet none of it eased the suffocating feeling of being paused, like a piece on a chessboard that was never allowed to move.

Caroline bore it better.

She always did.

Caroline would sit by the window with a book she barely turned the pages of, her posture composed, her expression serene to the point of deception.

Selene suspected that beneath that calm exterior, Caroline was cataloguing every sound, every shadow, every rule Alistair had spoken—committing them to memory the way a prisoner memorized guard rotations.

Selene, on the other hand, was unraveling.

"This is unbearable," she muttered one morning, pacing the length of the chamber like a restless animal. "How does he expect us to simply... stay here? Day after day?"

Caroline did not look up. "He expects obedience."

"Yes, well," Selene scoffed, stopping short near the door, fingers hovering just inches from the handle. "I expect to remain sane."

The truth gnawed at her: nothing could change if she remained locked away. Whatever strange fate had entangled her with Alistair, whatever secrets hid within the academy walls, she would never uncover them confined to a velvet cage.

When Alistair returned that afternoon, she was ready.

He had barely removed his gloves when Selene stepped forward, spine straight, chin lifted—not submissive, but not foolish enough to be openly defiant.

"My Lord," she said, carefully measured, "I wish to make a request."

Alistair’s amber gaze flicked toward her, sharp and assessing. "You have no need to make requests."

His voice was calm, smooth, as though he were discussing the weather rather than issuing a dismissal. "A human blood bank does not require freedom of movement. You exist to obey—and to please."

The words should have chilled her.

Instead, Selene exhaled slowly and forced herself not to recoil. She had expected nothing less.

"Then allow me to propose a bargain," she said.

That earned her his attention.

One pale brow arched upward with mild curiosity, while beside him Caroline stiffened almost imperceptibly, her fingers curling against the fabric of her skirt.

"A bargain," Alistair repeated. "You presume much."

"Perhaps," Selene replied, lips pressing together briefly before she continued. "But you have permitted us to remain this long. That alone suggests we are... useful to you."

A dangerous thing to say.

Alistair’s gaze sharpened, his presence pressing outward like a silent warning. He disliked demands—especially from mortals. Yet he did not interrupt her.

Encouraged, Selene pressed on. "Allow me to roam the academy during the day. In return... I will please you."

Caroline’s head snapped up.

Alistair’s expression did not change, but something flickered in his eyes.

"Please me," he echoed, voice low. "And how, exactly, do you intend to do that?"

Selene swallowed. Her heart hammered violently in her chest, but she refused to look away. "However you desire, my Lord. You decide the terms. I will accept them."

The silence that followed was heavy.

Alistair studied her with an intensity that made her skin prickle, as though he were stripping away layers she did not know she wore.

He did not move closer. He did not touch her. And yet the weight of his attention alone felt invasive.

"You grow bold," he said at last.

Selene forced a weak, almost playful whine into her voice. "Forgive me. But even a blood bank may grow bored when left untouched in a locked room."

That was a mistake.

His brow furrowed deeply now, displeasure evident. He did not enjoy being challenged—least of all by those who depended on him for survival.

And yet, irritating as Selene was, she had endured far longer than most.

So had Caroline.

It was difficult to find humans like them. Difficult enough that Alistair no longer bothered trying.

Their blood were delicious too.

He was tired—tired of fleeting indulgences, of interchangeable faces and hollow pleasures. Comfort was a rare thing for someone like him, and though he would never admit it aloud, these two had become just that.

Still, comfort did not excuse insolence.

Before he could respond, Caroline stepped forward.

"My Lord," she said softly, lowering her gaze in deference. "If it pleases you... I would like to make a request as well."

Selene stared at her in surprise.

Alistair turned his attention to Caroline, his expression marginally less severe. "Speak."

Selene grumbled at the side. Alistair seemed to have a favorite.

"If permitted," Caroline continued, voice steady despite the risk she was taking, "I would like to go out during the morning hours as well. I will return by noon and remain within the academy grounds. I merely wish to... see more than these walls."

The audacity of it made Selene’s breath catch. She was copying her!

Alistair closed his eyes briefly, pinching the bridge of his nose as though warding off a headache.

Now both of them.

He had not anticipated this.

"Very well," he said after a long pause, irritation bleeding through his restraint. "I will allow you to explore—only while I am in class."

Relief surged through Selene so fast she nearly laughed.

"But," Alistair continued coldly, opening his eyes, "only during daylight hours. You will leave in the morning and return by noon. You will not wander at night. You will not enter dark or secluded areas. You will not speak to strangers, nor attract attention. Should either of you break these rules..."

His gaze hardened, promise and threat woven together.

"...you will regret it."

Both Selene and Caroline nodded at once.

"Yes, my Lord," Caroline said.

"Absolutely," Selene echoed, far too eagerly.

Alistair watched them for a moment longer, then turned away, already dismissing them from his thoughts.

The matter was settled—for now.

As the door closed behind him once more, Selene released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

"That worked," she whispered, disbelief coloring her voice.

Caroline did not smile. Her gaze was steady, grave. "Be careful," she murmured. "Lord Alistair does not favor too many requests. Be brazen like that, and he may kill you."

Selene let out a soft chuckle. "Perhaps. But before that, he’ll grow tired of dull, obedient girls like you. Beat on which will come first?"

Caroline shot her a glare sharp enough to cut. Selene met it without flinching.

Caroline was always the one who started these silent wars—never loud, never reckless, but Selene could feel them all the same, carried in that judging stare, in the tight line of her lips.

Fine then.

Selene tilted her chin, a slow, dangerous smile playing at her mouth.

She had always enjoyed a challenge.