Page 49 of When Night Falls
Her face comes into view, and I can barely make out her midnight eyes in the darkness, her black hair also blends into the shadows around her.
I cross my arms and tense my shoulders up, trying to mask the chill that just came over me suddenly. I didn't think to change out of the dress I'd had on before leaving with Rivian.
"You live here?" I ask her, looking around to see if anyone else can be spotted trotting around the castle, but so far, I haven't seen any other being, vampire or otherwise. Almost as if they don't want to risk being seen by the likes of me.
"I can do you one better, Princess," she says with enthusiasm coloring her tone. I perk up a little to wait for what she says next.
"I'm your sister-in-law."
19
taste of the tether
Rivian
The taste of blood sits heavy on my tongue. It's comparable to the fresh air of that crisp fall night that you walk into after being trapped in a stuffy room where you've been left benumbed and cold, hungry and soiled, for days on end. How would I know? Because I've gone through that pain too.
Finally being able to satisfy a craving that has been plaguing me for so long feels like walking through the gates of heaven even knowing I have sinned and belong in the burning depths of hell. It feels wrong, but it tastes so fucking right.
The female I have trapped in my hold—her neck strained for my preferred angle—doesn't make a sound or even move as I take what I need from her. I won't lie, I love it when they squirm for me, but I know that if I had it my way, I would risk draining her dry and her death would be on my hands. This girl has no victims and poses no threat, so I know I'd face consequences forthat. Instead, I opted to compel her to hold still while I pinned her against the wall so that I could feed.
And while she is delicious, it still doesn't feel likeenough.
To some extent, I regret making the decision to snag her off the side of the road to bring her back to my castle. But after I showed Lucynda her room, I knew I needed to do something to quell this hunger I'd been feeling. I knew I couldn't hold it in anymore. Being around her is like serving an open wound to shark infested waters. Dangerous.
I know I acted like an asshole when I picked her up and brought her back to the castle. She smelled like the roses I would leave for her, mixed with fear and confidence all in the same note. She looked like a fucking nightmare dressed in her short, olive-green skater-dress. Her wintery hair in a messy bun on the top of her head, her freckles bright against her pale skin and her lashes bating me every time she looked my way. And when I unknowingly gave myself a moment to gaze down at her pouty lips, I pictured the kiss she had given me. How I felt the need to pull another out of her, or to rake my hands up and down her body.
Fuck, the need was—is—so visceral that it angered me for wanting her. I'm not supposed to want her. But I knew the longer I tried to avoid fulfilling my bloodlust—which I'd been so disciplined in doing before—I was going to fucking lose it and that would have likely led me to do something I would have regretted.
So instead, I let some of my heated annoyance out on the poor unsuspecting human in front of me, who, unintentionally, yet willingly, lets me take a few more hits from where she bleeds for me. All the while I think of how fucking bad I desire Lucynda. And speak of the devil…
I hear her mouth let out a tiny gasp and at the same time I can hear her heartbeat picking up speed in her chest cavity.
"Rivian?" Her dulcet voice lingers with concern, and maybe even disgust. Which is the last fucking thing I'm willing to deal with right now. But also, I am not hers to judge. I don't fucking care what she thinks of me, albeit her king.
I reluctantly lean off the source of my blood supply and verbally tell her to forget everything that has happened since I picked her up before letting her go; blood pouring from her neck.
She pushes herself off the wall and calmly walks past me. I don't turn around right away to see the shocked look on Lucynda's face. I can sense it from here. Instead, I let myself balance against the wall, one hand palmed on the cement surface while the other reaches for the silk cloth on the inside of my jacket to wipe the mess I'm sure is smeared over my mouth.
"Troian," I bite out in a tone of threat. Only then do I turn to face the two girls standing in the corridor of the basement, the same space where I had just ripped someone's heart out days before.
"Sorry,brother." Troy holds out her hands in mock surrender, a feigned look of innocence coloring her face. "But when the future queen demands to see her future king, you kind of have to oblige." Troy pulls a mischievous smirk on her lips, and I ache to slap it off her face.
She knew what she was doing when she brought Lucynda down here. Although I love my sister, trouble is her middle name.
"Leave us," I demand her, and she wastes no time turning and obeying my command.
For a moment, silence sits between Lucynda and I. Cold air weaves between us as I watch the judgment swirl in her head. I'm not ashamed of who I am but part of me feels uneasy about the deplorable look she's working hard to hide.
Her eyes focus on the ground as I watch her try to figure out what to say next.
"Wh-what were you doing?" She finally asks, her eyes glazed over and her body in a stiff position, still in the stupid green dress.
I scoff at the question.
"Pretty obvious, little one. Don't you think?" I stuff the ivory silk back into my suit jacket before shoving my hands in my pockets.
I can't imagine what I must look like to her right now. My hair is probably a mess from pulling at it all night, thoughts of her intruding my brain like a fucking disease. Blood is still likely painting my lips and denial probably lingering from my demeanor, though I knowI'mthe only one who knows it's there. Denial of my fervent need for this one girl.