Page 119 of A Study of Blood and Ichor

“No,” she whispered. “I thought you said mine.”

Ava peeled herself off me, and I sat up off the couch cushions.

“Where is Vain?” she asked.

I figured she ought to know, considering she was the one who’d bound her soul to him.

The embers in the fire appeared to have died hours ago, leaving the room cold and dark. A low, droning hum vibrated through the walls like a constant pulse, as if the castle itself were alive. It sounded otherworldly, and I felt drawn to it despite also being a bit wary. It tugged at my chest the same way the whisper of my name had before, like a summoning, coaxing my soul toward something I didn’t understand.

“This way,” she said and took my hand in hers. We stepped tentatively out into the dark halls. The shadows were everywhere, obscuring nearly all the light throughout the castle. I couldn’t keep my thoughts from lingering on the idea of ghosts that Vain had planted in our heads earlier.

With every turn we made through the castle, a familiar, snaking tendril wormed itself tighter around my mind, luring me toward it. My palms became slick, and my heart skittered like a child lost in the dark.

“Ssscared little mortalsss,” the voice crept up on a whisper.

Stopping dead in our tracks, the hair on the back of my neck rose. My skin prickled with the understanding that something was stalking us through the dark corridors. Fear gripped me as three hollow clicks echoed off the stone walls, creeping nearer.

A soft hiss slithered against the shell of my ear. “Run.”

Ava and I launched forward, our instincts driving us into the darkness as we gave chase to whatever nightmare hunted us through the castle, nipping closely at our heels. Whether it be a ghost, a monster, or a demon, we didn’t care as we ran.

I pushed Ava ahead of me, stumbling into the great hall behind her. An eerie, red glow welcomed us from an arched doorway at the end of the chamber. It was the only source of light, and we ran toward it like moths to a flame, eager to escape the shadows and the darkness on the hunt behind us.

Through the doorway, a tight, winding staircase snaked below the castle. We scrambled for purchase on the smooth stones. One slight misstep and we might topple down to the bottom. The creeping whispers dissipated the further down we went, and the red light grew brighter.

Upon reaching the base of the stairs, I pulled Ava close, keeping my hand laced tightly in hers as we scanned ahead.

A door standing at the end of the corridor had the same red glow seeping out from the crack underneath. The familiar tug in my core again edged me closer toward the light. I pressed one hand to the surface, my body humming with a powerful energy which gave me pause. Ava gave my other hand a tight squeeze, filling me with the courage to push it open.

The circular chamber was bathed in red light. My eyes immediately went to the enormous bed in the center, draped in silky black sheets. A St. Andrews cross sat in one corner, and hanging from a large iron gate at the other end of the room were a pair of leather restraints. I wasn’t particularly eager to be bound and shackled, not after the weeks of being held captive by Ava’s former coven…so why couldn’t I stop my imagination from wandering to the idea of it and how it might feel?

“Don’t worry, I have no plans of using those…yet.”

Vain sat in a deep armchair across the room with a wicked smile gracing his lips, his iridescent gaze dark and assessing. He was a true demon of the shadows, filling our heads with powerful and dangerous desire.

Ava laughed beside me, and I jumped at the sound that broke the pointed silence.

“This is your dungeon?”

“So, you do remember…” Vain tossed one eyebrow up at her, his face settling into an expression of amusement and borderline temptation. “I realized that I didn’t bring you two to the lower levels during our tour.”

Vain stood, immediately towering over both me and Ava as he circled us slowly.

“Was this all some sick game you wanted to play with us for your amusement?” I challenged.

The demon stopped in front of me and tossed a smirk over one shoulder at my defiant outburst.

“Oh, Rory,” Vain purred. “I’ve not even begun the fun part.”

I swallowed hard. Beneath the sensual tone of his voice was something dark and forbidden laced between his words. If I were a careful man, I might have run from it. But I was far too reckless, and all too eager to give in to it—in to him.

Beside me, Ava crossed her arms over her chest and jutted her hip. “So, you lured us down here by scaring us—”

“Who’s to say I had anything to do with that?” Vain said. Ava stilled, which spurred Vain’s sharp smile and the unmistakable glint in his eyes. “Don’t pretend that playing with your fears didn’t arouse you though. You know it’s useless to try and hide your desires from me, Ava. Now more than ever.”

Knowing the bond that they now shared together, I had little doubt that what Vain said was true.

“Look at me, mellilla.” He tipped his fingers under her chin, fixing his eyes on hers. “Undress him.”

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