Page 14 of A House of Fangs & Deceit

He looped his arm through mine and tugged me inside towards the stairs that led to the upper floors of the main house.

“Kieran,” I warned, struggling to keep up with his fast pace.

He didn’t say anything as he pulled me through the hallways, and I let him because I knew where he was taking me, and it’s where I wanted to go anyway.

Although, I would have preferred to walk there at a leisurely pace while I gathered my thoughts instead of being dragged through the House for everyone to see.

“Samara, you’re home!” an older Moroi wearing an apron dusted with flour and stains called out in greeting.

“Hi, Leora!” I waved and eyed the empty platter she was holding in her hands. “Are there any more honey cakes left?”

“I’ll send some to your suite in a bit!”

Two more servants came around the corner and smoothly slid out of Kieran’s way as he continued pulling me along.

“Oh! Hey, Floran! Hi, Nora!” I grinned at both of them.They were a few years older than me and worked in the gardens.

Two years ago, they’d gotten married, and I’d come back for the ceremony. I’d had to lie to Marvina about my reasons for visiting House Harker because she never would have approved of me coming back here for the wedding of low-ranking servants.

“Hey, Sam!” Floran laughed. “I see nothing has changed between you and Kieran.”

“He’s still very emotional.” I patted Kieran’s hand where it rested on my forearm. “He needs to find a nice Moroi to settle down with like you did with Nora.”

Kieran let out an exasperated breath before he spun around. Suddenly, my world tilted, and I found myself tossed over his shoulder.

“Ow!” I tried to shift, but his arm clamped around my thighs. “Your bony shoulder is digging into me.”

“It’s not bony.” He swatted my butt. “You can chat with everyone later.”

I raised my head and waved at the two love-birds. “Come and find me tomorrow! We can valiantly raid the kitchen and then catch up on the garden!”

“Pretty sure Leora will be baking all morning to celebrate you being back!” Nora snickered. “Have fun managing Kieran and your aunt!”

Kieran carried me up to the third floor with only a few more interruptions. I was kind of impressed; I wasn’t exactly light, but he wasn’t even winded. Growing up, Kieran had always been on the slender side, but it had been three years since I’d seen him last since he’d been away during Floran and Nora’s wedding.

My pondering of Kieran’s new physical prowess ended when he dropped me back to the ground in front of a familiar study. The large double doors were open, revealing walls linedwith books and scrolls, some well-used couches and chairs, and a large desk at the back of the room.

A woman who looked like an older version of me sat behind the desk, the last rays of sun shining through the floor-to-ceiling windows at her back.

My aunt was wholly focused on the scroll in front of her. Out of nowhere, heat built behind my eyes, and I found myself fighting back tears.

How many times had I sat on one of the comfortable couches complaining about some asinine thing Kieran had done? Or how I vehemently disagreed with one of my instructors over marks I’d received on my work?

She would let me ramble on and on, seeming to not be paying attention as she focused on her own work, only to raise her head when I finally stopped talking to smile at me and say, “That sounds like quite the problem, my dear. So, what are you going to do about it?”

I blinked my tears away at the memory and the crushing realization of just how much I had missed my home.

Kieran nudged me further into the study before dropping down onto one of the couches and arching an eyebrow at me. I envisioned grabbing one of the throw pillows and smothering him with it when he smirked and settled further into the thick cushions.

Carmilla Harker finally raised her head. Her dark, ivy-green eyes met my deep purple ones, the color of our eyes only distinguishable because of the last rays of the dying sunlight.

At night, our eyes looked black. It was a trait shared by all those of the Harker bloodline.

“Samara?” She blinked in surprise before rising from her chair and rushing towards me. “What are you doing here? Has something happened?”

The familiar sound of her rich, captivating voice was myundoing. Tears flowed down my cheeks as I threw myself into her arms.

“Shhh. Shhh, my dear,” she said as she stroked my hair. “It’ll be alright.”

---