Page 7 of A House of Fangs & Deceit

I bristled as rage and humiliation warred within me. House Laurent might be one of the oldest Houses, but House Harkerwasthe oldest. My ancestors had been the first of the Moroi to claw back their humanity.

As much as I wanted to rub that into Marvina’s face, it wouldn’t help anything, and it would only cause a problem for my aunt and House Harker. I knew Marvina thought poorly of the Velesians, but I thought she’d been smart enough to at least see the value of this trade.

I had miscalculated badly, and I was furious at myself for such a misstep.

A persistent ache flared in my gums as my bloodlust stirred thanks to my spiraling emotions. I wrestled it back, but it still felt like my blood was burning through my veins.

“My apologies,” I said tightly as I rose from my chair, barely managing to keep my emotions off my face. “I will work on a different trade proposal that is more befitting for House Laurent.”You stuck-up, arrogant bitch.

“That’s not necessary. I have my advisors to help me with such endeavors. Your only job here is to make my son happy, and you can’t even manage that.” She gave me a cutting look. “I suggest you spend your time trying to rectify that situation.”

Chapter Two

Samara

Pain shotthrough my gums as my fangs started to extend further. Heat burned behind my eyes, and all I could do was jerk my head in a nod before fleeing the room.

Amused snorts and chuckles followed in my wake as I clenched my fists until my nails bit into flesh and blood dripped from my knuckles. I used the sharp pain to help ground me as my feet carried me through the halls and stairwells until I found myself in the main garden located in the center of the fortress that was House Laurent.

I sucked in a breath as I wiped the blood from my hands onto my dress. The crescent cuts across my palms stung from where my nails had dug in. At least they hadn’t shifted into claws and done more damage.

After a few moments of steady breathing, my fangs receded to their normal length of being only slightly longer than the rest of my teeth.

It’d been a while since I’d drunk from Demetri, and I was overdue for some blood. He tended to treat our feeding sessions like an unavoidable duty, if not a nuisance, so I only did it when I had to, which usually ledto me putting it off for longer than I should. My bloodlust had come dangerously close to rising in that room, and Marvina likely would have had me chained in the dungeon if that had happened, even though I wouldn’t have actually attacked anyone.

Probably not… unless one of them tried to run. I hissed as my fangs once again lengthened at the thought of chasing down prey. Screw it. They could stay out for a bit. They would naturally recede once I calmed down.

Since I was a Harker, it was unlikely I’d completely lose control of my bloodlust and be unable to come back from it.

When that happened to a Moroi, we referred to them as Strigoi. To my knowledge, no one had ever come back after earning that title. All Moroi had to contend with bloodlust, but some were more likely than others to completely lose their grasp on humanity and devolve into beasts driven by nothing but hunger and survival.

Our bloodlust gave us an edge in a world full of monsters. Not only did we grow fangs and claws, but our instincts also went into overdrive.

Truthfully, I found it a little intoxicating, but mostly because I never feared losing myself to it. My bloodline was strong; even our ancestors who originally turned Moroi had retained some of their humanity.

Most of the Houses, including Laurent, could boast the same. The strength of our bloodlines was the foundation for the ruling Moroi Houses.

We had yet to discover why certain bloodlines were so resilient against turning into Strigoi. There were many reasons I was thankful to be born a Harker, but not having to fear losing my humanity every time I got thoroughly and completely pissed off was definitely at the top of the list.

But even without the risk of turning Strigoi, it was still not a good look to lose control of your bloodlust. It was bound to happen, and Carmilla was forgiving about it, but Marvinawould no doubt view it asunbecoming. She was bothered enough by my appearance and bold demeanor as it was.

I wanted nothing more than to scream at the top of my lungs and kick something. Repeatedly.

But while that would feel fucking glorious, it would also no doubt get back to Marvina, and I refused to give her the satisfaction of knowing just how much she had hurt me.

A few courtiers walked through the garden, glancing at me sideways while whispering furiously amongst themselves.

Great. Marvina and her lackeys were likely already telling everyone about what happened in her study. Now I was a spectacle for all of House Laurent. It wasn’t even lunchtime yet, and this was already shaping up to be a spectacularly bad day. On the plus side, it was unlikely things could get worse from being laughed out of Marvina’s study.

When yet another group of whispering courtiers passed me, I gritted my teeth and headed for the structure on the other side of the garden.

The three-story building continued the House Laurent trend of being ridiculously opulent. Gold and silver accents bordered the windows and shone brightly in the late morning sunshine. Those materials would have been better served on weapons in the hands of Velesians than on a fucking building.

This was exactly why so many Velesians hated the Moroi. I’d hoped to start mending that rift with the trade agreement I’d put together, but it was clear that wouldn’t be happening.

“Your only job here is to make my son happy, and you can’t even manage that.”Marvina’s insult rang through my mind, and I had to shove the bloodlust down again.

Demetri and I might lack passion, but I desperately needed to blow off some steam and get my blood fix.

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