Page 37 of Death Comes for Her
Only Monarchs had three sets of wings. Both lords knew of the six scars on my back.
The Ambrose Lords weren’t average vampires. They had status, power, intelligence, and enough clues to put the pieces of my poorly hidden secret together. It wouldn’t stay a secret for anyone smart enough to read between the lines.
He’d asked for the dagger when he arrived at the scene. Maybe after our violent tryst, he’d realized the significance of it—to me. Regardless of the dagger having once belonged to the Lorevain family, it had been his acquired trophy at the end of the war. But now it rested under my pillow where I’d fallen asleep the past several nights, tracing my fingers over the details on the handle.
How do you cherish an item that held untold importance for your heritage, but also existed as one of the greatest weapons wielded against you?
My heritage? I scoffed. That dagger severed me from my birthright.
“Did you say something?” Imani snapped me from my musing. Her large doe-like eyes blinked at me, full of innocentcuriosity. Her smile infected me, and my lips curved up despite my sour mood.
“No, sorry. Just lost in thought.” I skimmed my finger over the rim of my teacup, gaze lost in the dregs of lukewarm tea.
Imani shut the wardrobe and carefully closed all the dresser drawers. Then she tidied up my half-eaten dinner and tea, neatly stacking the used cutlery on the tray she brought all my meals on. Her head perked up the instant she lifted the tray.
“Oh, they told me I could leave your door unlocked.” She beamed.
I leaned back, blinking dumbly. A breath passed my lips before I bolted out of my seat, darting for the door.
“Oh, my,” Imani’s surprised murmur faded into background noise as I fled down the endless corridors. Only the soft thumping of my bare feet on the plush hall carpet followed.
Up narrow stairs, down gloomy, dusty rooms, and through an abandoned door barely clinging to its hinges, I streaked through the upper floors. I burst through the door, stumbling onto the roof. My arms flung out as I spun under the inky sky, relishing the sensation of gentle wind on my cheeks.
I stole Dante’s trophy and burned another. I’d expected to be locked in my room for the rest of my immortal life, waiting for them to come and go for feedings. Being released after a week of solitary… that was unprecedented.
Dark clouds, pregnant with the promise of grueling rain, rolled across the rust-colored sky. A familiar phantom ache down my spine wished for appendages that fluttered long gone. Still, I kept my arms out, swaying. Bitterly cold wind nipped at my fingers and the tip of my nose, but I welcomed the bite—
—I welcomed the bite.
No, I couldn’t—I didn’t.
The temporary victory over my shallow revenge seemed paltry in the shadows of that ruinous thought. I sat down,palming at the throbbing beat in my chest. Each sharp breath made me sway. I closed my eyes against the icy breeze whistling over the manor and the far away howling of wolves.
A crunch of leather on loose stone pricked at my ears. I jolted, back stiff and nerves on high alert. Expensive leather boots scuffed over the roof as heavy steps neared. Steps that I knew could be as light as feathers if necessary.
He wanted me to know he approached. As If were some skittish prey animal, bound to flee if spooked.
Dante lowered himself beside me, throwing his legs carelessly over the edge of the roof. His thigh pressed against mine, overly familiar yet not close enough at the same time. It sickened me that my insides clenched and heated at his proximity. And I wanted more.
Silence extended beyond the point I thought he’d speak. Tension coiled around us, tying us together with the memory of our forbidden indulgence. It was more than a slight inconvenience to my sensibilities. His presence was a pressure on my mind, haunting me with what I’d done.
“I’m not sorry, you know,” I spoke first.
He turned his head, eyes trailing over my side profile. Then he smirked and faced the lawn with me again. “No, I didn’t think you were.”
My throat bobbed, and I licked my lips.
“Are you going to punish me again?”
Dante chortled. “Would you like me to?”
Golden heat flushed my cheeks. I scoffed.
“I expected worse after what I’d done.”
“Yes, you did set my entire office on fire.” His tone lowered. “Over a hundred years of records lost—” he snapped his fingers “—just like that.”
Serves you right, I thought.
