Page 118 of Gilded Wicked Mirrors
She needed—
All of Quinn’s thoughts froze in place.
Emrys hadn’t led her to Constance’s rooms. He led her to Constance and to the discovery of why the Courtesan Wing was forbidden. Quinn expected naked bodies in carnal acts, but what she saw was far more horrifying.
Five men were attached to blood bags, fully clothed, and completely dazed—drugged.
The women who performed the blood draw were famous Viridian Ladies, and they stole men's blood. Not . . . not seducing them. One of the girls—Ainsley, the singer—went from man to man and used her retractable claws to take a sip of their blood before saying, “You’re having an erotic and pleasurable time. You’re experiencing all your greatest fantasies. You will wake up feeling more than satisfied and wanting more.”
Another girl drank directly from one of the men’s wrists. TheViridian Ladies were vampires—beautiful, flawless creatures of the night in more ways than one.
And Constance sat in a gilded chair that could’ve been a throne, licking blood off her claws.
Quinn stepped backward, trying not to make a sound or a fast movement, and she held her breath. Confronting vampires was a terrible idea. Confronting a murderous vampire was suicide, even if she had Emrys by her side. The best option—the only option—was to flee. She slid her foot through the air and tried to place it without noise. Unfortunately, Quinn was fucking human and had no ounce of stealth in her body, and once again, for the fourth time in a week, she made too much sound for vampires’ ears because the floorboard creaked beneath her toes.
She squeaked as all eyes in the room turned on her.
Fuck.Again. This was getting pathetic.
Thirty-Nine
Every muscle in Quinn’s body was as taut as a harp string.
“I see you are shocked and horrified, little dancer, but in fairness, you aren’t allowed in this wing.” Kordelia lounged on a chair, her feet dangling in the air. “And you brought her here, Princeling. Is she your sacrifice?”
Quinn cringed. She felt the vein in her neck budge as she took another slow step backward. “I—” she started, but she had nothing to say.
There was nothing to say.
Before Quinn could think, run, or do anything, a vampire moved with inhuman speed and trapped her against the wall, and two other vampires were on Emrys, who didn’t fight back. They held him up against the opposite wall as he watched the scene unfold silently.
Shock spiked in Quinn and ripped through her flesh. Another person betrayed her. Again. And it was all too much. Had Emrys brought her as a sacrifice? Were they all working together to free their paintings and take over the city? Was it all lies?
Fear captured her tongue, and she couldn’t say anything or do anything but hear the pounding of the beast in her heart, begging to break free of its cage.
Kordelia sauntered up beside them. “What should I do with a human girl who won’t listen?” She clicked her tongue. “Naughty, naughty, naughty.”
The vampire holding Quinn flashed her retractable fangs before biting down on one of her claws. It was sultry and disturbing all at once.
A trail of gooseflesh licked up Quinn’s arms, and she felt the blood leech from her face.
“The men,” Quinn uttered, not meaning to say it. Fear cut her stomach and stole her rational thoughts as her eyes rested on the blood bags.
Kordelia clicked her tongue. “Oh, don’t feel bad for these men. They are all predators, every one of them.” She picked at her fingernails. “We research and vet them. These are the dishonorable ones. The men and women who treat the people respectfully aren’t taken to these rooms. We only do this to the vilest of men and women—although that’s a much lesser number. The ones who abuse and assault innocent people. We would never do that to someone who didn’t deserve it. But you aren’t bad. You’re a nosy human. What should we do with a nosy human?”
Quinn’s heart hammered, and a tear of sweat rolled down her forehead. “Please, I—”
“Leave her be,” Constance said with the steely timbre of a snake. “Although, I don’t mind if you compel her to leave.”
Kordelia treaded backward, obeying Constance’s command, and the vampire holding Quinn loosened her grip but stood blocking the way out. “You will—”
“There is no need to compel her. She already knows about us and the council.” Emrys cut in. “We came here to ask you, Constance, if you killed Jane?”
“Of course not.”
“Are you willing to let us sample your fingerprints?” he asked steadily.
“Of course!” she said. “I have nothing to hide.” Constanceseemed to get the irony of her statement because she amended it. “Well, nothing besides this.”
