Page 48 of House of Darkness
A vampire’s hunger peaked on the full moon, as did their other appetites. My eyes went wide. “Should I be here, alone?”
“You will be okay. Roman tends to keep to himself on the full moon and would never hurt you. But stay in your room once the moon comes out. Not worth the risk.” He kept his tone casual, but the look in his candied eyes gave away his concern.
“...Okay. Couldn’t I go with you?” I practically begged.
Razvan laughed at that, his sapphire earrings shimmering in the soft torchlight as his head shifted. The loose strands of his hair fell around his angular face like silk. “To the Fjällräv House on the full moon? Absolutely not. Besides, I’m the newest vampire of us and have the least control.”
“Oh,” I looked down. “I’m going to miss you, Raz.”
“I will miss you too, Es.”
Then my only friend was gone, leaving behind a pit of loneliness in his absence. The quiet that lingered over the house was eerie after weeks of constant noise and chaos with the generals. A cacophony I had come to enjoy, I realized.
Chapter 24
ESTRELLA
“Please, Headmaster. I’ll be good.” I whimpered from the floor, my fingers slipping in the pool of blood draining from my face. Matei’s cruel laughter echoed in my ears.
“You’re a liar.”
He struck me again, and I screamed.
I jolted awake, my scream still reverberating through the room. I rubbed my chest, trying to calm my racing heart. It had been weeks since I last dreamed of that monster.
Wrapping my arms around my knees, I rocked back and forth, tears threatening to spill. With Roman locked away and the generals gone, loneliness was my only companion. What had once been a welcome reprieve from the academy’s chaos now left me yearning for comfort, desperate for an escape from the nightmares of my own mind.
The only contact I had was Roman’s power. It enveloped the house, growing thicker with each passing hour. Shadows caressed me with a gentle touch, beckoning me to the murky depths. I craved nothing more than to give in. I could almost imagine Roman’s arms replacing those dark tendrils, his dark, honeyed whisper promising safety and protection.
My feet hit the cold marble floor.
Maybe I needed to work on my self-preservation skills, but I didn’t care. I wanted him. I slipped into my light blue silk robe and shoved on my slippers. His shadows wrapped around me, guiding the way.
Roman stood in the garden, bathed in the moonlight’s silvery glow. He must have heard me approaching, for he was already waiting. “You should’ve stayed in your room.”
I ignored him. “I had a nightmare about that monster hurting me again.”
Even in the dim light, I saw his eyes darken. “I’m the only monster here tonight, doll.”
“You aren’t a monster.”
He stepped forward, revealing what the shadows had concealed. His eyes were completely black, jagged streaks of darkness spreading up his arms from his taloned fingertips, as if his hands had been dipped in ink. He was as terrifying as he was breathtaking.
“I am. I came out here because of that scent…” He inhaled deeply, his eyes rolling back in ecstasy. When they opened again, he shuddered. “Estrella, go back inside and stay in your room.”
I took a step closer, closing the distance between us. “I don’t want to.”
“Gods damn it, Estrella,” he groaned. Reluctantly yet desperately, he stepped close enough to touch me. His eyes burned like voids, threatening to pull me into their endless depths.
Through gritted teeth, he said, “I want you. I want to sink my teeth into that beautiful neck. You. Shouldn’t. Be. Here.”
I tilted my head in invitation, my mind oddly clear. I wanted this more than I had ever wanted anything. “Touch me, Roman. Until the only touch I remember is yours.”
Roman’s hands gripped my hips, pulling me closer. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I trust you.” I did. I felt safe with him, just as I always had. The thought comforted me as his velvety tendrils enveloped me, holding me close.
His lips traced my jawline, sending shivers down my spine. I could feel his body shaking with restraint. “Are you sure?”
