Page 64 of When Bones Whisper
It was polite to courtesy, and expected for her to give him her hand, but she felt the cold sting of loss so deeply that the thought of letting him touch her made her want to claw back the layers of her skin where his lips might brush her knuckles. Besides, he did not even bow.
“Mr.Eringhorn,” she spat, enunciating the Mr, knowing he hated his status as the untitled second son. “I too found myself disappointed when I was made aware of your presence here.”
He laughed coldly and said, “I am surprised to see you are out of mourning already. Not even two months after your mother and sister’s passing.”
“I am not, nor will I ever be out of mourning. I just care little for social decorum,” she said, fiddling with the lace of her dress.
“That much is obvious,” he said with a snarl. “Your vanity and lack of respect for the dead is abhorrent.”
“How dare you say that after everythingyoudid?”
“You mean whatyoursister did.”
Before she could lunge at him, and ruin any shred remaining of her social standing, Nathaniel’s hand landed on her shoulder with a reassuring squeeze.
Charles’s nose twitched, his lips curling as he held back the vicious remark he dearly wanted to impart to her. Instead, he bowed and said, “Lord Sallow.”
“Mr. Eringhorn,” he replied in the most disinterested tone. “Where is your new bride?”
“She is feeling under the weather and could not attend.”
“Pity,” Nathaniel said in a tone that sounded anything but. “If you will excuse us, I must accompany Miss Lovett to the courtyard.”
“Of course. Have a good evening,” he said, eyes fixed upon Charlotte’s, jaw clenching. With a tense breath, he turned and returned to his friends.
Once he was gone, she spun on her heel and followed Nathaniel out into the empty, dark courtyard, sucking in a deep breath of smoggy air as he closed the doors behind them.
Her heart raced as the blood thirst moved through their bond, as if it was a living thing. Normally, she would fear being so close to him, but right then, all she could think about was punching him.
Chapter Nineteen
“How could you bepoliteto that vermin?” she admonished, a storm brewing in her stare, her lips quivering as she battled against a wave of hot, angry tears.
A shadow passed over his face from the tall, flickering gas lamps standing uniform beside eerie, gray statues, revealing the glint of silver in his irises. “He’ll get what is coming to him.”
She froze, unable to move as he stood under the stars, amongst statues covered in stone veils, obscuring their warped, angel faces. “Is that why you invited him here? To hurt him?”
“No. I invited him soyoucould.”
“Have you lost your damned mind?” With a shake of her head, she started pacing the courtyard. It was getting harder tokeep her emotions inside when he was being so infuriating, and the blood, his blood, was pulsing through her. “I cannot do that.”
“Why not?”
“Because that would make me no better than him.”
“I won’t judge,” he said in a deep tone that enveloped her. “We can kill him together if you’d like. Rats like him deserve it.”
Her jaw slacked. Yes, while the thought of bludgeoning Charles Eringhorn to death filled her with a twisted sense of euphoria and justice, she knew she couldn't succumb to her baser desires. “Is that what you tell yourself to justify murder?”
“I do not need justification,” he said smoothly, eyes darkening. “I can do it for you if you want, so you do not have to burden your soul.”
“No! I don’t want anyone to die because of me. Charles will meet his punishment one day, whether it is now or in death.”
“No deity cares to punish the wicked, Miss Lovett.”
“No? Did they tell you that?”
“In the three centuries I have been alive, evil has always triumphed. The strong and detached will always win.”
