Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92612 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
“A knife in the heart suits you.”
He smirks, his arrogance back in full force. “I believe you tried that already, though your aim was lacking.”
“I won’t miss next time.” I mean every word.
“I have no doubt.” He steps to me.
It takes every shred of courage I have not to move back. Outside, I stand strong. Inside, I want to curl into a ball and hide in the closet. Exposed, I itch to cover myself, to throw on anything to cover my bare skin. The v-cut of the neckline leaves the inner swells of my breasts exposed, and Melody made sure I wouldn’t wear a bra underneath. I don’t even want to think about the underwear she gave me, but I feel it in places where underwear should never go.
“First, do no harm?” he taunts.
“Killing you will be the biggest gift to mankind’s survival since Jenner created the smallpox vaccine.”
“You’ll get no argument from me.” He’s too close to me. His scent, his looming figure, the way he looks at me with disdain and something else beneath it. He drops his gaze again, lingering on my exposed flesh. A blush creeps into my face, unwanted heat.
“I would say that I hate you, but the word isn’t enough. Not anymore.”
“No?” His smirk deepens, his gaze lazily returning to mine. “Perhaps you should hold that thought until we’re done with the ball. I’m certain you’ll have come up with a choice descriptor for me by the end of it.”
“Or I’ll be dead,” I say flatly.
His brow creases the slightest bit, then his expression returns to its cold indifference. “Come along, little rabbit. Time to meet the wolves.” He takes my arm and leads me through the door.
I try to slow our pace, but he won’t let me. His stride doesn’t falter as we descend the stairs. When I see movement on the piano floor, I try to halt. Once again, he pulls me along. People—no, not people—vampires, dozens of them on the landing, almost all of them looking right at me.
My stomach clenches, mouth goes dry. The liquid courage Melody gave me is all but gone, and I’m left with raw fear as I survey the hungry eyes awaiting me.
Music drifts through the air, some sort of classical dirge played almost jauntily from deeper in the castle. The ballroom.
“Lord Specter.” A vampire at the bottom of the stairs gives a short bow, then stares at me. “And this is the human I’ve heard so much about. Quite lovely, aren’t you?” He smiles, his fangs already pressing past his lower lip.
Valen doesn’t even acknowledge him, simply pulls me past as more vampires whisper and watch. The ones with wings all wear gowns of deep violet or tuxes with violet accents. Others have dark green—the females with emerald jewels draped about their bare throats or green dresses that reveal miles of flawless skin. Fewer wear crimson. All of them watch Valen and me, their gazes open and direct.
They move for him, parting as he stalks through their midst. I find myself sticking closer to him. Better the devil you know, I suppose. He doesn’t let go of my arm, his hold tightening as we pass through the rooms, all of them brimming with bodies and chatter. Every accent, languages I don’t recognize, and faces that bend reality with their timeless perfection—the silent castle has come alive, teeming with gorgeous terrors.
“There she is…”
“Fucking humans—”
“Omoara-i pe toti,” a green-draped woman leers at me.
Valen growls in her direction, and she leans away, her gaze snapping to him. Still, he doesn’t stop pulling me through the various salons until we reach the ballroom. I keep waiting for my ankles to give, for my heel to catch, but if it happens, I don’t notice. His grip is absolute, and he seems to be driven by a similar fury to my own. These vicious creatures cower as he passes, shrinking back with hisses and whispers.
I have to take a breath when we step into the ballroom. It doesn’t look like the same space. Crimson banners festoon the walls, and the chandeliers hang lower, their candles flickering brightly, the crowd here just as thick. The music swells, and as the throng parts for Valen, I see a mass of vampires swirling through the center of the room, keeping time with the music in what must be a waltz.
I’m mesmerized, my entire reality already shaken down to its fractured bones, but this is another level of unbelievable hell. Vampires waltzing in an underground castle. My skin erupts in goose bumps at the haunting music and the perfect movements of the couples. Fantastical costumes and effortless, uncanny beauty. It raises my hackles.
Valen doesn’t seem to care, perhaps not even to notice. He barrels ahead, disrupting the dancers as he continues his march onward.
By the time we get across the ballroom, I’m breathless, but I don’t dare stop. Not when the vampires are hissing or glaring at me. Rancor is all around, raw hatred directed solely at me for reasons I don’t entirely understand. Is it because I’m the only human here?