Page 146 of Stalked By Seduction and Shadows

I rose back up to my feet, lightheaded from the sudden movement and my lack of steady food, sleep, and I guessed, desire, for the last three days.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when a firebird screech echoed deafeningly in the space behind me.

“Wh—”

I barely got out a single syllable before I was face-to-face with Liza.

“Hello, little human,” she purred. “You should be very impressed with me. I actually stopped myself from killing your pathetic turned bodyguard. You know why?”

I backed away from her, but her hand shot out, her long, sharp nails clawing into my shoulder.

Her other hand grabbed my throat, hard. When I screamed, she slapped me. The impact brought instinctive tears to pool in my eyes.

She peered down at me wickedly, hungrily. “Because I want that pathetic abomination to scurry back to Rune as soon as he comes to. I want him to repeat the message I whispered in his ear to the bastard vampire lord, verbatim. My only regret is that I can’t see the look on Rune’s face when he hears it, when he realizes what has been done and by whom.”

Shouts erupted from behind me, and Liza’s blood-red lips curved.

“We’ve found her. She’s taken a firebird.”

“Oh, perfect. We’ll have firsthand witnesses too,” Liza said with cool satisfaction.

My fight was futile, my screams doing nothing but irritate her. She dragged me to the firebird as I flailed. In a disorientating flurry of movement, I saw turned vampires running toward us. Shadows reached. Then my vision blurred and darkened, my head exploding with pain and my limbs giving out.

For a moment, I saw the cosmos. Then I saw nothing at all.

67

RUNE

“Someone’s here to see you,” Mason said dryly.

At the expression on her face, I was quick to exit the celebration in the main entertainment wing. I’d left the born’s blood splattered across my face. My clan needed to see that I would always be in the trenches with them. I also just enjoyed the reminder of a successful born slaughter fest.

All thoughts of war faded away as I moved to the entrance hall. I hadn’t expected Scarlett to come to me, but I supposed she’d never been one to shy away from bold moves.

But it wasn’t Scarlett who was glaring at me furiously, arms crossed and unfazed by the turned men surrounding her.

“Our favorite witch,” Uriah said. He watched Snow curiously, and I could’ve sworn he looked pleased to see her. “Here to do some more yelling, Blondie?”

The icy blonde witch in pastel purple and several necklaces, rings, and dangling bracelets didn’t look at him. Only at me. “She didn’t know, Rune,” she said.

I made a gesture for everyone to clear out except for Uriah, Mason, and me.

Then, I mirrored the witch’s stance and crossed my arms, if only to piss her off. “Is that so?”

“She’s broken.”

My stomach sunk, but I didn’t show it. I gave her nothing at all. Even if what I really wanted was to ask about one hundred different questions. I wanted the truth. I’d never wanted anything more, except for the little demoness herself.

“She thinks she will never truly be loved, and I don’t know what to tell her anymore. She hangs on your every word, unfortunately, so when you told her she was a soulless demon, she believed you,” Snow said, raw emotion plaguing her features.

“Do we escort her out?” Mason asked, a hard edge to her voice. “Or detain her?”

A streak of fear finally touched Snow’s soft green eyes. She swallowed and stayed rooted in place.

“No,” I said. “Let her say what she has to say.”

Mason threw me a disapproving look, and I shot her one of warning.

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