Page 65 of Stalked By Seduction and Shadows

I reached for the door, and his cold, detached voice followed me out into the hall.

“Goodnight, Scarlett.”

31

SCARLETT

Ididn’t see Rune at all for the next four days. When I awoke each morning, all windows were locked and there were no more gifts left in my living room. Though I should’ve been grateful for this reprieve and distance, I felt it like a dagger twisting slowly in my chest cavity instead.

Further proof I needed space.

I hadn’t seen any of the born vampires either, though weekdays were always less busy. The opera was slowly approaching, and Snow was giddy with excitement despite her lingering guilt over where the tickets came from.

I didn’t even care. This was one of my dreams come true. And at that thought, I couldn’t help but remember Rune’s words from the other night.

I will demand everything from you. Your secrets, your desires, your needs, and your every last dream. I will make sure you live the life you have always deserved.

Part of me wanted to believe it was all genuine. That it wasn’t merely an easy seduction, a means for him to spice up his never-ending trudge through immortality. But he didn’t believe he had a soul. He was violent, gaining pleasure from my pain just as he gained it from his many enemies and conquests. Destroying me emotionally was likely his end goal of this tryst, the greatest pleasure of all.

Snow and I were climbing the winding, steep uphill roads of the River District, which housed a blend of wealthy mortals and turned vampires. Every time I glimpsed crawling black tattoos, I thought of him.

It was irritating.

He’d penetrated my subconscious, sneakily digging his roots deep and locking his vines tight around my mental landscape.

I inhaled deeply, tuning in to the beautiful city views around me. I paused to look back over my shoulder, admiring the sprawling expanse of twinkling lights and classical architecture. Some buildings were as white as the cobblestone, others deep black in honor of Lillian, and others brought splashes of color to Aristelle’s breathtaking canvas.

The mix of sweet and savory smells were mouth-watering and rich in the air. A restaurant to our right poured out onto the street, vampires and mortals chatting over food. Their laughter reached me through the breeze. I leaned into the steady hum of fate, and for a moment, I had the fleeting intuition that it was all going to be okay.

Much like Rune, Aristelle had also ensnared me in a way I couldn’t put into words. Everything I saw and did here was a grand adventure, even if it was just walking around with Snow and her friends, discussing things that Jaxon and Isabella would’ve hated.

“Have you seen William again?” I asked Snow. That was her vampire lover she’d hooked up with when I’d gone home with Finn, who I’d also not seen since that night. I winced, still hoping Rune hadn’t actually hurt him.

“Nope,” she said. “Like I warned you, vampires are only for the short term. The least amount of time you spend with a single one, the better.”

We continued our climb, Helia’s grand temple finally in view on the top of a hill dotted with tall grass and lemon and fig trees. It was carved from white stone, with a domed, fiery orange sunstone roof that glittered in the sunlight and was lit up from within at night.

“Did he feed from you?” I asked.

A turned vampire suddenly swept his gaze to us, his handsome features twisting into unconcealed lust. I quickly averted my eyes and continued walking. I should’ve maybe not all but screamed that question.

I caught up to Snow, even as my lungs heaved, so that I could talk quieter.

She giggled nervously, leaning in close. “Yes.”

I gasped. “And you’re just now mentioning this?”

“You hadn’t asked about it before!”

That was true. I sort of didn’t want to hear about vampire love affairs after I’d hooked up with Rune.

“How did it feel?”

Snow’s fair cheeks turned as red as her sweater. She brushed her ice blonde hair behind her ears as she avoided eye contact. “It feels like you’re having one long, full-body orgasm that you never want to end.”

She covered her mouth to stifle another giggle, her big green eyes glancing all around to make sure there weren’t any more vampires near us.

I swallowed. Predictably and unfortunately, my mind went straight back to Rune. If he could that easily turn me into a mindless puddle of need with just his hand, I didn’t even want to think about what he’d do to me with those centuries-old fangs.

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