Page 119 of Taken By Touch and Torment

“Wait, what?” I asked between gulps of air. “What did I do to the castle?”

Uriah’s jaw dropped. “No one told you?”

“Told me what?” I searched their faces for a hint of what they were talking about.

Snow made herself smaller, emitting a small groan of embarrassment as she avoided Uriah’s amused gaze.

“Whatever the hell you and Rune were doing in the deliberation room had a, uh…” Uriah paused, as if searching for the right words, “…ripple effect.”

Snow lay back, covering her face with her hand. Uriah laughed, delighting in her discomfort.

Oh, gods. I’d forgotten that aspect of my magick—the way it could leak out and influence everyone around me. That was how I’d inflamed the crowd of protesters, the elites in Durian’s palace, and the patrons of Odessa. And this afternoon I’d been especially powerful, displaying not a single measure of restraint.

I glanced between Uriah and Snow.

“Who tackled whom?”

Uriah’s guffaw was the only answer I needed.

“I thought we were supposed to be leaving shame out of sex, Snow?” I teased.

She sat up, her bright green eyes fiery. “It wasn’t—I don’t—ugh!”

Now Uriah and I were both lost in laughter.

I sat up. “Well… you’re welcome.” I winked at Snow.

I considered Uriah, assessing whether I could trust him with my friend’s feelings. He was close to Rune, and that worked in his favor.

“How did you and Rune meet?” I asked.

Snow’s smile faded, and Uriah’s eyes flashed surprise. He shifted on his feet.

“Through Mason,” he said. “Mason and I were old school vigilante vampire hunters, best in the city.”

Why in the hell had I never asked this before? I had to pick my jaw up from the ground.

“You went from vampire hunter to vampire?”

Uriah shrugged. “Not as crazy of a leap as it sounds. There’s only so much skill and strength you can amass as a human.” He glanced back at the crowd of vampires betting and cheering on violent competitions. “We don’t have to actively recruit humans to join our clan. They find us. We all have a similar story, you see.”

Grief shone in Uriah’s hazel-green eyes.

“We follow Rune because we owe him everything,” Uriah said. “I know I do.”

The way Snow regarded Uriah was nothing short of respectful now, compassionate. All of her playful irritation had melted away.

“I met him when he was still human,” Uriah said. “Six months later, he was so much more. Mason and I took the leap soon after.” He straightened. “But I would’ve followed Rune into battle after that first meeting, before he was the most powerful vampire in Valentin. Sometimes in this life, you just know.”

48

SCARLETT

Itentatively knocked on Sadie’s door. The weight of the notebook in my hand had my stomach twisting into knots. It felt like years had passed since I’d written in its sister’s pages, sowing the seeds for my escape with Rosalind by my side. Fuck, I missed her. Grief and guilt were still a heavy mass in my throat.

Rune had left the notebook on the bed for me to find after my shower. I hadn’t seen him since we’d left the deliberation room. I’d gone straight to a session with Belise, followed by time with Uriah and Snow. After Belise, I’d found a bowl of chocolate cookie dough ice cream sitting down the hall, still cold as if it had been left the moment I exited Belise’s rooms.

It was as though Rune had reverted back to stalking me out of comfort, haunting me like a specter rather than talking to me directly.

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