Page 151 of Taken By Touch and Torment

“This is really sweet and all, and I totally missed you, too,” Rosalind said, tense beneath my hold. “But you’ve now ruined my favorite robe and made our cleanup even more difficult, love.”

Cleanup.

I pulled back from her. I looked down at Liza, my shock wearing off. “What do we do?”

Rosalind clapped her hands, her face resolute. “This isn’t Auntie Rosalind’s first murder cover-up. Don’t you worry.”

“Is it still murder if you had a really good reason?”

She snorted. “Our clothes and this body need to go, and this floor needs scrubbing. There’s both a window and a pantry with cleaning supplies nearby.”

“There could be people—vampires out there,” I said, scrambling. “Plus, oh gods, what if she already told someone what I was? That was why she was attacking me, to catch you up to speed.”

Rosalind shook her head. “The only person she would’ve told is Evangeline, and if she’d told her, then Miss Evil would’ve wanted to come join in on the fun. She definitely kept it to herself so she could fuck with you before she made the grand reveal.”

I nodded. Okay, that made sense. “Can’t we just tell people that she attacked me?”

“You don’t need that heat on you, baby girl. You do not want Evangeline as an enemy.”

Fuck, she was right. Especially after I showed up to the castle covered in blood and without Aunt Carol. There were only so many strange happenings and lies I could distract my men from before my web unraveled.

“Okay, so cleanup,” I said, again staring at the dead vampire and pool of blood on my floor. “At least she’s on hardwood.”

Rosalind returned with cleaning supplies and a rug she’d stolen from a drawing room.

It was late, even for partying vampires. Four in the morning, to be exact. The halls were sparse at this hour, but never guaranteed to be empty. So far, so good. Even though I found it strange and negligent that Brennan had left me with absolutely no protection.

“The coast was clear, and I’ve brought help.” Rosalind said, setting her bag of goods and the rug down on the ground before heading back to the door.

Before I could ask what she meant, two people entered the room, each with slave collars around their necks.

Lana and Cassius.

“Rosalind!” I hissed.

She put a hand on her hip. “We needed help, and you’re back to free them, aren’t you?”

At that, Lana’s eyes lit up, and Cassius searched my face almost desperately. They both seemed to be holding their breath.

“Yes,” I whispered. “All the slaves will be freed soon. As long as I’m not exposed before then as a murderous traitor.”

Or as a succubus, but I sure as hell didn’t need anyone else knowing that secret. I prayed that knowledge had died with Liza.

Lana lifted her chin. “We’re fucking elated that bitch is dead. We’re not going to stand in your way. We want to help. All the slaves stand with Rosalind, and if she stands with you, then we’re with you by extension.”

I looked from Lana and Cassius to Rosalind, who was smiling like a mischievous child.

“Like I said at Black Sapphire, you needed an inside woman,” she drawled. “You’re not the only one who’s made use of the last few weeks.”

I let out a string of curses before waving them both over. I didn’t even ask how they were here or what would happen if they were caught.

We were all in this shitstorm together now.

“You two would not have been able to lift a body and throw it out a window yourselves,” Cassius pointed out as we scrubbed the floors.

“Rude,” Rosalind and I both said at the same time.

We’d already wrapped up Liza in a rug, bandaging her chest first with more fabric to soak up the blood.

---