Page 153 of Taken By Touch and Torment

I’d updated Rune in a rush before I’d fallen asleep for a couple hours, and to say he and Sadie were concerned about the events that had unfolded was an understatement. But my job wasn’t over yet, and I needed them both to stay calm and trust me.

Fate buzzed loudly in my ears as I dressed myself and covered my exhaustion and stress with makeup.

When an aunt entered my room, her eyes went to the open window first—perhaps admiring the pretty view of steel bars. I’d left it open as a precaution against the scent of Liza’s death.

“It’s winter,” she said, her tone cold and mean. “This room is below freezing.”

“I have a fireplace,” I said, as if that was an excuse. “Fresh air is good for the soul.”

She was all kinds of warm and fuzzy as she erased Rune’s bite marks. I’d even gotten her to mend my wounded hand and bruises from Liza’s attack.

It wasn’t her place to ask questions, likely assuming all my injuries were from Rune.

My cleanup process was complete.

Relief was short-lived as Brennan entered my room soon after. He shooed the aunt away like she was nothing but a speck of dirt under his shoe.

“It’s showtime, my love,” he said. “Let’s call this the opening act.”

What in the gods did that mean?

I’d dressed myself in an actual dress, even if it was tiny and made of thin silk, because fuck these bloodsuckers for forcing me to walk around in lingerie. It was all black, in honor of Rune and his clan.

Brennan’s eyes devoured my body only briefly, his mind clearly consumed with grander things.

He gripped my waist, staring down into my eyes as he revealed his fangs. “Remember what you promised me.”

Trust. Fat fucking chance.

I smiled sweetly, masking my features with fear. The truth was, the more I was able to express my ruthlessness, to see myself as that viper in tall grass, the less terror coursed through my veins.

As we walked through the halls, vampires leered, gasped, and inhaled the air creepily.

All eyes were on me, as usual. But the collective energy was far more volatile than I remembered. Desire was ripe but conflicted, rivalries and strife evident in the tangled mess of competing goals and urges.

“Oh, by the way,” Brennan whispered. “Liza was tossed out of a window last night. Dead.”

I made no reaction, and Brennan didn’t look for one until he spoke his next words.

“I personally will not miss the old bitch, and I doubt you will either, after the way she treated you,” he said. “But I found it far stranger that your guard was missing, found drunk and fast asleep in his bed, with no recollection of how he got there. And that not a single witness can illuminate what happened to Liza.”

I gasped. “I was… unguarded? With a murderer on the loose?” I searched his eyes, faux horrified.

Brennan swallowed. “I’m sorry, Scarlett. It feels like a failure on my end. I don’t know how these things might be connected, or if they even are, but I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Strange,” I echoed. “But you’re right, Liza won’t be missed.”

As if on cue, Evangeline appeared at the end of the grand hall leading to the dining and throne rooms. She was too far away to have heard us, but her glare our way sent a chill to my very core.

“I worry she may need to be dealt with similarly,” Brennan whispered. He glanced at me, then gave his head a slight shake. “Nothing for you to concern yourself with, my dear. I’ll protect you.”

I thought I’d been protecting myself just fine, thank you.

Vampires weren’t concealing their shock and loud exclamations as they spotted me, turning to each other to gossip and wonder how I got here.

I heard someone say that Durian had landed and was on his way up.

Brennan couldn’t hide his sly smile. He led me into the dining room, where powerful vampires were gathered around a long table. Born women were at tables off to the side, unworthy of breathing the same air as the lords.

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