Page 17 of Taken By Touch and Torment

My silence was enough to answer her question.

“You’re all fools,” she said. “She is nothing more than a sex demon who jumps from man to man. Wherever she is now, I have full faith and confidence she’s fucked her way to the top.”

It was exceedingly rare I had to work this hard to keep my shadows from shredding a defenseless human woman to pieces. Actually, this was the first time.

Snow, on the other hand, had severed her last threads of self-restraint. Palms glowing with the soft moonlight of Selena, she ran at Isabella with nothing but fury in her eyes.

Uriah was slow to stop her, but he managed to grab Snow in time before she tackled Isabella to the ground.

Snow burned his arm with magick. He cursed, but he didn’t let go as he dragged her backward.

“You’re vile,” Snow spat. “Scarlett never stopped fighting to save you, even when it put her in danger. And you deserved none of it.” She wrestled out of Uriah’s grasp and smoothed down her coat. “If you even think about telling anyone what she is or harming her any more than you already have, I swear to every deity above and below that I will destroy your miserable, spiteful ass. And I’ll do it all over again in your next life, too.”

I couldn’t help but smile at Snow’s declaration, but it was quick to turn into a snarl. “In case it needs to be said aloud,” I said to Isabella. “I have eyes everywhere. You will stay here and write down everything important you can possibly remember, and we’ll see how much it’s all worth. You will be paid after Scarlett is home safe. Even a whisper that you’ve spilled her secrets and I’ll let the witch punish you however she sees fit.”

Snow nodded in solidarity. Uriah just looked… turned on. His pupils were wide as he stared at the witch.

I quickly focused back on Scarlett’s pathetic excuse for a sister. When my shadows bled into the air, she finally nodded. Her infuriating smirk never moved an inch.

We left quickly, dodging glares from healers as they worked to ensure no humans stumbled upon us in the halls.

The sun was low in the sky, obscured by gray clouds.

“I’m a horrible person, aren’t I?” Snow asked, wrapping her coat tight around her form. “I know she’s been through hell and back. But I still want to slap that cruel smile right off her stupid face.”

Uriah laughed. “You’re too hard on yourself, Blondie.”

“Stop calling me that!”

He threw her a suggestive side-eye. “If you ever need to unleash all that pent-up aggression, I’m here.”

Snow glared at him.

“There’s a sparring field back at the castle with your name on it,” he finished.

She snorted, her anger melting slightly. It was just like Uriah to flirt by offering to fight a woman. Therapeutically.

Now that the care center was out of sight, and we were on a vacant side street, I stopped moving.

I’ve seen firsthand what he does to his slaves. If they manage to survive him, they’re all kinds of fucked in the head.

My shadows finally leaped from my skin, crawling up the sides of buildings and shaking the earth with their wrath.

“Rune?” Uriah asked tentatively.

Snow moved to stand in front of me, looking up into my eyes. When she pulled me into her arms, I went rigid, my lips tugging down.

None of us spoke. I never relaxed fully into her hold, but my shadows slowly receded back to my skin the longer my pain found a home with hers.

That woman was vile. I’d be letting Scarlett decide Isabella’s fate. But there was no way in hell she would harm my Little Flame with so much as another cruel word. Never again.

My thoughts spun in circles, each new one more terrible than the last. I had to get to her. She’d been with him for too long now. She didn’t deserve to endure any more suffering than she already had in her short life.

“Rune,” Snow said. “I’m sorry. I know that you love?—”

Snow was cut off by a loud blast.

Uriah and I were quick to shield her, waiting for the rumbling to cease before searching for the source of the explosion.

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