Page 72 of Taken By Touch and Torment

I couldn’t have agreed more, dickhead.

“I could get you out,” he declared. “Durian may act like he’s a god above the rest, but I’m not his foot servant. I’m the second highest ranking vampire in born territories. I have actual royal blood in my veins. I refuse to let his sexual perversions and arbitrary rules act as a law above my own will.” He stared at me, his lip curling as he thumbed my collar. “How can you own something you didn’t earn?”

Baby’s first pseudo-intellectual philosophical question. Rune ran circles around these idiots.

I shook my head. “I’m scared, Brennan.” I took a deep breath, trailing my eyes back up from the floor to his. “But I want to finally be alone with you, to know what it feels like to walk into a room on your arm. And I want to do… other things with you…”

I feigned shyness, and it melted him even more. He was my knight in shining armor, the valiant conqueror winning my virginity with honor and virtue.

“It’s a miracle you don’t hate us all,” Brennan said, his voice low and gruff.

I tried not to laugh.

“You deserve to see what true vampires are like, as opposed to Rune’s uptight abominations. It’s a shame you’ve only seen us through the lens of Durian’s court, as his locked-away slave. The born territories are where all the best fun is had.” His eyes lit up, stroking my cheek as if coaxing me into believing him. “Black Sapphire is the greatest den of ecstasy Valentin has ever seen—makes Odessa look like a Helianic nunnery. You deserve to experience that, especially before our descension into war.”

I showed him my newfound strength, as if motivated by his speech. I returned to my easygoing, flirtatious demeanor.

“I believe you, Brennan. I want to see Hatham through your eyes.” My smile faltered. “This is real, you and I. I can’t help but feel as though Lillian has predestined our union herself. And nothing holy can ever be wrong. My body and soul are called to yours just as you’re called to my blood.”

The intermixing of the sacred and the sensual was another powerful seduction technique. Brennan flashed his fangs, a familiar craze in his eyes.

“You need to leave,” he bit out. “Don’t worry about a thing. Kole and I will work out every last detail. Tomorrow night, I will come for you.” He stared at me like we were star-crossed lovers.

“And Rosalind,” I added as a reminder.

He dismissively waved a hand. “Yes, yes. The demoness too.”

“I can’t wait to feel your venom inside me again,” I said as I departed.

When the door clicked shut behind me, Brennan’s loyal guard and I both startled at Brennan’s corresponding roar leaking out into the hall.

I was shaken awake violently. I opened my eyes to Rune’s beautiful features, and this time, I was able to maintain my sense of reality. I knew that Durian was around somewhere, inducing this vision.

I thought it was going to be difficult to pretend that I was terrified, but that was actually my exact instinctual reaction. Even if I knew consciously it was Durian, all my subconscious mind saw were those hours upon hours of horrific torture.

I scrambled away, to the other side of the bed. Vision or not, the pain, confusion, and fear were entirely real.

“Please, just leave me alone!” I screamed, my bed in between us now. “Please,” I said again. My body began to shake before Rune had even moved, let alone touched me.

His dark eyes were ice, his beautiful features as emotionless as a man who slaughtered for sport.

It only took one step of his heavy boot against the wood floor for me to scream until my voice was scratchy, my eyes spilling tears. Durian wasn’t here to protect me. My mind was hazy with adrenaline. All I could feel was the slow sawing of a blade through my fingers.

By the time Rune made it to me, I was rocking back and forth, my head buried into my bent knees. I refused to look at him until he forced me to, like a child hiding under the covers from the bogeyman.

“Shh, pet,” Durian consoled. “Would it make you feel better if your Master slept beside you the rest of the night?”

I glanced behind Durian, but Rune was gone. I couldn’t think straight. All I knew was that Durian had never once slept with me. The question had me nearly convinced I had been inside a dream all along.

If Durian was here, Rune couldn’t be. I glanced down to make sure my fingers were still there.

“Yes, Master. Thank you, Master.”

I crawled back into bed in a daze, and Durian slept next to me with a foot of space between our bodies. As I drifted, I felt the softest caress along my cheekbone, before it was yanked back as if by regret.

30

SCARLETT

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