Page 59 of A Touch of Darkness

Her words pierce through my shock, igniting a fresh wave of panic. “Where’s Lucian? What have you done with him?” My mind spins. Terror over what they could have done with him, because of me, shocks me to my core. Bile rises up in my throat. I don’t want anything to happen to him…he can’t…

She lets out a soft, humorless laugh. “Don’t worry about him. I’m far more interesting than he.”

Her smile sharpens as she closes the distance between us, pulling a blade from within her robes. The light catches on its edge, casting a faint glow onto the stone walls.

“Now that we’ve got that out of the way, welcome back, Sylvie,” she says, her voice smooth and venomous. “I must say, you’ve been far easier to manipulate than I expected. For how troublesome and hesitant you were the last time we chatted, Ithought it might be harder. All we had to do was shift into that wretched vampire…”

I shake my head, my mind racing. “You—what are you—where’s Lara?”

She smiles, stepping closer. “Me? I’m just a human who dabbles in dark magic, thanks to some friends. Lara? Well. She’s safe. For now. Her survival depends on you, you know. However, you already know she’s safe, don’t you? Our sweet little Isabel made sure of that.”

Oh, God. They found out she told me things. There’s no way that can be good for her.

“What do you want me to do?” I demand, trying to keep my voice steady.

“Only what’s necessary,” she says, her tone cold and clinical. “You and your sister are the key to ending this curse, Sylvie. The blood of your lineage—the blood of the sole surviving twins—is the only thing we’ve found that can undo what your ancestor wrought. And when that happens, the vampires will be wiped from existence. Then we can start on the rest of the filth.”

She roughly grabs my wrist through the metal bars of the chamber, and I try to pull away, but her grip is iron-clad. The blade slices across my skin, and my blood wells up, dark and glistening. She holds a bowl beneath the cut, catching the drops as they fall.

“What are you doing?” I scream, struggling against her hold.

She smirks. “Ensuring you’re still… pure. It would be such a shame if you’d done something foolish after learning your importance and about the virginity aspect of things. I was hoping you wouldn’t find that tidbit out. And to think we thought you were the weaker sister.”

My heart pounds in my chest. “How do you know?—”

“We have eyes and ears everywhere, dear,” she says, releasing my wrist before waving her hand over it and chantingsomething. My cut immediately heals, but leaves a nasty looking, puffy scar in its wake. Must be more of her devil magic.

The bowl of my blood gleams ominously in her hands, sparkling and rippling like some sort of magical, flowing water. “You’re far more valuable to us than you realize. But don’t worry—we’ll keep you safe until you’re ready to fulfill your role.” The door slams shut behind her, and I’m left alone in the chamber.

Sylvie…I’m here.

It’s Lara’s voice. My heart slows to a low thud as my sister’s presence eases the ache forming in my chest.

Whatever you do, just don’t give her your blood willingly.

Yes, yes. She’s right. Okay. I read this in one of the grimoires yesterday. My blood must freely be given in order for their plan to work how its intended. So the blood she just took, there’s no way she could use it. I didn’t consent.

“Lara?” I call out on a hushed whisper. “I’m here. I am here and I’m going to bring you home.”

Remember, Sylv. They can only move forward if youchooseto give your blood to them. Whatever you do, fight.

The kiss lingers in my memory like an echo, haunting and undeniable. Her lips, soft yet fierce, pressed against mine, trembling with that same uncertainty I felt—uncertain whether she was betraying herself, or whether it was my centuries of restraint cracking under the influence of my need for her. I wanted her—every single inch of her—wanted to pull her close and never let go, to erase the distance between us, to claim what should never have been taken from me. To sink deep inside of her until it was only me she wanted—just like all those years ago.

Her breath hitched as I kissed her, her body leaning into mine with a hesitation that belied the fire building between us. She felt it too. That raw, undeniable pull. I wanted to claim every single inch of her right there in that classroom.

But I held back.

I had to.

Every moment with her threatens my restraint, my resolve, a century of solitude and mistakes shaping every choice I make. I know the cost. She does not. She cannot. Not yet.

But Gods, how I wanted to show her—wanted to make her understand the depth of it, the truth that lies between us, the power of this destiny that keeps pulling us together.

Under normal circumstances, I would’ve called on Vivienne or another one of my old friends to fuck my thoughts away, to execute the primal need I felt after that second, much-needed kiss from Sylvie.

But I didn’t.

Because I can think of none other than her. My soulmate, my love. The one woman I have never been able to escape. Tasting her will never be enough. And I fear, it’s only made things worse for me. Made me want her so desperately that I can think of nothing else.

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