Page 107 of A House of Fangs & Deceit

Delicious.

“FUCK!” I screamed and threw all of my weight to the side. Agony tore through me as Vail’s clawed fingers ripped from my flesh.

Blood that had been steadily streaming now gushed from my wounds, and the wraith that Vail had been fighting earlier laughed and took a step into the hallway. The chittering sound of excited whispers filled the space as shadows slid down the wall.

I slipped the dagger free from my thigh sheath and threw it at the wraith, who was still mostly corporeal. It sank into his throat, cutting off his laughter.

I slapped a hand over my wound and then shoved it into Vail’s face.

“You want it? Come and get it!” I dropped my hand and whirled around, running as fast as I could, pissed-off snarls and angry whispers screaming in my wake.

I made it halfway through the large cavern of a room where the prince had met with the Fae before a shadowy figuresnapped into existence in front of me and swiped for my chest. My feet slid as I tried to stop, but I wasn’t fast enough. Pain flared as claws pierced my skin just above my heart before vanishing, and then I crashed to the floor on my already wounded shoulder.

Blood seeped out of my injuries and formed a pool around me as the shadows swirled; both wraiths had fully retreated to their shadow forms now. I could sense their excitement as they circled, occasionally snapping into physical forms to take another strike at me or graze my skin with their razor-sharp talons.

Stand up. I needed to get off the damn floor and run. But when I tried to rise, my body instantly gave out, and I sank back into my own blood. My thoughts grew hazier, but I forced myself to think.

Why aren’t they killing me?

More whispers in my ear, and I was starting to get good at picking out words.Delicious. Power. Mine.

Something about their whispered language tickled the back of my mind, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. Just when I started to realize why it was bothering me, a loud crash punctuated with snarls came from above me.

Vail was still alive then.

A sharp hiss tore out of me when one of the wraiths gripped my wrist and yanked me forward. It could only hold on for a few seconds, so it had to keep repeating the process. The third time it pulled, I screamed as something in my arm tore and my vision darkened.

My eyelids fluttered as I clung to consciousness. I tried to pull myself away, but I’d lost too much blood.The ritual.They must be dragging me back for the ritual.

Well, I’d wanted to know what it was they were doing. I guess this was one way to find out.

Something slammed into the floor next to me, causing myeyes to fly open. I stared stupidly at the huge piece of white stone that had shattered the floor before realizing there was sunshine beaming down on it.

It took me several more seconds to realize the wraiths had released me to get away from the light that now bathed my mutilated body.

“Pretty,” I slurred, winding my fingers around the golden light. The wraiths shrieked and backed further away, and then Vail appeared over me. “You’re pretty too,” I said weakly.

Vail cursed, that predatory gleam still in his silver eyes before he bit down hard on his wrist.

“Sam!” he growled into my face.

I blinked, realizing I must have blacked out. I was practically in his lap now, and he was holding his bloody wrist in front of me.

His blood called to me, and my fangs snapped down to tear into his flesh.

Rich, decadent blood spilled down my throat, and I greedily swallowed as much as I could. A moan slipped from my lips as power flooded me and still, I drank more. A deep rumble came from Vail’s chest as he held me tightly against him.

Another piece of the ceiling collapsed, landing with a solid thud a few feet from us. The haze that had been encircling my mind lifted as my body recovered from blood loss.

I instantly released Vail and tried to push out of his arms, but he just clamped me to him as he rose to his feet.

“Nice of you to finally get your head back in the game.” His voice had an odd raspy quality to it, and he was looking at me with something akin to need.

I was so used to seeing nothing but hate in his eyes when they fell on me that I didn’t know how to process this. It must be some leftover feeling from the bloodlust. Which reminded me…

“Oh, I’m sorry that I almost died from getting clawed up by the wraithsandyou,” I growled back.

His lips pursed together in a flat line. Maybe he was hoping I wouldn’t have remembered that part. I frowned. There was something else I was forgetting. Something after I ran away from Vail. I racked my brain, trying to remember, but the last few minutes were such a blur.

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