Page 59 of The Pureblood Princess
The fear and anger that course through Nadia’s consciousness bolster her power, and she pushes off from the wall and drifts through the dim space until she lingers right behind Honora.
The golden-haired beauty stiffens as if suddenly aware of someone else in the room with her. But before she can turn, Nadia banishes her shadows, reclaiming her physical body, and sinks her teeth into Honora’s neck. She reaches around to muffle Honora’s scream with one hand and twists Honora’s arm behind her back with the other.
Honora struggles beneath Nadia’s grasp, and Nadia knows, given her exhaustion and thirst, she won’t be able to hold her for long. She must finish this quickly, no matter how she’d like to make Honora suffer.
So she digs her fangs in deeper, drawing as much blood into her mouth as she can, then rips them from Honora’s throat.
Honora whirls around, hands going to her torn throat, and opens her mouth to speak, but no sound comes out. Her neck gapes open, her severed trachea dangling along with the tattered flesh.
Her blood drips across her fingers, and she’s still wearing Nadia’s wedding band. With a hiss, Nadia grabs Honora’s hand and wrenches the ring from her finger. It slides off easily, slipping in the blood coating Honora’s hands, and once Nadia has it in her grasp, she puts it back where it belongs: on her ring finger, right where Theodore put it all those weeks ago.
“He’s mine,” Nadia whispers. “And he always will be.”
Blue eyes going wide, Honora struggles for breath, and Nadia steps back as she collapses to her knees. Blood flows freely down her neck, staining her cloak and gown bloodred. The smell of her blood fills the room, and Nadia becomes lost to her thirst.
She’s atop Honora in a moment, flipping her onto her back upon the cold stone floor and straddling her. Then she sinks her fangs into the other side of Honora’s throat. She can feel Honora’s sluggish heartbeat beneath her lips, hear each thump as it grows slower and slower.
And then she’s feeding from a dead woman, filling her mouth with as much blood as she can manage. It courses down her throat, warm and slick, and she drinks until she’s dizzy, until she feels she might vomit from the sudden heat and heaviness in her belly.
Peeling her fangs from Honora’s neck, Nadia sits up on her knees and looks down at what she’s done.
Honora’s blue eyes, usually sparkling with malevolence, are already starting to go dull. Her lips are open, and her blood pools on the stone floor, staining her golden hair red.
Nadia thinks she should feel horrified, be disgusted by what she’s done. But all she sees when she looks down at the broken woman beneath her is the knife pressed against her skin, Konrádpushing his trousers down, the blue eyes in the carriage as Nadia was drugged and stolen away from her life.
And she feels no remorse.
Only power.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Honora’s blood warms Nadia’s stomachand chases the weariness from her bones. Still straddling Honora’s rapidly cooling body, Nadia tips her head back and closes her eyes.
Her body begins to tingle, and it feels as though the sun is beaming its warmth into her veins, chasing the weakness from her body. For the first time in many days, she’swarm. The aches and pains that have plagued her for so long fade and then disappear, and all that’s left in their wake is strength.
Nadia draws in a deep contented breath, then jerks her head up when she realizes something.
Honora’s blood has healed her, strengthened her. Does that mean it’s cleansed the hemlock from her system?
Pushing away from Honora, Nadia stands and reaches tentatively into the void.
Theodore?
The rush of emotion that hits her is enough to send her to her knees. She crumples to the floor as love and heat and relief wash over her.
Nadia!
Tears flood her eyes and stream down her cheeks.
My love, are you all right? Where are you? I’ll come for you; just tell me where you are.
Despite everything she’s been through, everything she’s suffered, she feels nothing but joy as Theodore’s voice fills her head.I’m okay. It’s the Kazamirs. They have me in an old manor, but I don’t know where.In her brief moments outside her room, she noticed dust and empty rooms and furniture draped with linens; the manor certainly isn’t the Kazamirs’ full-time residence, but she still has no clue where it’s located.I’m going to escape.
You must be careful. I know of a number of estates belonging to the Kazamirs. I’ll search every one if I have to.
Her lower lip trembles, and she fights not to cry out loud.I’ve missed you...
She wishes to feel his touch, his kiss, his breath upon her skin.
