Page 193 of Claimed By Fangs and Darkness
And what about the note? Was Kylo okay? If they knew who he was… surely Aster would be boasting if they’d killed him.
Juliette continued to sob increasingly violently. Aster scooped me into his arms.
I had to get away from these wounded, dysfunctional people and the violence they left in their wake.
I peeked through my heavy eyelids. I caught one last glimpse of Juliette and the dagger she’d used to carve into my soul. She watched Aster carry me away, leaving her to cry alone in her demented spell circle.
I hated her guts. I was glad she was suffering, and yet that stupid, nagging feeling of empathy still rattled around in my chest.
Because while Juliette and the Servant were the ones hurting me, Aster was the one calling all the shots. And he made sure he was there to pick up the pieces.
Juliette wanted Aster to choose her. She wanted him to see her, to believe in her. She wasrightabout me, and she was right about Conrad.
But Aster didn’t care. He didn’t choose her. Her plan had backfired. The moment he left her there, with me in his arms, I knew he’d betrayed Juliette on a deep, fundamental level.
And I was downright terrified of how she’d retaliate.
“War?” I croaked.
Without my bond with Kylo, I felt hollow inside. I would do anything to get back to him. There was no line I wouldn’t cross.And if war had already begun, I had free rein to rot everyone in this castle the moment I could get my magick back.
“More like an uprising. It will be handled once Earle steps in, don’t you worry.”
As soon as Aster made it to the first level, Conrad appeared.
He stared at me for three beats before lifting a brow. “Did you two leave any blood inside her body?”
Conrad appeared strained, his nostrils flaring as he stared at my wounds hungrily.
Aster’s grip on me tightened. “I did what needed to be done. She is grateful to be free of them.”
Conrad smirked. “Is she now?”
“What are you implying?” Aster hissed, his hold on my blood-soaked body now bruising.
“Nothing, brother. I’m glad our lost little lamb has been safely returned to the flock.” He met my eyes. “You should be grateful you’re on the right side of the battle line, girl. The catacombs will be at capacity by the end of this mess.”
I needed to know what was happening. I was desperate for information, for more than just their usual cocky taunting.
“My family is out there. Please—what is going on?” I asked.
Conrad only smiled, more than happy to torture me with his silence. What had he done to Kylo and the extraction team?
Conrad saw the moment anger flashed in my eyes.
“There, there,” Aster consoled. “You need to rest.”
Conrad stayed rooted in front of us. “What she needs is to be questioned.”
“And she will be,” Aster said coolly, stepping out of Conrad’s reach.
I whispered my question again, begging. “What is going on?”
Aster only continued to stroke my hair and shush me, stoking the ravenous hunger of my scorned shadows.
My only way out of this was the key in Aster’s pocket. Either I had to take it from him, or I had to persuade him to use it.
Which would mean convincing him I didn’t want to cut him into a hundred pieces for what he had just done to me.
