Page 220 of Claimed By Fangs and Darkness
All glares moved to Conrad. I could hear more commotion and shouts in the distance as the turned moved into the heart of born territory. Someone had started a fire, one-half of Conrad’s castle now consumed by raging flames.
Conrad’s gaze flickered briefly to me. A feral noise escaped me. Shadows gathered in my palms, stronger now that I was out of Aster’s grip. I couldn’t wait to watch him die.
Harmony tossed a bottle of green liquid to Kylo.
“Drink, baby,” he whispered in my ear. He brought the blood replenishing potion to my lips and kissed my temple. “I need you battle-ready.”
I chugged the bottle.
Vesper removed Conrad’s gag. He pretended not to notice his slain co-conspirator on the ground next to him. He didn’t want to give us the satisfaction of a reaction.
“I thought you killed yourself,” Conrad said. He cocked his head. “You look much older.”
Vesper’s eyes were wild, her grin wilder. “As do you.”
Vampires didn’t technically age, but you could still see subtle changes as the years passed. A flash in Conrad’s eyes revealed that his vanity had taken a hit.
Kylo pulled me into his lap, his head swiveling in all directions, protectively remaining vigilant. A low rumble vibrated through him when he traced the blisters in a line around my neck where my power had destroyed the collar. Or maybe he was touching Aster’s fang marks, because he quickly soothed himself by staring at Aster’s bloody corpse.
I met Kylo’s eyes. Our shadows finally intertwined. He kissed my forehead, a tremor rolling through him as he inhaled deeply.
Oh, gods. I hadn’t showered in days.
Kylo’s dimple appeared.You smell like flowers and sunshine, baby.
Liar.
I turned back to Vesper’s show. Conrad’s skin was peeling, and I realized his gag and bindings must’ve been soaked in violet bane. He was paralyzed, forced to face the woman he thought was dead.
I mirrored Vesper’s vengeful smile.
“Because of you, my daughter thinks I abandoned her. I may never meet her,” Vesper said. Her smile fell.
My heart splintered. Kylo held me tighter.
Conrad looked bored.
“But at least I know for certain she will never knowyou,” she said, her tone overflowing with dark, maternal venom. It was wild and lupine, giving Vesper a powerful aura that held us all in a trance. “I could list all the ways you tortured and abused me, but you’d like that too much.” She grinned, picking Conrad up by the collar and spitting in his face.
My mouth opened in awe.
She clipped him in the jaw for good measure. Drool and blood dribbled out of Conrad’s mouth. The quickly spreading paralysis robbed him of his ability to speak.
It was better that way.
“Because ofme,you will die knowing my comrades have taken your city. Your region will be the first to fall, and with it, your legacy. You will not die as a king. You will not even die as alord.” Vesper laughed, a beautiful, vibrant sound kissed by the golden sunset. “You will die a disgraced loser, a tiny blip in the course of history, never fulfilling a single one of your adorable little ambitions.”
Conrad’s eyes were pure death, a dark, empty rage that extended for an eternity.
Vesper shrugged. “What’s more to say, really?”
She slashed his face where he’d once slashed hers. She pushed him onto his back.
She took her time, savoring the kill in a way that was so sensual I nearly looked away out of respect. Her smile remained, a dark angel of death dressed in black leathers, carving into the man that once stole everything from her.
Blade swallowed. Harmony and I noticed his arousal and exchanged a glance, quickly averting our eyes before we could burst into inappropriate giggles.
Clarke watched his co-leader with tenderness and pride. His blond hair was as spiky as the silver rings adorning his knuckles.
