Page 73 of Claimed By Fangs and Darkness
The warm witch lights glimmered above. The room was rich with power and anticipation. The born didn’t understand the bonds we had. They never would.
They would never break us.
Not like we were going to break them.
I looked at Evie in a silent request for permission. She nodded, her eyes fluttering as she tilted her head and gave me access to her throat.
“To Princeton,” I echoed.
The room clinked glasses. My lips met Evie’s neck, kissing softly before my fangs pierced through skin.
24
EVIE
The moment my eyes locked on his, my resolve not to cry immediately shattered. The sob was inevitable, my chest in a tight ball of emotion.
Idris rolled his eyes.
And the sight of it melted me, my grin just as instant. He stood from the couch, but he didn’t move closer.
“Don’t roll your eyes at me, punk. The last time I saw you, you weredead,” I growled as I wiped at my eyes.
He laughed. “And leave it to you to declare to the gods that my death was simply unacceptable.”
We both beamed. I moved closer and decided to sit down in the opposite chair and let Idris fall back on the couch. We were still underground, though this cozy nook did an excellent job masquerading as a normal living room.
It was the anniversary of the night we ran, the climax of our embodied trauma. Kylo remained by the door, attempting not to intrude on our moment. Idris was far more stable now, especially after feeding. He was unlikely to lose control unless deprived of blood, and even less likely to lose it around his own family. Still, we were both being careful this first visit.
Idris scratched his head. “Sorry about, um, you know.”
His cheeks flushed a shameful shade of red.
“Trying to eat me?” I offered, taking full advantage of a good opportunity to tease him the way he usually teasedme. “Yeah, it was pretty ungrateful of you given the circumstances.”
Idris glowered. “I knew all this power would go to your head.” He looked past me to Kylo. “You’ve created a monster.”
“I was already a monster.” I smiled. “Kylo just reminded me.”
Kylo chuckled from behind me.
“Nightmares?” I asked gently.
Idris shrugged. “To be honest, struggling to remember who I was for a few days reset my brain. My dreams revolve around blood now more than anything else,” he said sheepishly. “And I finally have power. Purpose. It’s making it easier to deal with the other stuff.”
We were both accustomed to talking in riddles and vague language. And that avoidance had only hurt us both.
“I stopped running,” I said.
He smiled. “I know.”
The pride in Idris’s eyes warmed my heart. I suppressed the urge to cry again, remembering how close I’d been to losing him forever.
“We don’t have to talk about it now, but I need you to know that you can always talk to me about our childhood, from here on out. I won’t shut down or escape. I’m sorry for ever making you feel like any of what happened was something to be ashamed of or repressed. I just didn’t know?—”
“I know, Evie,” Idris interrupted gently. “You were a kid too. You’ve always done your best. Don’t be so hard on yourself, okay?”
I nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”
