Page 24 of Break Her Heart
“Oh, Bronwen,” he purred, leaning forward. “I think we are going to get along splendidly.”
August leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. I guess I wasn’t boring them like he wanted.
The siblings talked more as servants brought in towers of decadent sweets.
August leaned closer, his voice low enough to be mistaken for a breath. “You never listen, do you?”
I turned to face him, ready to snap something back—and froze. His face was so close, our lips nearly brushed. I hated how I still noticed things like that. How the heat rolled off him despite everything.
“Listening to you has gotten me nowhere.”
8
Bronwen
We walked down the stairs, and more stairs, spiraling deeper and deeper into the belly of the castle. The staircase wound tightly in a corkscrew of cold stone, open at the center so you could look over the edge and see nothing but darkness below. On each landing, a hallway branched out, lined with doors on either side. I could feel the pull of magic behind every one of them. There was no doubt in my mind that vampires waited just beyond, listening, breathing, existing in the silence. The deeper we descended, the louder the sound of drums became. Low, pulsing beats that echoed off the stone, ancient and primal.
The hairs on the back of my neck rose as unease crawled through me. After dinner, August’s siblings had risen and slipped out of the dining hall without a word. When August finally stood and gestured for me to follow, the only thing he’d said was, “The night is far from over.”
He offered me no other answers as we descended. By the time we reached the bottom, I bent forward, struggling to catch my breath.
“Are you okay?”
I glanced up to see August staring at me with wide eyes.
“No, August, I’m not. No human should ever have to walk down that many stairs. And in heels! Is this why you really brought me here? To torture me?”
He scoffed. “Yes, this was my plan all along. To have you doubled over, heaving. I can’t believe you figured it out.”
I straightened. “What are we even doing down here?”
He took a slow breath, eyes flicking toward the massive doors before us. “You’re about to see what it’s really like here.”
Then he nodded once to a nearby guard who stepped forward to open the doors. “Here we go,” he muttered, more to himself than to me.
As we stepped forward, I realized we had entered a chamber that felt larger than the entire town itself. Hundreds of vampires filled the space, their laughter and music crashing together in a cacophony of indulgence. Some wore extravagant finery that shimmered like woven starlight, their coats embroidered with gold thread, corsets boned with jet-black metal, and sweeping garments that moved like water. Others wore almost nothing at all—bare skin glinting under candlelight, jewelry resting in places clothes never touched, and a few not wearing anything at all. It wasn’t shameful. It was pride.
Chandeliers of black iron and dripping wax hung from the vaulted ceiling, casting erratic shadows across the marble floors. Silk banners with the royal crest waved gently from invisible breezes, and candlelight shimmered off bodies that twisted and writhed to the beat.
Some danced—elegant, slow, intoxicated on the sound. Others lounged on velvet pillows, sipping from goblets so darkI doubted it was wine. In the corners, fangs gleamed. Bodies pressed. Some kissed. Some were wrapped so tightly around each other that I wasn’t sure exactly what they were doing. It was beautiful and terrible.
Above ground was a show. Something that seemed almost human.
But down here, everyone looked like they were having the time of their immortal lives.
And all of them turned to watch us enter.
The drums slowed, some bowed, while others stared at me with sick smiles.
“King Augustus!” The guard introduced him.
As if on cue, the crowd parted. Vampires stepped aside in synchronized motion, giving us a clear path through the center of the room. The scent of blood, perfume, and power thickened as we walked, and every step echoed louder than it should have.
This was for Mama and Papa, I told myself.Their deaths wouldn’t be for nothing.
Whispers followed us. Curious eyes clung to my every movement. The fabric of my dress shimmered like flame in the dark, catching the light with every movement.
Some of the vampires looked fascinated, their gazes lingering with something like awe—or hunger masked as interest. But others seemed to tense the closer I passed. I caught the faint pulsing of veins beneath their eyes, and I knew they were fighting to stay in control.
