Page 10 of The Night Runs Red

No matter how unsure I was of what my new life would entail, I knew I’d be able to find solace in small moments such as those.

“What’s up there?” I asked, allowing my curiosity to get the best of me.

“Nothing that concerns you,” he said, reaching for my elbow and softly tugging me toward him.

My brows furrowed. “And why not?”

“Because I said so. You can move about the house however you’d like, but not there.”

“So, I’m expected to live in a home I can’t explore?”

“Let’s cut the bullshit, shall we?” He sighed, and I realized it was the closest I’d seen to emotion. “I am a private man, Calia, and I would like to maintain a semblance of that privacy, even in marriage. One, I will remind you, neither of us had a say in. I would respect your wishes if you bar me from your rooms. Can you not do the same for mine?”

His request was reasonable, and given this was our first night together, I didn’t want to test the limits of his patience. “Fine.”

He said nothing as he led me the remainder of the way, stopping in front of a large wooden door I recognized. When he pushed it open, I walked inside, awestruck by the decadence dripping from the soft cream-colored walls.

There’d been such little time to take it all in when I’d changed earlier, but now that I was here, I paused. Everything in this room stood in opposition to what I’d seen of Rion’s home so far. It was light and airy, with windows overlooking the Odesza. Glass doors opened to a small balcony with a deep-set blue velvet armchair I wanted to fall into with a book. A large canopy bed dominated the space, piled with deep jewel-toned pillows that gave the room a stunning pop of color while tying it to the décor of the rest of the house.

He rested against the door frame, watching me as I ran my finger along a dresser filled with brand-new clothing. “So, this will be our room?”

I couldn’t stop myself from asking the question as I turned to look at him. It seemed innocent enough, especially now that we were married. Wasn’t that the point of the arrangement? To unite our people by way of blood and marriage?

Rion’s jaw clenched tightly as he shook his head. “No. This is your room and yours alone. I will stay in my own.”

I nodded my head. “Okay.”

As if he wanted to drive his point home, he continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “We will be married in name only, living separate lives in the comfort of my home.”

“You can’t be serious?” I asked, quirking a brow.

He pushed off the wall and stalked forward until I could only stare straight at him. I was tall for a female, but Rion towered over me. The energy shifted between us in warning. “What did you expect, love?” he growled, pushing a lock of hair behind my ear and causing goosebumps to pebble along my flesh. “Did you think I would share a magical evening together with the woman whose family damned my own?”

I narrowed my eyes at his jab. Frankly, I was sick to death of listening to the insults intended toward my family. The insults berated me my entire life. But somehow, the words coming from him instead of some random stranger had my anger rising. “You’ve conveniently left out the part where my ancestor had no choice given the bloodlust of your people. And regardless of what has happened in the past, I haven’t done anything but try to make the best out of a situation neither of us asked to be a part of. The least you could do is recognize that.”

We stood nose-to-nose, neither of us backing down from the sharp cracks splitting our union already. It hadn’t even been a full day, which was a joke. If we couldn't make it twenty-four hours, how the hell were we supposed to make it a lifetime? Finally, Rion spoke. “This was an arrangement. Nothing more. You’re free to live how you see fit, given you reside here, and I will do the same. When we are required to make public appearances, I will be the perfect doting husband, but make no mistake… That is where it ends.”

His cruel words brought me back to our conversation, and suddenly I allowed my anger to dominate my body. “What am I supposed to do, then? Twiddle my thumbs while you’re out doing gods only know what with whoever you want?”

He dropped his shoulders and straightened to his full height. “Frankly, I don’t care what you do as long as you keep it private.”

There was no malice in his words, just calm indifference. For some reason, that hurt me more than anything. I wanted him to feel something, to understand how ridiculous it was to rip me from one prison, only to place me in another. “So, I could bring a man into this house, fuck him wherever I please until I screamed his name, and you would be fine with that?”

“Whatever you do in private is your business. I have no plans to stay abstinent. It would be quite the double standard for me to hold you to the same outdated notion.” He leaned in once more, his breath fanning against my cheek. “So, do as you please, Calia. Just as long as you remember, either way, you still belong to me.”

With that declaration, he left me standing slack-jawed in the middle of the room, craving something I knew I shouldn’t want and would never have.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Sweat dripped along my back, the blue silk nightgown sticking to my skin as I bolted upright. My heart thrummed beneath my hand as I laid in on my chest, willing the muscle to slow before it gave out. “It was just a nightmare,” I whispered to myself, taking a deep breath. “Just a nightmare.”

Now and then, my mother’s face would slip into my dreams. What would start as a lovely memory would morph into the cruelest torture as a figure shrouded in darkness took her away from me. I was forced to listen to her screams fade into choked sobs until she eventually grew silent. Then the figure would turn to me, their dark, malice-filled eyes twinkling from the shadows.

I always awakened before they reached me.

Pushing out of bed, I padded softly across the old wooden floor to the adjoining bathroom. A small, flickering lantern lit the space softly, guiding me to the mirror.

Turning the handle, cold water rushed from the faucet. I bent forward, trapping the liquid before splashing it over my face to wash away the sweat left behind. It didn’t clear the horrible images from my mind, but nothing would.

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