The woman carried on, doing as he’d said.
Mina glared at the Count and found his eyes still on hers. He didn’t even bother to look down at Sofia—it was clear he only did this for Mina’s reaction.
“Bark like a dog,” he said.
Without pause, Sofia did as she was told.
“Enough,” Mina said.
The Count only smiled as Sofia’s barks sounded around them.
“You’ve proven your point,” Mina snapped, glaring at the Count.
“No,” he said. “I don’t believe I have.”
In the blink of an eye, the Count was across the room, holding Sofia by the back of her hair. He sank his teeth into Sofia’s neck, evoking a yelp of pain and surprise from the woman.
“Stop,” Mina said. But fear held her to the spot, sickened by the sight.
He held the woman to him like a lover, drinking from her vein as her face wore an expression of pain and distress. Mina’s stomach churned as she took in the beast before her, everything in her screaming to run, but she couldn’t leave Sofia to his madness alone.
The Count pulled away, his mouth dripping with blood as he held Sofia before him, the woman’s eyes going distant. Then, in one swift movement, he placed his hand on either side of Sofia’s head and jerked, a sickening crunch filling the room.
Mina’s ears were filled with the sound of her own scream as Sofia’s body hit the floor with athud.
The woman landed in a heap, her lifeless body completely still.
“Do you understand now, mybride?”
CHAPTER 27
With a vice-like grip, the Count dragged Mina down the empty halls of the castle, all signs of the husband who’d been so kind, so gentle, now vanished completely. Tears streamed down Mina’s face as she replayed the image again and again in her mind—it had all happened so quickly. Just moments ago, Sofia was still alive. And yet, because of Mina, because of her incessant need for the truth, the woman was dead.Sofiawas dead.
As they reached Mina’s chambers, the Count pushed her forward. She stumbled, nearly falling on the hard stone, but caught herself on the wall and stood.
“I will never forgive you,” Mina said, her voice a harsh whisper.
“Well I can assure you, Sofia will never forgiveyoufor what you’ve done,” he responded.
Mina flinched, guilt and sadness washing through her. A sob escaped her lips before she caught it, placing her hand over her mouth to try to stifle the noise. The Count watched her, silent and still, as tears continued to streak her face, hot and forceful.
Sofia was dead. Sofia wasdead.
The Count sighed, still staring at Mina, but his eyes softened. “Do you think I wanted to do that?” he asked. “You think I wanted to cull my already sparse staff?”
A scoff escaped her throat. “Sparse staff?” she repeated in disbelief. Then understanding sank in. “You don’t even care what you just did, do you? You only care how this will inconvenience you. You don’t care that a woman who has served you for years is dead.”
“You only have yourself to blame for that,” he said factually. And as he spoke the words, Mina could tell that he believed them. That he was so removed from the murder he’d just committed, that he’d already decided it wasn’t his fault. “You made me do this. You’ve defied me at every turn—”
“I’ve done everything you asked!” she shouted, the words flowing out of her with her tears. “I’ve stayed in this castle, locked away and isolated from everything I’ve ever known, waiting here day and night until you decide you’re ready to be a husband again. Until you decide that you want my affections again.” She inhaled, swiping the wetness from her cheeks. “Where are my letters?” she asked suddenly, recalling her earlier suspicions. “You’ve been keeping them from me, haven’t you?”
He tilted his head, amusement in his eyes now. “I wish I could save you the pain of disappointment, wife, but no. I do not have your letters. I suppose those you believed loved you, simply did not.”
Mina swallowed the thickness in her throat, sniffling. She stared at him, trying to see through to the deception beneath, but she could not. Was it true then? Had no one written her in all this time? Not even Lucy? Pain twisted in her gut, and she eased back onto the bed nearby, leaning against the edge of it as she watched him.
“Why did you bring me here?” she asked. “It’s clear you weren’t in need of a wife. Why bring me here just to keep me locked in my chambers like a prisoner? What do you want with me?”
“Darling,” he said, his voice taking on a softness she’d grown familiar with over these past weeks, “you’re not feeling well right now. I told you, your constitution is not one that can handle such distress.” There was pity in his eyes, and it made her stomach churn. She knew the truth now, she knew the monster that lay beyond the mask. “I want you to stay here and rest. Do not emerge until you are able to be rational.”
