I didn’t expect Riley’s taste to be so agonizingly familiar. I knew she was descended from Rebecca, but what I didn’t anticipate wasCharlotte.
The blood connection between them was more than I was prepared for.
For one horrible, perfect moment, I had Charlotte back. And the hunger that rose up in response was something I couldn’t control, that inner monster who devours and never lets go.
I thought I could bring Riley to the brink of death to make Rebecca regret what her spell led us to, but I didn’t expect Charlotte’s taste to flood into my veins after all this time. I didn’t expect her ghost to reach up and drag me under.
I straighten up and smooth my hair, composing myself.
But seeing Hannah’s panic as she cups Riley’s face makes hot shame wash over me.
What was I thinking? God, if Hannah hadn’t…
My stomach churns.
I would have killed Riley to spite Rebecca, and I would have destroyed my only chance at freedom. Hannah would have watched me prove every terrible thing anyone has ever said about me, and I would be forever tethered to someone who despises me as much as Rebecca does.
If she doesn’t already.
Foolish. I nearly sacrificed everything.
Hannah’s fingers flit over Riley’s face and throat, searching for signs of life with that undying compassion she hasn’t stopped showing all night.
My chest squeezes.
She deserves so much better than to be bound to me.
“She’s alive, but barely,” Elizabeth says, her voice tight with anger. “Both of you stay here. I’ll take her to Rebecca.”
My heart skips a beat. “Rebecca?”
She shoots me a glare that could wither a tree. “She’ll find out what you did here sooner or later, and it might as well be now, when Riley can still survive this.”
As usual, the consequences of my actions occur to me far too late. The thought of Rebecca seeing what I did sends ice through my veins. This will certainly make her believe that a cursed sleep and a binding spell are merciful compared to what I deserve.
“So—so shewilllive?” Hannah asks from the floor, out of breath.
“She will. She’s in good hands.” Elizabeth murmurs an incantation, and Riley’s form lifts onto an invisible stretcher. She guides Riley from the sanctum, but not before shooting me one last glare.
Distantly, the bookcase rumbles aside, and the parlor doors open and slam, leaving Hannah and me alone in the suffocating silence.
Hannah stands, her fists clenched and her chest heaving. The fury in her eyes is so blazing hot that it hurts to look at.
“What—was—that?” she asks through her teeth.
“I was trying to break the binding spell. It’s not my fault the ritual involved me feeding on a Cooper.”
“Yeah, you clearly have a weak spot for them,” Hannah spits. The color rises in her cheeks, and she turns away, blinking fast.
I stare at her profile and her rigid shoulders. Is that what she thinks? That Riley meant something to me beyond the ritual? “Riley wasyourlover, last I checked.”
Hannah lets out a wild laugh. “I dated a Cooper, Julia, but I didn’t drain any of them dry. I didn’t leave any of them dead. God, you really are…”
I step closer. “I’mwhat?”
Hannah shuts her mouth and steps back, suddenly quiet.
“A monster?” I supply. “An abomination? Whatever word you have, I assure you, I’ve heard it before.”
