I had just slaughtered everyone in this house.
Every last one of them.
I thought murdering her adoptive father would satisfy me, but his cries—his desperate, pathetic begging—had tasted bitter. For a moment, something like remorse had coiled in my chest. But I crushed it. I did it all for her.
For Alina.
And now, she stood in the doorway.
Smiling at me.
I studied her carefully, searching for fear—revulsion—but there was none. Perhaps the smile was a mask of poise, a performance. Or maybe… she truly had no fear. Could it be she saw in me the very thing she desired?
I could see pieces of her father, Mathias, in her expression—a chilling resemblance that disturbed me. And yet, it only deepened my fascination. The world thought Alina was adelicate girl wrapped in finery and innocence, but I had always suspected something darker, something insidious and hidden.
She carried herself like virtue incarnate, but beneath it… Oh, there was wickedness.
With me, she didn’t shrink. She challenged. She had watched me kill before—and smiled. But this? This was different. This was home. This was bloodline. And still… she seemed aroused by it.
Her lip curled, the perfect picture of feminine disgust.
“What did you do to my family?” she asked, breathless.
She rushed at me.
With surprising strength, she tore the dagger from my grasp and raised it toward my throat. I caught her wrist mid-strike and wrenched it away, slamming her back against the wall.
The blade clattered to the floor.
We stood there, chests heaving, locked in a storm of fury and lust. Her pupils were blown wide with adrenaline. Her lips parted as if to scream—or kiss.
Had she meant to kill me?
Or tempt me?
Something was in her eyes—an ember of desire beneath the rage. It made my blood burn.
“I killed them,” I said calmly, cruelly. “Savagely. Brutally. I listened to every cry, savored every scream. Your father begged. Your sister wept. I enjoyed it.”
I retrieved the blade from the floor, lifted it to my mouth, and licked the blood from its edge.
Then I sheathed it.
A deliberate act.
A promise.
“I wanted to see what you would do,” I said, stepping closer, so close I could feel her breath against my mouth. “To see if your heart is as wicked as mine.”
Her chest rose and fell, her skin flushed, her lips red with fury—and want.
“Tell me, Alina,” I whispered, my mouth brushing hers. “Are you displeased with me now that you’ve fully seen the monster?”
She stood silently, framed by the golden blaze of morning light.The sun poured through the tall window behind her, setting her hair aflame, cascading curls of fire around her pale, expressionless face.
The room was bathed in blood.
The white sheets, the marble floor, even the broken remnants of furniture—all drowned in the aftermath of slaughter. Shattered glass caught the sunlight like tiny mirrors of madness. Her sister’s defiance had left its mark in the chaos… and now, in silence, it bore witness to Alina’s choice.
