My body was warm beneath the covers, but my thoughts refused to settle. The vampire had not come back, and I tried my best to convince myself that it meant nothing. The offer had clearly been used to unsettle me, to get under my skin for cruel amusement. Yet the promise stillsunk its hooks deep under my skin, wrapping around my ribs until breathing felt like a conscious effort.
I closed my eyes, pressing my palm to my sternum, as if I could physically still my erratic heartbeat. I told myself the feelings for Rhael were just due to proximity, a side effect from the fact he had not yet beat me or left me in chains. The Fae King was as ruthless as the vampires. Either option was bad, but only one guaranteed my freedom.
However, I was not sure I could do it. Laying there with my eyes closed I thought about what the vampire had asked of me. How it would add to the betrayal Rhael had already experienced, and I was not sure I could add to his pain. Even if my feelings for him were one sided, caused by proximity, I did not think I was able to betray him. Not to his enemy.
A soft sound broke the silence. Not the scrape of guards outside my door, not the distant echo of boots in the corridor. This was softer, closer. It sounded like someone breathing.
My eyes snapped open, adjusting to the darkness. Only it wasn't dark anymore, the candles along the far wall were lit and I was certain they had not been when I climbed into bed. My heart slammed violently against my ribs as I pushed myself upright, every instinct screaming that something was wrong. The air in the room felt too cold, as if someone was blowing cold air over my skin.
Someone sat in the chair beside my vanity, cold pale hands playing with trinkets Penny had left behind. I felt panic risingin my chest as I tried to breathe. Watching as the woman rose slowly, her movement unnaturally smooth.
Finally, as a pair of blood red eyes landed on me, I let out a scream. The sound tore from my chest, raw and instinctive, before I could stop it. My hands scrambled to grip the covers, my eyes fixed on the figure as it moved towards the edge of the bed.
It took me a moment to take in who it was standing in front of me, and it wasn't until those red eyes faded into a milky green, that I realised it was the same vampire who had visited before. Suddenly my scream felt foolish, I should have known.
“Such a scared little thing,” she mused a small smile playing on her lips as she sat down on top of the covers. Her eyes caught the candlelight, as she effortlessly pushed a stray strand of hair away from her face, her fingers long and delicate as they brushed against her skin.
Before I could respond the door burst open. The wood sounded as if it was going to splinter off its hinges. The sound made me jump once more as my eyes shot to the open doorway. Rhael filled the space like a summoned storm, fury radiating from him in palpable waves.
Magic crackled beneath his skin, the air bending as shadows filled the room. Only he didn't look at me, his eyes fixating on the figure sat casually on the end of my bed, as if the sound had not bothered her at all.
“You, you have the audacity to step into my home.” Rhael snarled, the word laden with history thatI didn’t understand. But I could see the way his shoulders went rigid, his hands curling into fists.
The vampire smiled, a slow knowing curl of her lips. It was intimate and cruel.
“My King, you wound me. Can I not visit the place I have such fond memories of?” She purred, inclining her head just enough to be mocking. I felt my breath hitch in my throat as I looked between them as Rhael moved across the room, standing between us with his back to me.
As if he was shielding me out of instinct rather than choice. The sight sent a sharp, unwanted twist through my chest that I instantly wished would go away.
“You are not welcome here. You lost the privilege the moment you betrayed us.” He snarled, his voice low and dangerous as he lent forward getting into the vampire's personal space but still she did not flinch.
The words settled under my skin like a blade, slicing flesh from tendon as realisation sank deep in my chest. I had known it had been a woman who had betrayed him, someone he had held dear.
I felt humiliation wash over me mixing with horror and embarrassment as I raised my hand to cover my mouth. This was her, the woman who Rhael had once convinced he would marry. The woman whose actions had led to his brother's death.
“Is that what you’ve told her? How precious.” The vampire smiled, her gaze settling on me with unwavering focus. Sliding passed Rhael as if he was insignificant.
“What game are you playing Serena?” Rhael demanded, his expression darkening as his shoulders broadened taking up more of the space between us.
“No game. I just came to see my friend. You see we have already met, your little companion and I.” Serana smirked, her gaze never leaving mine as shame settled in my stomach. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole as my chest tightened painfully.
“What?” Rhael demanded, his cold tone making me tense. I saw it, the moment his posture changed. It was a subtle withdrawal. An instinctive wall slamming down between us, protecting himself from wounds that would not physically bleed.
“Rhael, I didn't know, she approached me. She didn't tell me who she was.” The words scrambled from my mouth in a desperate attempt to make him see that I did not know who the woman was. That I had realised what I had done wrong and did not mean to hurt him.
“She made an agreement with me, your little pet, didn't you Elara.” Serena looked at me with a smile that didn't quite meet her eyes. The word agreement echoed around the room like a gunshot.
“No. You offered, I never agreed to anything” I argued, but the words sounded feeble as if they were just an excuse to get me out of trouble like a child. My head shook violently as I tried to plead my innocence.
“Oh, but you listened, you considered. Didn't you little human? Your freedom was a temptingenough treat to sacrifice the trust of the great Fae King.” Serena laughed, throwing her head back as the sound emerged. It wasn't a warm laugh, it was cold, empty, as if she was finding enjoyment in tearing me apart piece by piece.
I watched helplessly as Rhael stiffened even further, his back turning into stone as he kept his gaze away from me.
“Rhael, I didn't know, I swear. I would never have betrayed you.” I pleaded, my voice breaking, the weight of his doubt crushing me more effectively than any hit ever had. I didn't need to see his face to know the rage that showed there. Yet nothing I said or did seemed to calm him down. If anything, I made it worse.
Finally, he turned around, looking at me with not only rage, but a look of someone wounded. As if he was re-evaluating every conversation, every shared moment. The thin layer of trust we had worked to build shattering into a million small pieces.
“So much passion between you. Is it any wonder I find her so fascinating?” She smirked. Her voice almost giggled as she tilted her head to the side as she ran her tongue over one elongated fang.
