Page 46 of Marrying Bluebeard

I’ll kill her.

No.

Pain—she deserves pain. To be tortured until the last scream has been wrenched from her lungs.

“Bertrand? Is something wrong?”

Adelaide’s voice pulls me back to reality, her round eyes staring innocently up at me as I wreak bloody havoc in my mind. That’s right. Celeste can wait. First, I need to remove Adelaide from the grounds and break Celeste’s thrall. I school my features, curving my lips into a teasing smirk. “I’m afraid something’s very wrong, love.” I let my hand drift lower, toying with the laces of her gown. Her breath catches at my touch, and a pang of regret pierces my chest when her cheeks fail to pink in their usual manner. She had such an exquisite blush before Celeste got her fangs into her. Just one more thing I’ve robbed her off.

“Pray tell,” she breathes, her own hands skimming the length of my thighs.

I steel myself against her touch, forcing myself not to lose focus. “Well, you see,” I murmur. “I haven’t sampled my beautiful wife since last night, and I’m half-afraid I’ve forgotten what she tastes like. Was it peaches with notes of honey? Or honey with notes of peach?” I bend down, sliding a hand beneath her backside as I lift her off the piano bench and into my arms. Her legs wrap around my waist as I hold her, and I nuzzle her hair. “You see my predicament.”

She moans as my lips caress her neck, but stiffens when they graze Celeste’s mark. When she pushes back against my chest, I retreat and allow her the space. For now, the venom can wait. First, I need to get us off the castle grounds. I begin walking us toward the doors, and her eyes widen, pupils dilating to an unnatural size as she meets my gaze. It emphasizes the receded sockets and the tinge of red rimming her lids. Signs I should have noticed sooner. Why didn’t I notice sooner?

“Shall we take this to our chambers?” she asks, her voice cooly monotone. I can almost hear Celeste’s voice whispering the words in her mind, she’s so puppet-like. If I were a better man, I would weep at the sound of it, but I’m not. Any tears I might shed evaporate in the heat of my simmering fury.

“Actually, I was thinking it might be fun to do something a bit more daring.” My strides quicken as we enter the hallway.

Her palms splay against my bare chest, nails digging sharply into the skin. “Oh? What did you have in mind?” The words are right, but the delivery remains stiff and scripted. My jaw clenches at the sound.

“I was thinking…” I draw the words out as I hurry us forward, the entrance to the foyer looming ahead. Close now. “I’d like to see how your breasts look bathed in moonlight. I wager it would be a magnificent sight to behold.”

“Out-outside?” A note of trepidation creeps into her previous monotone, and her gaze darts to the ceiling. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

“It’s not a good idea, it’s a splendid idea.” I tighten my hold as she starts to wiggle in a futile attempt to get down. “Marvelous, even.”

“No, I… I don’t think we should,” Adelaide protests, her movements growing frenzied. “It’s indecent.”

“Indecent?” I scoff. “But we’re married. And weren’t you the one who first propositioned me that day by the creek? Do you remember, Adelaide?” I look in her blackened eyes, desperation clawing at my chest as I search for a sign that she’s still there. But she only throws her head back and screams.

“Help! Please.” Her body trembles uncontrollably, her voice breaking on a sob. “He’s taking me. I can’t let him take⁠—”

I slap a hand over her mouth. “Sorry, love. But I really need you to be quiet right now.”

Her muffled shrieks stop at the thunder of boots on the steps. Ricard charges down the stairs, and a predatory growl rumbles deep in my chest as Adelaide reaches in his direction.

“Back off, Ricard,” I snarl. “We’re leaving.”

The fool plants himself in front of us, a sneer twisting his pug face as he cocks his pistol. “I don’t think so, master. The chit remains here. But, uh, you can feel free to fuck off anytime you like. Oh wait, you can’t, can you? Blood bitch.”

“You have no idea who I truly am.” I allow my fangs to extend as I flash a menacing smile. “Or what I’m capable of.” I set Adelaide on her feet as I stare my valet down. He lifts the end of his gun, leveling it at my heart, and I smirk. “Go on then. Shoot me down. Just remember who struck first when all is said and done.”

The metal barrel shakes as he takes a step closer. “Run off to the tower, Madame, and leave this to me. Mistress Celeste will be wanting to see you.”

Adelaide takes a tiny step toward the stairs, but freezes when I turn the full force of my teeth her way with a warning growl. The monstrousness of it must override her need to follow Ricard’s orders, because she turns on her heel and flees through the front door and into the night.

I turn my attention on the man blocking my way to follow, and stalk toward him. “Move. Now.”

His expression hardens. “I take my orders from her, not you.”

The pistol fires, and it hurts. It bloody hurts. That tiny metal casing burrowing its way into my chest is as hot as a branding iron, and there’s too little of Celeste’s blood inside me to fend off the searing pain. I fight through it, and take a step forward so that I’m nose-to-nose with Ricard. He pales as I wrench the pistol from his hand and toss it to the side.

“I told you not to do that.”

He swings, attempting to punch me in the face, but my fangs are already in his neck by the time I block it, knocking his fist away as I drain him as thoroughly as I did Louise. Only he doesn’t receive the benefit of dying first.

I dump his body in the foyer and hurry out front, my keen vision quickly picking Adelaide out in the darkness. She’s standing at the top of the steps that lead down to the pass, the wind plastering her nightgown against her legs as the fabric shines like a beacon in the moonlight. Her arms hang loose at her sides, and she stares vacantly up at the castle like she’s forgotten what exactly she was doing.