I can’t move without stepping into it. It swirls over my feet then rises up my body. I close my eyes and swallow.
This isn’t real. It can’t be.
But it feels real.
“Sssweeet huuuumannn…” they hiss. “I will conssssuumme yooou… possessss yooou.”
My head thunders and each beat of my pulse makes the world quake. Then everything is dark, and I can’t see. I try to scream, but my mouth, my throat, my voice, all fail me.
My breathing comes faster as I wait for the demon to rip me apart and consume me.
Then points of light, like distant stars form, dim at first then brightening until I can see again. Tallow candles in sconces along the walls, though only a few are lit. I don’t stop to look around, running as fast as my shaking legs will carry me.
My feet pad down the hall, muffled by the thick runner. I don’t know where I’m going, but I know I can’t stop.
A man ascends the top of the stairs at the end of the hall. The upper half of his body is shrouded in shadow.
I reach out a hand.
“A—” I start, but nothing more than a strangled sound makes it past my lips.
The icy cold has traveled up my body, numbing my muscles. I fall but don’t feel the ground as I hit. The dark mass stalking me rushes over me and swallows up my consciousness.
Warm fingers brush the side of my face. It feels good. I try to say as much but all that comes out is a groan.
After a few tries, I manage to open my eyes. A face hovers before me, surrounded by night.
I blink as the face comes into focus. The white-haired vampire crouches before me with pale brows raised and lips quirked to the side.
“It is not safe for a human to be wandering the halls at night in a house full of vampires.” There is too much humor in his voice for his words to be a threat.
I try to recall the details of the last few hours—the last few minutes—but everything is muddled. My head pounds the harder I try to remember.
“I… You—” I try to scramble away, but he places his hands on my shoulders.
“Be still,” he says quietly.
“Who…” I begin.
He smiles and presses his palm over my forehead as if I have a fever.
Without the look of contempt on his face, he is quite handsome. The way the corners of his lips tilt up in a secretive smile. His green eyes glitter, even in the dim light.
“That’s right, we were never formally introduced.” He speaks softly. “Forgive my rudeness, my lady. I am Cassius Wellington.”
“Oh,” I say. I’ve never before been introduced to anyone while lying on the floor.
“I’m—”
“You are the Lady Clara Valmont,” he says. “We all know who you are.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Wellington.”
“Please, call me Cassius.”
I press my elbows into the floor, lifting myself up a fraction. “What am I doing out here?”
Cassius hums, nodding as if such a thing were an everyday occurrence. “It seems you were having a night terror, Lady Valmont.”
“That’s never happened before.” I press a clammy hand to my forehead. Could the stress of meeting the vampires and all the wine have gone to my head?
“Being in the presence of so many demons can do that to a human.”
I snap my gaze to his. The details of my dream come back in a wave at hearing the word demons. I lick my suddenly dry lips. How could he know what my dream was about?
“Demons?” My question comes out half-formed. He must be referring to himself and the others.
“Yes,” he says, taking me by the hand and elbow and helping me to sit. “Allow me to walk you back to your rooms.”
I shake my head and push to my feet. My legs are weak and my body aches. “Thank you, but no, Mr. Wellington.”
He only says, “Call me, Cassius.”
I smile demurely, too tired for pleasantries, and take two steps before my knees buckle. Cassius is next to me in an instant, supporting me against his side.
He is nothing like the man I thought he was earlier. The hostility in his demeanor has morphed into something friendly…
“You’re much nicer than you were earlier,” I say before I can think better of it.
Rather than lashing out or being offended, he laughs. “You are quite fascinating, my lady—and observant even when you are drinking your weight in wine.”
My face flushes.
“Let us simply say that Alaric and I haven’t always been the… closest of friends.”
I frown. I’m not sure I want to know what he means by that, and something tells me that I shouldn’t ask.
Finally reaching my door, I pull my arm from his and smile. “Thank you, Cassius.”
He beams at my use of his name.
I open the door and freeze. The fire in the hearth has died completely, but the windows are closed, and there is no sign of the frost that covered the walls or floors earlier.
“Is something wrong?” he asks.
I turn back around. “No, it’s nothing. I’m just tired.” The nightmare felt so real. I had expected the room to be out of sorts.
Cassius steps closer and takes my hand, bringing it to his mouth and placing a kiss on the inside of my wrist.
“Goodnight,” I say when he doesn’t let go.
His eyes darken, fingers wrapping tighter around my wrist. “He might have claimed you, but it is clear he does not care for tradition.”
I swallow delicately. “What do you mean?”
His words frighten me even though nothing about him is threatening.
“It means, that even if he has started the process to mark you, as long as it is not complete—and I can tell that it’s not—then you can choose to be marked by another. You do not need to take on the mark of the one who claimed you.”
I try to pull my hand from his, but his grip tightens. Not painfully, but enough to keep me from moving away as he leans in.
Cassius places his mouth close to my ear. My heart skips a beat. If he tries to compel me, there is nothing I can do.
But he doesn’t.
“You could choose a vampire who knows how to use their demon.” He pauses. “I could give you anything you wanted. I could turn you into one of us if you wish it. I could give you a life you’ve never been able to dream of; endless pleasure. I could teach you how to live. You would have everything you could ever want and more, including a home with such opulence that this place will look like a graveyard in comparison.”
I finally manage to force my lungs to work again. I step back, slipping my hand free from his, and offering up the best smile I can manage, though all I want is run.
“Thank you for your assistance. You have given me a lot to think about,” I say evenly, fighting to keep my pulse slow and steady. “But forgive me, my head is pounding from the wine, and I’m afraid I’m not in the best place to make such an important decision.”
“Of course,” he says, bowing slightly at the waist. “Sleep well, Lady Clara, and sweet dreams.” He turns, walking back down the hall.
I close the door softly between us and lock it.
Chapter Six
Clara