Page 104 of Claimed By Fangs and Darkness

Aster led me to a library.

The born might burnourbooks, but it appeared as though theirs were safe and abundant.

It was an admittedly gorgeous space, quiet and kissed by candlelight. Rows and rows of books surrounded us, all the way up to the ceiling. Ladders were positioned for easy access to the top shelves.

“There she is,” Aster said, a triumphant smile skating across his lips when he caught me gawking at the space. He handed me an ornately wrapped present with a golden bow.

I hesitated before untying the bow and sliding off the wrapping paper. I stared at the book beneath—an ancient, beautifully covered text with gold edges. It was an old book of fairy tales.

A spark of recognition made my eyes go wide, and Aster’s smile broadened.

It was a special edition of the book I’d taken from a market in Florimell. I’d slipped it into my backpack when Mama wasn’t looking. I spent the next afternoon reading about faeries in secret, out in the field after lessons were over. Mama found me, and after grabbing me and shaking me in pure outrage, sheburned the book to ashes. She accused me of being on a dark path. Screamed that I was ungrateful and disrespectful to Lillian and her word.

Staring down at the embossed lettering on that very same book, my throat tightened. It wasn’t safe to be this raw and triggered, not in the den of my enemies.

“How did you know?” I demanded.

“There, there,” Aster said softly, still resisting the urge to reach for me. “You can read whatever you want around me. I was raised to be a gentleman, to all the gods’ creatures. So long as the natural order of Lillian is obeyed, I do not believe in harming Helia’s children for cruelty’s sake.”

Deep, molten anger scraped up from the very core of me. Every word out of this man’s mouth was a careful manipulation. As if he was any different from the monsters who’d raised me for tithing.

“You may not remember, but I came to visit a handful of times as the region’s lord. I wasn’t always pleased with what I found. Piousness to the extreme is indulgent,” he said.

I stared at him, digging through my memories as they became hazier and less accessible. I thought I’d only met him once, right before Lillian had declared through my mother that we were to be married. I remembered vampires floating through at other times, like phantoms, omens of death that haunted the tall grass and rolling hills.

“I was there that day, for other reasons. But I heard yelling as I was heading to the firebird stables. Your mother hadn’t wanted to tell me about the incident with the book, but I demanded to know why you were being punished. I asked what book it had been, and it stuck with me.”

How old had I been? Seven? Eight?

My body felt exposed, my insides revolting against this conversation. The idea that Aster had set his sights on me soyoung. The fact that I could hardly remember anything from those times except in jagged pieces and snapshots in a haze.

“You’re wrong about me, Evie,” he said. “I didn’t consummate my marriage with Juliette until she was of age.”

“How noble of you,” I spat, unable to stop myself.

Aster’s eyes darkened, but he still made no move to hurt me. I held the book in a death grip, trying and failing to calm my racing heart.

Kylo told me he’d be monitoring my heart, listening for changes. He’d be able to tell if someone had drugged or fed from me.

The idea that he was likely worried out of his godsdamned mind was what kept me from exploding. I took a deep breath, working to soothe my heart that longed to be back with Kylo’s.

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” Aster said. “Juliette was the same at first. Skittish and prone to melancholy. Did she look harmed to you? Even when she’s aggressive, she is never mistreated.” He gestured to the nearly faded scratch marks on his neck.

I glanced back down at the book. He was telling me a story about himself, but more than that—he was selling me on a future with him, a future with the born.

If only he could see the tattoos beneath my glamour. He’d likely kill me on the spot.

I wasimpureandruinedin ways Aster could hardly imagine.

It was this defiant, smug thought that kept me rooted in place. I didn’t back down. I didn’t run. I held the book to my chest. I locked my tears away for later, for when I was far away from these hungry sadists.

“Are you ever frightened of Juliette?” I asked.

Aster’s lip twitched. His eyes narrowed, his features shifting into something less readable. “How could I be scared of such atiny, lovable creature? She may be temperamental at times, but she’s a very obedient girl for me.”

I processed his words, attempting to keep my features as neutral as possible. I stored every admission and piece of body language away in my mind for later. For when Kylo and I could strategize and scheme.

“You two half-humans have far more commonalities than differences. You both crave a protector—a strong, powerful man who can handle your beautiful darkness.” Aster’s amber eyes sparkled. “You’re special, Evie. I’ve always known it.”