Page 112 of Claimed By Fangs and Darkness

“One more time. Make it count.”

Evie’s voice was raw and aching, the most beautiful mix of strength, grief, and vengefulness.

“I’m not sorry!”

I held her in the center of the whirling, bloodthirsty shadows. When I noticed she was releasing too much, I let my own shadows find hers.

“Shhh,” I soothed. “This isn’t over, angel. We’re going to give them exactly what they deserve.”

Thankfully, Evie settled her power before I was forced to subdue her in a more decisive manner.

The darkness ceded. I stared down at this perfect creature of starlight and wrath. Too fucking adorable to exist.

If Aster had resisted feeding from her potent blood—if he had truly managed to put on a mask of decency and chivalry to vie for Evie’s trust and affection—then he wanted her desperately.

And I had a feeling that desire extended far beyond sex and matrimony.

He wanted Evie’s magick. He always had.

35

EVIE

Iwas a liar.

And after everything I put Kylo through for his betrayal, I felt the truth on the tip of my tongue with every breath.

I needed to tell him that Aster tasted my blood. I didn’t want to say he fed from me, when it had been so brief. No fangs breached skin.

I also didn’t want to be a victim.

I wanted to be strong instead.

Maybe that was another reason the truth dried up every time I opened my mouth. I wasn’t in any true danger.

Aster crossed the line and then stopped as soon as I saidno.

Plus, I needed to go back. After I’d recovered and hashed out strategy with Kylo and my new family, I needed to finish what I’d started.

I needed to avenge Princeton’s death, or I didn’t deserve to take his place. Not when I was the reason he’d been murdered.

Kylo’s fingers were at my mouth again, feeding me a grape from the nearby platter of snacks. He read to me as promised, and I lay my head against his chest while curled in his lap.

Guilt tore up my insides. I felt blemished. Ruined. Like Aster had sneakily rooted himself inside of me.

What if Kylo wouldn’t look at me the same? If he knew that someone else had touched me, when he was supposed to be the first and only person to taste me forever?

No, I knew that wasn’t the man I loved.

Yet I chose to lie all the same. Because Juliette and I had unfinished business.

She killed Princeton because she wanted to be likeme. It was insane. Even if it was also to hurt the clan and take out our chaos witch, I couldn’t deny the intuition that Juliette was making these moves with this secondary motivation in mind. She wasn’t just a puppet, though the born might see her as one.

I knew the truth: She was pulling her own unhinged, psychotic strings when no one was watching.

“You okay, angel?” Kylo asked.

I nodded, letting the anger recede back into the shadows. It would be there waiting for me in the morning.