Page 125 of Claimed By Fangs and Darkness

Vesper nodded. “Sometimes collective heartbreak is the necessary catalyst for real change.” She returned her gaze to the born patrolling the streets—streets that were once lively but now lay barren.

The spirit of the city still prevailed. It shone in the glittering lights, the sprawling gardens, regal libraries and academic buildings, the resiliency of mortals still living and loving and fighting.

Somewhere, right now, mortals were breaking ordinances to dance together. A human was reading a forbidden text. A witch was breathing life into a defiant candle spell.

Vesper looked at me again, and this time, she seemed to see right through to my deepest thoughts. Light entered her eyes, a warmth I craved as much as I cowered from.

“The stories we’re swapping tonight are similar, aren’t they?” Vesper asked. Her scar was nearly luminescent under the witch lights.

“Yes, and no,” I said. “I escaped before I was forced to marry.”

Vesper’s eyes softened, relief washing over her features. “Praise be to Selena… and Helia?”

I affirmed her intuition about my parentage with a nod.

Her raw empathy touched me. It was unusual for me to feel so instantly comfortable with someone.

But I’d been changing for a while now.

“Looking out over Etherdale…” Vesper faltered and cleared her throat, as if overcome with some deep, unknowable emotion.“… it feels like I’ve found something. I always feel that way when I see a cityscape.”

She smiled, and for a moment, I saw through her maturity gleaned through trauma to the human beneath.

I smiled too. We walked together to the others, and after a few more moments catching each other up to speed on clan happenings, we sat in a cozy nook in the corner of the roof.

Blade and Clarke drank whiskey. Kylo and I shared a fruity seltzer. The passing of our glass back and forth made Idris roll his eyes. Vesper smiled.

Idris nodded at me before I began, giving me the burst of strength that I needed to tell our story.

When I revealed the identity of my promised husband, Vesper’s eyes flashed. Clarke lifted his brows.

None of us had any idea how interconnected our fates had been woven. But it didn’t surprise a witch like me.

“Thank you for sharing this with us,” Vesper said. She glanced from me to Idris. “You are both so young to be this wise, strong, and purposeful. What a gift. I’m sorry you endured such grief to get here.”

“Thank you,” Idris said, as I parroted the same.

Clarke reached for Vesper’s hand, squeezing it once as if transferring strength through touch. It was her turn now.

“I was not born to the Servants of Lillian,” she said. “I was a human courtesan in King Earle’s court.”

Oh.Oh.

Kylo’s hand paused its gentle stroke just above my knee.

From what I’d heard and read in novels, only the best made it to such a cut-throat position. And one needed to be a masterful seducer to maintain their place at court, especially when incubi and succubi dominated the profession. Humans didn’t have the luxury of sex magick on their side.

I had to admit I’d always looked down on courtesans who served the born, not because of the sex work, but because ofwhomthey were entertaining.

“It was as brutal and exciting as you could imagine,” Vesper said, her eyes alight. “Ever since I was a child, I was blessed and cursed with the insatiable desire to eat the whole world.”

I could see it now—the evidence of Vesper’s magnetism, the way she reeled us all in with ease. Her voice was smooth, loud enough to be heard but low enough to keep us leaning forward. Confidence bled from her every pore, giving her an ethereal glow.

“I’ve always wanted it all. Novelty, adventure, sex, and indulgence of all shades and colors. I was raised in a tiny, conservative, mortal-centric town in the rural north. My family did everything in their power to keep me away from the city. But I couldn’t be denied.”

“Still can’t, some might say,” Clarke drawled. His eyes danced with teasing adoration.

She batted her eyes at him before refocusing on us. “I loved my time as a courtesan in Prospyrus. I could spend hours talking about the people I met and the conversations I had. The art and the food. The performances, exhibitions, and music. Working my way up to King Earle’s court was everything I’d ever wanted. All the luxury and stimulation in the world was at my fingertips. I saw myself as a student of life. I wanted to learn and experience everything I could.” She paused, her smile slowly fading. “Insatiability casts a nasty shadow, however. The net I cast brought in more than beauty. Evil is drawn to the light just as strongly.”