Page 130 of Claimed By Fangs and Darkness

Not that I had a choice, with a knife against my throat. Juliette could kill me the moment she sensed me draw power.

Juliette inhaled deeply, and my face twisted in disgust.

“My creature was right. You do smell really nice,” she said cheerfully.

Herwhat?A flash of memory flitted through—of the demon beast that had attacked me in the street. It had stopped just before chomping my face, staring at me in recognition as it inhaled.

Juliette must’ve had some kind of psychic link with her hellish creations.

“Does Aster know you’re here?” I choked out beneath the pressure against my throat.

Her big gray eyes didn’t falter.

I was curious, but I also needed to stall. My heart was leaping now. Kylo must’ve felt it. At the very least, he would check the bond once he realized I’d been gone for too long.

I couldn’t tell if I was already bleeding or if the coldness of the blade was causing illusory sensations.

Juliette studied my face and my chest, soaking me up in a way that was more than violating. It wasn’t sexual… it was something creepier that I didn’t have words for.

She wet her bottom lip. “I’ve decided you can be with Sir, Evie. Our bond is too strong to be shaken. He will love you and guide you into being the best version of yourself—I can see this clearly. It was written in the stars from the beginning. You have a karmic soul tie. Wealldo.”

I wanted to scream at her again, to tell her she was a fucking lunatic. But I wanted my throat to be intact even more.

“How generous of you,” I spat.

She nodded, either unable to read my true feelings or uninterested in them. “Yes, I do try very hard to be good. It’s difficult though, because being good means something different to each person. Have you noticed that?”

I stared at her blankly, breaths leaving me in shallow gasps.

With her knife-free hand, her finger slowly traced my discreet collar that hung just below the blade. Something strangely sad entered those empty gray depths.

“You won’t tell Sir about tonight, and I won’t tell him about Kylo or your tattoos or anything else that he would considerbad,” she said, nodding her head.

What exactly did she know? Andhow? Panic was a volatile force in my guts.

The knife pressed harder. She scowled as she continued nodding, waiting for a response.

“Okay,” I rasped. “Fine. I won’t tell Aster.”

Juliette stared hungrily at my neck, and now I knew for sure I was bleeding.

“How could I possibly believe you haven’t already told him, or that you won’t in the future?” I asked. Nothing about this deranged person made sense. She could ruin me. Easily.

Her brows drew close. She stroked my cheek. “I told you I would never kill you, Evie. I want you alive. Which means Sir cannot know the true depths of your darkness. We can fix all of this, okay? Once I help you back onto the path of light, you’ll understand.”

She smiled, and I fought the urge to recoil from her sickening touch.

“Understand what?” I croaked.

“That we’reone, silly!”

Multiple things happened at once. First, Juliette grabbed a vial from her pocket and scooped my blood inside. Second, the door flew open.

Third, I attempted to move but couldn’t—the knife must’ve been dipped in paralytic poison.

I watched as Kylo shouted. Juliette stared at him with a beaming smile and wide eyes for the briefest moment before launching herself out of a tall, open window.

A firebird cawed, followed by the flapping of strong wings and Juliette’s maniacal giggle.