Page 177 of Claimed By Fangs and Darkness

“Hello, Evie,” a deeper voice answered.

I whipped around to find Conrad standing just inside the door. My gaze swept to the empty bed.

“She’s in the bathroom across the hall. We only have a moment,” he said. “Aster wants us all to head downstairs for dinner.”

Fuck. I’d had Juliette alone for less than two minutes. The whiplash had me feeling a mix of confusion and impatience. I couldn’t fail. I had to see this through, and I didn’t want to spend another minute pretending to be charmed by a disgusting predator and his psychopathic child bride.

Why was Conrad here? Why was he emphasizing we only had a moment alone?

You can’t trust him.

Vesper’s warning was a red, glaring sign in my mind.

Conrad approached me, his features forming an unspoken question. He’d asked me if I wanted to take out Juliette. He’d called her a mental patient. He’d been alarmed by my explanation of her illness and her stolen power.

“Are you well?” he asked.

“Yes.” My heart thumped, but I decided it was time to try plan B. “I think I’d be better if you help me with what we discussed the last time I saw you. You asked me what I wanted.”

Conrad was stoic as his icy blue eyes watched my lips.

“I think you already know what I want,” I said.

It was risky. But it was also destabilizing in multiple helpful ways. Letting Conrad take care of Juliette would keep my hands clean, and it would dirty Conrad’s. What if poor Aster found out his best friend killed his wife?

Conrad smiled, such a rarity for him that it startled me. “I’m so glad to hear that, Evie.” He stepped closer. Too close.

I took a small step back. “I need it to happen tonight.”

A flash of confusion, or maybe pensiveness, crossed his features as he assessed the way I’d backed away from him.

“She sneaks out at night,” I continued, voice barely above a whisper. “That’s how she’s been harvesting power from other witches. Aster must know she does this, the sneaking out, I mean—maybe we could make it look like she left tonight, only this time, she doesn’t come back.”

Conrad went rigid. A strange expression crossed his face, nearly angry. It was more emotion than I’d ever seen from him before.

Oh, fuck. Panic coursed through me, wondering if I’d somehow misread him. And now I couldn’t go back. I’d chosen wrong. I should’ve stabbed Juliette through the heart and leaped out the window the moment we were alone. If only I’d known…

But Conrad’s words had been clear.Hewas the one who asked me if I wanted her out of the picture.

I calculated how many seconds it would take to impale him with shadows against how quickly he could drain me of blood. Or immobilize me with his pain magick. I needed more distance between us?—

“Tonight,” Conrad said, breaking through my panic. The emotions washed from his features, leaving only calmness behind.

I halted. My magick paused at my fingertips.

“I’ll take care of it,” Conrad said. “So you’ve made your choice. You’ll stay here.”

“Yes.”

Conrad smiled again, but it was strange, mechanical. It didn’t match the deranged look in his eyes. This was the first time I was seeing a hint of the madness I knew festered beneath the surface.

He backed away from me, and I released a breath. But when he slipped out of Juliette’s room, my heart never calmed.

My intuition was glaring. Something was wrong. I should’ve felt settled, but instead, I was even more frantic to get out of here than I’d been before.

I eyed the window.

I could escape now, if I wanted to. Before Juliette came back.