Page 194 of Claimed By Fangs and Darkness

He had me sliced open. Mutilated.

All because he couldn’t fathom my connection to another man.

If my stomach hadn’t been so empty, I would’ve retched. I forgot I was nearly nude, unable to feel any shame when my entire body was covered in blood.

Vampires’ attention locked onto me immediately as we passed, frustration blooming in their predatory eyes when they realized I was untouchable.

Without Aster’s protection, I would’ve been eaten alive. I bet my strong, powerful blood was sending the entire estate into a frenzy.

I met Aster’s eyes, seeing his own churning hunger. There was nothing stopping him from violating me now that he didn’t need to win me over.

“It’s sexy to know how desired you are, knowing you only belong to me.”

I tensed in his arms. I couldn’t pretend. All I could think about was Kylo believing I was dead.

Phineas had been right about me. I wasn’t cut out for subterfuge. I wasn’t prepared to be traumatized over and over until I was a hollow shell of a girl.

So when Aster set me down before a grand bathtub and began to cleanse my wounds, all of me was a tight ball of stress.

“Nothing will scar. After I bathe you, we will apply healing ointment.”

“I can bathe myself.”

I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t sacrifice my body and mind.

Aster slowly looked up at me. “Evie, you know I only did what I had to do, right?” he asked sternly. “You’re covered in blood—the most delicious blood I’ve ever tasted—and I haven’t once harmed you, have I? Even after I discovered your treachery, I did not show you violence.”

That wasn’t true. He’d choked me. He’d thrown me around. He’d yelled in my face.

If Juliette had heard what he’d just said about my blood, she might actually kill herself. She wanted love from an abuser; she’d been doomed from the start.

He grabbed my wrist.“Right?”

I forced my head to nod. Survival. I had to survive. I had to get back to my family.

“You were only protecting me,” I lied.

Aster released my wrist, and I fought the urge to rub it.

“But I’m hurting and embarrassed and I need to be alone for a minute,” I said. “Please.”

“Fine,” he said curtly, not giving a fuck about my comfort at this point. He only wanted to pretend to respect my boundaries, to uphold the bare minimum of decency for his narcissistic white knight complex.

He cleared his throat with a tight smile. “You’ll let me heal you once you’re clean?”

I nodded, and something in me died.

In the bathtub, I could hardly feel the sting of Juliette’s slashes. The cuts had clearly been mended on some level during the ritual when I’d been unconscious. All that washed away was old blood.

A lot of old blood.

I swallowed down the feral scream building in my throat. I clawed at the metal ring around my throat. I scrubbed at my skin. I could sense this new form of madness bubble up from thedarkest pit of me, and I didn’t stop it—I welcomed it, teeth bared like a rabid wolf.

Behind my eyelids, all I saw was him.

After three washes, the water finally ran clear. I stood from the tub. I scanned the bathroom for anything that could be used as a weapon. In my head was this ringing sound I couldn’t shake, though I suspected it had something to do with the heat rushing up and down my spine.

The buildup of magick and power was making me ill.