Page 53 of Fanged Embrace

Rather than head for the main entrance we veered off to the side, stepping through a set of glass doors. The crowd here was sparse, with only one or two stragglers shuffling in behind us.

When she saw the dark hallway stretching out before us, Laurie’s brows shot up and she slowed to a stop. “River, what are we doing here?”

“Just trust me.” I nudged her shoulder, edging toward the bend at the end of the corridor.

Laurie stalled for a moment longer, then gave in and let me tug her along, grumbling to herself all the while. We turned the corner and stepped into darkness. To me and my vampiric eyesight, the room was perfectly visible, but Laurie all but stumbled over her own feet.

She gripped my hand tighter, fingers digging into my skin in sudden distress, then hid her anxiety under another quip. “Ah yes—the void. Truly a masterpiece.”

I let her snark slide and smiled. “Patience.”

She gave me a scornful scoff in response.

Then the lights flicked on and the rain began.

It fell soft at first, then erupted in a steady rush. Water poured from hidden nozzles overhead, drumming a gentle rhythm on the black floor. The entire space was cloaked in deep charcoal, walls and ceiling swallowing stray light until all we could see were the silvery ribbons of water.

And the sound—the distinct hush of droplets pattering down around us in soft applause.

I glanced down at Laurie. Her jaw had dropped open, and she drank it all in with wide, astounded eyes.

“Take a step forward.” I tugged at her hand, urging her into the indoor rainstorm.

She shot me an incredulous look and shook her head. “Uh—I’m not trying to get wet right now, thank you.”

“God, remove the stick from your ass and just try it.” I gestured for her to get a move on and Laurie gave me a scowl—but it was quickly replaced by plain awe when she took a tentative step out into the rainfall.

The rain parted neatly around her like a curtain, splashing everywhere but on her clothes.

“How–?” Her other foot followed, and this timesheyankedmyhand, eager to inch deeper into the stream. I watched her expression shift from suspicion to delight as droplets danced around her boots.

We walked to the center of the room and the rain poured down around us, though we stayed perfectly dry.

“That’s the beauty of the exhibit.” I chuckled, sticking out a palm and swinging it around, catching not a single drop of water.

Laurie lifted her face, pale light catching on the lines of her cheekbones. Her aura softened to a calm mist, a hazy fog rather than a rolling storm. She released my hand, spread her arms, and spun around in a slow circle. Completely entranced.

I watched her twirl, something warm like molten lava funneling through my veins at the sight. “Last night, you said you liked the sound of rain.”

Laurie paused mid-turn and looked at me, stricken expression softened by the sheet of rain between us. “I did?”

“Yeah, you were half-asleep by then, but I thought—maybe… you’d like this.” I looked down, watching droplets bounce and splatter around the grates under our feet. “I couldn’t exactly get the sky to do my bidding, so this was the next best thing.”

When I looked up, Laurie was still staring at me, her gazesearching. She was looking for the catch, for a motive behind such a personal gesture.

I stared back, trying my best to convey everything I wanted to say with my eyes alone. To explain what I couldn’t even fully understand myself.I’m here. I’m here with you. You don’t have to face everything alone.

I meant it, every unspoken word.

This woman I barely knew had wandered into my life, and now I couldn’t picture it without her. The future was murky, hidden from view, and Laurie herself was still riddled with mysteries—but I wanted to stick it out, to walk this obscure path with her.Wherever it may lead.

Whether she read that in my eyes or not I couldn’t know for sure, but Laurie relaxed slightly. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, listening to the rain hail down around us. A solitary silhouette in the storm.

Her next words were a soft murmur, but delivered with the faintest smile. “It’s perfect.”

26

Laurie