Page 37 of House of Darkness (The Fallen Star #1)

ESTRELLA

Iawoke to the sound of my bed creaking. My eyes snapped open, and before I could scream at the red eyes looming above me, my airways were blocked by a cloth. A sharp chemical scent invaded my nostrils, sending my head spinning. Within moments, darkness enveloped me.

When I regained consciousness, I found myself in a windowless hallway bathed in the light from purplish sconces.

I could barely see, but a dreadful sense crept over me that we were going down.

My head throbbed, and my mouth felt as though I had sucked on cotton.

I groaned, the violent swaying threatening to make me vomit.

“I see you’re awake,” said the gravelly voice of my kidnapper. His tone dripped with menace, and though I didn’t fully grasp the situation, I knew I was in grave danger. I squirmed against his unyielding grip, kicking my feet in desperation.

“Stop resisting. I’m bringing you to meet His Majesty.”

My groggy mind struggled to process his words. Whoever ‘His Majesty’ was, he certainly wasn’t Roman, and that realization made my heart race with fear. I needed to get out of here. I aimed a powerful kick at his stomach, and pain shot through my foot as it collided with his stone-like flesh.

The man cursed, and I was thrown to the floor.

Pain surged through me from the impact, but I had no time to dwell on it.

I had to escape. I scrambled to my feet, slipping across the slick stones, but his arm quickly encircled me, yanking me back against him.

I threw my head backward into his jaw, and though it made my head throb, I enjoyed the thought of bringing this monster some semblance of pain.

“You bitch,” he snarled. Even through the haze of drugs, I couldn’t suppress a smile.

He grabbed my wrists and shoved me forward, forcing me to keep up with his relentless pace. The air was stale and damp, the oppressive weight of the earth making it hard to breathe.

We entered a circular throne room draped in black.

The obsidian floor gleamed ominously, leading to a dais with a spiked throne jutting from it.

On that throne was a slim man, suited in all black with an iron badger mask covering his face.

Red eyes glowed from that mask, savage and filled with hate, smugness, and entitlement like torches ready to set me aflame and revel in my screams.

He stepped off the dais with a lithe grace.

His hands rested casually in his pockets, as if he hadn’t just kidnapped me.

My gaze shifted to his arrogant smile just visible under that mask twisted into something sinister.

He stopped inches away, his breath warm against my ear as he inhaled my scent.

I fought to suppress the shiver threatening to betray my fear.

Instead, I stood tall, gathering what pride I could in my nightgown.

He took my arm and spun me to face the room, where vampires seeped from the shadows like demons of the night.

Their eyes glowed first, followed by feral grins.

“I’d like to introduce you all to the lovely Estrella. Isn’t she beautiful?” His hand slid up my back, and I recoiled from the touch. There was something familiar about that voice tugging on the drugged edges of my consciousness. “She is the fake tsar’s acolyte—his only acolyte.”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd; their hungry gazes fixated on me. It took all my willpower not to cower. Instead, I met their stares with defiant hatred.

Those glowing eyes returned to me. “His only chance at an heir. Some even say his true love.” He let out a harsh laugh, echoed by his followers.

“What will he do if we destroy her?”

The crowd grew restless, cheering and shouting in approval.

I ignored them, focusing instead on the vampire beside me.

He was uncomfortably familiar, I even recognized that overpowering cologne.

I tried to look beyond the fangs of his horrifying mask to the jawline within, but it covered everything, leaving only terror incarnate.

His grip tightened on my arm, yanking me against his chest. I felt utterly helpless against his strength.

His next words were soft, meant only for me.

“We’re going to torture you and turn you. He’ll come for you, and then we’ll kill him. Once again, we will rule.”

“Roman will destroy you,” I spat.

“He can try.”

I twisted in his grip to meet his gaze. “If he doesn’t, I will.”

I knew it was a lie as I spoke, but I would rather die fighting than accept a life of slavery here.

He chuckled, the sound reverberating off his mask in a haunting echo. “Oh, pet, you are nothing. A mere blip of existence, built to please. You couldn’t hurt me if you tried.”

Fueled by a mix of hatred, anger, and the drug-induced fog, I spat in his face. He erupted in curses, and I smirked. “Release me, now.”

He struck my cheek hard enough to throw me backward, then wiped his mask with the same hand. “You’re in no position to demand anything. Allow me to show you to your chambers, pet.”

Behind the throne was a narrow door leading to a dark, spiraling staircase. The musty smell of stale air and mildew assaulted my lungs. All I could think about was the academy’s cellar, where I had been chained and tortured. I knew this would be far worse.

The only thing visible was his torch-like eyes in the pitch-black basement. My heart pounded in my throat. I didn’t need to close my eyes to see my fears; the darkness revealed them all. He briefly released me, his casual steps revealing how little he feared my escape.

A creaking sound echoed through the room, and I froze. “Don’t you dare lock me down here.”

“Shut up.” His hand shot out from the shadows, dragging me past the barred door. He released me with such force that I fell to the floor.

The only sign of his departure was the clang of the barred door and the echo of his shoes. I curled my feet to my chest. Before I could cry, a soft orange glow bathed the cell in light.

Three faces emerged in the glow. The middle girl had dark skin and soft features framed by what I assumed had once been beautiful curls. To her left was a girl with alabaster skin and startling green eyes, her red hair cascading over her bare shoulders, merging with the candle’s flame.

The third girl… despite her bruises and emaciation, I recognized her immediately.

Solaris’ eyes, once bright and full of life, were now hollow and haunted.

I instinctively scrambled forward and raked my fingers through her matted curls, pulling her to me.

She didn’t even notice. “What happened to you?”

Her gravelly voice was barely a whisper. “You were right, Es. About everything.”

“He happened to her,” the middle girl said, her brown eyes holding a clarity the others lacked.

I understood immediately, seeing the bruises and emaciated forms before me. They had been sold for this very purpose by men they had once called family. I stared back in silence, unsure of what to say.

“My name is Charlotte, if it matters. This is Ava.” She gestured to the redhead. Her tone was flat and cold.

“Estrella.” Charlotte waved my name away as if it were irrelevant. Perhaps it was.

“You look healthy, Es.” Solaris’ hand fluttered to my cheek. I knew what she saw there—the glow of safety and a full stomach, a far cry from the last time she’d seen me.

“I am. You were right. The tsar is good, and when we escape, I’ll show you.”

Ava laughed—a shrill sound that scraped along my bones. Her wild, haunted eyes bore into me. “We will never escape.”

I looked between the three of them. Their lives had been sold to the highest bidder. Hatred blossomed in my chest. I couldn’t allow myself to fear my fate while they had endured the same for so long.

“We will escape. I promise.”

Solaris gripped my elbow, weak but determined. “I believe you.”

Her words rang in my ears. My sister had always been my rock, strong and caring when I was weak and selfish. Now, the same girl looked at me with eyes glistening from the horrors she had endured. My sunlight had been extinguished.

I hated them all. I hated that mysterious man who felt entitled to me. Somehow, that hatred steadied my mind. I trusted Roman to search for us but finding us would be nearly impossible. Instead, I focused on the fact that I would be turned. Then I would tear them all apart or die trying.

I wasn’t sure how long it was before that monster returned.

His steps on the stone stairs sounded like a death knell.

The girls huddled into a corner and extinguished their candle.

I positioned myself in front of them. It was me he wanted—a new toy, not yet ruined.

I stared into that badger mask, at those eyes that had burned a pit into my soul, leaving nothing but emptiness and fear behind.

“Did you miss me?” His voice was a soft, teasing purr, with a sinister edge.

The cell door clanged shut behind him. He yanked me from the floor, his movements slow and deliberate, even as I fought against him every step of the way.

We moved until my cheek and front pressed against the cold cell bars, my hands pinned between us.

I stifled the whimper threatening to escape; I wouldn’t let him see my fear.

“Your tsar is a possessive man. I think I’ll ruin you for him.” His tongue slid slowly and torturously up my neck, and I fought the urge to gag.

I forced my voice to remain calm and steady. “Nothing you do will matter.”

He chuckled, a dark sound that echoed in the small space. “I beg to differ. It will be all that matters. He’ll smell me on you, and he won’t be able to look at you without seeing my marks. You won’t even feel the same after you’ve been wrapped around my cock.”

I thrashed against his grip, but he only laughed. “That’s the cherry on top, pet. He’ll throw away his kingdom to rescue you, and when he gets you back, he won’t even want you. You’ll be damaged goods to a man like him.”

He lifted my nightgown, each inch brushing against my flesh like spiders. I closed my eyes against the sensation. I willed my mind back to Roman the night he rescued me from the academy, until all I could hear was his soft, velvety voice telling me that I was safe.