Page 40 of House of Darkness (The Fallen Star #1)

ESTRELLA

The sound of the monster’s footsteps and the venom in his eyes had become a form of torture all its own.

It was almost worse when he chose one of the other girls as his target.

On the second night, he’d gone after Solaris.

I had attacked him, even managing to grab the edge of his mask before he knocked me unconscious.

When I awoke, my head rested in Solaris’ lap, while Charlotte worked to untangle clumps of matted blood from my hair.

The only blessing was that he hadn’t bitten me yet.

He seemed intent on saving that for the main event, and I was grateful for it.

He wouldn’t uncover my secret until it was too late.

I wished I could figure out where I remembered that arrogant voice from, but kept in a constant state of terror, starvation, and drug-induced paranoia made that a challenge.

I instead focused on the hatred coursing through me like poison.

No matter what happened tonight, at least one of us wouldn’t leave this place alive. I just hoped it would be him.

I now wore a red drop-neck gown with a tight bustle, my neck left exposed to ensure easy access for his fangs.

For the first time in a week, I stood in a lit room—a small bedroom off the throne room.

A servant vampiress prepped me, but I didn’t bother asking her name; I hoped she would die with the rest of them.

They aimed to break me to get to Roman, but I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.

Regardless of whether I died tonight, I would do so with a clear head and a fierce spirit.

I fought for the three girls downstairs who had never known comfort or safety, and for all the girls who suffered to fill their relatives’ pockets.

I slipped my feet into the red stilettos placed before me, a smile creeping onto my lips at the thought of driving one of the heels into his eye. I had to be patient—wait for the venom to kick in and hope I’d be strong enough.

Never in my life had I wanted to be a vampire. I guess I hadn’t given the idea much thought, as I didn’t expect to survive the night. But that was okay, as long as my sister could escape. As long as he could never hurt another woman.

“You’re done, miss,” the servant said, her formality making me snort. As if I were anything to her other than an object to abuse, valuable only because I was Roman’s object.

I looked regal, of course. My freshly curled hair still held its shape, and makeup concealed the worst of my bruises. Ignoring the servant, I strode out the door.

A crowd had already gathered outside. Snarls and yowls hurled at me as effectively as projectiles, launched from the suffocating purplish darkness of the throne room. I straightened my back and held my head high as the same man who had kidnapped me escorted me to the throne.

When I saw who stood in front of the throne, I nearly stumbled.

I should have known. I had been a fool. Codran stood proudly on the dais, no longer hiding behind his mask.

His glowing eyes tracked my every step, and his lips split into a feral grin.

My skin crawled with the ghosts of his fingertips from our dance. When I had willingly touched him.

When I saw who was on Codran’s arm, I wanted to scream.

Confusion quickly warped into a toxic, burning hatred that brought me to the brink of implosion.

Iliya stared at me with that same smug, arrogant grin.

Each of the little blocks of comfort and kindness I had protected within my heart came crumbling down as though she had smashed right through them.

She wore my dress. I’d recognize the lace flowers and pearls anywhere. It might have been pink, but all I saw was red.

“Iliya,” I snarled.

My kidnapper fastened my hands to a chain connected to Codran’s throne.

Iliya’s eyes met mine, glinting with satisfaction.

Codran was the monster here, but I had come to expect that from men like him.

Unlike her. She had been my friend, I had compared her to my sister, the very sister bruised and beaten in the basement.

I wanted to tear the fabric from her body—I wanted to kill her.

“Hello, Estrella, darling.” Iliya’s voice dripped with false sweetness as she snapped her teeth at the end.

“How dare you wear that!” I spat.

Iliya glanced down at the baby pink fabric, fingering a piece of lace. Even now, I remembered the hours spent sewing that piece into place—a dress for a monster.

“I told you I had a special event coming up.”

“You must have forgotten to mention that the event was my death,” I shot back. “How could you do this?”

Iliya glanced at Codran. Even now, love passed between them, but her gaze revealed something darker—obsession. “Once Roman is out of the way, I’ll be tsarina. It’s a dream that a stupid slut like you doesn’t deserve.”

I laughed, shaking my pinned hair and loosening a few curls. “The tsarina to a man who tortures and abuses other women. What a dream that is, Iliya. Hope you enjoy it.”

Sticking to what I knew, I spat on her, right on that pretty dress.

Iliya shrieked and stepped forward to strike me, but Codran stopped her.

He murmured something in her ear, and though she bared her teeth at me, she stepped back to stand beside the throne.

It didn’t escape my notice that she didn’t have a seat of her own.

“Good to see you’re still a spitfire,” Codran purred. “Are you ready to die?”

Part of me hoped my glare would set him ablaze. I stood my ground, head held high and chest puffed out. If defiance was all I could offer, I’d do it well. “I can’t wait.”

“Good.”

He turned to the gathering crowd of vampires.

“Tonight, everything changes. Tonight, the Bursuc House ascends from the depths of the underworld. We will seize the throne from the unworthy Koraki House and their childish ruler. We will bring vampires back into the light and return to righteousness. No more ridiculous rules about protecting inferior humans, no more curbing our appetites with stale blood. NO MORE!”

The crowd roared their approval. My blood turned cold. It had been illegal to hunt humans for over a thousand years —what he was proposing would plunge humanity back into the dark ages.

Codran turned to me. “Our current tsar is soft. He has feelings for this acolyte, as if she is anything more than a vessel for our kind. He will learn the error of his ways tonight.”

He stepped behind me, close enough that I felt the brush of his shirt against my back.

I felt small—smaller than I had all week.

The nightmare that had seemed personal suddenly threatened to consume the entire world.

If he discovered my secret, he would hold the key to his plan.

I needed to end this now. My heart raced, and before I could reconsider, I hurled my foot into his groin.

A stream of curses erupted from his mouth. I lurched forward, reaching for one of the spikes on the back of the throne. He couldn’t use my blood to fuel his war if I was dead. Talons dug into my hips before I could move, yanking me back against his chest.

“You fucking bitch.”

Then, pain. Liquid fire poured into my veins as his second set of fangs, the ones carrying the venom, pierced my skin. I barely noticed the warm trickle of blood trailing down my collarbone and blending into my dress. Cheers from the crowd faded into white noise behind the ringing in my ears.

The talons at my hips grew, digging deeper into my flesh and causing blood to flow over his fingers.

I was only vaguely aware of what was happening when he spun me to face him.

His eyes were entirely black and filled with rage.

Sharp spikes shot from his shoulders, as long as my forearm and thick as quills.

He towered over me, a monstrous behemoth in his beast form.

“You’re a fucking magnifier?”

Even through the burning pain, I smiled. “Was.”

He hit me so hard that I collapsed. I tried to stand, to remember my goal, but everything was consumed by the searing pain sweeping through me like a tidal wave.