Page 170 of Kiss of Seduction

He wasn’t trying to enthrall her. He was just taunting her. She didn’t answer.

“Is it pleasurable?” He ran a hand over her chest, touching her breasts through her sweatshirt. “Is it ecstasy?”

The pressure on her head told her she had to respond. “Yes.”

He flashed his fangs in a snarling grin. “That pleasure will live only in memory, Evelyn. I’ll make sure it hurts from now on so you remember how much of a slut you really are. How getting fucked is supposed to feel for someone like you.”

He led her through the estate, aiming for the guest wing. A secluded hall of rooms meant for visitors rather than Varro’s favorite spawn.

“Remember this place?” Stefano said, entering one of the guest rooms. Seeing it made new tears rise in her eyes.

She recognized the room immediately. The big bed with the black silk sheets. The armchair in the corner. It was where she’d spoken to Natalya for the first time.

“This is where you betrayed your Masters,” Stefano snarled. “This is where you turned your back on your King and decided to run off with an infernal whore. Though it makes sense, now that I think about it. You’re a little slut. You have no purpose other than as a thing to fuck. It’s understandable you were tempted by Lust.”

He laughed as she shivered in his grip. “Do you adore her, Evelyn? Do youloveher?”

Evie let out a shuddering breath that was more sob than not. “Yes. I love her.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Stefano smiled with satisfaction. “She’s with Varro now. Last I heard, he was making her scream. There’s little else coming out of the east wing besides her pitiful shrieks.”

Keeping a tight grip on her hair, he yanked her head to the side, baring her throat. Tears blurred her vision. She knew what came next, and even as she readied herself for it, her body started shaking uncontrollably.

“I’ve missed your taste, Evelyn,” Stefano said. “It’s intoxicating. Sorare. You may hope I’ll kill you in this room, but I have great plans for you. We’ll keep you around for a long time. We’ve even discussed with Queen Cecilia that we should start a breeding program so we can have a host of little Seraphics running around. Wouldn’t that be grand? Wouldn’t that besweet?”

He ran his cold fingers over the veins on her throat.

“I have wanted to taste you again for months.Longedfor it. I’m going to enjoy draining you into submission.”

With a hungry growl, Stefano sank his teeth into Evie’s neck. His fangs pierced her skin with horrible, familiar pain. Sharp and burning, and then warm as her blood spilled over her throat and ran down to stain her clothes. Stefano groaned as he sucked deeply, feeding on her with great satisfaction.

He stiffened. Then trembled. But he didn’t stop sucking, too engrossed in feeding to realize the sudden pain he felt came from her blood going into his body. When he did, it was too late.

With a wet gurgle, Stefano staggered away from her, and Evie nearly collapsed. She had to grab ahold of the bed to stay standing. Stefano’s eyes bulged, and his face twisted into a surprised, pained expression.

“What the fuck…” The veins in his face tightened and he coughed, sending spatters of her blood all over the floor. His eyes found Evie’s, and they were filled with rage and confusion. “What is this?”

Evie’s arms shook as she pulled her hands free of the loose restraints around her wrists. They had only looked tight.

“Colloidal silver.” Evie’s voice was quivering, still afraid as Stefano stared at her with such seething anger it was almost paralyzing. Then he stumbled and dropped to his knees. Seeing him fall, her fear was replaced with fury.

“It gives it akick, doesn’t it?” Her voice was still shaking, but there was hate in it now. “The Court of Chains didn’t let me wander on my own. Not without loading my veins with enough silver to roast you from the inside.”

Stefano retched. He couldn’t stay upright and fell to the floor. His body twitched and then convulsed, though he didn’t take his eyes off Evie’s.

“Stop,” he managed. There was a faint pressure on her head. Evie ignored it.

“You can’t control me anymore.” With hands that trembled, Evie pulled out the wooden pin she’d used to hold up her hair. It fell past her shoulders, and she clutched the wooden stake as she approached Stefano.

“Don’t!” he yelled. Desperately and fearfully. He looked terrified. “Have mercy.”

He’d tortured her. Assaulted her and frightened her. For months, he’d done it. Reveled in it. She’d begged him all that time. Begged him to stop, begged him to be quick, begged him to make her forget. He’d done none of it. He hadn’t shown her an ounce of mercy. She wouldn’t give him any.

Evie crouched next to him, staring into a set of black eyes that had delighted in seeing fear in hers. Now she delighted at the terror that was quickly filling his.

“You hurt me,” Evie whispered. “You killed Amanda. And you took Natalya. You don’t deserveanymercy.”

Evie grabbed the hairpin with both hands and plunged it into Stefano’s chest. He screamed in horror and pain as black lines cascaded out from his cold heart, marking his pale, olive skin like streaks of ink. His head fell back, his eyes widened, and he started shaking.