I reached for it, but Sorin stepped back. “Roman, you don’t want to see this. They left it with the dead body of my informant?—”
“Sorin,” I rasped. My outstretched hand shook.
His face scrunched with pain as it morphed back into his own, eyes glistening. He reached forward to place the box in my hand. It was like my head didn’t want to move, unwilling to look at the horror in my hands. My neck creaked mechanically downward to look upon the contents of the parcel.
I recognized that blue silk immediately. It had been fisted in my hands that morning when I tugged it over her perfect curves. My favorite little scrap of fabric on the planet, folded neatly into thebox. It was smeared with blood that smelled of lilies—smelled of a moonsoaked night in my garden with her body in my arms and my lips on her neck.
My favorite things, all tainted, twisted, and wrong. The scent of cologne overpowered that of sweet, delicate lilies. Her blood wasn’t just smeared, it was in the shape ofhandprintsalong the sweetest, most intimate parts of her.
My shivering fingers tentatively fisted the fabric, letting the box fall to the wayside. I only knew I collapsed because of the sharp sting of stones digging into my knees. None of that mattered though.
I hadn’t protected her from this, just like before. My failures would be stained across herin the same way they were imprinted on this gown. She was going to suffer and die because I failed her. Just like last time. The thing inside me exploded.
The building exploded with it.
I didn’t care about the shards of wood cutting into my skin. It was nothing compared to pain caused by the frayed and cut silk in my dead fingers. Nothing else mattered because there was nothing without her safety.
Sorin appeared in front of me, crouching to my level in the sea of broken wood and glass. “I know where she is, let’s go rescue our girl.”
Chapter 33
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 askingher 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 haveknown.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 hadwillinglytouchedhim.
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 woremydress. 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 mysister,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.”
