Page 16 of A Betrothal So Bloody

“For fuck’s sake—hold still,” he says forcefully.

My body reacts before my mind can catch up, melting into the mattress as his voice washes over me like a wave crashing on the shore. His influence is flickering, like he’s desperately grasping at the jerking reins of mind.

Dante grabs my shoulders, rolling me onto my back. My eyes go wide as he moves. The change in him is terrifying—practiced and urgent. A whimper catches in my throat as I fight with everything I have, but it’s like trying to move with iron chains coiled around my limbs.

No. No, I can’t relent.

Dante moves me into a kneeling position beside me, his arms like pillars on either side of my head. The shock of it freezes me for a moment. I don’t even scream. A soft, strangled whimper peels out of me.

No one could hear me anyway. The villa is almost empty, and backup from the Order would be an hour away, at best.

“Shh…” His stormy eyes pale a little this time, certainly not a trick of the light. It’s a signal that any Corvus slayer knows as truly as scripture. He’s pulling on his power, willing my mind to soften and submit.

“This will just take a moment. You’ll scarcely remember a thing.” Dante’s whisper is distorted through my haze as he leans over me, pushing my hair off my neck. His eyes rove my exposed skin and a faltering, breathless smile crosses his face.

And there—in the flickering glint of candlelight, I see in that smile what he’s so carefully hidden all these weeks I’ve been tethered in this palatial home.

Fangs, tapered to lethal points where canine teeth should have lived.

six

Pressure registers on my waist and my lungs seize— he’s fucking on top of me now.

And he’s about to drain me.

I’m bewildered to find relief blossoming in the midst of my terror.

No more wondering, no more agonized searching for evidence. Dante has revealed his nature, at long last, and he must die.

But I have to break his hold first. I’ve only got seconds before those fangs are in my neck and I lose consciousness altogether.

Focus, Ariya.

I’ve trained for this. Step one is already handled—recognize the trance state. Now, I must disrupt the connection. Pain is a powerful tool, and my situation is no exception.

Though most of my body struggles to obey, I work my tongue between my front teeth and bite down as hard as I can manage; nearly hard enough to draw blood. The sharp ache sends a bolt of clarity through the haze. That sensation is mine, and mine alone.

Behind Dante’s looming form, the room begins to focus, and I feel my limbs lighten. I squirm beneath him, forcing his path toward my neck to pause.

He growls in his throat, frustrated. Alarmed, even. “Stubborn girl. Just hold—”

“No,” I manage to grit through my teeth.

Dante recoils slightly, brow furrowing. He’s breathing heavily now as he holds my defiant gaze, like wrestling my will back into place is quite an effort for him. His grip on my shoulders is loose—I can shake him off. This is the opening I need.

I ground myself back into my body, focusing on every place our bodies chafe against each other with agonizing clarity. My heart is racing, drumming in my ears and drowning out everything else. It’s a frantic, survivalist rhythm—I will not die like this tonight.

With a shriek of effort, I slam my elbow into his stomach. It knocks the wind out of him just long enough to wrench him off me. I shove him across the bed and scramble to put distance between us. Dante catches my eyes, his own widening. They haven’t gone fully white yet, and I can see the shock register in those stormy irises with jolting clarity.

“Fuck!” he hisses.

He springs off the bed, stunned. He hadn’t expected me to break free, but he’s also not attacking me. He’s just standing there, watching me like he’s not sure what to do with me now.

Without him playing his proper role, I find myself woefully stalled. Then, my mind snaps back into motion. It doesn’t matter why he’s decided to let me live—whether he’s that easily startled, or if he will try to regain his hold on my mind.

I scramble for the silver blade hidden behind the mattress, determined to end him here and now. In my nightclothes, if I must. The world has surged back into painful clarity, almost dizzying.

“Ariya—”