Page 113 of Tainted Souls
A gentle knock sounds from the other side, the vibration traveling through the wood against my back. Hanae’s eyes flick to the side, her grip loosening just slightly. She steps back, allowing the door to open, though she keeps one hand firmly on my arm.
None other than Ace walks in, his presence immediately filling the room. His hair is slightly damp, as if he’s just bathed. He wears a simple white shirt, half-unbuttoned. But the casual appearance does nothing to diminish the intensity radiating off him. He takes in the messy scene before settling on my face.
His expression remains neutral, but something ominous flickers behind his gaze. “They’ve been circling for twenty minutes,” he says, his voice deceptively soft. “Won’t be long now.”
If they leave, my last hope will be going with them. I can’t let that happen. I only have one, desperate chance left.
Time slows as I assess my options once more. Hanae stands between me and freedom, her grip firm but not crushing. Ace blocks the doorway, his attention momentarily divided as Kale approaches to report something in his ear. The others are scattered throughout the room, alert but relaxed now that the immediate threat seems contained.
There’s no way I’ll be able to overpower a vampire like Ace, but I don’t need to beat him. I just need to create enough chaos to slip past him. The thought comes without warning, rising from some primal part of me I’ve always feared. The part that isn’t human. The part I’ve spent my life denying. The very idea makes me sick, but the alternative is worse. Trapped forever, or worse, handed back to Cain.
Flashes of what went down in his lair burn through me. Ones where his hand was buried deep in the chest cavities of thosewho disobeyed him, his fingers slick with blood, curling around a heart still trying to beat. And for a second, I understand.
I wait for Hanae’s attention to shift away, to Ace, then summon every ounce of vampire strength I possess.
Moving with inhuman speed, I drive my hand forward, hard—not a punch, but a spear—fingers stiff and aimed directly at her chest.
There’s a moment of resistance as my hand meets flesh, then a sickening give as it plunges through. Hot liquid cascades over my wrist, my arm, soaking into my sleeve. Hanae’s eyes widen in shock and pain, her mouth opening in a silent scream. I feel the wet, pulsing mass of her heart beneath my fingers and clench, yanking back with everything in my power. Her heart comes free in a spray of vitae, still quivering in my grasp. The room freezes in collective horror.
Even Ace stands motionless, caught between shock and something far darker I do not wish to find out. Hanae crumples to the floor, her body already beginning to desiccate.
Skin graying and cracking like ancient parchment, her death gives me the opening I need.
I toss Ace her heart while darting past him, shoving him aside with strength born of pure adrenaline, and sprint down the corridor.
Behind me, chaos erupts. Shouts echo off stone walls as the Ravens recover from their stupor. Heavy footsteps thunder after me, but I’m already turning the corner and descending stairs, racing toward what I hope is freedom. I run blindly, no destination in mind except away. My blood-soaked hand leaves crimson smears on the walls as I steady myself around turns.
The corridor opens into a grand foyer I’ve never seen before. Early sunlight streams through high windows, illuminating a massive front door. Freedom lies just beyond, tantalizingly close.
I speed toward it, greedily lunging for the handles, yanking with all my strength. Locked. Of course they’re locked. “Over here!” I scream, pounding on the door. “It’s me! Seraph!”
If I shout loud enough, Redmoore might hear me. If I can just get outside, the sun will protect me. If I can just find something to disrupt the cloaking spell—
My thoughts scatter as strong hands grab me from behind, forcing me off my feet and away from the door. I’m lifted for a breathless second before being slammed to the ground with bone-jarring force. The taste of blood floods my mouth, my vision a vicious haze.
“No one’s coming for you,” Ace growls, his pressing weight pinning me down. His hand grips the back of my neck, driving my face into the stone floor, the rough surface scraping against my skin. “Even if they could, they won’t. You know why?” His lips graze my ear, and I can feel the chill of his words even before they are spoken. “Because you don’t want them to die.” He pauses, savoring the fear in me. “Do you, Seraph?”
I struggle beneath him, but it’s useless. The reality of what I’ve done crashes over me. I’ve killed a Raven. Torn out her heart with my bare hands. The nausea rises, burning like coal in my throat. A bitter part of me is proud, but the sensible part of me is terrified.
“I just wanted to escape,” I choke out, guilt-ridden and beseeching for mercy.
His grip tightens, forcing a whimper from my lips. “And now you never will.”
Rough hands haul me to my feet. Through tear-blurred eyes, I see Kale and Reece flanking me, their expressions cold with fury. Behind them, Palina sobs, while Irene stands ashen-faced, her hands covered in vitae.
“Take her to the cells,” Ace commands. “She gets nothing. No food, no water, no blood. Not until I decide what to do with her.”
As they drag me toward a staircase, almost too eagerly, I catch sight of Saul standing in the doorway. His face is a mask of disappointment and resignation.
A slow, cutting smirk tugs at my mouth. “Collateral damage.”
He doesn’t respond or move to help me, doesn’t even speak in my defense. He just watches me go down.
The cells, it turns out, are deep beneath the mansion, carved into the bedrock itself. Unlike the comfortable room I’d been given before, this is a true prison with bare stone walls, a metal cot bolted to the floor, and a small, barred window in the heavy door. They throw me inside without ceremony, the door clanging shut with a conclusive slam.
Reece’s face appears at the window, his usual charm replaced by cold hatred. “You should have played by the rules,” he says. “Now no one can save you.”
Then he’s gone, footsteps receding up the stone stairs, leaving me in darkness.
