Page 64 of Fallen Nocturne
Arescaine straightens and reaches for a towel. He begins to dry himself. I should close my eyes. I should give him this at least.
But I keep watching the cloth as it moves over his stomach, his thighs, between his legs.
I am the worst person alive.
The absolute worst.
Arescaine finishes drying and sets the towel aside. He stands there naked from the waist down before reaching for his breeches.
Relief floods through me. He is getting dressed. Soon he’ll leave and I can escape this nightmare.
He moves toward the fireplace.
My heart sinks.
The vampire isn’t leaving. He is standing there in front of the fire, staring into the flames like he has all the time in the world.
I stay frozen, barely breathing. My legs are starting to cramp from standing so still.
Maybe he’ll fall asleep standing up like most Nightwalkers during their dormancy. Maybe I can...
“You can come out now.”
His voice shatters the silence.
I die.
My soul leaves my body, and whatever remains is just a mortified shell.
No.
There’s no way. He cannot possibly know I am here.
“I heard you in the washing room,” he says quietly. “That surprised little breath you tried to hide.”
Oh gods.
He still hasn’t turned around. Arescaine continues staring into the fire.
Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods.
The vampire knows I am here. Which means he knows I was watching. I am going to be sick. My stomach twists, and my hands shake. Every part of me wants to dissolve into shadows and disappear into the floor.
“Come out,” he says again. “We need to talk.”
My legs refuse to move. I remain behind the curtain like a coward, wishing I could reverse time and choose never to follow him.
“Rhianelle.”
My name sounds different in his mouth now. Firm and commanding, nothing like the broken desperation I heard before.
He does not call me Queen Rhianelle or Your Highness.
Considering what I have done, perhaps I do not deserve the courtesy.
“Come out.”
My traitorous body responds to the command in his voice. I step from behind the curtain.
