Page 108 of Vervain

“Mother?” Cole said, but it came out more like a question than acceptance or awe.

“I don’t know…”

His clawed finger hooks around the golden chains buckled to my waist, luring me to him until our shoulders brush. “The wolves are watching you. They’re waiting for an opening.”

From nearby and beyond the shadows, yellow eyes become neon blurs as the wolves prowl in the dark. They keep their distance, but their sights stay locked onto me, saliva dripping down from their jagged teeth.

They keep following, and as soon as I accept their presence, a cabin appears from the break in the trees ahead of us. A mix of brick and wood, single-story, small cabin encased in trees. Darkness shrouds it, as if rundown and something nightwalkers use if they’re desperate enough to hide from the sun.

Vervain rings around the front, reminding me of what Serun told me earlier. It’s used for protection. A barrier so that no one can see. But why can I see it, even before we step through the invisible barrier and towards the hut?

My tight muscles relax, and once we are inside, Serun glides the large wooden bolt across to barricade the door. “No light,” Serun says as he makes his way across the sofa covered in dust and to the only other door in the cabin. He swings it open and steps in, the darkness all-consuming.

Olivia makes her way to the fridge and opens it, only to click her tongue and swing it shut. “I’m so hungry,” she groans.

“Then hunt.” Serun leans against the doorframe, eyes settling on me. “I will be here with Saya.”

She sits up, looking between us, then smirks. “Alright, then. I think I smelled a few humans near the river. I will take my time.”

“Don’t kill them,” I say. “Just drink and move on.”

Olivia looks at me incredulously, but when I stare at her blankly, she sighs. “I will try my best.”

She opens the window, slides out, and closes it behind her instead of taking the door. Looking away from her, my shoulders jerk at how close Serun is to me. Shadows turn to smoke, and he reveals himself.

Dark circles run underneath his eyes like eyeliner, and there’s a softness deep within the crimson as his focus lowers to my mouth. An electrical current of emotions tingles my lips, craving the idea of his pressed against mine.

His hand finds my wrist, and he says, “Come. I will run a bath for you. Your human side sweats, and it’s masking my scent.”

“Okay?”

Lured into the other room, my focus lands on the bed wrapped with black satin when I run my fingers against it. On the other side, drinking in the moonlight before Serun closes the wooden panels, is a ceramic tub. Water gushes out, and steam lifts in the room, creating a layer of vapour to cloak the hardwood floorboards.

“Did you want me to leave?” he asks as he rises.

Looking at the tub, then back to Serun, I lift my brow and say, “Last time I undressed in front of you, you turned around—not the case this time?”

His finger hooks around the strings on his shirt, loosening them. “We are beyond that, don’t you think?”

With a smile, I pinch the stockings and slide them away from the tunic. “I believe so, nightwalker.” I remove them, and as I rise, I drop them next to me. “Was this the reason you wanted Olivia to leave? To have your way with me?”

My mouth runs dry when he shrugs off his shirt. Broad muscles tense under shadows and darkness. “One of the reasons…”

“And the other?” My hand goes to the zipper at my back when icy hands touch mine. I press my arms across my chest, my heart stuttering as the zipper drags down my spine, slackening the tunic over my shoulders. My breath sharpens when those hands tug the tight leather down. I let my arms drop, and the tunic falls to my feet. The only fabric covering me is my lace underwear.

“Bathe first, Saya,” he says. “Then we can entertain each other in more than an icy embrace.”

I face him, and deep red eyes snap to my chest. Prickles of hair rise, and my nipples harden at where his eyes seek. An ache hits me, and my hands reach up, covering my breasts and nipple piercings. Without a word, I make my way to the tub. In the thickened steam, I remove my underwear, then step into the bath. A long, drawn-out sigh escapes me, and I sink until the suds cover me.

It feels like an eternity since I’ve had one. Serun doesn’t have a tub in his manor—from that I know of—and Darkovish had us standing every day while we showered.

The knots that bind my back loosen after I grab the washcloth hanging from the side, draw it up and over my chest, and across my moonflower tattoo. Serun comes up behind me, stool in hand, drops it by the tub, and eases onto it. He raises his hand, and I hand him the washcloth, sit up, and lean forward. Serun’s hand drags down my back, washing away sweat, sand and soil, but not the ink from his venomous bite.

“The tattoo hasn’t faded. Is that because we shared blood on the same night?”

Water rushes down my back as he squeezes out the excess, then drags the washcloth down my back again. “Yes. You’re correct.”

“Does it do anything more than you told me in the private room?”