Page 35 of Vervain

“But one of them tried to kill me…”

“Yes,” he says with a bitter curl of his lip. “That one thought you were only a vegodian, Saya. But it’s the fact that you can walk in sunlight while having the blood of a nightwalker.”

Taking a deep breath, I face Serun. He is closer than I thought, arm along the leather back, his fingers near my shoulder. If he wanted to, he could wrap his arm around me, and right now I’d let him lure me into his intoxicating nightshade.

“Then I suppose learning more about my magik will help protect me when I inevitably go topside.” My focus lowers to his lips that curve into a smirk.

Nightwalkers lure in their prey. Entice them. But what if I want this as much as he does? In moments like these, he makes it challenging for me to hate him.

I lean in, my hand grazing the leather couch. A red line from my eyes darts to that mouth I remember tasting on the roof of the feeding ground. The way his tongue flicked across my fangs, and how his fingers tenderly cupped the point of my ear, loving the parts I was forced to hate.

His crimson eyes soften, slowly closing as I draw nearer. Our mouths, a breath away from clashing. My fingertips strain against the leather, and he sighs—a sigh that sinks my heart to my stomach to swim in the acid.

I open my eyes and lean back with a sigh of my own, when he suddenly presses his mouth to the corner of mine. Brief. Like the prick of a bee sting. Then he pulls away and rises, taking the shadows with him.

“You are an addiction. One I’d like to savour.” The shadows form a coat and drape over his shoulders. “You were treated like an object in your previous relationships, while I want to claim your soul before I fuck you the way you deserve.”

A tingling sensation surges between my legs.

Fuck.

I splutter a cough into my hands, then rub them against my soft cotton white skirt and look away, murmuring, “I only wanted a kiss…”

Serun blurts a laugh, lines crinkling near his eyes. The sound clenches my stomach, sprouting seeds and filling my ribcage with flowers and vines. “Hold your liar’s tongue, consort.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

UNHEIMLICH

Saya Claymore

“Pir avacen,” a voice whispers in my twitching ear. Opening my eyes, I stare at the ceiling of the small, rectangular room of sorts. The carriage rattles, and the light above sways, wire and metal creaking.

With a slow blink, gathering my thoughts and taking in my surroundings, I see a closed door. Sweat slides down my forehead, and as I sit up and move to the edge of the bed, the sheets come with me.

Steam from the train and the enclosed tunnel brings a heat I haven’t experienced before. Darkovish Feeding Ground had air-conditioning, and the only time I felt uncomfortable was when I sat in the sun outside.

The sun itched. This heat clings, sticking to me like a layer of slime.

As I run my fingers through my hair, I hear a knock, and my focus snaps to the door like a moth to a flame. “Serun?”

Creaking comes from the other side of the door, and I crane my head to the side, hoping I’ll hear something more.

Is Serun fucking with me?

I stand and take a step, reaching the door. It’s not an overly large room. Enough space to sleep in, but that is about it.

I grasp the latch to unlock the door when another knock, louder this time, bangs three times. The door shudders, and I blink rapidly as I step back. My heart sinks at the sudden sound.

Then, the creaking. This time, it crawls up the door, sounding more like splintered wood as it scratches at the surface.

“Serun, if this is you, I will kill⁠—”

“Saya, can you please let me in? It’s cold and dark out here.” A burn stings my eyes, and my breath sharpens at Manni’s voice. “There’s something out here,” she says, her voice a quivering mess. “It’s hunting me.”

The door handle rattles as Manni jerks it from side to side.

I reach up and hold my pendant, letting the pain of her loss pulse in the palm of my hand.