Page 54 of The Duke’s Bloody Bargain

I licked my cracked lips. “Take it back. Reverse it. I’ll pay you.”

“Don’t insult me.” She clenched her teeth. “Besides, you know you’re going to pay a price.”

“I don’t care. If I get worse, I’ll ask Darius to stab me, but I must try one more time.” I breathed a few times, fighting the exhaustion. “What do you want? Name your price. As long as you don’t hurt those I love, I would give you anything to get my control back.”

“How lovely. Since you mention it.” Her smile sent a chill down my sweaty back. “There’s a tiny, little thing I want from you.”

19

SNAKES

Irene

Ikept shaking for an hour after having left Alex’s bedroom.

He hadn’t touched me or drunk from me, but he’d used our connection to impose his will on me.

I was so shaken that my teeth chattered. And I hated the sensation of being controlled like a puppet, of not being capable of using my own body.

Sitting on a wingback armchair in my room, I watched Darius wolfing down his fifth butter stick in a row. He hadn’t stopped eating since we’d shut ourselves in my bedroom.

He polished off yet another cup of tea. “My apologies. But with my magic gone, I’m more ravenous than usual, and eating helps regain my powers more quickly.”

Instead, my stomach churned at the thought of food. The fright and the command Alex had given me had left me exhausted and nauseated.

“You were quite brave,” I said. “Facing a rogue with nothing but symbols.”

His aura flashed crimson with embarrassment. That was a first. He was always confident and bold and basked in praise.

“I was waiting for you in the corridor, and when you didn’t answer, I was worried. I’m glad he didn’t hurt you. It would have destroyed you both.”

“He wasn’t going to attack me. I’m sure of that.” I reclined my head, thinking about Alex’s distorted face and the horror in his gaze.

“Unfortunately, without my powers, I can’t lock him up in his bedroom with a spell. Blessed water is the best thing I can use. But the sun is high. He’s going to collapse in his bed soon enough. When the sun sets, he’s going to unhinge the door and leave, which means I have to use more blessed water to keep him inside.”

“What are you…” A sob rattled me. “Are you going to kill him? Please don’t.”

He put down his cup and reached out to take my hand. “I must be honest. If we have no choice, yes. One rogue vampire in London is enough, and you saw how fast and strong Bethlen is. Alex is going to be just like him. His transformation into a rogue is ten times faster than it should be. I suspect Cara’s spell has something to do with that, which means we don’t have time.”

I cried, sagging in the armchair.

He patted my shoulder. “I don’t want to kill him. He’s a brother to me. I’ll do everything in my power to find a remedy for his condition. Rogues are incredibly strong at night and almost dead during the day. We can lock him up in a silver cage and keep him safe. He won’t be able to escape from that. I will use his weakness to my advantage and experiment on him to make him return to normal.”

“Experiment? Has a rogue ever returned to normal?”

“Not that I know of. The only way to stop a rogue is to kill him or to kill his sire. But Alex stopped himself. He didn’t attack you. That’s a good sign. And he has become a rogue because of a spell.”

A sharp knock came, and Fiona barged in. “Ravenhill is out of his room.”

“What?” Darius and I said together.

“He was in the west wing.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “I fled.”

Darius muttered something I didn’t catch. “Go to your room. Open the curtains and use this if necessary.” He handed her a bottle of blessed water. “Or leave the mansion.”

Fiona accepted the vial. Her aura flashed orange with surprise. “You care about me.”

“I don’t want you to die a painful death by the hand of my best friend.” He waved her away. “The duke will be weak as long as the sun is up, but be careful.”