Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 105679 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105679 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
As Guilia reassured everyone she was fine and the dining table was cleared of all candles, Serafina remained quiet.
Dinner and conversation resumed, the incident now nothing but a momentary disruption.
But it wasn’t forgotten by Serafina.
Even as she forced herself to smile, to nod at whatever inane comment was being made, I could see the terror consuming her like a shadow. The way her eyes kept darting to where the candle had been, the slight tremor in her hands as she reached for her wine glass.
I had seen the crack in her perfect facade.
And I filed this information away carefully. In our world, knowledge was power, and power was survival.
The dinner continued around us, the families toasting to unity and peace and all the other lies they told themselves.
Tomorrow, Serafina would become a Salvatore.
My bride.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Serafina
The night was quiet.
Everyone was asleep, saving their energy for tomorrow.
But I couldn’t sleep.
I can’t.
My body was on fire, the flame licking my skin, melting away the flesh.
I can’t… breathe.
Panic surged inside my throat and I blinked away the tears, trying to push away the memories.
Memories of my past. Of death.
So much pain… so much suffering… so much horror.
I pressed my palms against my temples, trying to push it all away, but they refused to leave me alone. Always chasing me, always betraying me.
“Stop,” I whimpered in the darkness of my room.
The wedding was tomorrow, the most important day of my life, the day I’d been preparing for since I was old enough to understand my duty.
I needed rest. I needed clarity.
But sleep seemed impossible with my mind racing, my heart pounding against my ribs like a caged animal desperate to escape this damnable hell.
God, I needed something to help me calm down or else I wouldn’t make it to tomorrow.
My gaze drifted to the small travel bag on the nightstand. Inside was a prescription bottle—strong sleeping pills that my doctor had prescribed me.
I hadn’t taken them before… but tonight, I didn’t think I had a choice but to take it.
I had to be at my best tomorrow. I needed to be the perfect bride.
With trembling fingers, I retrieved the bottle and shook one small, unfamiliar white pill into my palm. I hesitated only for a moment before swallowing down with a sip of water, wincing at the bitter taste that lingered on my tongue.
I waited, counting my breaths, forcing myself to be patient. Gradually, the tension in my muscles began to ease. My eyelids grew heavy and the memories that had tormented me faded, replaced by a pleasant numbness that spread through my limbs and my mind.
I climbed into bed, pulling the covers up to my chin. The pill worked quickly and all the anxiety in my body melted away, replaced by something gentler.
For the first time tonight, my thoughts slowed. The wedding preparations, the family expectations, even Adrian’s mocking face… all of it began to blur together, fading into nothingness as sleep pulled me under.
I drifted into darkness, grateful for the reprieve.
It was quiet for a moment. Slow. Peaceful.
But then something changed.
I woke up with a start, my body burning from the inside out.
Fire…
No… this wasn’t it.
This wasn’t the usual anxiety or fear—this was something entirely different.
My skin felt too tight, hypersensitive to every brush of fabric against my body. Like a tingling caress. Every nerve ending seemed to pulse with an unfamiliar hunger, an uncanny feeling of… untamed, savage desire.
I tossed the covers aside, my nightgown clinging to my sweat-dampened skin.
What was happening to me?
My throat was dry, my lips tingling in a way they had never before.
Fogginess clouded my brain and it was almost like my mind had disconnected from my body’s urgent demands. I pressed my thighs together, shocked by the slick heat I felt there.
This wasn’t normal. This had never happened before.
This wasn’t… my body… this wasn’t… me.
Images flashed through my mind unbidden. Adrian’s face, bloody and beautiful… his lips curling in that infuriating half-smirk. His hands on me at The Pit, spreading my legs, pressing his hardness against me.
“God,” I whispered, my voice hoarse and unfamiliar to my own ears.
The memory of how he’d felt—so hard, so insistent—sent a fresh wave of need crashing through me.
Oh God…
What was this?
How… what…
The thought horrified me even as my body ached for his touch. This wasn’t right.
I was getting married tomorrow. To his brother.
The room spun, dizziness taking over me.
There was something inside me, building to a crescendo… consuming—a need too strong, too primal to resist.
Before I could question my own sanity, I stumbled out of bed, my legs unsteady beneath me. The room blurred as I made my way to the door, my movements clumsy and uncoordinated. I didn’t know where I was going, only that I had to move, had to find... something.
A relief.
The hallway stretched before me, dimly lit and seemingly endless. My bare feet padded silently against the cold hardwood floor as I wandered, guided by an instinct I didn’t understand.