A Dance Macabre (Perverse City, Book 1) by Naomi Loud

Author:Naomi Loud [Loud, Naomi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-07-30T00:00:00+00:00

28

MERCY

The rain has returned. It batters steadily against the windows, the wind howling as if mourning a dying lover. It’s late evening, and I’m lounging on one of the couches in the library in my quarters, my bare feet curled up under me.

To my left, the large fireplace crackles softly with flames and embers while my dogs slumber atop the wool rug in front of the mantelpiece.

Two of the four walls of the library are floor-to-ceiling bookcases, some books as old as our family feuds. There’s a large section dedicated to the Lottery records and the resulting nineteen-year rule. Reading about classified information and family secrets I haven’t been privy to before would usually thrill me, but the book balancing on my lap is as entertaining as a dull knife to the eye. The words blur, my thoughts much too volatile for any of it to make sense.

Wolfgang is ignoring me again. It’s been nearly a week since he last had his hands on me. The night at Vore when he killed one of his men for touching me.

Heat curls low in my stomach at just the thought. It incenses me. I should carry out my own execution for even daring to keep track of time in this manner. Every day I’m repulsed by how easy it is to let my mind wander to the few times I’ve felt Wolfgang’s touch on me.

And yet …

I find myself emerging from memories without any concept of time, trapped in the echo of inconsequential moments like when his hand found the small of my back in the pouring rain.

I slam the book closed with a huff and throw it beside me on the couch. Propping my chin into my palm, I sigh, my gaze idly lingering on the rows and rows of our family history.

I wonder if …

I can barely finish the thought. Irritated that I would even entertain any of Wolfgang’s recent erratic behavior and how it’s only left me wanting more. But try as I might, curiosity prickles my skin.

This library must have a book detailing the divine law that forbids us from mixing our bloodlines. And if fornication never leads to procreation, would we be punished? I can’t believe that Wolfgang and I would have been the first to have—I swallow hard, barely wanting to admit to myself, but alas—an attraction to one another.

Quietly, not wanting to wake the dogs, I uncurl myself from the couch and stand up. But I only make it a few steps toward one of the shelves when I feel the air shift.

I stop in my tracks, my head slightly cocking to the side, eyes narrowing.

The sensation is similar to when I feel the call, but it’s not quite the same. It takes me a few seconds to remember where I’ve felt it before. Then it hits me.

The Oracle.

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