Crimson Bloom (Vyrkola Clan Book 1) by Emery Rachelle

Author:Emery Rachelle [Rachelle, Emery]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Emery Rachelle
Published: 2023-09-04T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve: Eden

My scream throws Dasya off-balance. She lands not on me but instead beside me, her footing faltering to stay upright. She blinks at me several times, her pupils dilating and shrinking in cat-like slivers as she gazes unfocused at my mouth. No, not my mouth—my neck. Finally she looks up at my eyes. With a twisting snarl, she turns and vanishes from the room, leaving the dead pig bleeding out on the dining table. Its thick, pungent blood drips down with loud splatters onto a growing puddle on the floor.

I can’t wait for Dasya to return, or for anyone else to arrive. What to do now? Where to run? I must run, must hide, must find safety. Where is safe? Who is safe? Do the others know what Dasya is? What is she? Are the others in danger?

Antony, Henry, Levi, Meadow—they may not be close enough to call my friends, but they don’t deserve to be mutilated by someone they trust. Maybe this is why Dasya keeps such a distance—she knows she is different, she is biding her time with them all. She may even have been the one to kill the missing woman.

Do any of them know? Of course not. Why would they let her roam free if they knew?

Antony. I must find Antony. He’s the one in charge here. Where is he? His office? Wait, no—I’m supposed to see him this afternoon. Henry said he’s at the university for the morning. I can go there. I can leave the castle, head into the city. If I can just get sight of the pillar by the library, I can orient myself.

But can I leave the others here? Are they safe, even for a day? And can I even walk long enough to reach Antony?

Dasya has lived with the Vyrkolas this long and not killed them—but I should warn them. I can tell Meadow. She’s probably here, working on her sewing somewhere. She’ll know where Henry and Levi are. Then I can tell them while she gets Antony, and we’ll all be safe.

Where is Meadow’s room? I stumble through the halls, attempting to run and ignoring the stabbing pain in my side. A heaving, clawing ache settles in my lungs. My legs burn after a week in bed. It doesn’t matter. I can recover later. Right now I must keep the Vyrkolas alive.

The family’s rooms wouldn’t be by mine; those are guest quarters, mostly closed up. Antony’s office is different from the sleeping quarters. There’s one other hall in the foyer I haven’t tried. I hope that’s it; I loathe the thought of attempting the grand staircase.

I reach the foyer, my steps echoing off the stone floor exposed between rugs. My heaving breaths fill the otherwise eerily quiet halls. The unexplored hall stretches out in front of me. I have no way of knowing which room is Meadow’s, if these are even the family bedrooms. If I find Levi or Henry that would work, they could warn the others—but what if one is Dasya’s?

I could always scream.

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