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“Where are you?”
The sound of thunder shook Jane’s trembling body even worse. She was already cold from the rain soaking through her clothes, dripping down her skin, and that gentle voice made it worse. Like a snake's, his voice slithered through the air, coaxing, as if he was simply trying to lure her out from hiding. It sounded beautiful.
That was what made it terrifying.
Jane quickly covered her mouth before another hiccup could slip out. She pressed her palm harder against her lips, afraid even the smallest sound would give her away.
He would find her.
“Jane,” he called again, softer this time. “Baby.”
Jane cursed inwardly, her fingers tightening against her mouth. In that moment, she began to regret everything. She shouldn’t have come here. She shouldn’t have forgotten what he was capable of. Her mistake wasn’t just stepping into this place, it was letting herself treat him kindly, even for a moment, when so many people had already warned her what kind of man he was.
No.
Her mistake was opening that door.
Seeing the head that had rolled across the floor, stopping not far from him, while he stood there, calmly licking the corner of his mouth where blood had stained it red.
“I like hide and seek,” he continued, his voice light, almost playful despite the storm. “I like it a lot.” There was a pause before he added, softer, “But I would need a reward for finding you… and maybe a punishment for you.”
Jane clenched her teeth tighter, her jaw aching as rain ran down her forehead, slipping into her eyes. It felt as if the sky itself was crying over her plight. The images of the people he killed tangled in her mind, refusing to fade, and her legs weakened as she imagined herself among them.
Then out of nowhere, Jane felt a sudden silence.
For a moment, it felt like the world had paused. Even with the rain, even with the distant thunder, the absence of his voice brought a fragile, dangerous relief.
Maybe he had gone further.
Maybe...
Slowly, Jane turned her head from behind the tree, just enough to look only for the bright blue eyes to stare back at her, as if knowing that she would have stolen a peek.
“Gasp—”
“Found you.”
Her body locked.
He stood there, right in front of her.
His silver hair was soaked, clinging to his face in thin strands, almost like a web. The smile on his lips didn’t reach anything human, it felt like something waiting, something that had already decided what to do with her.
Jane couldn’t move.
“What should we do,” he murmured, stepping closer, his voice lowering, “with that bad ankle that ran away from me… hm, baby?”
*********
Quote to remember:
"Why is it that we love what's bad for us? You could be the death of me but I can't stop what the heart wants."
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Things to note before you read the book!
1.) The book is set in the historical era that has vampires. There is mature content with violence/sexual scenes.
2.) You can show your support to the author by voting the novel with spirit stone.
3.) Any similarities shown in the novel are purely a coincidence.
Author's note: This book is currently going for competition! Please support the novel as currently the author is running for a competition. All the love and support is appreciated! More chapter will be released with more gems and comments<3
"Get Away From Your Room Tonight."By now, it felt impossible that no one had heard about the sudden mess in her bedroom. The whispers had spread too quickly through the manor halls for it to remain a secret. Yet what truly unsettled her wasn't the ruined room itself, but the meaning behind those words.What exactly was this supposed to be?A warning?Or a threat?The girl who had slipped her the paper had already looked strange enough to make Jane uneasy. Her expression had been tense, almost nervous, like she regretted approaching her at all. Now Jane couldn't decide whether the girl truly feared for her safety or if she was merely another one of Annie's followers trying to frighten her for amusement.Either possibility made her stomach twist unpleasantly.Her fingers tightened around the paper before she crumpled it tightly and shoved it deep into her pocket. Anxiety prickled beneath her skin as she slowly rose from her seat, trying to ignore the growing sense of dread crawling up
"As long as you are taken off from that position," Annie said while slowly drawling the end of her words, "then that position will fall back to my hand."Jane stared at her for a few seconds before quietly sighing. At this point, she truly did not understand what Annie wanted her to say. Every answer seemed wrong in the girl's eyes and even though she tried to find the words that could make the problem less glaring, it seems to work the opposite way to Annie's eyes. "I don't want this position as much as you want it," Jane firmly spoke up while looking directly into Annie's eyes. "If you could, then convince Sir Stanley to switch our positions."But instead of calming Annie down, her expression only darkened further. The girls surrounding them immediately grew quieter as if sensing the shift in Annie's mood.If Jane's intention had been to reassure her that she had no interest in stealing her place, then Annie clearly did not hear it that way. To Annie, it likely sounded like mockery
Giggling upon seeing her, Annie pushed herself to stand from the wooden table. Slowly, almost as if she owned the entire place and every person breathing within it, she stalked away from where she stood and towards Jane, who still lingered by the entrance of the dining room with her hand resting near the edge of the doorframe.The world around them seems to suddenly come into a stop. In such an odd situation, everyone really did drop whatever they had been doing and turned their eyes towards Annie, clearly signaling the amount of power that Annie has and the amount of trouble she had just fell into. Jane noticed immediately how Annie smelled like cinnamon and expensive oils, the scent clinging to her skin in a way that no ordinary servant could ever afford. It was not overpowering but refined, deliberate, the kind of fragrance meant to stay in people's memories long after one had already walked away. Even the fabric brushing against Annie's legs looked softer than the rough uniforms
Jane couldn’t mistake the tone in Stanley’s voice.It wasn’t openly hostile, nor was it sharp enough for anyone else to call rude, but she heard it all the same. A quiet sort of disdain lingered beneath every word he spoke to her, buried beneath formal manners and calm restraint. The kind that made it clear he had already formed an opinion of her long before this conversation had even begun.To Stanley, she was trouble.Jane lowered her eyes for a brief moment, pressing her lips together as she stood in front of his desk. The office smelled faintly of old paper and candle wax, the heavy curtains drawn just enough to allow a narrow stream of pale afternoon light into the room. Dust drifted lazily through the beam, slow and undisturbed, unlike the thoughts turning in her head.Was it because Victor had taken interest in her?That alone would be enough to sour people against her in this place. She had already noticed the way the servants watched her whenever Victor happened to acknowledg
The hands fastening the buttons of her dress were so cold that Eva's back snapped straight in a jolt, a shiver racing down her spine. The chill wasn't like an ordinary draft—it was the kind of cold that bit into her skin, sharp and merciless, as though those fingers had been plunged into frozen water and left there far too long.It wasn't winter. There was no reason for such ice in a touch.Her breath hitched. Slowly, hesitantly, she lifted her head, peering through the veil of her blonde hair at the mirror before her. What she saw unsettled her more than the chill.The figure behind her was cloaked in shadow. Darkness seemed to cling to him, swallowing nearly all trace of his form, save for the faint shimmer of a vest embroidered with threads of gold. The details refused to come into focus, as though the glass itself recoiled from showing her more.But there was one undeniable truth: the hands
Hades watched as Evangeline's gaze followed Roman until he disappeared. He noted that the gaze never left and his smile stalled. "Is Roman someone you prefer?" Prefer? What an odd question. Prefer Roman to what? To him? No way.She shook her head, "He... told me how freedom has a price.""For someone who sells other's freedom, how wise," noted Hades before he raised his deep inky eyebrows, "Is that why you offered to work under me? Because he taught you how freedom has price and that I have bought your freedom?" Well... she didn't think it that way but maybe that's right?"He's a scary man," she then continued, looking at the contract. "Did he do something to you?"She didn't look up to see his face so she didn't know what kind of expression Hades was making. "No..thing." She looked at her own dress and uncomfortably shifted, pulling her dress. "If you say so," Hades answered bleakly. He took the contract anyway, turning it between his fingers. "I wouldn't recommend signing it.







