Chapter 2

I watched Damon press his bleeding wrist to Delia’s lips.

She drank weakly, clutching his shirt. The sight of them stole the air from my lungs.

But I didn't stay.

I turned and walked away, feeling the mocking stares of everyone in the room.

I hadn't come to the Evernight Salon to socialize. I was here for the Tome of Moonshadows. An ancient text I desperately needed for my next blood prophecy. The only copy was in the manor lord's private library.

I slipped past the guards and into the library.

Moonlight streamed through stained-glass windows, casting strange patterns on the ancient shelves.

The Tome of Moonshadows was on the highest shelf. I stood on my toes, my fingers brushing the spine.

Another hand grabbed it at the same time.

I turned. I was stunned to see Damon and Delia right behind me.

"When did you…"

"Delia has wanted this book for a long time," Damon's voice was cold, leaving no room for argument. "Don't fight her for it."

I tightened my grip on the book. "You know I need it!"

Damon scoffed, his eyes full of contempt. "Your family, the Valeriuses, are all skilled in blood-painting. Why should you get all the advantages?"

He looked at Delia, his voice softening instantly. "Just because you're the pureblood? The 'stronger' one? You've held her down her entire life. Tonight, this book is hers."

Before the words faded, a shockwave of his power slammed into me like an invisible wall.

I crashed against a bookshelf. A dull ache shot through my back.

He snatched the Tome of Moonshadows, handed it to Delia—now healed by his blood—and pulled her into a tight embrace.

Then they kissed, passionately, as if I wasn't even there.

"Damon…" Delia's voice was breathy. "Someone might see us…"

"No one will," his voice was a low rasp. "I've set a ward."

Then came the sound of tearing fabric.

The soft slide of skin against skin. Delia's muffled moans.

I couldn't stand it.

I turned, dissolving into black mist and vanishing from the library.

I had just left the manor grounds when Damon’s form materialized, blocking my path.

He was adjusting his rumpled clothes, the fire of lust still in his eyes.

"For you," he said, shoving a blood-red ring into my hand. "Since the alliance is set, stop playing hard to get."

I glanced down at the ring. It was crudely made, with a flicker of weak magic.

"As my bride-in-name-only, try not to embarrass me."

"Delia is the only partner you truly recognize, isn't she?" I looked up at him.

Damon smiled, smug. "Of course. She is pure and innocent. Not like some people, always scheming."

He gave me a warning look. "You dare to harm her, and I will make you pay."

I couldn't listen to another word.

Without another glance, I vanished from his sight.

Back at the Valerius estate, I opened my scrying mirror. A new post from Delia was glowing gold.

She sat gracefully on a castle balcony, the Tome of Moonshadows in her hand.

But what made my blood boil was the ring on her finger. A “Heart of Blood” ruby. A rare gem worth three gold mines.

I remembered it. It was the final, show-stopping piece at last month's Nightfall Auction.

I looked at the cheap, mass-produced "ritual blood ring" in my own hand.

It was nothing more than a free trinket from the auction house.

I threw the ring into the trash.

Suddenly, a voice echoed in my mind.

I flinched. The sounds they made were a sickening symphony of pleasure.

A man’s low groan. A woman’s soft moan.

"Damon… deeper…"

"My Delia…"

I tried to sever the connection, but their words froze me.

"What are you going to do about the bonding ceremony?" Delia's voice was a purr. "You have to go through the motions with my sister…"

"Before that," Damon's voice was thick with satisfaction, "I will exchange blood with you completely. We will form a true blood bond."

"And your sister?"

"It’s just an act. She wants the Blackwood name. I'll give it to her."

The sounds became more frantic.

Then, Delia's voice came through, clear and cold:

"Oh, sister," her voice purred through the link, cold and sharp as ice. "It feels so good to be truly loved. What does your power matter when you've spent two centuries as a wife in name only? Haven't you had enough of being pathetic?"

Her laughter echoed in my mind, dripping with triumph.

"This time, it's my turn."