Page 46 of Only Flames Remain

Sorin

My bedchamber was spotless.

I ventured that it had never been this clean. The sheets had been washed, bleached, and turned down. Every surface had been dusted. The carpet by the chaise smelled of fresh roses and the soot stain that had graced the fireplace tile for at least a decade had vanished.

The crimson velvet drapes on the bed canopy had been soaked clean and ironed. The closet had been reorganized, my clothes freshly pressed and folded. How had Aveline done all of this in merely a few hours?

The scent of her still lingered, crisp and bright like lemon blossoms.

It took me a moment to even realize Calliope was strewn across the bed, her dress both hiked up around her hips and pulled down to pool around her waist. Her breasts were exposed to the cool night air. The windows on the far wall were cracked open and her skin pebbled beneath the crisp summer breeze.

I had forgotten that I had sent for her.

The only thoughts that filled my head all day were of the soft, pale skin that had wheedled its way into my thoughts. The fresh citrus scent of lemon and pomelo. Two eyes—one brown, one blue.

It made me feel weak. That her beauty could enrapture me so.

That I was so…susceptible.

No wonder she had seduced the prince of Myros. For me…it had only taken a simple look. That was all. Thoughts of Aveline had devoured my mind so thoroughly I had entirely forgotten to go and see Azhar to have my dressing changed before returning to my rooms. I was due for another round of tonic, too.

I hadn’t been able to rid her from my thoughts, even when I had met with the king to plead with him to pause any plans against Myros.

He had dissolved into a coughing fit but reluctantly agreed. I didn’t mention Voirel, hoping that her continued presence at the castle would be a non-issue now.

I sighed heavily, traipsing toward the bed where Calliope lay sprawled.

“Long day, My Prince?” she asked, lashes fluttering.

I simply hummed noncommittally in response.

“Perhaps I can give you a massage? You look tense.” She drew herself up, placing her hands against my shoulders as I put a knee down on the bed.

The down bedding had been fluffed and was soft beneath my weight.

“I don’t much feel like talking tonight, Calliope,” I told her honestly.

I didn’t wish to take one woman to my bed while another currently occupied my thoughts. I simply wanted to drink from her and be left alone to my own demons. It had been at least three or four days since I had fed. I needed blood at least two to three times weekly to keep up my strength, though that varied from one Vireth to another. I pushed her back gently, and she obliged. I brought my lips to her neck without preamble and bit down, her warm blood coating my tongue as it slipped down my throat.

Tonight, it didn’t taste as magnificent as it usually did. It tasted sour as it settled in my belly. Calliope cried out at the initial sting from my fangs but was quickly lost in the all-encompassing euphoria that accompanied a bite from Vireth.

She writhed beneath me, her peaked breasts pressing against my chest as the first button of my black tunic came undone from the friction.

I drank until I was sated.

I pulled back from her and licked my lips clean. It has been days since I had a drink, and I felt the power of the human blood stirring within me as my thoughts settled. This would help my cursed wound, surely. I shouldn’t have let this long of a time lapse between feedings, and I chided myself. I pushed back off the bed, leaving Calliope to her euphoric high among the now stained bedsheets.

I didn’t have the heart to send for Aveline to change them, despite that being her job. I would change them myself.

I reached the doorway to my chambers and glanced back at Calliope once more before exiting my rooms. The feeding didn’t hold the same pleasure for me tonight as it usually did. I was too preoccupied.

It was late, but not late enough to retire for the night. I didn’t wish to kick Calliope out of my quarters, but neither did I wish to share a bed with her tonight. I turned toward the wide curved staircase at the center of the castle that would lead down toward the main hall.

I ran into Emrys, a furry cloud suspended in his arms. I stopped halfway down the stairs—hand on the railing—quirking my brow at him. He halted opposite me.

“I found this little devil in the kitchens, trying to steal one of Kamari’s famous mince pies.” He ruffled the fox’s ivory fur with adoration.

“He belongs to Aveline.” I gazed at Quinnick with a soft smile. The fox appeared awfully smug. “She did mention he is accustomed to having free rein, though I am not sure how he escaped her room.”