Moon-Kissed (Within the Darkness #1) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,69

essence, you’re killing your people, turning them into wraiths, and a wraith’s only purpose is to consume those that stole their lives—the Moon Clan. If you will recall, the wraiths were not attacking my people other than to get to you and your girls.”

I stared at Torrin, unable to process what he’d said. It was too much. I needed to return to the temple to find answers, but I didn’t think I’d be allowed back within it. Torrin had probably already ensured we couldn’t return. I watched him reach for the glass, handing it to me.

“Drink, it’s going to be a long night, and you’re going to need the alcohol to get through it.”

Chapter Nineteen

Inside the bedroom, I sat hugging my knees in the large tub. I was numb, confused with everything that had been dropped on me in such a short time. I kept waiting to wake up and learn that I’d had a nightmare. I released my legs and stood, moving to where a cloth had been left to dry myself. Wrapping it around my body, I sank into the nearest chair, shivering as my mind replayed how Torrin had looked bathed in darkness.

Everything he was, called to me, which meant I deserved to be removed from the clan. Hell, I’d kick myself out for the feelings he created within me. I couldn’t ignore it, which meant tonight was about to be a colossal mistake that would end up with my head on a chopping block, literally. Sleeping with a nightwalker wasn’t discussed as an executable offense because we’d thought them all mindless killing machines.

Nightwalkers were nothing like the Moon Clan had taught us.

I’d had some serious foreplay with one and held conversations with him.

I still had to figure out how to explain the situation to my team without everyone freaking out. The girls would have a fit, knowing they’d inadvertently slept with a nightwalker, and I knew they had because if Torrin was one, then the chances were high that his men were too.

Standing, I moved to the dress lying on the bed, staring at the sheer material. The entire bodice was a see-through lace halter top without sleeves. The dress’s skirt parted up the thighs, exposing them through the thin fabric that felt softer than the silk covering the bed. The waistline was cinched and tight to show off my slender hips.

Dropping the cloth, I slipped into the dress and moved toward the large mirror that sat beside the pool. Frowning, I looked at the dress from several angles, deflating at my slight figure. Giving up on what it looked like, I returned to the bed to grab the sheer panties, pulled them on, and then slipped into the soft shoes.

After digging through my bag, I found my hairbrush and ran it through my hair. I left it down to flow along my back, which the material failed to cover. Torrin had taken all tonics and elixirs from my things, which meant I had to maintain control tonight. I couldn’t chance losing it and become pregnant.

I had nothing to offer a child or to give them, including a home in which to return to where I could raise them safely. I had no security or promise of tomorrow. Torrin had taken it all from me, whether by choice or design, I had no idea. I wasn’t naïve. The chances he’d done it on purpose were very high. I was no one to him, just an assassin who slaughtered those he had included in his race.

To him, I was the monster.

Murderer.

Why would he care if his choices ruined my entire life?

Realistically, it didn’t change my course. I had set out to find my brother and discover the clues to where the library was hidden. Once I read from the Book of Life, the plague of darkness would be eliminated, or so we hoped. Torrin messing up my entire life didn’t change that.

I moved toward the door, opening it to find several guards waiting. Stepping out into the hallway, I closed the door and peered between them. Their eyes were filled with dark obsidian and absent of color, which identified them all as nightwalkers. Swallowing past my unease, I smiled tightly.

“I am ready,” I stated, offering the guards a nod while they studied me like a bug they wished to squish beneath their heavy boots.

One stepped forward, his nose in my personal space, his lips peeling back to reveal sharp canines. I didn’t blink. I didn’t cower or