Total pages in book: 207
Estimated words: 196971 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 985(@200wpm)___ 788(@250wpm)___ 657(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 196971 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 985(@200wpm)___ 788(@250wpm)___ 657(@300wpm)
Emily raised a brow when she saw Rhapsody reach for the paper knife. "You plan to kill me with that?"
"I plan to cut your cheek," Rhapsody found herself uttering a small lie for the first time, "to make you appear unattractive."
"A petty desire before dying," Emily mused. "It makes sense, even though I wouldn't have expected it from you."
"Did you also kill Mr. Walker?"
"Is this your way of delaying the inevitable? Or do you really think anyone would come to your rescue fast enough before I can kill you? It's not possible, you know."
"I know it's not possible."
"And your heartbeat tells me you're not lying."
"Yes." She saw how this made Emily even more complacent and her gratitude grew. Thank goodness she was Not Normal!
"Fine, then," Emily said airily. "I shall answer all your questions before I kill you. Yes, I killed Mr. Walker."
"Why?"
"I needed a fake identity here, so I seduced Mr. Walker into forging my papers for the school. After that, I made sure he would remain permanently useful by making it seem as if a human had killed him."
"So that when other people went missing," Rhapsody decided, "the authorities would be looking for a human suspect."
Emily laughed. "Clever, was it not?"
"It was," Rhapsody agreed. Rather cold-bloodedly cruel, too, but that was another story.
"Any other questions before I kill you?"
"May I cut your face first?" Rhapsody asked politely.
Emily rolled her eyes. "You truly are as odd as they say you are. Or maybe just mad and out of your mind with fear." She crooked her finger at Rhapsody. "Come then." She turned her head sideways to offer her cheek. "Go ahead and take your best—-"
Rhapsody swung her arm up without warning and made a deep, straight cut at the other girl's cheek.
Chapter Sixteen
Mr. Whyte frantically waved his arms in the air as soon as he saw the Marquis of Sangre striding past the school gates. "Milord, a moment!" He ran to the marquis, and unused as he was to physical exertion, was panting by the time he reached the nobleman.
"I had just come back from town," Mr. Whyte wheezed. My assistant..."
"Do get to the point," Mihail said impatiently.
"No letter," the steward managed to gasp out. "But...gentleman...called..."
Fuck.
It could only be Sir Isaac, come to finally speak to his ward.
"Where is he?" he demanded.
"The dormitory..." Mr. Whyte had barely finished speaking when the marquis strode off, a look of grim resolve on his face. Lady Eleanor's orders were only for the missives, he tried to convince himself. It was not his fault that a visitor was allowed to see Lady Rhapsody, and besides he had done his best to inform the marquis as soon as possible about it. That should be enough...hopefully.
Mihail stopped dead in his tracks when he saw an unexpected but familiar figure waiting in the dormitory's drawing room. "William Domnescu?"
The earl was about to answer when both of them picked out a strange smell permeating the air.
Fire.
A moment later, they heard a woman's agonizing screams—-
It wasn't Rhapsody, Mihail realized with relief.
But then another sound reached his ears-—
A soft, gasping sob...
Now that was undeniably Rhapsody, and both men moved at the same time and towards the same direction, too. The earl and marquis leapt out of the windows and scaled the walls, both noblemen having seen this as the quickest way to get to Rhapsody.
They crashed into another window as they followed the trail of Rhapsody's scent...and her tears.
The sound of shattering glass had Rhapsody dropping the blood-tipped paper knife in her hand just as a shadow fell over her, and large, strong hands that were slightly shaking cupped her face.
Mihail didn't give a damn about the still-burning corpse on the floor. All he had eyes for was his pet, whose tear-stained face was ripping him apart.
"Are you alright?" he asked hoarsely.
No. I am not alright. They were the words she wished to say, but she simply couldn't do it. To do so would not only be selfish but dishonorable, too.
"I heard you cry."
The words mortified her, and she found herself acting cowardly once again as she sought refuge behind dishonesty. "It was the shock of things." She pulled back stiffly from the marquis, and belatedly realizing that the Earl of Impietri was also in the room, curtsied to the other gentleman.
"There is no need to be so formal," William said gently.
Of course there fucking was, Mihail thought savagely. How the hell did his pet and the earl know each other, dammit?
"I'm not sure if it's her real name—-" Rhapsody gestured to Emily's corpse, now burnt completely black, "but that is Emily Masters, a schoolmate of mine and the vampire responsible for Mr. Walker's death." Among other things, Rhapsody thought, but that would probably more of interest to Lord Erou's than anyone else.
Mihail whitened. "You went against a vampire on your own?"