JENNIE

François must have brought me home. Considering he had never been inside the house, it made sense that he wouldn't know where my room was. The gesture was enough to earn him a raise, though—even if I still slightly hated him.

He'd chosen a decent bed at least. The mattress conformed to my limbs, far too decadent to have been purchased by my mother. Perhaps it was one Rosé had snuck in as an act of rebellion? My nostrils flared, seeking out her scent in the silky fabric, but I wound up inhaling something spicier than her rosy perfume. Something…unnatural. Familiar. Like winter in physical form.

A part of me stirred in alarm, but logic quashed any suspicions before they could form.

You're dreaming, Jennie. Go back to bed. I rolled onto my side, fighting to return to the dreamless sleep I'd left behind. Just as my body began to relax, the bed frame jolted beneath me.

I lurched upright, my eyes flying open to a darkened room. Before I could write off the disturbance as a figment of my imagination, my straining ears picked up another alarming sign. Creaking wood. Footsteps? Heavy ones. They advanced in my direction, far too bold to be a burglar.

A list of potential visitors marched across my brain. Like my sister returning on her own for once? The grim reaper?

After licking my lips, I tested one theory by calling out, "F-François?"

Through the shadows, I sensed a doorknob rattle without a word of warning from the person on the other end. That ruled him out. Unease danced down my spine as I wrestled with the prospect of real danger. Perhaps terminating my entire security team hadn't been the best idea in retrospect? I couldn't regret it now.

Instead, I grasped at my surroundings for a weapon, finding only a pillow. I brandished it as the door opened and moonlight spilled in from a nearby window to illuminate the intruding figure.

A gasp caught in my throat. It wasn't a murderer or a robber—certainly not the lanky François.

She was a far worse entity.

Not real, I deduced. This apparition was just another phase in an all-too-vivid dream. But pinching my wrist didn't jolt me awake.

The Devil stubbornly remained, dressed in her usual soul-collecting attire—a flawless ebony suit crowned with a blood-colored tie. Pale skin contrasted harshly with the shadow surrounding her as did her hair—a gleaming shade of gold the sun couldn't outshine.

With this person's chiseled jaw jutting in the air, not even God herself would dare challenge her.

Let alone me.

Without invitation, she entered the room, and my heart stuttered as anticipation grew with every inch she gained. Admittedly, this was far from the meticulous, sly return someone like her was capable of performing. Almost as if I wasn't worth even a fraction of the effort. Still, I'd imagined this moment so many times, assuming what she'd say down to the last word. The general gist, at least. Do be a good girl, Jennie, and give me my contract book back, please and thank you.

So a rebuttal was on the tip of my tongue before she even opened her perfect mouth. "You're slacking Lisa. That was far from a dramatic entrance befitting the big bad contractor—"

"You look like hell." she advanced another step, sweeping her gaze over me. "No wonder your doctor has been consulting experts the world over concerning your case."

"M-My what?" I blinked, confused. Weeks of fantasizing about this moment, and yet never did I imagine her first words would refer to my medical records.

"Here." One of her arms tensed, revealing something in her grasp. A knife? She threw whatever it was in my direction and I flinched, covering my head with my hands. Coolness brushed my calf, but no pain followed. Had she missed? I peeked through my splayed fingers, spotting a round object. A water bottle, of all things.

"Drink," she snapped. "I can hear your heart straining from here."

Her tone was all wrong—deeper than I remembered, for one. Guttural. When I looked up, her mouth firmly resisted even the hint of that cruel, mocking smile I knew so well. The Devil was clearly vexed. Had I interrupted her self-imposed exile with my bloody excretions?

No matter. Matching her tone, I bit back with, "I thought your magic necklace was supposed to help in that regard?" I clutched at the item in question, straining the slender chain. "Or was that just a lie? A way for you to track me all along? I should have ripped it off the second you left—"

"You didn't." Her gaze honed in on my throat. "Have you tried removing it?" She surged forward another step, only to halt paces from the bed. I had flinched without even realizing it. "Do you even know the lengths I went through getting the damn thing on you in the first place?" The slightest tremor disrupted her words. "Then again, maybe you do know? I'm sure she didn't specify those little terms all on her own—"

"She?"

"Don't play the fool." She inclined her head, exasperated with me already.

But the way she was glaring at me trapped any rebuttal in my throat. I'd almost forgotten this aspect of her persona—how dangerous she could seem when she wanted to, fitting the term I'd christened her with during one of our first meetings.

Monster.

"Removing the talisman disrupts its effects," she growled, a professor begrudgingly bestowing a lesson upon an ignorant fool. "I warned you—"

"I…" My mind raced to keep up as a million words formed and died on the tip of my tongue. In the end, I managed to voice only one pathetic question. "Why are you here?"

"A better question would be: Why were you there? To provoke me? Well, congratulations, you have. Is it my blood that you're after?" she nodded toward my extended wrist. "Or could it be that, once again, you're being manipulated by Raphael? Don't tell me that you didn't realize that was no ordinary restaurant?"

I swallowed hard, envisioning the elegant, rich décor of The Maria. Was she correct in insinuating an ominous reason for the splendor? That it was owned by the vampire Raphael…

Shaking my head, I tried to refocus. "I…I didn't. I didn't know you'd be there." Wait. Why was I on the defensive, explaining myself to her? I shook my head again. Deep breaths, Jennie.

Obviously, this tactic was one of her many mind games. Mention my sister. Then pretend to care, and even throw in dear Dr. Goodfellow for good measure. How sweet.

I could admire her tact for not launching into demanding her contract back first thing. But what did one say to a creature who'd abandoned them without so much as a second thought, anyway?

Apparently, they said, "You know what? You don't have the right to ask me about a damn—" Thing, I meant to add before a violent cough racked my spine. I hunched over, grasping the sheets around me for balance. Sheets way too fine to ever be mine.

Wait… I blinked, finally noticing the rest of the room. One far too narrow to belong in Kim Manor. Even in the near darkness, I could tell that the walls weren't lilac, but made of stone. The bed beneath me was way too wide, the floors wooden. And Lisa…

Well, she looked way too at home in the center of the shadowed interior. Another step brought her closer still and I cringed against a wall of pillows.

"Where am I?"

"Your cough," she started as though I'd never spoken. "How long have you—"

"Where am I?" I forced myself to sit upright and ignored her in my quest to deduce my surroundings. Beyond the doorway, I noted a clue that answered my own question—a wall of breathtakingly beautiful stained glass could only belong in one type of venue. "So, you were lurking here, after all? How nice of you to finally answer the door." A full five days later. "It must have been hard to rearrange your very busy schedule."

Her silence gave me my answer—yes.

"Well, in any case, it's a good thing you ignored me," I said, shrugging. "Otherwise, I might have struggled to fit you into my schedule. What with time being such a precious commodity these days."

The old Lisa I'd known would have scoffed at the bait and seen it for what it was—a deliberate reference to her contract book.

"Oh, I know," she countered, deploying an unexpected change in tactic. "You're a busy woman, it seems." Her gaze settled along the neckline of my dress as she nodded. "Why, it is a miracle that I managed to catch you alone at all."

"So, you were watching me." I pointed an accusing finger at her. Checkmate. "You were spying on me—"

"And why would I do that?" she turned away, disarming me like one would a screaming child. "Pardon me, Jennie, but I'm already behind schedule thanks to your little visit. What do you want?"

"I…" Bit my tongue. As always, her motives were as elusive as she was. Why would she stalk me? Despite all my suspicions, I still drew a blank. So I improvised. "You and I both know why I'm here."

"Oh?" her tone deepened further. "Do tell."

"You can threaten me all you want." I lifted my arms in a careless gesture. "Just drop the aloof act. Go on… Come out and ask me for it! I'd rather die than tell you, so prepare your poetic warnings—"

"What the hell are you talking about?" her eyes found me from over her shoulder, gleaming like hellfire. "Perhaps you hit your head when you fell?"

She sounded too damn serious.

"I…" My mind went blank. Could this be a trap? A trick?

Then a realization hit me with all the subtlety of a ton of bricks—she didn't know. Or she was a damn good liar. Or…Raphael was a far more cunning game master than I'd given him credit for.

As the seconds passed, her expression remained guarded, impossible to read. Left with no other option, I tore a page from my mother's playbook whenever someone had presented her with an uncomfortable truth.

I closed my eyes and willed it away.

"On second thought, it's nothing." I stood, shooing her with a wave of my hand. "I should really get back to Gabriel anyway." By some miracle, I managed to take a step toward the door without making a fool of myself by falling. I limped instead, bracing one hand against the nearest wall for balance.

Just as I reached the doorway, Lisa called out, "Your letters—"

I didn't miss how she'd stressed that word. So, my blood had made an impact after all.

"I haven't read them," she added, shattering my suspicion. "In fact, I only arrived back in the country hours ago. Though I'm sure you've been far too busy to notice my absence."

I bit my lip, tasting salt. So she claimed to have been gone all this time? It fit. The great and terrible Lisa Manoban hadn't disappeared out of shame for what she'd done to me or to plot on how to retrieve her contract book. She merely went on vacation.

"Did they convey anything important?" she wondered.

"I… They're nothing. You can give them back."

I held my hand out and jerked it away once I spotted the red liquid smeared over the palm. But I was too late.

She seized my wrist in a grip so strong that it yanked me toward her. Flashing, her eyes fixated on mine. "How long have you—"

"Well, I'm leaving," I insisted, more than satisfied with this little reunion. Apparently, she hadn't poisoned me, a fact I couldn't dissect at the moment. So I snatched my hand back and continued to make my way to the door with my head held high and an air of indifference on full display. Things like "logic" and "reason" would only matter once she left me alone.

Which, of course, she took her sweet time doing. I could see her within my peripheral vision, standing rigid, her eyes on me.

"You need to see a doctor."

"I have a doctor."

"A qualified doctor—"

"Says who? I'll have you know, I've been perfect in fact, without your meddling, thank you."

"I'm sure you have," she countered. "Your friend Gabriel certainly seemed to be of the same mind. He looked liable to do more than take your money. Bravo, Jennie. No one would guess that you were a virgin only a couple months ago. I'm sure that, in my absence, you've added a few more conquests to your ever-growing list."

I stumbled to a halt as my eyes went so wide that I figured she could see them dancing in my skull from her position.

"Don't tell me I've insulted you," she added.

"You…" I sucked in a breath, blinking rapidly. No. I refused to let her unnerve me. I needed to counter, regain my composure. Something cruel should have been on the tip of my tongue. Anything but, "You don't get to act like this. Not after everything you put me through—"

"Oh?" she came up behind me, casting a shadow that swallowed the pool of light I was standing in. "And what have I put you through?"

I gasped as her hand captured my chin, tilting my head toward her. With her height, only a sliver of her jaw was visible from this angle. And her eyes. They were silver, spitting fury like lightning.

"Do be a polite girl and enlighten me. You can start with the part where I saved your life."

"You left," I blurted, obeying her instruction like a good, pathetic contractee. "You left without even an evil speech by way of goodbye I might add—"

"You don't know, do you?"

A hitch caught in my throat. She sounded so furious at that fact. I came to her, crawling her way like a pathetic victim eager for more—and I didn't even have the sense to know why that fact irritated her so.

"Get off of me," I spat, slapping her hand away. "I'll tell you what I do know, though—I can press charges."

"On yourself for trespassing?" she moved her grip to my throat, barely applying pressure with flexing fingers. "Do try it, Jennie. Or have you forgotten? You came to me."

I blinked. Something in her tone made my heart race, hammer a silent warning. "You came to me first," I pointed out, even more perplexed than ever at the image of her lurking in the dining room. "You stalked me. Badly, I might add. You should try a disguise next time—"

"I can smell him on you, you do realize? Here." An icy gust fanned the exposed hollow at the base of my neck, her finger, drawing an accusatory line over the flesh. "You could have showered before coming here, at least. It would have made a more desperate impression. I'm sure you and your sister have some demand to make of me, especially after this little ruse. With her resources, don't pretend like you weren't alerted the second I returned, and I know for a fact that she has been keeping out of the spotlight. What is she planning? Let's not waste any more time. Say it."

"The man I met was helping me," I stammered, choosing to overlook her mention of Rosé—for now. If dealing with her had taught me one lesson, it was to stay focused. Ignore all bait. "I was—"

"Don't play naïve," she warned, applying more pressure to my throat. "You and I both know that he wanted more from you, Jennie. More than your money. Perhaps a desire to corrupt the innocent heiress? It doesn't matter." Her fingers flexed, with just enough tension to make me suck in a breath. "You forgot that you've already sold your body. Your soul. To me."

The way she'd said those two words… My brain melted. Disintegrated. Poor Dr. Goodfellow had every right to be concerned, because this was true terminal danger. I gasped like a drowning victim, flailing for a lifeline. In my hazy, scattered thoughts, I found one.

"Is this your trick?" I murmured despite the fragile cage of her hand. "Distract me? Pretend and then gloat—"

"Still the same old Jennie Kim, as stoic as ever." She forced me to face her and my eyelids fluttered as I tried to withstand the intensity of her gaze. It was no use—I failed. "I did research into your dear Mr. Lanic. Why am I not surprised that you have a preference for dangerous, elusive men?"

A muscle in her jaw lurched, betraying the unbelievable. Hours back and she'd already inserted herself into my life, hunting down an acquaintance I barely knew.

But why?

"I…I thought you just returned to the country?"

"Your heart is racing, Jennie," she snarled over me. "Perhaps you should see that doctor? I'm running out of contracts to extend where your life is concerned."

"Who says I need your help?" I pictured Goodfellow and her faked concern, but it was getting harder and harder to remember the weakness that had plagued me for weeks. The dizziness, or the coughing fits. Lisa Manoban was the cruelest antidote to physical pain.

Around her, my thoughts were in more than enough turmoil.

"Where were you?" Dear God. The question slipped out, too puzzling to remain in my head, a weakness I'd mourn later. For some reason, an answer mattered more to me than shame. "Tell me. Or let me guess? Collecting more souls to add to your bounty?"

"My bounty? I was upholding my end of the bargain. I'm sure you know all about it." She waited smugly for a reaction I apparently failed to deliver. Her frown transformed into a grimace. "Unless she really didn't tell you…"

I cocked my head. "Who didn't tell me—"

"Of course she didn't." She released me, raking her hand through her hair as if finally hearing the butt of a ridiculous joke; surprise, surprise, she wasn't amused. "When have you ever exercised self-preservation?"

Exasperated, I tried to retort, "You—"

"You broke the bargain." Her grip returned to the nape of my neck. Using the contact like a leash, she yanked me closer. "Why? Did you fall into league with him, aiming to see just how far you can push me? You even smell different." Her nose lingered near the crook of my shoulder. Drawing back, she shook her head and refocused her gaze on my mouth. In my quivering lips, she seemed to find an answer to the question she never voiced.

One too terrifying to ponder.

"You're too pale as well." She traced my pulse point with the tip of her thumb and my breath stuttered in response. "If you didn't remove the necklace…"

"I'm leaving." I tried to step past her, but she shifted, easily blocking my path. "Get out of my way," I demanded, trying to shove her back. I might as well have tried shoving the wall.

"No." She stepped into me, forcing me to take a hasty step back. Only for her to take another. Another. Before I could jerk farther out of her reach, her lips grazed my earlobe poised to deliver another insult. "You came to me first." Once more, she seemed to be speaking only to herself—but her hand crept into my hair, too firm to shake off. "Therefore, you voided the contract. I'm sure she's on her way, but it doesn't matter. I kept my end—"

"Stop!" It was my turn to utter, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You let him touch you." She made it sound like the vilest of crimes. "I can forgive that. But not the innocent, childish games."

She tugged me closer. Too close. I tried to recoil, but her other hand latched onto the back of my scalp, trapping me in place.

"L-Lisa—"

"I will even pretend you didn't know about your sister's bargain," she hissed against my ear. "If that will embolden you to drop the act. Was he your plan for drawing me out sooner? Let me guess—Roseann is waiting in the wings, ready to resurface?"

"R-Rosé?" I flinched at the third mention of her. Beautiful Roseann consorting with Lisa about a bargain. A contract. "What did you—"

"I can forgive everything else. Even the flagrant disregard for your own welfare. Everything but this…" She eyed my throat as her upper lip pulled back from her teeth. The slightest hint of fangs teased the air, sending every nerve within my skin on red alert. "I gave you your life, Jennie. I could concede that much. But your body? I don't remember relinquishing my hold over it."

"Stop!" I inhaled, once again fighting for clarity. "You're not making sense."

"Or you're too much of a prude to admit it." hHermouth snapped shut, firm and brooding once more. "I'm starting to think I've misinterpreted your little evening. God forbid, I'd almost thought that you were foolish enough to challenge me. But lo and behold, you don't even have enough damn sense to realize—"

"Or you're too much of a pompous ass to quit playing games and just tell me what you want!"

The words had barely left my throat when she pulled me in, surging forward in the same swift motion. Our lips met and my body went haywire as her tongue eased my lips apart with a searching swipe that shattered my senses. Pushing her off was my sole aim for grabbing her in return, curling my fingers around her forearms.

But I'd forgotten…

What it felt like to be at her mercy. To have her mouth on mine. To feel her body—living stone impervious to my touch, resistant to my pathetic attempts to tame her.

She easily overpowered me, despite my grip on her arms. Two advancing steps of her herded me back. Back…until my knees struck the mattress and I fell onto the sheets.

She stepped between my splayed legs, robbing me of the chance to regain my bearings. Ruthless, her hand plunged beneath my dress, cupping me with no warning. No growled demands. Just vicious friction.

And it was as if my body ceased being mine.

Nerves unraveled, enslaved by her touch. The memory of her. Months alone and I'd never even tried to replicate the things she had done to me. I couldn't. Nothing compared to the stomach-churning sensation she sowed with every stroke of her thumb—ice over burning flesh. My teeth caught my lower lip as she rubbed, testing the thin lace of my panties, grinding the fabric into my skin. Helpless, my head reared back against my shoulders, a cry trapped behind my lips.

I couldn't resist the fire hissing to life within me, feeding on the motions of her fingers. Rough. Cruel. Relentless.

At the back of my mind, I knew I was hallucinating. This wasn't happening.

Lisa Manoban wasn't groaning as she urged my legs farther apart, eyeing me the way Lanic had ogled my checkbook. Like I was millions for the taking, her alone to claim.

"I should have killed you," she whispered. One of her hands still raked through her hair, destroying her suave poise. Gone was the calm, collected contractor. In her place was a creature more beast than man. "I should want to kill you," she added, flicking her gaze up to mine. "The trouble you've caused me. The years. The chaos. The sacrifice. I swore to myself I'd never believe it, not for a goddamn second. But you…"

"I what?" I tensed. Was she finally referring to her contract?

"You persist. Weeks spent trying to prove that you were nothing." She chuckled at the absurdity of it, prowling forward, bracing her hands on my knees. "And I return to find you on my doorstep, ready for more." She shoved my dress over my hips and something rare splintered her anger, tugging on the corner of her mouth as she swept her gaze over me.

My legs twitched, ached to clamp together. Hide from her. As if sensing the thought, she traced a path down my inner thigh, observing every twitch of my spine.

"There is something wrong with you," she grated. "Something broken. It's like you truly are cursed. Corrupt. Like they planned you for me after all. They made you for me."

"Who?" My mind reeled. she was talking too fast. Hatred for her was becoming harder and harder to hold on to. And, God, I needed it. My fingers grasped the sheets as if I could find the emotion among them. "Raphael?"

"Why should I fight it?" She demanded, stroking her thumb up over my belly. My heaving breast. My throat. I trembled with every inch gained; drawn nails added a predatory fervor to each, pointed caress. "You are tailor-made to resist me every step of the way, aren't you?"

She lowered her head. A brush of ice against the flesh of my throat was my only warning before…pain. Her teeth, I realized belatedly as her jaw nudged mine, urging me to arch, exposing more.

"You are mine, Jennie Kim," she declared. "Body and soul."

Then…

She bit.

And everything went red.

Vibrant, beautiful scarlet rich enough to erase the gray my life had become.

I was too far gone to even care that I was drowning in blood.