Kiss of Crimson by Samantha Coville (best love story novels in english txt) 📕

was plenty of time left for him to come to the conclusion that my actions very well might lead to an underground war. “Please. Keep her away from these operations. As a warrior, there is none other who match her savagery, but in a stealth operation she is worse than useless.”

“Mmm,” he replied. “Understood. I shall take your words into consideration. I will not blame you for tonight’s… debacle.”

My shoulders relaxed as my pulse began to return to normal.

I’d live.

For another night, it seemed.

We sat quietly, the occasional pop and crack from the fireplace, coupled with the sounds of our sips of the exquisitely aged blood that flowed down my throat like golden mead served in the halls of Valhalla.

Finally, Jardin broke the silence when he cleared his throat and set his empty glass down. “Tell me, Arden, do you have plans tomorrow evening?”

Christ, another raid so soon?

I shook my head reluctantly. “Nothing. Did you need me for something?”

A corner of Jardin’s thin lips twisted up. But not even the most naïve optimist would’ve called it a smile.

He slid a thick white envelope across the table towards me.

“You’re going to be my plus one,” he said. “I hope you have something to wear.”

Three

Eloise

“El, is there anything else you need up here before I go downstairs?” I had jumped in my seat when my mother swung my bedroom door open without warning. She peeked her head inside and smiled warmly at me. Her diamond and ruby earrings swung wildly.

I attempted my best fake smile I could. I tried to capture this happy image of my mother in my head because I knew she was going to be immensely pissed at me by the end of the night.

“No, I’m all good,” I answered sweetly. Maybe too sweetly. Damn it, I’m not a good liar.

My mother’s eyes shifted from me to the five large solid wood bookcases that filled one wall of my bedroom. They reached from floor to ceiling and were filled to the brim with more books than most people read in a lifetime.

“Your books are keeping you company again?”

Her gaze returned to my face, and I shook my head. “I already finished all of those, but there are more in the library I could read.”

The five bookcases in my room were nothing compared to the expansive library my mother kept in a room all by itself. I don’t think there’s a grander collection of fairy tales, histories, or sciences anywhere in the world. She always told my sister and me that my dad built each of the shelves in there by hand and that he had read every book himself. When I was little, I’d bring a pillow and a blanket in there and camp out in one of the armchairs just to feel him around me. It was strange considering I’d never known my father; he’d died when I was an infant, and Madge had only just started talking. But maybe all that time in the library was why I loved reading so much.

My mother’s wide smile shifted into a closed mouth, but still beaming grin. “Remind me to have Willard take you to the bookstore downtown soon so you can pick out more for your collection.”

“I’d like that.”

“Then it’s settled,” she gave a soft laugh. “Now, I have to get down there before the guests begin to worry.”

I nodded without saying anything, and I could see the passing shadow of a frown flash like lightning across her face. She knew I was unhappy about being stuck in my room, but she did nothing to remedy it except bribe me with more books. Not that it was the worst thing she could bribe me with. My mother made her exit, and she closed the door tightly behind her. How many times had I stared at the back of that door while her parties happened just one floor below?

The chair made the smallest screech as it slid across the floor and I stood up. I tiptoed slowly to the door and pressed my ear against it, feeling the cold surface against my cheek. I could hear the sound of the six-piece orchestra downstairs, playing a waltz for the guests. What I couldn’t hear were footsteps or the sound of my mother speaking to the servants. So I carefully opened the door just a crack and peeked through the sliver to see if she was still in the hallway. The coast appeared clear, and I shut the door again, running to my closet with as much speed as I could muster.

Once at my closet, I pushed all of my dresses, skirts, blouses, and more to the one side to pull out a dress I had hidden behind all of them. Luckily, it hadn’t wrinkled in its hiding place or I would have been devastated. I held up the hanger and marveled at the beautiful rose-red gown that my maid had snuck in for me. She was eager to assist me in my plan once I swore that mother would never know of her involvement.

I pulled off the clothes I was wearing as if they were on fire. They were in a pile faster than I thought possible and I was soon zipping up the dress, with great clumsy difficulty, and staring at my reflection in the mirror. It was a silk bodice with dozens of tiny roses covering it. The v-neck of the bodice and the sleevelessness of it made me thankful that the heating was on in the mansion, keeping out the frigid air outside. The skirt part was made of a matching red organza that swished with every movement and brushed against the floor.

I gave a twirl and found myself almost breathless with excitement. This was it. I’d waited years for the time my mother would finally let me attend one of her balls, but I was going to seize this moment myself. This would be my grand entrance into vampire and human