Of course. A sane person wouldn't want to talk to someone without staring into their face.
With shaky hands, Ember takes off her cape, keeping her head bowed.
Duke Dallas abruptly brings his fingers to tilt her head up, forcing her to look at him, just like the other night.
But, this time, it wasn't too dark for the Duke to be blind to her scar. It was a perfect glimpse, and if he wanted to react the way Ember had expected, he would have. He wouldn't be staring at her as though he was lost in her gaze.
No.
And, for the life of her, he wouldn't bring his thumb to caress her scar like he was doing at the moment.
Ember swallowed as he continued running his thumb along her scar whilst staring at her lips with utter desire.
Ember trembled to her toes as he brought his thumb to caress the scar on her lower lips.
Oh, this was a scandal!
Should anyone see them in such a state, it would be a punishable sin for a spinster and bachelor.
But, he was the Duke. He did the punishing.
Then, the distraction that she never knew she could desperately require came.
The fireworks started, and they were both forced to divert their attention to its crackling beauty in the air.
"Wow."
Ember whispered to herself as she watched the fireworks crackle in the sky in a variety of colors.
The last time she had seen fireworks was at the royal birthday party of the deceased Duke, the father of Duke Dallas.
There were never fireworks at parties like this except for royal parties.
She wondered what might have possibly changed.
Then, the Duke turned to her, staring down at her as she admired the fireworks.
"I thought you might like it."
She froze.
No way.
Ember turned to him, her lips parted in shock.
"Did you…?"
No, there was no way he could have done that. There was no way he could have ordered for the fireworks just to show her.
"I actually called you out here to watch the fireworks with me. It is a better view here. Or, don't you like it?"
Ember nodded, failing to form sentences in her head.
"Although, I have a place to catch this in a better glimpse. It is quite close to the sky, so you can picture it well."
"Where is that, Your Grace?"
Ember managed to ask, smiling through her quivering lips that she was communicating with the Duke as though they were courting.
The Duke turned away from the fireworks, staring at her lustfully.
"My bedroom."
There was a deep, dead silence, and Ember was sure the Duke could catch the noise of her heartbeat over that of the fireworks.
She didn't know why there was so much intimacy in his request to take her to his bedroom. But, there was.
"We could watch the fireworks then, I would show you around."
Ember remained mute.
"I have that chocolate biscuit that just arrived from the city. You can get any milkshake flavor of your choice. And my bed sheet is quite outstanding. You'd love it."
Ember swallowed.
"I-I…"
The Duke watched her, anticipating her response.
"I'm afraid I have to hurry back home, Your Grace. Have a wonderful night!"
Ember blurted out, quickly skipping out of the garden. And, before she knew it, she was out of sight of the Duke.
And so she returned home, in regret.
♣︎
Her house, still and dark, received Ember's slender figure as it sauntered into the gloomy building.
Ember figured her father had retired to bed and planned to do the same when she heard a whooshing sound behind her the minute she placed her hand on the door handle to her room.
A sound that was foreign to her. It wasn't the wind. It felt as though someone swept past her in a waft.
Ember gently twists around, gazing everywhere for whoever the intruder might be.
Could it be her father pulling one of his silly pranks on her?
"Father?"
Ember's low-pitched voice called out in the building, echoing and bouncing off the rich mahogany wooden walls back to her ears.
She strolled through the passage, leading to her father's bedroom.
"Father?"
She called again, stepping towards his bedroom.
His bedroom door was slightly opened, and light from the room peeked into the passage through a thin line.
She pushes the door open, the creaking noise of the door assembling a bile in her throat.
She pressed her sweaty palms together as she walked towards her father's sleeping figure.
She knew it was something other than a sleeping figure. Her father never laid in such a manner - sitting up on his bed to rest. He would rather use the three-seater couch beside his mahogany desk or simply lay back on his king-sized bed, staring into the ceiling until his tired eyes drifted off to sleep.
Yet, she moved closer, hoping he had changed his sleeping position, and she was too busy preparing for the ball with Lauren to pay attention to his new sleeping position.
She desperately hoped he had been too tired to take on his much-preferred position and had fallen asleep, too lazy to make use of the positions.
However, her hope is short-lived.
Ember grips her father's still shoulder and shoves him slowly to face her. When his lifeless body fell back into her arms, helpless, Ember gasps a whine.
His lifeless eyes were still open. His face was pale, and his neck had been slashed open from a bite. Blood leaks out of the space, uncontrollably.
A bite.
Well, guess the devil wasn't gone after all.