Get out!
I needed to put as much distance between me and this monster as possible. He wasn’t going to let me live. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this level of fright. It was pure and unadulterated and raw. It made my knees weak, my brain fog. It caused my lungs to strain as my breathing quickened to an unbearably fast rate.
“I’m sorry,” I lied shakily. I still couldn’t find it in myself to be truly apologetic. Vampires deserved to be exterminated, and I didn’t think I could wrong them. Their race had committed enough sins, stealing too many loved ones from this world. “I-I’m…”
The curtains fell, blocking out the moonlight and plunging me into darkness once more.
A large hand wrapped around my throat and pinned me to the bed. Maybe it was better that I couldn’t see. My blindness blocked Cassius’s terrible expression away from my eyes, giving me less reason to fear.
“I want you,” Cassius said, his voice sounding less croaky. He was positioned right between my legs. The way he lay on top of me was so sensual that I began wondering whether it was just my blood he was referring to. “You smell sweet. I don’t think I’d ever had anything like you before.”
He released my throat. I pulled in a breath, air rushing into my lungs as I was allowed to breathe again.
“I want to taste you. Are you as delicious as you smell?”
“Back off,” I said, still trying to squint through the darkness. It was no use.
Cassius lowered his head until his long hair tickled my cheek. He blew a teasing breath at my ear before darting a tongue out. A lump stuck in my throat when I realized he was licking me.
Licking!
Like a madman attempting to savor a meal.
I was going to be eaten. Sucked dry just like that lowblood who had attacked Gran, draining her of blood and leaving her ashen.
Not like Gran.
I didn’t want to end up like her.
At least not this soon.
I still had to save Hannah. I needed to cut this monster’s heart out from his chest and give it to my little sister.
My will to fight back shot through me, giving me newfound strength. I yelled out, fueled by rage, trepidation, and desperation. I pushed, straining as hard as I could…
…and managed to push Cassius off me.
My vision improved, if only for a fraction of a second, and I saw that I’d thrown him off the bed.
How?
Vampires were exponentially stronger than humans. They moved faster than most animals and were strong enough to lift trucks. I’d known about their strength long before I ever faced one, due to Jonas’s warnings. My mentor had taught me that we should never cross a vampire in physical combat. Should such a scenario arise, the only possible outcome was death.
Was it luck? Humans were capable of extraordinary feats in strenuous times.
My retaliation seemed to rile Cassius up even more. He growled, just as an animal would. I had no weapon.
I couldn’t see.
I couldn’t fight back.
I balled my hands into fists, almost laughing at myself for being so pathetically helpless.
“You shouldn’t have come yesterday,” Cassius said. “I was going to leave you alone to keep you out of my mind.”
“It’s not too late. I’ll make sure to not bother you—”
“It is!” he boomed.
I shuddered and tried swallowing the thick lump that had stuck in my throat.
“I can’t… can’t get you out… It’s like when I was with Janella.”
Who was Janella?
The wind blew, lifting the curtain and letting moonlight into the room again. In that flash, I saw Cassius jump onto the bed, caging me with his body again. His fangs were fully extended, and a second later, I felt their tips on my neck. A sharp prick shot up the side of my head. Cassius groaned.
He was so warm.
I did the thing I’d least expected myself to. I twined my fingers into his hair, coaxing him to take my blood.
I was out of my mind, failing to think straight. I bit my tongue to stop myself from whimpering or begging. A part of me thought that the pain Cassius gave me would be the most pleasurable thing to experience. All reason left me, replaced by messed-up desire and logic.
A soft sensation—Cassius’s tongue—ran over my skin. He placed more pressure on my skin with his fangs. I thought he was going to have me, and then…
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.
The alarm came abruptly. It was just the distraction Cassius needed to pull away. He jerked his head backward and crept off me.
“Fangs,” Cassius said.
Cassius parted from me, his weight shifting off the bed. I used that moment to steady my breathing. Was he not interested anymore? I pushed myself to a seating position, feeling relief.
Cassius strode over to the curtains and pulled them open, allowing moonlight to stream in. Without the darkness, the room looked bigger, safer, but still foreign and terrible. With better vision, and since he wasn’t prowling about like an animal, I noticed that Cassius wasn’t wearing a shirt. His muscles were perfection. Sinewy, with not too much bulk. As he walked to the desk on the other side of the room, he reminded me of a panther. He darted his gaze my way at brief intervals, and I thought he might transform into his terrifying, monstrous self at any moment.
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. The annoying noise pulled me from my fear.
“Stay here,” he said. “I’ll be back to deal with you soon.”
He moved toward the other side of the room. There was a curtain at the side, one I hadn’t noticed before. He pushed it aside and walked through it.
I reached for the blanket and clutched it to my chest. My ears hurt from the tension that had built in them. My vision had blurred from the adrenaline. Cassius left me sitting alone and distraught. Inside, my emotions churned. I was terrified and defiled and alive.
I’d been sitting alone for the last hour. I’d crawled from Cassius’s bed, moving to the side of it. It felt wrong to lie on it. It smelled too much like him. It was his territory, so I didn’t belong there. I stared up at the bright moon—my only company.
Where had Cassius gone? And what was that buzzer about?
It had stopped sounding soon after Cassius left, leaving me in relative silence. The quiet highlighted how alone I was, trapped in the lair of a fullblood vampire. Images of Jonas’s death flickered through my mind. His head had been ripped clean off. He’d been treated like mere prey. Was that going to be my fate?
Was Cassius drawing out my death? Playing with me like some sort of toy before going in for the final kill?
A clinking noise came from behind the curtains.
I jolted.
Was he coming back?
I stood and looked around his room, searching for a weapon. Cassius furnished his chambers lightly. There was a bed, a desk, some candles for light, and purplish wallpaper that looked antiquated. I picked up a pen from his desk, wondering if that might serve as a weapon.
A pen?
What was I thinking?
It wouldn’t do squat against a fullblood.
Another clinking noise sounded.
Out of foolish curiosity, I crept over to the curtains and stared it down, considering my options. Cassius hadn’t given me permission to intrude, and the consequences of my last attempt played clearly in my memory.
“Can I come in?” I asked.
I took his lack of response as consent and lifted the partition. This side of the room was dimly lit by amber lanterns. I scanned the interior, searching for Cassius, but spotted someone else instead, lying on a bed unconscious, unmoving.
She was a young girl who looked about the same age as Hannah, in her early teenage years. She had mid-length hair that framed her small, heart-shaped face. Her hair was bright blond that looked almost white, like Cassius’s hair, and her face was such a pale, ghostly shade that she looked ill. An IV drip, filled with blood, was attached to her skinny arm. I bit my inn
er cheek, uncertain how to react to her presence.
Cassius came over holding a test tube. He sat next to the girl and placed a hand on the back of her head, lifting it up. “I didn’t say that you could enter. You haven’t learned to respect other people’s privacy. I thought I asked you to stay where you are.”
“I asked.”
“An improvement, although not very impressive.”
Desire and hunger had disappeared from his voice. Had those emotions disappeared? Or was Cassius simply hiding them?
Cassius tipped the contents of the test tube into the girl’s mouth. He carried out that action so tenderly that my insides churned. Vampires were not supposed to be so affectionate. Immediately, I came to snap judgments, wanting to think the worst of Cassius.
“Are you preparing her for something?” I asked, sounding more scared than I liked.
“You think I’m readying to feast on her?” Cassius said in a half-mocking tone. “Seasoning my meal?” Scarlet, accusatory eyes flicked toward me. “I’m sorry to disappoint, but that isn’t the case.”
“What is, then?”
Cassius turned to the girl, and his expression softened.
He slid his hand from behind the girl’s head, lowering her as carefully as he could. Vampires like him had extraordinary strength. It must have taken a lot of restraint to use such a featherlight touch. He set the test tube down and brushed a stray strand of hair away from the girl’s face. “She was training to serve me. Many, many years ago.”
“How long?”
“Fifty? Forty?” Cassius blew out a soft sigh. “You start to lose track of time after living for so long. The days sometimes meld together. I wasn’t living here then. It was before the Sanctum existed. It’s only existed for fifteen years, after the Rampaging.”
“What’s her name?” I asked.
“Annelise,” Cassius said. “She was the daughter of one of my servants in my old estate. She liked to play with puppies and would bring me a flower every day.”
I swallowed. After a brief pause, I said, “That sounds nice.”
“She was a nice girl. A joy to be with.”
Now, she looked like a doll. Lifeless. Cold. Unmoving.
“She was attacked.”
Sorrow flickered across Cassius’s face. My brow furrowed. Was it possible for vampires to feel remorse? They were supposed to be unfeeling, heartless creatures. I latched on to that belief, but my hold on it wavered.
“A lowblood wanted my blood to cure itself. A thirst a lowblood suffers is far worse than a normal or fullblood, and so it drives them mad. But the cure was never going to happen. They are forever cursed to suffer until they die. It came to my estate at night, and Annelise was unlucky that it stumbled upon her. It preyed on Annelise, injecting her with its venom.”
“Injected by a lowblood’s venom…” My mouth hung open.
Cassius must have taken note of my shock. He tilted his head, studying me, and asked, “Is something the matter?”
Hannah. Annelise reminded me too much of her.
I pursed my lips. My entire body stiffened. “What are you trying to do with Annelise now?”
“Cure her.” Cassius shook his head. “Despite my efforts, none of my potions are working. I’ve been experimenting with my own blood, changing it into different compounds, but I haven’t found a solution. I’ve tried for so many years.” Cassius looked to the IV drip. “I give her small amounts of my blood every day. It extends her life span, but I can’t get her out of this vegetative state. I wonder whether my efforts are worth it.”
“Why?” I tried wrapping my head around what I’d heard. This wasn’t right. A vampire… saving someone? I’d only heard of them killing and hurting and drinking.
“Why? Because it’s the right thing to do.”
“You’re a vampire lord. Everyone listens to your will. You don’t have to concern yourself with a mere human girl.”
“The lowblood infestation has been a problem with our kind for a long time. I assume many human lives have been ruined because of their running about.”
“It wasn’t you who hurt the girl.”
“I cared for her briefly, even though her life was short. I promised her mother that I’d help her wake one day. Her mother died holding my hand, making me swear that I’d save her daughter.” His shoulders dropped. “If I succeed with a cure, think of the good it will do.”
Good.
Since when did vampires want to do good?
“It could save your sister,” Cassius said.
My pulse quickened. “Yeah…”
With the cure, I wouldn’t have to steal Cassius’s heart. And his blood? I could use his blood to extend her life span…
But what if she ended up like Annelise? Looking as lifeless as she did, Annelise might as well be a corpse.
“How long before you find a cure?” I asked.
“I can’t say for sure. It’ll probably take many more years, if ever. I could just give up. It feels like I’ve put it too much into this.”
“Hannah doesn’t have that long.” I eyed Cassius’s chest. “You could use your blood to lengthen the—”
Cassius snorted. “You’re asking this of me, after what you’ve done? You haven’t given me an ounce of respect.”
I bit my tongue. He had a point. “I’m just… I’m…” An apology was at the tip of my tongue. I couldn’t bring myself to say it. “It’s hard to see past what you are.”
“And what do you think I am, exactly?”
“A vampire.”
“Hm.”
“The ones I met haven’t given me a good impression.”
“Miles? He’s a loyal soldier.”
“Not Miles,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m talking about the ones I hunted in the streets back home.”
Cassius screwed his nose up in disgust. “Don’t compare me with those lowbloods. You’re judging my entire race based on your impression of the worst of them. There are vampires who devote themselves to good causes, too.”
That sounded hard to believe. I didn’t want to think about it. I couldn’t shake off my initial impression of those creatures. I’d had it for too long.
Seeing Cassius treat Annelise well was beginning to change my mind. But he’d hurt me. He’d pushed me about when he could for no reason at all. There was still a monster in him.
“What’s stopping you from the cure?” I asked.
“I need to find a queen.”
I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “Queen?”
“It’s how the hierarchy of vampires works. Queens are the most powerful amongst us and have the most amount of vitality in their blood. They’re the only vampires capable of creating fullbloods, and even then, they can only do that when they go into redheat.”
“Redheat?”
“Nobody knows how or why or when it happens, but when queens enter redheat, their venom changes mildly, and they can pick a single individual to turn into a fullblood.”
“Was that how you were conceived?”
“No,” Cassius said. “When two fullbloods copulate, they can birth children who are similar to them.”
“All right, then we just have to find her.”
Cassius snorted. “You can’t. Queens don’t exist. Not anymore. They were all killed a while ago, and the vampire race hasn’t been the same since then.”
“But the cure…”
“Is not going to happen anytime soon. A queen can only be formed when an older male fullblood decides to mate with a female one. Unfortunately, there are only two male fullbloods left in existence, and no females that we know of.”
“What about your mother?”
“Died, unfortunately,” Cassius said. “Killed by hunters.”
I stiffened. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
Cassius shook his head. “Loss is something I’m accustomed to.”
“Then it’s not going to happen at all. You won’t find a cure, not if there are no queens left alive.�
�� Cassius’s experiment was merely a false promise—nothing but wishing thinking. Hannah wasn’t going to be saved by his project.
“My father suggested a possibility, but it’s not something I wish to consider.” He stood and pulled up the blanket that was around Annelise’s waist, ensuring that she was properly tucked in.
“You don’t really want to save her that much, then,” I said.
Cassius remained unfazed by my accusation. He pushed himself to his feet and brushed his hair away from his face. “Perhaps. I’m a selfish man, mostly. Maybe this is just a way for me to pass the time.”
As soon as I saw it, I grabbed the opportunity to paint Cassius in a bad light. He was keeping the girl alive not because he cared for a human. This whole thing served to ease his boredom.
Didn’t it?
He did mention wanting to do good.
If Cassius sensed my accusations, he didn’t show it. He picked up the test tube from the bedside and moved toward the medicinal cabinet in the darker corner of the room. “I’m sorry about scaring you earlier.” He turned away from me, the muscles of his back rippling as he sorted out beakers and test tubes and pipettes. “You have… an effect on me that I find confusing. I’m still trying to deal with it.”
I blinked. How was I to react to his apology? Accept it? Caving in right after being given the scare of my life sounded blasphemous to me. I remembered how monstrous he’d appeared earlier. He’d been a bite away from draining my veins dry. The man before me was unrecognizable from his previous unhinged self. “Deal with it? It shouldn’t be too hard. Don’t attack girls in your room.”
Cassius chuckled, although it rang with a dark tone. “I barely tasted your blood. You don’t know how difficult it is for me to hold myself back, Ver.” I swallowed, more nervous now that he’d given me a nickname. Ver. No one had called me that before. “I tasted a drop. A small prick in your neck. And that was enough to…”
He turned to me, his gaze burning with far too much intensity.
When his pause dragged out for too long, I said, “Enough to?”
“I could only think about having you. And it’s not just your blood I’m talking about.” He raked his eyes down my body. His eyes fell on my breast for a fraction too long. A blush heated my cheeks, and the muscles in my thighs tightened from the sinful images that flashed through my thoughts. “I want you. It’s a thirst that I haven’t experienced in a long time.”
Fullblood Academy: A Vampire Academy Mild Bully Romance (Vampires of the Sanctum Book 1) Page 9
