Ryker watched me devour my dinner. “Unless you want to spend your nights hunting for human blood, that will have to become a staple in your diet.”
I didn’t want to believe what was happening to me, but it was hard to deny what I could see with my own two eyes. As a redhead, I was pretty fair, but my hands were paler than usual. When I turned my arm over to look at my wrist, my veins were alarmingly dark and looked like a map of a river telegraphing through my translucent skin. “What my mother wrote is true.”
“It is now. All you needed was a little push. Blood to complete your transition.”
The thought of looking at his smug face incited a violence in me I never knew existed. But with those rubies still hanging from my neck, ears, and wrist, I had no chance of escaping this prison.
I finally looked up. “You forced this on her, and she killed herself so the clan would never find out. She did it to protect me.” To my surprise, he seemed a little remorseful. Maybe he did love her in his own perverse way.
“It was selfish of her.” His smugness returned, and suddenly it was all her fault that she was dead. “If she had just trusted me and given herself more time to adjust to her transition…”
I never considered myself a violent person, but I wanted to hit him so hard his nose would shatter. Then maybe he’d feel an ounce of the pain he’d inflicted on me and my family.
“Speaking of trust,” I said with a forced smile. “Why don’t you take these rubies off me?” It was worth a shot. “I’m not really big on jewelry, and it’s starting to make me itch.”
He got up and stood behind me, grazing his hands over my neck before resting them on my shoulders. For a second I thought he was going to remove the necklace, but he dug his fingers into my skin and bent down closer to my ear. “I thought my own daughter would be smarter than to think I was an idiot. We were doing so well, but you just ruined all the progress we’ve made today.”
“What happens now?” I asked, shrugging his hands away. “Do I stay in this apartment forever? Do I turn into a Night Walker and get hunted down by my own family?” The thought of taking on the Circle, night after night from here to eternity, ignited a feeling of dread unlike anything I’d ever felt before. What a bleak existence it would be to fight my own clan. Death was preferable.
He headed for the desk on the other side of the room and opened one of the drawers. “Until you earn that trust you asked me for, I’ll have to keep you here. In the back room with Henry.” He refused to turn around and look me in the eye as he delivered the rest of my sentence. “You’ll feed from him exclusively until you no longer feel the need to go back to your old life. It’s the only way to break your bond with the clan.”
“No,” I said, panic suddenly consuming me. “Don’t do this to me! Please!”
He glanced at me over his shoulder. “It shouldn’t take more than a few weeks. Maybe a month.”
“You think the clan will just stop looking for me?”
“Not at all.” He headed back toward the table with a key in his hand. “Once they know the truth, they’ll hunt you, which is why it’s so important that we break that bond. It’ll be much easier to kill them that way.”
I stood up and stumbled backward through the kitchen doorway, terrified to take my eyes off him as he followed me with that key in his hand. “You’ll have to kill me before I let you lock me up with that… thing,” I said as he cornered me.
“His name is Henry,” he hissed through clenched teeth. “He’s far better than some of the others I could put you with, so I suggest you remember his name. He’ll be the only thing keeping you alive until you come to your senses, so be nice to him.”
He grabbed my wrist and dragged me toward the door. I couldn’t fight him off with the jewelry on, but I also couldn’t live with the thought of being locked up with a blood slave until my humanity was gone. From the corner of my eye, I spotted a row of knives stuck to a magnetic strip along the edge of the kitchen island. I grabbed one as he dragged me past it, but as I raised it high into the air and brought it down toward him, my hand froze before the blade touched his back.
“Haven’t you learned by now,” he said, yanking me through the kitchen door and shoving me across the room.
I hit the wall hard, the back of my skull throbbing, the knife still gripped tightly in my hand. As long as I was wearing the rubies, I wouldn’t be able to use it on him. But there was another way to free myself from the hell he was about to sentence me to. His eyes grew wide as I pooled every ounce of my courage and raised the blade to my neck. Then I smiled at him weakly as I slid it across my throat.
“No! You fool!” Ryker ran toward me, his face twisted with a look of disbelief. But before he reached me, the sound of shattering glass stopped him.
Barely conscious, I rolled my head to the side and saw something burst through the window and zero in on Ryker like a missile.
“Hawk,” I managed to whisper, the cut not deep enough to kill me instantly. I was shocked as I reached for the wound and felt it healing under my fingertips. Either my transition had saved me or it was the rubies.
Hawk’s wings spread wide as his talons shot out and wrapped around Ryker’s neck, squeezing him tightly. He turned to looked at me when he heard me whisper his name, and Ryker used the distraction to sink his teeth into Hawk’s fluttering wing. Hawk let out a piercing shriek and flew backward, tearing his good wing against the jagged glass of the broken window.
I grabbed the edge of the table and dragged myself to my feet. Hawk had shifted back and was staring at me wide-eyed from under the window where he’d fallen. I glanced down at my blood-soaked shirt and shook my head to let him know I was all right. He kept wincing and held his arm where Ryker had bitten him, but he managed to flash me a smile when he realized I was okay.
My relief faded when I saw a tall shadow against the wall. Ryker had disappeared, and I realized he was creeping up behind Hawk with something gripped in his hands that shimmered in the light coming through the window.
“He’s behind you!” I yelled.
Hawk’s smile vanished, but before he could turn around, Ryker had a silver chain wrapped around his neck. He pulled it so tight I could see Hawk’s skin bulge and then start to turn red and smoke. Ryker’s hands were nearly on fire, but it didn’t stop him from pulling the chain tighter around Hawk’s neck. I couldn’t move or scream or do anything but watch as the silver seemed to melt into Hawk’s skin and render him helpless.
Ryker looked at me as he lowered his lips to Hawk’s ear. “You don’t really think you’re good enough for Morgan, do you? A two-bit shifter who thinks he’s a vampire?” He laughed and went in for the kill, twisting the chain so tight I thought he was about to decapitate Hawk. “A fucking bird!”
Frozen in place by the rubies, I lowered my eyes. But when I heard Hawk’s strangled voice, I looked back up.
“How about two birds?” he gritted out under the force crushing his windpipe.
Ryker let up briefly as the comment seemed to trigger his curiosity. “Two?” He snorted and eyed Hawk for a second.
A gust of wind blew through the broken window, and the drapes fluttered in Ryker’s face, disrupting his attempt to sever Hawk’s head. He grabbed the fabric and flung it away, his eyes growing wide as he caught a glimpse outside.
Hawk dove toward me as a giant black bird flew into the room and speared its bill straight through Ryker’s neck, skewering him to the far wall. The bird’s wings flapped wildly as it hovered to keep Ryker in place.
“Are you okay?” I asked Hawk. The wound wrapping halfway around his neck was deep, and I cringed as I imagined his pain.
He managed a strangled laugh. “Just a little silver poisoning.”
Then I seized the opportunity. “Rip it off,” I said, pointing to the pendant.
Confused by my strange request, he hesitated.
“Just do it, Hawk!”
He grabbed it and tugged, and it fell away from my neck with ease. Then he
helped remove the earrings and bracelet, but I had to grease the ring with my own blood to get it off my finger.
“Is that the crow?” I asked, staring at the bird trapping Ryker against the wall.
Hawk hit the ground before he could answer. He was getting worse, and I knew we had to get him out of there before he lost consciousness.
“Let him go,” I said to the crow, but not before making sure my power hand was good and hot. “He’s mine.”
The crow flew back toward the center of the room and shook its head to shed the blood covering its sharp bill. Ryker managed to stay standing and clutched the gaping wound that would have killed a mortal. He spat out a few mouthfuls of blood and leered at the giant crow. Then he turned his eyes on Hawk lying on the floor.
“Don’t even think about it,” I said, opening my hand to show him the blue light in the center of my palm.
He spotted the jewelry on the floor, and the bracelet started to shake. It seemed to come to life as if called by its master. Then the necklace lifted into the air. It flew toward me so fast I barely had time to react. I raised my hand and hit it with the light, smashing it into the wall. The ruby ignited in a burst of sparks that nearly set the place on fire.
Ryker dove for the smoking necklace, but I got to it first, blasting him with a ball of light that slammed him against the wall. It left a sizable dent as he slid to the ground.
“Uh-uh,” I said, shaking my head. “I believe you gave those jewels to me.” I intended to make damn sure no one would ever fall under their spell again.
He climbed to his feet and wiped the spit from his mouth. “How dare you use magic on your own father!”
“Father? You’re not my father. You’re nothing but a donor.”
I had to admit his rage was frightening. But without those jewels locking me down, I had the upper hand now.
He must have come to his senses and realized he was outnumbered and out of luck, because he eyed the window and made a run for it. The crow went after him, but Ryker still had a few tricks up his sleeve. He turned and gazed at the bird, his eyes glowing red, and it stopped in midflight before falling to the floor. It kept flapping its large wings against the rug as if trapped in a pool of oil as it shrieked in pain.
“Stop! Leave the crow alone and I’ll let you go,” I said, the knife I’d used to slit my own throat gripped in my hand.
His eyes turned black again. “You’ll let me go?” He huffed a bitter laugh. “You’re lucky we share blood. I should destroy you along with those winged abominations.”
“You just tried,” I said. “But you failed.”
He glanced at Hawk with loathing in his eyes, and then he backed up toward the window. “The clan will try to kill you if they find out what you are. Then you’ll wish you had me.” In the blink of an eye, he disappeared through it.
I ran to the window, but he was long gone. Hawk was sitting up with the crow standing next to him when I turned around.
He’ll die unless you feed him immortal blood.
“What?”
The crow was in my head again.
I remembered how Jakob and I had saved it the night I brought it home in a box. “We can use yours.”
The crow slowly shook its head.
“Why not? We used Jakob’s blood to save you. You’re an immortal crow.”
But I’m still a crow and only half immortal. The blood must be pure.
“I know you didn’t kill Monoclaude,” I said as it got ready to fly out the window. “I’m sorry I accused you, but when I saw that black feather caught in the conservatory door—”
You assumed I was the killer. I tried to save him, but I was too late.
“Are you planning to stay?”
That was Monoclaude’s wish, so I’ll stay if you’ll have me. But on my terms.
The crow’s wings spread wide, and it flew through the window and disappeared once again. I figured it would be back when it was good and ready. On its own terms.
Hawk moaned and tried to climb to his feet. I helped him up and got him to a chair while I went to the bedroom to grab the journal. Then I gathered the jewels and stuffed them in his pockets for the trip back.
“Let’s hope this works,” I said, standing Hawk up and wrapping his arms around my waist. “Hold on tight, and whatever happens don’t let go.” I focused on the wall until it fell away and all I could see was Mrs. Wells’s living room. A moment later, Ryker Caspian’s prison was nothing but a bad memory.
Chapter 29
I was relieved to step through the portal and find us in the apartment on the Upper East Side, proof that I was starting to master my traveling skills. I helped Hawk to the bed and told him to get some rest while I figured out how to get ahold of Jakob. Ryker had taken my phone, and Hawk didn’t own one. If he made it through this—and by God, he would—the first thing I planned to do was bring him into the twenty-first century by buying him one.
“Jesus!” I barked, nearly slamming into Jules when I walked into the living room.
“Where the hell have you been?” she said. “I’ve been calling you since yesterday.” She sat on the sofa and buried her face in her hands. “I thought your uncle locked you in the basement or something. I was about to go all commando and sneak into that damn building of yours.”
“You’re not too far off,” I said. “I’ve got an interesting story to tell you, but I don’t have time right now. Give me your phone.”
“Where’s the burner I got you?”
I glanced down the hallway and debated whether to tell her about Hawk, but that call I was about to make would take care of that. “Just give me your phone!”
The desperation in my voice put a halt to her questions.
“It’s on the kitchen counter.”
I grabbed it and dialed Jakob’s number, fully aware the clan could trace the call back to Jules, but it was a matter of life and death if I didn’t get some of Jakob’s blood inside Hawk fast. He had an hour, maybe two at best.
“It’s me,” I said when he answered.
After a pause, he spoke quietly into the phone. “Where are you?”
“Just listen, Jakob. Hawk is dying. He needs some blood. Immortal blood.”
He let out a long sigh before responding. “Tell me where you are.”
After giving him the address and handing the phone back to Jules, I rubbed my forehead and let out a shuddering sob. I pulled myself together a few seconds later and stuffed my emotions back inside. Breaking down wasn’t going to help anyone, and it would only upset Hawk and make it worse for him.
“Is he in the bedroom?”
I nodded and sat down on the edge of the sofa. “I just spent the past twenty-four hours locked up in Ryker Caspian’s house.”
Her jaw went slack. “Holy shit! Your father?”
“Don’t call him that.” I stood up and started to pace the living room, wired and terrified for Hawk. “Where the hell is Jakob!”
“Calm down, Morgan. You just hung up the phone.”
As I headed down the hallway to get back to Hawk, there was a knock on the door. We glanced at each other before she went to look through the peephole.
“It’s him,” she said, opening it.
He walked inside and embraced me. “Christ, Mora. You scared the life out of me.”
“How did you get here so fast?”
His chest heaved against me as he laughed. “How do you think? I would have traveled straight into the living room, but I wasn’t sure if you were alone.” He let go of me and looked at Jules. “Thank you for taking care of her.”
Jules shrugged. “She’s my best friend.”
“Come on,” I said. “He’s back here.”
When we walked into the bedroom, Hawk was lying on the floor. He’d crawled halfway across the room, his bitten arm fully feathered and shifted into a wing.
“Hawk!” I dropped down next to him, lifting his head to cradle it in my lap.
Jakob got down on his knees and pull
ed a pocketknife from his jacket. “What happened to him?”
“Ryker bit him.” The look on Jakob’s face scared the hell out of me. “What’s wrong?”
He stared at me like he was trying to make sense of what I’d said. “Ryker? Ryker Caspian?”
I nodded. “He was waiting for me in the penthouse yesterday. I went there to get the journal, and he kidnapped me and held me in his house. If it weren’t for Hawk, I’d still be locked up. Ryker managed to get away.” I decided to hold off on telling either of them about what Ryker had done to me. We had other things to worry about, like saving Hawk’s life, and a conversation about my “transition” was going to require some time and a lot of alcohol.
“How did you get into the penthouse?”
“I traveled. By the way, you didn’t do a very good job of destroying those rubies.”
He gave me a suspicious look. “Why do you say that?”
“Because I woke up in his house wearing them. He also put that pendant on me.”
“Where are they now?”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll destroy them myself this time.”
He gave me a wary look and opened the knife. Jules cringed as he ran the blade across his wrist and drew his deep blue blood before holding it to Hawk’s lips. “A vampire biting a vampire is a tricky thing, but immortal blood should do the trick.”
At first Hawk didn’t respond to the blood entering his mouth, but suddenly his eyes popped open and he sat straight up, coughing violently like he was trying to expel something buried deep inside his stomach.
“What’s happening to him?” I asked Jakob.
“I’m not sure, but I think we better step back.”
I was reluctant to leave him, but Jakob grabbed my arm and yanked me up, stopping me when I tried to go back to him.
Hawk lurched forward and got on his hands and knees, gasping for air as something visibly crawled along the inside of his chest and moved toward his throat. His mouth stretched wide. He kept gagging like he was about to vomit, and then something black and shiny protruded from his lips. It pulsed like a beating heart, moving in and out of his mouth like it couldn’t quite expel itself. Eventually he let out a strangled howl and it came flying out, rolling across the floor and squirming like a newborn something.
Dark Legacy (House of Winterborne Book 1) Page 22
