Dark Awakenings (Danse Macabre Book 2)

by Christina Quinn

  “Masochists.” The husky voiced blonde interjected, leaning against the island.

  “Thank you. You have to get creative with them. You cannot simply beat them when they are naughty… it is rewarding them. Unfortunately, it was too much for Kolen’ka. But he needed to be punished for what he did.”

  “Before I knew he was Aleksi’s blood I was convinced he would be the perfect pet to keep Byron on his toes. But that was before I knew his pedigree… not unlike purebred dogs the latest additions to House Dracul are beautiful…and extremely flawed of temperament.” Estella snickered.

  “Alyoshen'ka is salvageable. Colette, however, the girl is and always has been as mad as a hatter. Do they still say that? My English is…antiquated at best.”

  “The point still comes across, and that is what counts.” The blue blazered blonde smirked. “I don’t think Nikolai is truly broken. Just a little heartbroken more than likely. Later when he’s alone approach him like you would a wounded animal, slowly and carefully. Then, lure him in, draw him close and then when you kiss him bite him and bite him hard. I bet he would fall to pieces in your arms after that—bawl his pretty eyes out.”

  “No, that will not work with him. Kolen’ka is suspicious of affection not unlike Alyoshen'ka. To draw him in you will need to assert your dominance immediately—like you did with your submission to Alyoshen'ka. They’re Russian, we don’t need our hands held like the British.”

  “Nikolai lived in London longer than he lived in Russia or the Ukraine, Galina. Maybe he snapped like he did because you weren’t taking that into consideration?” Estella raised a brow in Galina’s direction.

  “You’re probably correct, Estella. I do have a habit of trying to force my opinions on others—you’re too smart. This is why I think you should be in line after Colette. We all know Alyoshen'ka’s going to bypass a patriarchy and go right to Council. This meeting today. I could follow that version of him out into the sunlight.”

  “Thank you, but we both know it’ll go to Winston—if Vlad doesn’t kill us all for this.”

  “Like I said before, he wouldn’t dare. His children are nothing if not well connected. Between Fabien and myself we could probably start a bloody war in the name of Colette and Alyoshen'ka. But hopefully it will not come to that.”

  “We all know a big storm is coming though, Vlad is probably the least of our problems.” I let them talk as I leaned against the island. The two of them started to talk business after a while, Galina wanted to invest in the United States and apparently would only allow a Renfield to handle her money. My eyes drifted back to Garrett and Evan, they were climbing the stairs together holding hands…smiling. Evan’s stormy gaze fell on me for a moment but in the end he turned his eyes back to Garrett, laughing warming at something the bubbly blonde whispered to him.

  Hours passed and everyone stayed. Estella, Byron and Galina wandered off together with Galina’s burly bodyguards trailing behind her. Winston sat beside Xander on one of those white couches while he and Tristan laughed like old friends, as Leslie leaned against Tristan hanging on his every word. I was alone. Or rather, I felt abandoned as I sat at the breakfast bar listening to the drone of conversation. I knew why I was alone on the stool, I was torn. Do I go up and talk to Aleksi? Or do I go up and talk to Nikolai? Aleksi. That goes without saying. You’re his, and he needs you. But Nikolai is my responsibility…whatever that means. But Aleksi. He’s alive and well and you haven’t had sex yet! Think about it, sex with Aleksi! I doubt he’ll be in the mood for it, he was just called a whore. So? He loves you and wants you. Clearly, Miss Manners was of no help; the promise of sex with Aleksi, as always, had rendered her utterly useless.

  After a few more minutes I decided on Aleksi, because he was in need of comfort and he hadn’t gotten any. But after I climbed those stairs I found that white room, and even the secret red room empty. Furrowing my brows I walked to Colette’s room and I paused outside of the door. Someone was inside having sex, I could hear moans and the bed slamming against the floor. I felt my face grow hot as I staggered back from the door. Evan’s warning from last year flitted through my mind and my stomach soured. Colette and Aleksi turned to each other in crisis. As recent as four years ago Aleksi had a fling with Colette. I heard a noise, something somewhere was rattling. Was it me? There was that sickening high-pitched pop of glass breaking and Leslie shrieked behind me. I turned around and saw the glass on the framed poster fractured, splintered into a spider web. A thread of fear ran through me as I stared at that broken glass and realized that I was a danger to everyone. However, being the very Queen of denial, I pushed that feeling aside and walked to Nikolai’s door. I tried the handle, the door was locked. You know it could be him in there. No, Colette is pretty mortified about what she did. Or pretending to be. My teeth set into my lip as I knocked on the door.

  “Niki?” I called to that silence on the other side—there was no answer. Taking a deep breath I focused my powers on the lock. The tumblers spun and clicked into place and I opened the door.

  The room was empty. Nikolai’s black tank top sat on the bed, and the door to the bathroom was cracked. A thin stream of light illuminated the room, but other than that…silence. Closing the door behind me I walked towards that cracked door. The sound of metal clacking against porcelain greeted my hand touching the knob. The resonance I had with Nikolai made it absolutely impossible to sneak up on him. Still as I opened the door and his eyes, wide and shame filled, met mine. In the white sink was a bloodied razor, and in the mirror his chest dripped blood. I watched as the slices in his flesh slowly mended before my eyes. The cuts were healed completely by the time either of had enough courage to speak. You should have seen this coming; he did this before, remember? I couldn’t bring myself to be angry with him. In his shame, I saw my own mistakes laid bare.

  Without a word I wrapped my arms around him, and pressed my cheek to his back. My lips pressed to that cool, velvety, decorated flesh and he shivered. That subtle, shudder echoed through me through that link we shared. With my eyes closed I let that resonance wash over me.

  For a moment I felt guilty. Guilty because I loved Aleksi more, guilty because this feeling was supposed to have meant something. Was he who I was supposed to have fallen in love with? I had crawled for him, I had been tied up by him, teased and brought into shuddering bliss by him. If Kendra hadn’t screwed everything up for Leslie was I supposed to have gone to London while she was dancing and meet him first? I never thought about it before that moment. You’re wrong. Swallowing again, I released him and looked at him in the mirror, those bright cyan eyes read scared little boy.

  “I feel so lost,” he confessed as his eyes fell to the razorblade in the sink. “I haven’t felt this lost since…and seeing her.” He ran his fingers through his darkening locks. Just like that, I felt hurt. I blinked as my heart seemed to twist in my chest. Jealousy made me physically hurt, but at the same time Miss Manners was laughing at me; her venomous cackling in my mind was like nails on a chalkboard. Maybe you resonate because you hurt each other in exactly the same way.

  “It’ll…it’ll be okay.” I couldn’t even fake comfort, my voice left my lips flat. “If you really want to be with her, you should go to her…”

  “I don’t want her. I haven’t wanted her since I met you. But you just don’t care. For whatever reason you are incapable of caring about me.”

  “It’s not that I don’t care about you, I do—but…you tried to kill Aleksi.”

  “I did it for you.” He turned and looked at me. “And I lost my life for it… now I’m bound to you. Forced to crave your touch above all others while you…you can’t even use Aleksi as an excuse, Autumn. I saw you this morning, the same as he did. You didn’t even touch him, but you ran to Evan and Garrett. Is that where you want to be?” He has a point. Well, Aleksi is probably off fucking Colette so it doesn’t matter. Do you really think that?

  “I…” My mind drifted back to Moscow, to falling asleep between him
and Aleksi, I sighed. “I don’t know.”

  “Aleksi I can accept as your number one, you’re bound to him like I’m bound to you. But Evan? Garrett?”

  “I’m also bound to Evan.” I leaned against the tiled wall and sighed. Nikolai made a very unhappy noise and looked back up at me in the mirror, the shame slowly fading from his eyes. A particularly loud moan echoed through the wall, the sound bouncing off of the walls of the mostly empty room. I cringed and set my jaw.

  “He’s also bound to her. He doesn’t want to include her, but he literally can’t say no.” For a moment I thought he was talking about Aleksi, but Aleksi could certainly turn down Colette. Yeah, it’s Evan. But does that make it hurt any less?

  Thud. Thud. Thud. The sound at the door made me jump, I smoothed my dress as Nikolai turned around and started for the door, leaving me alone to stare at the bloodied razor in the sink. Thud. Thud. Thud. Nikolai pulled his shirt on as I turned off the light and left the bathroom.

  “Autumn, Nikolai, your Master requests your presence.” Estella’s husky voice sounded through the door. The formality of the request made me slightly nervous. Where had Aleksi gone?

  “Don’t look so terrified,” Nikolai offered over his shoulder as he opened the door. Estella stood on the other side smiling.

  “You’re too clothed. Strip!” She growled with a grin at Nikolai. I heard him swallow and felt that familiar pleasure wash over him. He nodded slowly and pulled the tank top over his head. “The pants too, come along now, mustn’t keep him waiting.”

  “D-does he… does he want me nude as well?” I inquired peering around Nikolai who was pulling the jeans and boxers over his hips.

  “No, but this is for you.” Estella grinned as she handed me a riding crop which had been eclipsed by Nikolai’s lithe form and a red collar and lead. I stared at the collar for a few moments. That’s too big for your neck. I swallowed and ran my fingers over the leather. I was somewhat crestfallen. Nikolai left his clothes in a pile next to the door and Estella smiled at him appreciatively. “I had almost forgotten how sexy the body of a danseur is…almost.” She snickered appreciatively. “It’s a pity you’re stuck with Aleksi as your Master, a lot of us had our eyes on you. But Autumn, I have no doubt will prove herself to be an adequate Mistress with time. Now turn and kneel for her.” He turned and dropped to his knees before me without a single word and I was frozen. The envy must have read plain on my face as I recalled all of the times I dropped to my knees for him. My hands closed around the crop and the collar as he tilted his chin to look at me expectantly. “Look into those pretty eyes, Autumn. He wants you to tame him, this position is as natural for him as it is for you. And like he was your dom, you can be his. Submissives can make very effective dominants. Now, collar him make the pretty boy all yours.”

  Swallowing, I fidgeted with the collar, and started to kneel to put it around his neck. But as my knees bent I felt Estella’s anger and it was like I had stuck my finger in a light socket. I quickly righted my posture and fastened the collar around Nikolai’s throat. It was like I thought that leather and metal would burn me. It’s because you’re not cut out for this.

  “Now the lead.” She ordered, lording over me. I blinked at her voice; the tone, the coolness of the order…either she learned from Aleksi or Aleksi learned from her. He did say they had played together. My fingers stroked over the cool metal and I clipped the unadorned red leather in place. I caressed the leather then, my digits traced over the cool, supple collar and I stared entranced as I watched Nikolai’s Adams apple bob with an anticipatory swallow. “Good girl, we’ll make a proper Mistress out of you yet.” She snapped her fingers. “Come along now, mustn’t keep your Master waiting.”

  Just like that Estella started down the hall leaving me to nervously glance down at Nikolai’s nude form before I started to slowly follow her. Nikolai trailed behind me obediently. There was something about the addition of a collar that made me want to follow orders, so it seemed natural to me that he would want to as well. What are you doing? This is just wrong. You’re going to be a horrible Mistress. You’re not even the master of yourself, you’re third inline to control over yourself. It goes, Me, Aleksi, and then you. My hands were shaking as I peered over the railing and noticed that Winston, Tristian, Leslies and Xander were still gathered around the coffee table. You’ve graduated from Voyeur to Exhibitionist, congratulations. What happened to you? You used to be proper and so Ladylike. I actually froze in the doorway to that white room.

  Inside, the door to the secret room was open, and there were quite a few articles of clothing on the bed—including Estella’s shirt and jacket. It took every ounce of bravery I had to step into the room and shut the door behind me. My heart was in my throat with a heady, confusing mix of fear, anticipation and anxiety.

  “Niki,” I practically whispered as I stared with terrified eyes at the open bookshelf door.

  “I know.” He pressed his forehead to my bare calf. My, a collar certainly does shut him up. I reached down and ran my fingers through those tarnishing tresses, his hair was growing—soon it would be as long as Aleksi’s. That’s probably the point.

  Again I steeled my nerves and continued deeper into the room; and then into that den of sin beyond the hidden door. Estella was clothed, to a degree. She wore a long satin nightgown that was that amazing shade of peacock blue. Her hair was loose around her shoulders and Byron knelt at her knees collared and nude. The piercings were back, the ones that I had seen him with that first time I saw him crawl up behind Estella. His lip, and nipples were adorned with small silver rings.

  Aleksi was there, his presence seemed to loom over the room. He sat on the large bed with its black satin sheets. Again he wore those black tights rolled low to show off his hips. Those neon eyes darkened when he saw me, and something not so friendly passed behind them when he looked down at Nikolai.

  “You two certainly took your time.” He growled glancing away from us to Byron and Estella. His eyes danced over Byron’s obedient form in open appreciation. Jealousy reared its head for me and I bit my bottom lip. “Byron misbehaved earlier while Estella was trying to show him off to Galina.”

  As the words left Aleksi’s lips, Estella crossed the room with the train of her nightgown trailing behind her on the dark wood; the hiss of the slithering satin was almost audible as she crossed in front of me. Aleksi’s eyes never left Byron’s pale body as Estella’s deft hands secured him to that black lacquer X hanging from the ceiling. Once the brunet was secure she angled him so he could view the bed and turned her back on him.

  “Estella will take our dear mouthy Kolka for the rest of the day.” Aleksi slipped from the satin and smirked in our direction. My hands tightened on the lead, suddenly as Estella approached us smiling I didn’t want to trust her with Nikolai. Again, like he could feel my sudden streak of protectiveness he leaned his forehead against my calf. I gasped a little at the sudden little surge of intoxication that followed, and the rage from Aleksi’s eyes could have melted steel. He wasn’t as okay with our little arrangement as he had seemed the night before. “Autumn, give Estella the lead,” Aleksi ordered, his voice almost full to the brim with displeasure that made my brows knit.

  Glancing at Nikolai I took a shivering breath and knelt down to place a quick kiss on his lips. It was chaste and fast, but still he moaned at my touch and I felt my body light up with his pleasure at being kissed by me when collared. That was a really stupid move. As I held the lead out to Estella I opened my mouth to say something but I didn’t. What were you going to say? Don’t hurt him? That’s what he wants, stupid girl. Once she snapped up the lead my attention went to Aleksi’s unkind eyes, the softness just wasn’t there.

  “Come, your bond is still fresh and you don’t need to feel what she’s going to do to him,” Aleksi clipped out as he stepped out of the room. I followed him faithfully as always, but not without one last long look between Nikolai and I. You two are still in love… gag me. With Miss Manner
s’ little assessment I left the room shaking my head. In that white bedroom Aleksi was standing in front of the other bookshelf. He pulled a few books back in sequence and afterward a faint click sounded and the panel on the wall swung open. That’s probably where he was before. Mhm, he certainly wasn’t with Colette. He disappeared into the darkness beyond without looking back at me, again I followed him.

  This door lead to a tiny cramped little spiral staircase that made me feel claustrophobic. The walls were black on white damask that made the descent feel eternal. Still I followed him obediently and only partly because the way the light played on his back highlighted all of those beautiful muscles that shifted under his pallid flesh.

  At the bottom of the stairs he unlocked the door with a keypad, the distinct beeping confused me greatly. What did Aleksi need to keep hidden? The answer came as soon as I crossed into the space beyond that heavy, thick, metal door. The place was filled with that modern furniture Aleksi seemed to love oh-so much. This was the fortress of solitude Colette teased him about. If anyone needs one he does.

  The room was windowless, and that black on white damask didn’t continue into the room. The walls here were a sterile white. The furniture was black, a simple black couch, and a small desk with a large monitor. There were a handful of rooms and I realized what I should have when I saw the door. This was either a bomb shelter or a panic room. There were a handful of doors that were open, I peaked in one and saw a tiny kitchen and another had a bed. Aleksi continued through the little living room into what was the bedroom, and I stilled when I saw the bed.

  It was Aleksi’s old room from his apartment, the bed, the sheets, even that little glass desk with the laptop. The wallpaper was different though, and there weren’t any windows, but everything else was the exact same. He collapsed on the bed with a sigh. That metal door to the stairs beeped three times and then slammed shut and locked with a thunk.