by Zara Novak
“Is that it?” Carmen said, crossing her arms. “Not even an offer of a drink? Chivalry really is dead.”
Vincent’s jaw tensed. “You said you wanted to get out of here as fast as possible, so let’s honor that goal. Tell me what your father wants.”
“Logan Monroe,” Della said casually. She brushed a crease out of her floral white dress and blinked her long black lashes.
“Monroe?” Vincent asked.
“Dead,” Rose said. She glanced at me, looking as if she was still tasting my scent. It unnerved me.
Vincent just laughed. “You want me to assassinate another family head, in a time of peace. You want me to start a war. Give me a break. Xavier wouldn’t want that. To start a war now, that would be insane.”
Carmen shrugged. “Everyone knows that Logan is the wildcard in this giant fucking house of cards. He’s unpredictable. He’s dangerous. He’s not fit to call himself a Don.”
Vincent stepped forward then, his feet firmly coming down on the marble ground. The daughters didn’t move back, but I could feel their fear. I got the impression that Vincent could very easily dispose of the vampires if he wanted, not that he would of course. A small physical display of his presence was his way of exhibiting strength.
“You disrespect me with this request. I am not some lowly assassin, and you will do well to remember that. If this is really your request to me then our meeting is over. The next time I talk with a Vigliati it will be with your brother or your father.”
Carmen smiled. “Well, no, it won’t. Daddy gave us very clear instructions. No one gets past us until we clear them, and if you don’t honor our request then you won’t get the alliance.”
“I don’t know what Monroe did to piss you off,” Vincent said, “but it has nothing to do with me. If you want to start a war then so be it, but I will not be your messenger boy.”
As the vampires exchanged their war of words I had been watching them all carefully. Rose hadn’t taken her eyes off me; Carmen was fixated with Vincent. Della, the doll in white, seemed to look away whenever Logan’s name was brought up.
“What did he do to you?” I said to Della, my voice ringing true across the hall. It was the first time I had spoken since the daughters had arrived, and everyone was taken by surprise at me opening my mouth.
“My,” Carmen said, acting overtly shocked. “A slave that speaks out of turn. What could be ruder?”
For a second I didn’t say anything. I’d been cut down by woman like this in my professional life, and I usually rolled over and took the beating, not wanting to take on unnecessary conflict or offend anyone. There were already interns at the business that were more respected than me. It was easier to shrink away in the shadows than stand your ground.
But I remembered what Vincent had said. He needed someone strong. I needed to hold my own if I wanted to survive in this world.
I wasn’t going to be a victim any longer. It was time to believe in myself.
“A guest that speaks out of turn,” I answered. Carmen clearly wanted to shock me into silence by belittling me, but it wasn’t going to work. My conviction stunned her into silence. I wasn’t the demure slave she had assumed I was. I looked at Della. “So? What did he do to you?”
“What are you talking about?” she said, the words dripping with venom.
“This Monroe character. Every time his name is brought up you practically flinch. You love him, don’t you?”
“I don’t—” she began, but I cut her off.
“But he doesn’t love you. And now the three of you have come here with this half-cocked plan, pretending your father wants him dead so you can extract some pitiful revenge.”
The three daughters looked lost, furious, and out of their depth. The whites around Carmen’s eyes blazed against her sparkling red pupils. She looked at Vincent. “Are you really going to let a slave talk to us like that?”
“Yes. If she is correct,” Vincent said. “Is she?” The three of them said nothing. The silence was more than answer enough. “I see,” Vincent said. “So, what else have you been lying about?”
“Nothing,” Carmen said through gritted teeth. I turned my head at her.
“Open up,” I said to her. “Or I tell him the real truth.”
This time she looked at me, the fury in her eyes turned to fear. “What are you talking about?”
“You know very well what I’m talking about.” It was incredibly obvious she had feelings for Vincent, whether Vincent could see that or not. Carmen was obviously proud, and the fact that Vincent didn’t reciprocate those feelings embarrassed her. “We can leave things unsaid, providing we jump to the meat of the matter. What does your father actually want?”
Carmen’s chalk-white skin flushed with red. Rose stepped forward and put a hand on her hip. “What makes you so sure we’re not telling the truth?”
“Because your father sounds like a very shrewd man,” I said. “He gave you a task, but you are lying about its very nature. You are not gatekeepers, you are messengers, so tell us what he really wants. It’s obvious you have come here with the intention to set House Cartello up to fail.”
Rose smiled at me, tonguing her cheek in a way that suggested she was done. She looked at Vincent. “Is this how you run your house. Your slave skips about, talking to others however she pleases?”
“She seems to be doing a good job so far,” Vincent said. “Is she correct?”
Carmen took point again. “As a matter of fact, she isn’t, and she is incredibly disrespectful. We will let father know that you are not interested in any sort of affiliation. I think we are done here—”
She turned to leave when I spoke again. “You are not,” I said. “You need us more than we need you.”
Carmen looked back at me, fury brewing in her eyes. “What did you say?”
I must admit I was a little afraid of her. If Vincent wasn’t by my side I wasn’t sure I’d be so bold. Carmen looked like she wanted to launch forward and rip my throat to shreds. “You need us more than we need you,” I repeated. “Your father sent you here with a task. You obviously respect him, so you came here to honor his request, but your personal… issues made you cloud the truth. No?”
“Get to the point,” Carmen said.
“Your father wants something of Vincent,” I said. “It does concern Logan Monroe, but it’s not an assassination. You decided to give Vincent the wrong job. Send him to the right place with the wrong instructions. Della would get her revenge on Logan, and Carmen, well… I understand why you want to foil Vincent. In a strange and twisted way.”
Vincent stared at the trio. “Is she correct?” he said, his voice sharper than a steel blade. The three of them looked down at the ground, seemingly ashamed and embarrassed that I had dissected their plot so easily.
Della let out an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes. “I told you it was a stupid idea. Just give him the letter and let’s get out of this hell hole!” The three daughters looked furious, but Rose fished something from her person and threw it through the air.
Vincent caught the envelop between two fingers. He broke the seal and pulled out a letter.
“It’s a note from Vigliati himself,” he said to me. “Monroe has something that Xavier wants stealing back. An old family heirloom. Is that it?” The daughters would no longer meet Vincent’s eye. Carmen offered the slightest of nods and inspected her nails. “Tell him I accept. This request is much more reasonable than I had expected. If we are done here, then you may leave. Wait outside and my servants will take you back again.”
Without another word Carmen and Della both turned and left quickly. Rose remained behind for a moment. She looked from Vincent to me.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“Rachel,” I answered. She obviously wanted more than my name.
“Consider me impressed, whoever you are,” she said. She looked back at Vincent. “You might not realize it Don Cartello, but this meeting in itself was a test. Father wanted t
o see if you could see through our lies. It seems you couldn’t, but your wife here.” She looked me up and down. “Very impressive. Father may have underestimated you Vincent, you have picked yourself a strong adversary.”
Vincent looked at me. “Oh, I already know,” he said, a hint of pride in his voice. “Let your father know I will regain the heirloom. He will have it within a month.”
Rose nodded and left, heading back outside to join her sisters. Vincent then turned to face me, his red eyes twinkling with promise and intrigue. “You can also consider me impressed, Rachel. I did not expect that meeting to go anywhere near as well. How did you know they were lying?”
“I guess I just have an eye for these things,” I said.
“What of Carmen? Why did she try and ruin the meeting?”
“She loves you,” I said. “I think she came here with the intention of making her own alliance. Seeing me at your side was enough to flip her switches. They had to honor their father’s request though, regardless of their intent towards you. Dissecting their lies was perhaps sign enough that you were worthy enough to take on the real test.”
“Or choosing a partner that could dissect their lies. I can see why Vigliati would send his daughters now, instead of his son. He knew they would complicate things and try to obfuscate the truth, for their own reasons, whatever they may be.”
“Vigliati, does he often like to test people like this?”
Vincent nodded. “He is a very strange man, but he also holds a great amount of power. The Vigliati family once used to run things. They are not strong enough to control the entire game now, but when they decide to affiliate with one of the five families… well. Things will take a turn.”
“Why all the games? Why not just deal without the smoke and mirrors?”
“Part of the reason I am so successful in this arena is because I can see through people’s bullshit. You get used to people trying to double-cross you in this world, and it only gets worse when you bring vampires into the matter. Vigliati is making this difficult on purpose, he wants to see if I can navigate the muddy waters of our violent politics. There are none better to test me than his daughters.”
“You say he had a breeder himself? Once upon a time?”
“Yes,” Vincent said. “His wife. She was at his side for years. A very strong woman. She went onto give birth to Eric and the three daughters. Only through a breeder can a vampire pass down the full extent of their power. By turning another your power is weakened, thus the importance of breeders.”
“What happened to her?”
“Murdered by a rival family. Vigliati made sure to wipe them off the face of the earth. Since then he retreated into the shadows, leaving room for the five families to grow and try to control the game. He is an old vampire, so old he is nearly at the end of his life. He has come back now because I think he wants to make sure that war doesn’t erupt again. By merging with another house, he can honor his dead wife.”
“I think your picture of him isn’t completely accurate,” I said. Vincent turned his head.
“What do you mean?”
“Before this meeting you said he respects vampire leaders that keep slaves, I do not think that is the case. He respects vampires with strong women at their sides. If I had kept my mouth shut that meeting wouldn’t have ended well. His daughters responded to my authority.”
Vincent considered the proposal. “Perhaps you are right. Maybe I have been looking at it the wrong way all this time. Maybe this is why Vigliati perhaps has issues with me.”
“Stealing this heirloom back, will it be difficult?” I said.
“Perhaps. I will think about that another time.” For a long moment he simply stared at me, his eyes blinking softly under the flickering torchlight from overhead.
“What?” I asked.
“You have surprised me today, perhaps I did underestimate you. This is the second time you have helped me now. Why?”
I shrugged. “You wanted me for my assistance. It seemed pointless to hold my tongue and watch it all crash and burn.”
Vincent laughed. “You think it would have been that bad?”
“I know it would have. I had front row seats. Trust me. I’m sure you’re very cunning, but you were out of your depth here.”
“I think you are correct.” He glanced at me for another moment. “See how you are changing slave? Already you have become stronger and more assured. There is definitely promise within you. You have taken several steps towards earning my trust, though there is still some way to go.”
Pride burst through me at his words, followed by a wave of regret. Here I was again, marching to his drum and drooling like a schoolgirl every time he showed me a glimpse of compassion.
Was it Stockholm syndrome? Was I falling for my captor because of some stupid psychological glitch in my brain?
Time and time again I had been given the opportunity to run or let Vincent fail. Each time I had chosen to stay and help him, despite the way he treated me, despite the fact that I was a prisoner in a blank stone cell.
All because he was a master at sexual torture? Was that really the only thing keeping me in line? Or were there some deeper feelings at play that I just couldn’t understand?
“Come,” he said finally. “Let’s get back to the cell.”
When we got back to the room Vincent unlocked the door. It swung open on silent hinges and he gestured for me to step inside. As I did, I found myself surprised to see several new objects in the room. There was a mattress in the corner complete with a sheet and a cover. Next to it there was a box with some fruit, bread, and basic snacks. There was a small side-table, upon which there was a candle, a box of matches and a token of some sort. The tablet was on the mattress.
I turned and looked at Vincent. “What is this?”
“All the items from the first page of the catalog. You have earned them. Your conduct back there was exemplary.”
“Thank you,” I said. Part of me felt ridiculous for saying the words. These few small items were basic human rights, but it was progress at least.
“The token on the table is for a book from the library. Choose the option and a servant will accompany you so you can make a choice.”
“Thank you,” I said again, sounding much more grateful than I had for the other items. Comforts were one thing. A book could actually stop me from going mad.
“There is one final matter. You must return your dress. Please.”
He stared at me and I realized he wanted me to undress. In one action he could strip away the dress that had made me feel indestructible and return me to a naked and cowering slave.
That was the power.
I turned around and let him unzip the dress. Once it was loose around my body, I slipped it off my torso and stepped out of it carefully. I removed my heels too and handed them over. I was completely naked now. The plug in my ass was the only item on my body.
“You know slave,” he said. “I think you have earned another reward today.”
He threw the dress and the heels onto the ground, and with a flick of his wrist the door closed shut. The vampire stalked towards me and I gulped, feeling electricity crackle through the air.
I should have just pushed him away and told him to go fuck himself. People didn’t treat people like this. Normal people didn’t keep slaves.
I didn’t fight him though. I moaned when he kissed me. I pulled my body up against his, melting into him as his arms surrounded me and took me in their embrace.
He lifted me off the ground and carried me to the mattress in the corner, laying me down so I was flat on my back. Our kiss deepened, soft sounds escaping my throat as his trousers dug into my naked crotch. I was already wet and ready.
I needed this badly.
He moved down my body, his lips kissing their way down and leaving a hot trail of lust over my skin. He didn’t waste any time in getting to the spot that wanted his touch the most. His lips pursed around my clit and he massaged the throbbing b
ud with his tongue. I pushed my hands through his hair and moaned loudly.
“Fuck,” I said, not holding back with my volume. “Master, yes!”
He was frenetic, a hungry lion feeding from a lamb. His tongue slid between my wet slit and teased my walls. He pushed his fingers inside and massaged my spot while his lips sucked at my sore clit.
He had teased me for so long that I was aching for release now. I was so glad I could finally have it; I could cry. I was only seconds away.
And then he stopped.
“No!” I said, practically shouting the words as he left me within inches of the finishing line. My entire body trembled with the promise of another orgasm that had been denied. Vincent just sat up on his knees, wiped my juices from his mouth and chuckled to himself.
“Oh yes, slave,” he said. “You see, you’ve still not repaid your debt, and I want the message to be very clear. That aching little pussy of yours doesn’t come until I say so, and I think you need to wait just a little longer.”
I had actual tears in my eyes now. He had me so worked up that I felt like an addict missing a dose. “Please,” I pleaded.
“One night,” he said. “Last one more night. No touching yourself. If you can do that, you will be thoroughly rewarded.”
“I can’t—”
He was on his feet and walking towards the door before I could finish pleading. Once again, I found myself hating how weak I was. Why was I pleading with this man and begging him? He was a monster and a manipulator, nothing more.
But yet I kept falling for it.
The door slammed shut, the echo sounding across the dark room until there was only silence left. For a few long seconds I sat staring at the door, unable to believe that he had chosen to tease and humiliate me again.
I blinked slowly and let out a very long breath. It was tempting just to fuck myself right there and throw all of his plans to hell.
Wouldn’t he know though? Wouldn’t that subsequent punishment be so much worse?
I knew one thing for sure. I wouldn’t be helping him again. The next time Vincent Cartello needed assistance I would leave him high and dry, just as he had done with me.
