Lure (Marko Delacroix #3)

by Alaska Angelini

  “Oh, Princess. Do you really think you can use my own gift against me?”

  Like a shadow standing out against the darkness, a blur sped toward me. All I saw were fangs as my feet shot up. Before I could use my teeth as a weapon, his were sinking into my neck. He didn’t drink. Didn’t do anything but use his force to render me immobile. It was a warning—a show of his power. I didn’t stand a chance. He could kill me now. Could have killed me before, yet he hadn’t.

  Sayer let go, bringing back his fist to plant it right into my mouth. Teeth fell loose against my tongue with a gush of blood and I turned, spitting them out. Within seconds, they grew back, but not without a price. The pain was crippling. A blood curdling scream left me and I was frozen. Even with the cuffs magically falling loose, I couldn’t move. I was so weak. In so much pain, it was hard to get past the thought of being defeated.

  “Get up.” Sayer pulled me to stand, pushing a loose, white slip over my head. It came down a few inches above my knees, but it didn’t hide what I saw. Cum mixed with blood ran down my legs and I squeezed them together, feeling and seeing the wetness just past the hem smear.

  “You look great. Marko’s going to love this,” he whispered in my ear. “And this is what he’s going to see right before you kill him. He’s going to know you’re mine. That I’m the one with the power to do to you whatever I want. He’ll be so devastated by your appearance, his guard will be down. And you’ll end him once and for all. You got that?”

  Sayer jerked against my arm, pulling me toward the door. I could fight, but I didn’t. He was taking me to see Marko. Somehow, I knew this person, but I couldn’t put the pieces together in my mind. Everything was blurring together. I was fading again and there was only one thing I knew: I had to get to him. Had to get to Marko.

  Hunter’s shouts continued, but not for long. The door closed behind us and Sayer pulled me toward the tunnel at a fast pace. Blood was all I tasted and smelled, and it was my own. It left my adrenaline soaring to dangerous heights. The moment we broke into the large open room, every sound in the city pinged in my ears, spiking my need to defend myself. Musicians sang. People laughed far off in the distance, moans even broke through from somewhere, but I was pulled from the moment by a group of people coming to an abrupt stop in front of me. Their power was strong. Together, it made me pull against Sayer’s grip so I could try to protect myself. Two men and two women. One with dark hair had my eyes narrowing. She stirred something in my mind, but I wasn’t sure whether she was a threat.

  “Oh…God,” she breathed out.

  “Mind your business, Marie,” Sayer snapped, pushing us past them. I turned around, seeing the dark haired woman’s mouth drop open as she shook her head. She spun on her heels, racing deeper into the large, open room. Darkness took over and two heartbeats in the distance had my attention snapping to the front. Light rested further down and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d been here before.

  Tighter, Sayer’s arm gripped. “Remember what I told you. Kill him,” he said under his breath, “or I’ll rape you again the moment we get back to the room. This time, it won’t be so nice or quick.”

  A threatening sound left me, so deep and loud, it bounced from the cement around us. But he didn’t stop. Didn’t even seem fazed by my reaction to his warning. We broke into the light and a dark haired man had a woman pinned against the wall of his cell. His face was buried in her neck and I watched him stiffen before he turned around, letting the woman crash to the floor. Blood stained his chin and he wiped it away, reaching down to blindly kill her before he stepped forward. Not once did he take his eyes off me. It was like I was looking at Hunter all over again during my rape. Horror. Pain.

  The man I knew as Marko reached to his chest and took a few ragged breaths before turning his attention to Sayer. The hate he projected was equivalent to my own, but the expression was so fast, it didn’t last. Hardness came over his features and he shook his head, beginning to laugh.

  “Fuck, you did a number on her. I have to say, I’m a little shocked right now. I thought for sure you were joking. Yet, here she is, beaten to hell, covered in blood and…” His head tilted as he looked down at my legs. The fury flickered again, but was gone as his eyes rose. “Cum. I take it that’s yours?”

  “Of course it’s mine. Tessalyn belongs to me. I can fuck her when I choose.”

  Slowly, Marko nodded, his mouth growing tight.

  “My princess has decided she wants to fight you after all. Don’t you, sweetheart?” Lips pressed against the side of my face and my claws shot down. Before I could raise my hand to attack, his fingers slid into my hair and he yanked me forward. The door to the cell slammed open and I was thrown in so low, my chest slid across the rough ground. My hand came down and I tried to push myself up, only to collapse.

  There was movement next to me, followed by Marko lowering and whispering in French. “Jesus, ma minette, what has he done to you? I'm so sorry I haven't been there to protect you. My heart is breaking right now.”

  I sniffled past the tears burning my eyes. I didn’t know this man, not really, but his sympathy hit right in my heart, stirring unfamiliar emotions.

  “I’m going to kill him,” I managed in our language. “I will not forget this. I…can’t.”

  “Nor will I let you,” he said angrily.

  “Enough talk!” Sayer yelled. “Get up, Tessalyn. You wanted this fight, now show him what you’re made of.”

  Sadness swept over Marko’s features and his hand came out toward me. I couldn’t help but flinch after everything I’d been through.

  “I wish I could say I wasn’t going to hurt you, but you know that isn’t the case, right? I don’t want to, but it’s the only way I’m going to convince him I’m moving on. It’s the only way they’ll set me free. But, I’ll never get over you. You’re my heart and I’m going to show you how much I love you once I’m released. Stay strong for just a little while longer. If he’s not dead by the time I’m out, I’ll be the one who kills him. No one hurts what’s mine and gets away with it. And you are mine, Tessa. Forever.”

  Marko’s arm latched onto my bicep and he jerked me up, violently. Threatening sounds left his mouth, but I felt no fear. “Now, fight,” he said in English. “And fight hard. I’m not going to take it easy on y—”

  My nails ripped across his cheek, causing him to growl out in anger. His head snapped back to me and his eyes practically sparkled with approval.

  “I don’t…know you.” I created more distance between us, shaking my head. “I don’t know you!”

  Whether Sayer believed my statement, I wasn’t sure, but I did know Marko. Somehow, I did, and the vampire in me gravitated to him like nothing I’d ever experienced before. It made trying to fight him hard. I didn’t want to fight. I wanted his arms around me, holding me while I breathed him in.

  “You may not now, but I guarantee after this day, you won’t forget me.” Marko charged in my direction and my instincts flared, assessing the threat racing toward me. I dropped low in a crouching position, thrusting myself up to catch his waist and bring him to his back. Sayer’s laugh filled the background, as did a clapping sound. My fangs bared and I dove toward his neck. Where I thought he’d move or try to prevent my attack…he didn’t. Viciously, I bit down, jolting at the power his blood caused pooling over my tongue. Fingers embedded in my hair and I felt the low moan all the way to my toes as he held me to him. The vibrations joined with the richness of his flavor and my body softened, molding into his. For the first time since I could remember, I felt safe. I felt at home. My tongue swirled over his neck and his grip grew tighter.

  “Not yet, ma minette, but soon,” he whispered, jerking my hair and spinning me to my back. Feeling defenseless had me fighting in earnest and I wedged my feet against his hard stomach, sending him flying into the wall. Through the lust and panic, I managed to climb to my feet, just in time for him to make it back to me. My claws shot out, but he defended himself against the st
rikes. Blocked every fucking move I tried to make, over and over. It was almost laughable how good he truly was. He was taking it easy on me. Every move. Every action. I didn’t stand a chance.

  Anger began to seep in and Sayer’s words repeated in my head. He was going to rape me again after this and there was nothing I could do about it.

  Heat swirled in my belly and although Marko had me from behind now, I barely felt his strong hold as I tuned into myself. Darkness clouding the top of the cell projected in my mind and met me as my lids opened. The grip holding me loosened, but didn’t break.

  “There we go,” Sayer said lowly. “Do it. Show him what you’re capable of!”

  Black fog billowed from my mouth, pouring out in a thick mass that began to creep around us. The darkness would keep me safe. The darkness was me. Only I could save myself, and somehow I took comfort in that—even if it was only temporary.

  “I love you. To death. Remember that through your hell. Know that I’m going to be there with you soon. We’ll make them pay. We’ll make them all pay.”

  I wasn’t focusing on Marko’s words anymore. All I knew was the substance leaving me. It wasn’t like before and the realization was stealing my focus. The slight twinge of an odd perfume started to coat my throat. Surviving was key. I had to protect myself because I couldn’t kill the one person Sayer wanted me to. He promised to be there for me. He said he loved me. And something told me I might have feelings for him, too.

  “Ma minette, what is that? What…” The hold loosened, quickly breaking away as footsteps stumbled back. Multiple voices filled the surroundings, but I could see nothing but the darkness swirling and dancing around me happily. Yes, it looked so happy. So alive as it rose and stretched out.

  “Tessalyn Antoinette? Tessalyn?” A familiar voice had me turning, but I didn’t know who it was. Didn’t want to see as I clung to my armor. It was hiding me. Protecting me from the evil outside of it.

  “Tessa?”

  Another voice. Hunter.

  I took a few steps, looking down at Marko’s barely conscious body on the floor. His lids appeared heavy as he blinked up at me. There was a smile on his face. One of pride? I wasn’t sure. “Soon, me and you,” he whispered. One last blink and he closed his eyes for good. Whether he was pretending or really affected by my gift, I wasn’t sure. His heart was still beating, I knew that. I could hear it so strongly. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

  In a daze, I lowered, putting all my attention on the call. And it was calling me in some unexplainable way. Thump-thump. Faster, it increased at my presence. But Marko didn’t move.

  My head cocked to the side and I lowered, resting my ear over where his heart was located. A coolness enveloped his skin and I placed my hand over his defined abs, letting the temperature soak into my palm. He wasn’t healthy. Not in the sense that my instincts told me, but I couldn’t understand what it meant. He’d been feeding, or had started when I arrived, but how often did he get to in here? Was it enough?

  So many questions began to push through my mind and for the first time, they weren’t about me. They were concerned over the man below me.

  “What are you waiting for?” Sayer’s voice boomed above me, but was overtaken by a dark haired man, moving in closer to the side. I knew him, although I couldn’t remember his name. He swayed and swallowed hard, shaking his head roughly. It sent his long hair to the front of his shoulders.

  “She’s poisonous,” he said, slurring his words. “God, my head hurts. Okay, Tessalyn, make the rest go away.”

  I didn’t want to. I wanted the fog back. Wanted it to save me from what I knew would be happening soon.

  The sound of heaving had me looking through the haze. Hunter was kneeling and gagging, holding his stomach as he braced his body up with his other hand. No words came from me, but I let go of the connection with my gift and watched it fade out. Within seconds, I was suddenly alone again. Exposed completely to the people who wanted to hurt me.

  “Well, he’s not dead.” The vampire with long hair crouched next to us, putting his hand on Marko’s chest. With a tug of his shoulder, Marko began to blink heavily.

  “Of course I’m not dead, Julius.” He coughed, rolling to his side. “You seriously didn’t think she could kill me so easily, did you? It was the distance. She’s damn toxic up close.”

  Sayer’s jaw clenched as his glare shot to me. “Give her another few days and her powers will grow. She’d be able to kill you then. The poison will increase over time. She’ll be able to do whatever she wants with it.”

  Marko’s eyebrow rose and he pushed to stand, falling into the wall to hold himself up. “Then maybe you should bring her back in a few days. If you’re brave enough.”

  “Maybe I will,” Sayer countered.

  “You going to make sure to rape her again before you do?” He turned to the dark haired vampire. “You see that, Julius? Is that what you allow to go on as our leader? A high-ranking member raping newborns?”

  “Enough.” Julius looked between them, but I could see his uneasiness.

  “No,” Marko said, shaking his head. “It is not enough. That blood staining the top of her dress was from the horrific beating she’d received before he brought her to me. I may be moving on from Tessa, but as second in command, I refuse to allow this sort of brutality to happen to one of our future members. Hell, future leader! She’ll take the throne someday. Imagine what this is doing to her psyche. Is he trying to create a monster? One who’s uncontrollable and worthless? We all know if this treatment continues she’s going to slip into the wrong frame of mind. One she’ll never be able to come back from. Tell me how Axis would feel about that?”

  Sayer grabbed my arm, jerking me to stand. “I am Axis! Tessalyn will be treated however I see fit. I made her. She’s mine. If I want to beat her to within an inch of her life every day, tell me, who’s going to stop me? You?” He laughed. “Julius? No,” he said, shaking his head. “No one tells me what to do. If you don’t like how I treat Tessalyn, she and I will gladly go back to Dallas.”

  “No…no.” Julius’s hand rose and he continued looking between me and Marko. “Sayer, you may have made her, but she was a part of this community first. You know the rules. You can leave if you feel you must, but she stays. If you’d like to take it up with Axis, you can, but we all know what they’re going to say. They’ll need my permission for relocation and I refuse to give it. Tessalyn Antoinette stays. That was the plan from the beginning and my gift tells me that’s the way it’s meant to be.”

  A smile tugged at the corner of Marko’s mouth.

  “As for the…treatment of her.” A wealth of emotions played across Julius’s face and I could tell he was having a hard time trying to pick his words. “What happens behind closed doors is of none of our concern. Sayer knows the repercussions his actions will have on Tessalyn. For all vampires concerned, let’s hope he chooses wisely how he wants to mold his future concubine.”

  My heart jumped as nausea and panic had me trying to pull free of Sayer’s grip.

  “Are you serious?” Marko shook his head at the older vampire. “You’re going to allow the beatings and rape to continue? To her? To the one you’re entrusting to rule in your passing? What if she ends up taking us all down? Can you seriously say that’s good judgement from a leader?”

  “One more word and I’ll push back your next feeding for weeks. Don’t test me, Marko.”

  “Fuck…the feeding,” he yelled. “It’s not right and you know it. Be our leader, not the puppet you’ve been to Sayer since he arrived. He owes you nothing and you have absolutely nothing to prove. She’s turned. You got what you wanted. What else could he possibly have that tempts you? Axis? Do you feel he’s going to convince the elders to let you in?”

  Julius narrowed his eyes and spun around, refusing to answer as he left the cell. Sayer pulled me out, letting the cell door slam behind him. Marko’s eyes held mine and I didn’t care if he saw the tears escape. Apparently, my leader had a
bandoned me to the worst hell there was and I had no idea how to survive it.

  Chapter 9

  Hunter

  There were many times in my life where safety was nonexistent. Through the night patrols and being in a foreign country where death sometimes happened on a daily basis, the only thing that got me past the fear and uncertainty was knowing I could provide assurance and courage to the soldiers who looked up to me. But I wasn’t on another tour. And the woman I loved wasn’t some soldier under my command. Here, I was helpless. And, with what was happening to her, even more so.

  To see your heart, your other half, endure grotesque acts of violence and rape when there was nothing you could do about it was worse than anything I could imagine witnessing. It was destroying me. No matter how much I yelled or threatened, nothing helped. It only made Sayer hurt her more. And now, he was threatening me.

  As I stared at Tessa’s limp body, cuffed to the bed on her stomach, I couldn’t stop the stream of tears from racing down my face. Four days this had been happening. Aside from the bastard letting me loose for bathroom breaks and meals, he kept me restrained in his invisible bubble, trapped right next to the bed. He wanted me to see her pain. He wanted to break me, and he was succeeding.

  “Yes! Hurt me.” I could feel the craziness in my eyes as I waved him closer. Anything to get him away from her. Blood coated Tessa’s sides from where his nails had repeatedly tore open her back. The tears had long dried on her face. Now, she just stared in my direction…gone—a zombie of his making. I could tell she was no longer aware of what was happening. She’d been that way for a while, only jolting or whimpering when he added new marks. But she wasn’t here. I’d seen that haunted look before. My Tessa was possibly more broken than I was and I had to find a way to bring her back. To get rid of her maker and fix the damage that had been done. Looking at her blank stare, I wasn’t sure that was possible.