Lure (Marko Delacroix #3)

by Alaska Angelini

  I tugged, using the leverage of his hair to control his body, pushing him to step back, off-balanced. I didn’t think. Didn’t wait as I dove forward and twisted his head around, breaking his neck. All I could see was Tessa’s face. Her bloody, battered face. I knew Julius wasn’t dead, but he would be soon. My eyes narrowed at all the repercussions filtering through, but I blocked them out, tugging and twisting as I severed his head. The broken finalization of power through our shared blood brought me to my knees and an odd heat rushed through, tingling in my veins.

  For seconds, I couldn’t move. Couldn’t form a rational thought. Slowly, my eyes lifted and the smile of my vampire appeared, blocking all humanity. This was it. The moment I’d been waiting for. Me. I was the leader. No one would stop me from taking my throne. Axis was just going to have to deal with this new series of events. They’d see, I’d play their game. After all, I played a very important part and they needed my powers. They wouldn’t kill me. If they did, who would lead? Bufar? He didn’t have the balls or power to do what I could. And Tessa was far from ready if shit went down too soon.

  I stood and walked from the cell, wiping my hands on my pants as I headed for the tunnel. As the darkness swallowed me up, I mentally called in the collectors. Let them take care of the body. It was time to clean up and show these vampires who was in charge. First person on the list, my dishonorable guest.

  Chapter 11

  Tessa

  “Tonight will be the biggest test of them all.” Sayer dropped the invisible wall restraining me and took a step forward. The need to attack was there, but something told me not to. Instinct? Perhaps. I couldn’t remember why, but the voice in my mind said to be still. To wait out my time. If I didn’t…there was no telling what would happen. A new sort of fear had crept in and it cloaked around him, influencing my decisions.

  Hunter sat on the couch, staring at me quietly. I felt as though it was something he did a lot. Since I’d woken up hours ago, we hadn’t spoken a word to each other. Maybe we knew better, maybe we didn’t have to. I wasn’t sure. I felt different. More alert and cautious. And he definitely gave me a different vibe than before. I just wasn’t sure what exactly it was. Nothing made sense and I was so tired of waking up as a fresh slate. I was missing so much inside of me. My mind told me I kept forgetting, but it didn’t allow me to see what it was hiding.

  “Hey.” Sayer snapped his fingers in my face, pulling my attention back to his. My eyes narrowed in anger and it caused his mouth to tighten. “When I talk, you listen. I need your full attention. Say you understand.”

  My eyebrow rose and I knew what he wanted, even if it was hard for me to get the words to process right. Talking English didn’t feel natural and I didn’t like it. “I understand.”

  “Good. Tonight, you face only one. You may very well die. I’m leaving it up to fate. I will not step in and neither will anyone else. If you die,” he shrugged, “this wasn’t meant to be.”

  Fear should have been there, but I felt nothing. Nothing but the need to see and taste blood. I craved it like nothing else and it didn’t matter who it belonged to. “Let them try. I kill them.”

  “I’ll,” he corrected. “I’ll kill them. And no, I do not think you will.”

  “Then you are a fool.”

  Hunter stiffened and it pulled my attention, but it didn’t last as Sayer snarled. “You are the fool for underestimating who I put against you. And for talking to me like that. You think because you have my gift you can win or you’re better than me? Not even close. You are nothing compared to me. Besides, they’ll have gifts, too, Princess. Ones a hell of a lot more powerful than the amount you’ve tapped into.”

  A deep exhale left me and my hand came to my hip. “Male? Female?”

  “Female.”

  I shrugged, feeling my attention go back to Hunter. The sadness on his face had me taking in his features. He was handsome. Very handsome. But so sad. The need he stirred in me was different. I wanted to protect him almost as much as I liked the idea of killing him—which had been on my mind since I’d woken up as much as the questions concerning his change in demeanor. Instincts to go to him had me sidestepping Sayer. His hand immediately jerked at my bicep, bringing me back in front of him.

  “What did I say? Focus. Now is not the time to be distracted by Hunter. You can kill or fuck him some other time. Right now, you need to think about how you’re going to win this fight.”

  “I tire…of this,” I groaned, letting myself collapse on the end of the bed. “I win. You will see.”

  A frustrated sound left Sayer. He clenched his fist before my face and spun around, beginning to pace. “Where the hell is Julius? He should have been here fifteen minutes ago.”

  “He’s dead.” The words came before I realized I shouldn’t have said anything. My maker probably wouldn’t like me tapping into the voice constantly in my head. It wasn’t always talking to me. Sometimes, I magically found it. Like a light in the darkness of what rested inside.

  My head turned toward Hunter and I bit my bottom lip, spinning on my side as I studied him more. His head cocked to the side while he returned my stare. The beginning of a grin started to appear, but faded just as fast. What replaced it as his stare lowered to the ground made me stiffen. What was that…pain? Guilt? Horror? I didn’t understand. Was it me? Was I the one who had hurt him?

  “What did you say?” Sayer ripped me off the bed and the sound of a warning did leave me then. My nails shot down and a hiss poured from my lips as I fought to decide whether I should attack.

  “I said, he’s…dead. Dead. No head.” I gestured, spinning my hand over my own, trying to get him to understand. I knew I was saying it right.

  A knock had Sayer spinning toward the door just as it was thrust open. Hunter pushed from the wall, immediately jerking out his dagger. My pulse jumped and I swallowed hard at the man who walked in.

  “Marko. What are you doing here?” Sayer’s voice sounded an octave higher in pitch as he let me go. The dark haired vampire closed the door behind him, coming forward. The smile on his face had my heart thumping so hard, but I wasn’t sure why. His aura threw me. Anger, as if he was ready to destroy us all was present, but that wasn’t the part that gave me pause. The center of his being, his power, the piece that made him who he was, called to me. He called to me. It was enough to have me moving forward in a daze. Dark brown eyes cut over to me and his smile broadened, losing its menace.

  “I’m making my rounds to make sure everyone’s okay, of course. As leader of this community, it’s something I plan to do on a regular basis. And, well, I had to come check on my guest. How is everything, Sayer?”

  Although the question sounded almost normal, I felt the venom return toward my maker. He didn’t like Sayer any more than I did and somehow, that brought a relief so massive, I almost couldn’t believe it.

  “Where is Julius?”

  I rolled my eyes, throwing Sayer a look. “Dead, I tell you.” The words twisted on my tongue and he shot me a glare.

  “Tessa told you,” Marko repeated. He took a step and stopped, glancing at Hunter and then back to me as he spoke in my language. “Tessa, will you tell your slave to please put the dagger down? He has nothing to fear from me. Not yet, anyway.”

  “He’s not my slave,” I replied in our language.

  Marko shrugged and I shivered at the way he stared at me. It was as if we were suddenly the only two people in the room and I liked that. So much so, that I took another step. “That’s good news on my end. But can you tell him for me? I would hate to have to defend myself against him. He’d die if it came down to that. You’d hate to lose him, wouldn’t you?”

  Hunter’s stare went back and forth between me and Marko. I felt my brow furrow at his question. “I don’t want to lose him. Does he look sad to you?”

  “English!” Sayer’s yell had my teeth clenching.

  “Hunter. Please put…dagger down.”

  The human shook his head and something
in the action pulled at my anger. He was disobeying me. Me. Even if I did feel sorry for him, I knew I was above him and I didn’t like that he wasn’t listening.

  “Down.” My word was filled with such authority, the dagger lowered and Hunter let his arm fall to his side. Sayer moved more toward the human, only causing Marko to get closer to me. The switch in position had my maker doubling back.

  “Are you hungry, ma minette?” French, once again, filled the room at his question and I licked my lips, glancing at Sayer before answering in English.

  “Yes. But,” I searched for the words, “I fight to feed today.”

  Marko’s eyes glazed over, making the brown turn black. Still, he continued. “Have you been treated well? Has he hurt you anymore?”

  “Hurt?” I blinked as I tried to push into memories that wouldn’t come.

  “I see you don’t remember. Pity, really. Your maker likes to hurt you. But I’m your friend and leader, I’m not going to let that happen anymore. I’ll take care of you no matter what it concerns. I’ll make him pay,” he said, lowering his voice. “You know this, yes?”

  “Yes.” My response was so low, it was almost inaudible. Faster, my mind raced. What Marko said felt right. Sayer had to pay. But…why? I couldn’t remember.

  “Yes, what?” Sayer’s eyebrows drew in and I glanced over at him. My vampire swiftly calculated and I stood taller, smiling.

  “Yes, you…take care of me.”

  “Of course I do.” He made his way over, hooking his arm in mine and pulling me toward the closet. The light blue shift I wore was tugged at my waist and I looked down at where his fingers held, noticing my fangs were already down. “Change while I speak to Marko alone. We have things to go over and I want you ready when I return.”

  Marko’s voice had both of us turning in his direction.

  “She won’t be fighting to eat. As the new leader of this community, which she’s a member of, that’s an order. If she wishes to increase her skills, that’s one thing, but it won’t be to survive. I’m willing to make sure she lives, no matter what.” He narrowed his eyes. “And I’ll be monitoring everything concerning my successor from now on.”

  Something passed between Marko and Sayer as they held each other’s stares. After a few minutes, Sayer stormed past, heading toward the door. Marko’s gaze hungrily traveled down my body before he followed, taking his time. The moment the barrier shut, Hunter’s movement had me zeroing in on him and it seemed to hit both of us at the same time. We were alone. Unrestrained. And no one was here to help him…or stop me if I wanted to have him or his blood. I couldn’t resist getting closer.

  “Tessa.” His hand shot up and I took in the way he tightened his hold on the dagger. He was battling over whether to raise it. I paused, coming to a stop a few feet away.

  “You…are sad? Yes?”

  The surprise that lit his features turned into the same look I’d witnessed for hours. Hunter nodded and pushed from the wall, stepping closer. The smell of his skin…his blood, had me taking a step, too.

  “I’m glad you can’t remember. I don’t want you to ever know what we’ve been through. I miss you, Tessa. I miss my best friend.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, you,” he breathed out. “We love each other. God, I’ve loved you since we were children. And you, you’ve loved me too, but only recently did I know that. You never told me. If you had,” his head shook, “we wouldn’t be here now. We’d be married. Have children. We’d have the perfect life. I’d do anything for you. I’m here, even when I don’t want to be. And fuck, I don’t. I hate this place.” His voice cracked and he wiped a tear from his eye just as it escaped. “But I promised to take care of you, no matter what that entailed. Someday, you’ll remember for more than a few minutes at a time. Or for a day. Then, you’ll see.”

  What exactly I’d seen was beyond me. But I didn’t like him hurting. It only made me more defensive as I glanced toward the door. “Why does Marko…?” Words jumbled around my tongue and I battled with the English that didn’t want to come. “He says…I love him, too. Who is he?”

  Hunter’s jaw tightened and a wave of heat poured from him, tempting me even more. I moaned, moving closer though my deepening breaths. Lust ruled me whether I liked it or not. And concerning him, I wasn’t sure I did.

  “He did this to you, Tessa. It’s his fault you’re a vampire. True, we made the decision, but if he hadn’t bonded you against your will, you wouldn’t have had to take this route. He almost killed you once. And Sayer’s even worse. I want us to leave here. There has to be a way.”

  I got quiet, bringing my gaze to the cement floor. I didn’t remember anything of Marko or even Sayer. All I had were feelings…instincts. Marko promised to help me. Protect me, even. Yet, he’d hurt me? I knew not to trust Sayer. But was Hunter telling me the entire truth? Who did I believe? I trusted no one. The only person I held to was myself.

  The door swung open and Sayer stormed in, jolting to a stop as he took in how close Hunter and I were to each other.

  “No…you’re not safe here with her. Hunter, let’s go, you’re coming back to Dallas with me until I can convince Axis to overrule Tessalyn’s residence here. We’ll make sure it’s granted in our favor. We don’t need this place.”

  Immediately, a growl left my throat as I put myself between the two of them. Warnings were exploding in my mind, growing so thick, they blocked out everything but the need to fight. Although I wasn’t sure why, I didn’t dismiss the one fact I knew: Marko and Hunter both claimed Sayer had hurt me. If he could harm me, he could surely do it to Hunter. Had he already and I didn’t remember? It was enough to cause me to lower my head as I let the killer within take over.

  My hand rose, my fingers spreading wide as I put up my palm, facing Sayer. I wasn’t sure why or what it meant, other than the fact that it grounded me, but I held steady, waiting to see if he made a move.

  “I’m not going with you. No way. I’m not. I can’t.” The fear was thick in Hunter’s voice, feeding me. His energy drew further away, as if the human was moving back toward the wall. It was a clear indication that the things locked away in my mind were worse than I even could process. I knew Hunter’s energy. He held power like me. He was a strong fighter. So why wasn’t he fighting now?

  “I said let’s go! Did you learn nothing in the last few weeks, pet? You get over here right now or so help me…” Sayer began to circle around, but I stayed even with his steps. I could see Marko edge through the door in my peripheral vision, but I paid him no notice. Every ounce of my focus was on the one man I saw as the biggest threat.

  “He…stays.”

  Sayer glanced my way, but his eyes went right back to Hunter.

  “He’s coming, Princess.”

  “No…I don’t think so,” Marko said, walking closer. “He’s property of Tessa. Not you, Sayer. I say he stays.”

  The reverberation of Sayer’s voice went through the room and his eyes turned black as he pinned Marko with a glare. “They are both my property! Mine! Not yours.”

  “Wrong. He stays,” Marko ground out.

  “So you can kill him before I return? He goes with me.”

  Closer, Marko stepped, until he was standing but a foot away from me. “Hunter will not die at my hand. Not yet. As the leader of this community, you have my word. You can clearly show that to Axis when you meet with them.”

  Heavy pants left Sayer and he shifted a few steps before he lunged. Marko was in front of me before Sayer could connect with my arm. Only inches separated their faces and Marko didn’t budge once as he glared down at my maker.

  “Leave. Now. Or else I have every right to make sure you never leave again. And I don’t mean to make you a resident here. You understand me?”

  Hands gripped my waist and I let Hunter draw me back against him as he led us further away from the two vampires.

  “I’ll be back and when I do, I’m taking what’s mine. You might as well have Tessa and Hunter packi
ng their bags now. They won’t be staying long.”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  Every step Sayer took toward the door, Marko was sure to stay even with him. The moment the barrier shut, Hunter’s face dropped into my neck. His deep exhale rushed out over my skin and Marko turned, eyeing him.

  A deep silence lasted for seconds while no one moved. Finally, Hunter’s head lifted and he spun me around, hugging me tight. It was dangerous and I knew he had to have known that, but he didn’t let go or step back.

  “Thank you, Marko. I…” Once again, a quietness settled around us. Hunter eased the tension in his arms and stepped back. “I couldn’t leave Tessa. I couldn’t…go with him.”

  “He hurt you, too.” Marko came closer, his head cocking as he kept his attention on my human’s face.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m fine.”

  Marko’s head shook. “No, I don’t think so. Look at me, Hunter. Show me what he did.”

  “Stay the fuck away from me,” Hunter burst out, raising the dagger. “Stay…away.”

  Slowly, Marko’s hands rose, as if in surrender. “If you wish. You can say you’re fine, but I know you’re not. Whatever he did, whatever you had to go through…he’s gone now.”

  “But for how long? What if this Axis thing lets him take us? What if we have to leave?” The questions dispensed at a fast pace. “Tessa can’t be hurt like that again. I can’t watch…I can’t. No.” He shook his head quickly. “You have to tell me how to kill him. You have to…I…no.” Words began jumbling together through his fear. My hand rose to my head at the pounding beginning to register again.

  Marko extended his hand to me and I instinctively went to step forward. Hunter wrapped his arm around my stomach and lifted me off the ground against him. Thrashing came natural. The dagger was pointed out toward my leader, but I could feel its power so close to my face. The holiness made my skin crawl. It was hard to breathe in the closeness.