savage 07 - the dark savage

by Tamara Rose Blodgett

“She has such spirit, look at how she tries to fight.” He tore at my panties and began to dig his way inside me and I threw my head forward into his and he stumbled back, his hand retreating while I was bodily picked up by the vampire behind me, swung around and pressed to the floor. My head was ringing and the vampire I'd hit was coming toward me again to join in some kind of gang-rape.

  I screamed and Cole was there, his fangs bared and his arm shooting out. His hand wrapped the throat of the vampire that rode me, his knees spreading my legs.

  Cole lifted him by his throat, heaving him into the stone wall and I scrambled backward on all fours until I was pressed against Cole's shins.

  “Alexander, how can you allow this?” Cole yelled as Nathan held back the other three that would have rushed Cole.

  “Calm down, Reaper. You know she must be used by all so that she may become pregnant right away. Can you not smell her, she is fertile.”

  Cole said nothing and Alexander's eyes narrowed. “You do know. Have you been with her?”

  Cole shook his head. I whimpered and pressed my face harder against him and he moved his legs apart so I fit more securely against them.

  “Let them have her, Cole. She may choose a mate. Afterward.”

  The one that Cole had thrown watched me at Cole's feet like a feral animal.

  “Please, don't let them have me,” I pleaded up at him, and his eyes held mine and I had a stab of guilt, knowing my intent was to leave this place and use whatever emotional attachment he had for me against him.

  “I will check her fertility,” Alexander said and Cole growled, his fangs tearing out of their encasement of flesh.

  “You will step away from the Druid, Reaper.”

  Cole relented with a grunt of disgust and I was left alone on the middle of the floor as Alexander approached me.

  He wasted no time getting down on the floor, between my legs as a hundred people looked on he lifted my skirt and plunged a finger inside me, moving it back and forth. I tried to close my legs but he easily pressed them apart. His breathing came faster as he positioned himself between my legs using his other hand to pull down his pants.

  Cole, from so much closer than I thought, said quietly, “You are not to have her either, Alexander.”

  Alexander slid his hand out of the slickness of me and I swept my legs closed, knowing every vampire in the room had seen what Alexander had. The vampires had their eyes latched to me, pupils dilated.

  Alexander stood, fastening his pants with shaking hands. “I forgot myself.”

  All eyes turned to me and I kept my legs together and tried to look as appealing and vulnerable as I could, it was all the leverage that I had. Nathan was especially enthralled, licking his lips and waiting for his chance.

  The other Druids looked on with horror as Cole came and lifted me to a standing position on shaky feet. I couldn't stop the naked accusation that filled my eyes. We had managed to stave off the inevitable only because Alexander himself lost control. As the leader, he was looking pretty bad right about now.

  I could still feel his probing fingers inside me and couldn't contain an involuntary shudder.

  All that talk about what a precious commodity Druid Breeders were was lost before his lust. The female vampires looked at me like something to squash underneath their heel.

  Wonderful position I was in. Leaving sooner rather than later would be better.

  “She has three days of fertility. You know the rites, Cole. She will have to submit to five Reapers. It is the way. After, she can be mated with two,” Alexander shrugged, his momentary faux pas, like a pink elephant in the room, forgotten.

  Cole wasn't going to forget. I could sense it, tasting his reluctance to comply like a fine wine on my tongue.

  CHAPTER NINE

  The community supper had been awkward as hell and I had suffered through it while taking furtive glances at the five that were going to gang rape me in front of everyone.

  I wanted them in my sights.

  I ground through my meal, knowing I must eat in anticipation of fleeing this place. I wasn't going to stay any longer than I must. When I was eating I sat between Cole and Eve, who kept a diligent eye on what I consumed. I covertly scanned the room and picked up on the other Druids. They seemed easy and sure, their vampire males doting on them. Some women seemed to have two or three partners. I couldn't believe they could accept this life. A life where a different species held them captive and bred them like prized mules.

  It wasn't for me.

  Eve and Cole walked me back to my room and I could feel the other vampires' eyes on my back the entire length of the hall.

  I turned when we reached the door. “Why in front of everyone?”

  Cole understood exactly what I was asking.

  “We have had some issues in the past. It is best that a coupling happen in full view initially so there cannot be question as to whom has had a rightful turn,” he shrugged with clear distaste cloaking his face.

  I had to ask and I could see in Eve's eyes her burning desire for me not to.

  “Why were you not amongst them? Why didn't you warn me?” I thought of Alexander's unwanted fingers inside me and my face leaked my thoughts all over the place.

  He looked pained (if a vampire can look that way). “I asked him to hold off. I explained about some of our... activities and the taking of the blood. Alexander indicated he would wait.”

  “But he didn't tell you outright.”

  He shook his head. “He thinks I've become too attached to you. He thinks I am too 'alpha' to be in a breeding pair.”

  “Alpha?” I asked, my eyebrow cocked and I heard Eve sigh.

  “Some of the vampires don't have the disposition to share their mates,” she expounded.

  Cole glowered.

  Eve looked up at him. “You brought it on yourself, Reaper. She is ready, fertile. You stumbled upon her in a dangerous situation from which you extracted her. Don't forget your duty to your race. Do not be as the rogue.”

  Cole glared at her but she continued, turning to me, “Alpha is the way they all are, it is a natural disposition for vampires. But some are born with an extra portion.” She was talking to me but looking at him.

  “Fine.” He looked at the two of us. “I could not stand by and watch her being mauled. She needs more time. That is one thing that the rogue believe: that she should have a choice.”

  “You saw Alexander, he will not give her too much more. She has what? Two days? Leave Cole. Do a mission, find another of Druid blood. Ease the sting from our leaders' decisions by bringing more to this place. Be gone for the rite.”

  “Wait... you are what... getting women all the time?” I asked. I couldn’t help but wonder about this faction of vampires that did not live with them. A faction outcast, that disobeyed rules.

  He nodded. “It is what Nathan and I do. We scout.”

  “Reapers...” I whispered, my comprehension complete.

  He saw my expression and nodded acquiescence. “We harvest.”

  And with that, he walked away, his leathers marking his progress in the hollow emptiness of the hall.

  CHAPTER TEN

  I lay awake in my small bed while the moonlight illuminated the bones of the furniture that stood at stark attention in the shadowed corners. Eve had elaborated about the rogue. They did not believe that Druids should be shared, they wished to not follow the “old ways.” But, Eve warned, they also took Druids, and mated with them... and forced them to stay with them. They killed whatever vampires that stood in their way. Vampire scouts like Cole and Nathan would be killed on sight and a small battle would ensue to ascertain their success. The scouts were at their most vulnerable after they'd acquired a Druid. The chance of a rogue on their tail was high.

  I deliberated. That was why I had hardly been at the police station for any length of time. If they'd scented me out, the rogue would not have been far behind. Effectively shadowing the trail left by the Reapers.

  A soft knock so
unded at my door and a female vamp walked in. Taller than I at almost six foot she approached the bed and I warily scooted back against the wall, the pillow between cushioning me from the coldness of the stone.

  She held up a palm in placation. “Fear not, Druid. I wish to help you and thereby help myself.” She attempted a smile but when her fangs were revealed I cringed at the sight and the smile faded.

  Her lips were terribly red and my eyes latched onto them as my heart beat harder.

  She exhaled a shaky breath and I realized that she was fighting her thirst.

  She began without preamble, “I desire to be with Cole. I have mixed ancestry and may be able to breed.” She seemed to need an answer so I nodded slowly. The crazy bitch. Who was I to argue?

  She took my silence as acceptance and went on, “I have brought some things for you to wear to help you escape this place. You will be unable to return to your rightful home. They will try to reacquire you there...”

  She trailed off and looked at me.

  Hope glowed in my eyes that was impossible to dim. I so wanted out of here and here she was handing it to me on a silver platter.

  An image of Cole entered my mind and I shoved it aside. Stick to the plan, Rachel, I chanted to myself.

  She leaned forward and from behind her back she slowly pushed clothing and a small pack onto my lap. I was so thrilled with the prospect I missed her hand as it snaked out, coiling around my throat. My neck felt like a flower stem that had been caught in the mouth of a lion. I didn't move as her mouth lingered over mine and issued the warning, “Do not return, Druid.”

  I moved my chin up and down and she released me. Her long fingers trailed softly along my collarbone as she moved away.

  It stole my breath.

  She backed away from me with her hand planted over her nose. When she reached the doorway she paused with her other hand on the frame.

  “Change and go to the furthest door at the end of the hall. It will be unlocked. After you pass through, follow the wall at your left and there will be a gate at its end.” She looked into my eyes and I could feel her pressing her will on me.

  It was ineffective because I was a pureblood. I did a mental eye-roll.

  Her frustration escaped in a sigh. “It will be unlatched as well.”

  “Wait,” I called after her bravely.

  She turned and her pale eyes glittered against the moonlight reflectively and I flinched, thinking again of a lion. “Why do you want him?”

  She smiled and it was menacing, not happy. “He is a fine warrior and will breed true, every female wishes to mate with him. He is not like the others.” Her expression changed. She was reconsidering my rescue and maybe substituting it with my death. I saw her mind mulling it over.

  I interrupted her thought process, “I'll go.”

  “Self-preservation. Very good.” She turned on her heel and silently left the room.

  ****

  I slunk down the dark hall dimly lit with sconces that flickered with candlelight. I knew that every vampire in the compound must be awake but not one was anywhere to be seen.

  I let out a shaky breath and continued, the moonlight streaming through the windows lighting the path before me. My hand glided down the wall and the rough texture of the stone tore softly at the flesh of my palm as I neared the door.

  Once there I could not see a handle or latch and felt around until I found a cup-like indentation carved along the side where it met the frame. Scooping my finger inside it I pulled.

  It didn't move.

  I pushed and it slid open soundlessly. The night air rushed in and robbed me of breath. It was so cold that I stood stock still. Huddling inside the parka that the female vampire had given me, I made my way along the outside wall, using my left hand to space myself and the moonlight to secure my steps.

  As I came to the end of the wall I saw the gate, slightly ajar and standing in a sea of stone that was a wall ten feet high.

  I moved to the door and gave it brief examination as I slid through. It would not have been something I could have moved. It reminded me of stories I had heard about castles with moats and such, it was formidable, tall, rough-hewn and too heavy to swing.

  She had left it open, my mind supplied unhelpfully. Better not to dwell on the strength disparity between her and I.

  In fact, maybe I should hustle my ass along before she changed her mind.

  I did, making my way into a wooded glade with only the moonlight to guide me.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  I felt like I'd been walking for miles (I probably had). My feet screamed and I decided that I'd made enough distance that I could safely rest and inspect my pack.

  There wasn't a lot I noticed, rummaging around. I had a bottle of water and a sandwich. I was sure it was whatever had been left over from the elaborate banquet. A feeling of unease stole over me as I thought about the female more. She had packed hardly anything. Yet, she hadn't killed me. It was puzzling and my mind felt as if it was circling the answer but hadn't reached the center of the maze yet.

  I ate half the sandwich and was recapping the water when I stood and stretched, throwing the pack on my back and readying myself to locate a road. Distantly, I could hear traffic. I'd walked for, I looked at my watch and figured two hours; maybe five miles or so?

  A small noise startled me and my heart sank when I saw five vampires exit the woods in a loose circle around me.

  None of them looked familiar. But I knew they were Vampire, my body tingling in recognition. Their clothes, bearing, everything was different from the compound I'd just been in.

  Their eyes shone like onyx in the moonlight.

  That's when it hit me, their irises were not silvered like the others, but shone like blood does in the dark.

  Black.

  The rogue.

  I ran.

  The backpack bounced on my back as I fled, the branches crashing and whipping at my body as I pushed through the dense tree cover, the cold biting my hands, nipping them painfully.

  I was roughly pulled from behind by my hair and I yelped before a hand covered my mouth.

  Pulling me in against his body a vampire said, “Quiet, breeder. We have lost your trail only to be reunited.”

  “Zach, can you believe our luck?” another one said off to my right.

  “Actually, I cannot,” he said, running his fangs up and down my neck as he kept it taut and long, using my hair to turn me as he wished.

  I realized the female vampire hadn't been so crazy after all. She sent me out here as bait. She knew the rogue would be after me like sharks in the water, scenting blood. She could wash her hands of my death, feign innocence when asked and know I'd been dispatched. I was out of her hair and she could have Cole.

  I despaired.

  *

  The one they called Zach released me abruptly and I stumbled, pinwheeling my arms as I almost fell. I rubbed my head where it was sore from his treatment and tried to keep the remaining four in sight.

  For all the goddamn good it would do. They were fast and unbelievably strong. If they wanted to play cat and mouse, I was sorta out of options.

  “We almost had you...” Zach said, coming toward me slowly, his saunter showing me he was in charge and there was no escape.

  No options. I squelched my feelings of hopelessness. I had never given up on anything in my life. I wasn't going to give in without a fight.

  Where was the sun when I needed it? That'd fry their asses. I looked at the moon, riding full and high above me and scowled as I massaged my scalp.

  He laughed and the other vamps did with him, the eeriness of it echoing in the openness of the meadow that was surrounded by trees. “It will not be daylight for how long...” he tapped his finger on his head with the beat of my heart.

  He whirled on me and my heart skipped a beat while he laughed again. “I do hear it, Breeder.”

  My heartbeat. He was listening to it.

  I backed up until I could feel the tree bi
ting against my back, the sharp bark a comfort against me.

  “Two hours more until dawn. We will squire you away safely by then,” another said.

  Zach's face grew serious as he said, “Have they had you yet, Breeder?”

  I could feel the blush rise to my cheeks, the heat of it a burning torture. Was there nothing I could have that was private? I thought of Cole, he would have been a safer bet than this group.

  I sighed. “No.”

  One of them cackled in delight and another male said, “Alexander must have had to put it in a knothole to keep it out of this one!”

  Charming. The whole group. “You jerks must be the rogue,” I said with a bravado I didn't feel. The one that had just made the crack narrowed his black eyes to slits and in a rush was up against my body, his hand latched to my breast. I cried out, I couldn't help it.

  “Not so brave now, Breeder, with my hand feeding on your tit,” and for emphasis he squeezed it just on the good side of pain and I whimpered. He smiled as his other hand went for my crotch.

  “Leave her,” Zach said dismissively. “There is plenty of time to partake of the breeder upon our return. Besides, where she is, they will follow.”

  Reluctantly he took his hands off my body and placed them above my head on the tree bark. He went in to sniff my neck and I leaned away from him.

  “This one smells of something different,” he said. He was serious now, where before he'd been playing games with my raw nerves.

  Zach was near me in record time, his dark colored clothes a gray blur as he moved. I closed my eyes and moved my head to the side, both vamps at either side of my neck, skimming the flesh with their faces.

  Finally Zach raised his head and the other vampire said, “What is it?”

  Zach shook his head. “It cannot be. But it is,” he leaned forward and ran the length of his fangs along my neck, piercing it with the barest of strokes.

  A single drop of blood flowed down my neck and his tongue flicked out and captured it as my tears fell down my face. They trembled at my jaw and fell on his cheek as he came away with his blood prize.