I tried to reach Idris one last time, to lock my arms around his leg. Of course that wouldn’t help him fighting, but I was desperate to stay with him. “Celia.” He turned to take my hand, face splattered with blood, a giant wound splitting his scalp, leaking blood into his hair. I sobbed, and our fingers touched just as a hand tangled in my hair and yanked me away.
I screamed as loudly as I could. I struggled and pulled and kicked. I snarled like a wild animal, but it did no good. A fist slammed into my stomach and I fell to the floor on my side, unable to move as I gasped for breath.
Five feet away, Idris was huddled in a ball on the floor, surrounded by vampires who wasted no effort pummeling him until he was a mass of beaten flesh. I choked out a sob, the contents of my stomach threatening to come up. Idris wasn’t moving. He was no longer protecting himself. And they weren’t stopping. They continued to stomp, and slash, and punch, and my tears slid out of the corners of my eyes to seep through the wooden floor.
I didn’t turn away, and I tried to shout, but my voice was hoarse. “Please stop,” I said. “Please leave him alone.”
But no one was listening to me.
Suddenly boots filled my vision, blocking out Idris’s lifeless form. The figure crouched, and I stared into the eyes of the big vampire who had slashed my father’s throat. He had the audacity to grin at me while he twirled a bloody blade in his hand. “Celia Valerie. Not as pretty as I’d hoped, but maybe you’ll look better once we get you cleaned up.”
I inhaled sharply and with every ounce of energy I had left, I screamed into his face, “Fuck you!” He’d denied me my family reunion. He’d killed Idris.
His grin only grew, and every organ in my body shriveled. “You’ll make a great queen,” he said, before passing his wrist in front of my face. I cursed the goddamn somnus just as the gas took me under.
Chapter 9
Celia
When I woke up this time, the nightmare still wasn’t over. I opened my eyes and blinked at the ceiling, then slowly took stock of my body. I was a little sore, but I could move all my fingers and toes. My head was pounding, and my mouth felt like it was growing fur, but I was alive and intact.
I lay on a bed in another windowless room. I slowly rolled my head to the side to see another large vampire in the room with me. It was a bit déjà vu, except this vampire wasn’t Idris. He wasn’t sitting in a corner quietly sharpening his knives.
This one was leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his broad shoulders—and he was staring at me like he was going to rip me to pieces. He wore a pair of leather pants and a T-shirt. His jaw was bearded and his head was shaved bald. He was the one who’d killed my father.
My breath caught in my throat as I remembered what had happened the last time I’d been conscious. The blood, so much blood. My father’s voice. Idris’s broken body on the ground. My lungs seized up, and I rolled over onto my side as I fought for breath.
The vampire didn’t move, didn’t speak, only observed me with a look of disgust.
He didn’t hold me, or tell me to take deep breaths. He was content to watch me in the grips of a panic attack as my body shook and my heart pounded so loud, I swore my ears bled.
I closed my eyes and sought for something that would bring me solace, peace…Idris’s arms and his quiet murmurs. The way he smoothed my hair off my face and forced me to breathe.
He’d said I’d forget about him after all this. That I’d hate him. He was fucking wrong.
I lost track of time as I fought for breath. As always, I thought maybe this was the one; this would be the panic attack that killed me. And for once in my life, I wished for it to do me in. Then I wouldn’t have to face whatever that vampire wanted from me. Unfortunately, my heartbeat slowed, and my lungs finally filled with much-needed oxygen. But I didn’t get a moment to collect myself, because a hand tangled in my hair, wrenching my head back with such force that I screamed.
“What’s wrong with you?” The vampire bared his teeth in my face. “I knew you were defective, but are you sick, too? Some human disease?”
What did he mean I was defective? “I-I have panic attacks sometimes.” I could barely talk. My neck was twisted and he hadn’t loosened his grip, so the pain in my scalp was reaching critical levels. I pressed my lips together, refusing to whimper, or let him see how much he was hurting me.
He shoved me back onto the bed with a snarl. “I don’t know what a fucking panic attack is. Weak humans.”
I heaved and raised a shaky hand to my scalp, which was sore to the touch. “Who are you?”
“I’m Keno, the king of the Valarians.” A smirk passed over his lips. “Now that your father is dead.”
“You killed him,” I whispered. “Why?”
“Because he would have negotiated with the Gregorie clan. He’d grown soft lately. I was the one who turned the Gregorie king against his clan. I’ve been the one training our army. And I was the one who hired the Quellen to kill you. I always knew you were his weakness. Should have killed you years ago, but I thought since you have the veil, your father would realize how worthless you are. Unfortunately, he didn’t.” His lips turned up into what was supposed to be a smile, but to me was a grimace that stopped my heart. “When the Quellen didn’t kill you in your sleep, and I found out the king arranged to see you, I thought to myself, maybe Celia isn’t worthless.” He smiled, that same smile he’d given me last in the warehouse while I lay at his feet. “I’m not going to kill you, because you’re going to birth my children. Welcome to your new life, Queen Celia Valarian.”
If I had anything in my stomach to vomit up, I would have done so right there. Keno’s eyes blazed, and he licked his lips. He approached the bed, and I scurried to the other side, holding a hand out. “Wait, what? Now?”
He opened his mouth, and his fangs touched his bottom lip. My God, he was huge. His mouth alone looked like it could bite my entire face off. “I’m hungry, and my cock is hard.”
I willed myself to die of a heart attack right there. He gripped my ankle and yanked. I yelped as I slid toward him, and then his giant body was looming over mine as he undid his belt buckle. This was it, for fuck’s sake. This was how I died—deflowerization by a massive vampire.
I had to stop this, buy myself some time. “Please.” It took all the effort in my body not to sob and plead and debase myself. “Please wait.” I tried to wriggle away again. Big mistake. Goddamn huge. Keno drew his hand back, and although I saw it coming, even though I braced for it, the backhand he cracked across my face still felt like a goddamn firebrand.
I immediately tasted iron as my teeth sliced open the skin on the inside of my mouth. Stars danced in front of my eyes and I blinked, my head spinning as my entire face felt like I’d just stuck it into an oven.
I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak, my heart sinking lower as despair set in. Keno didn’t give me a moment to think about my new life. He gripped my chin in his massive hand, and tears fell down my cheeks as he forced me to face him. The pain was traveling down my neck now, and I bit my lip to hold back a sob as the hateful eyes of Keno stared into mine. “I. Don’t. Wait,” he gritted out.
I didn’t say anything. There was nothing to say. All I could do was nod, and hope that he didn’t split me in two.
Pounding echoed in my head, and it took me a minute to realize it was coming from the door. Someone was knocking. With a snarl, Keno shoved me away from him and stalked toward the door, fixing his belt.
I took the reprieve for what it was worth. I had to do something. I couldn’t freeze like I’d done with the Quellen. Blending into the shadows was going to get me raped and knocked up with a damn vampire baby. Think, Celia. Think. I wasn’t a fighter, but I was smart. I had to start acting like it.
“He’s conscious, my king,” said a voice through the open door.
I couldn’t see who was talking because Keno’s body blocked the way.
“Good. I need him alive.”
“He is.”
“If there’s one thing I learned, it’s that the Gregorie clan gives a fuck about family, so maybe his brother will be stupid enough to try to get him back. He’s our bargaining chip to take out King Athan.”
Idris. They were talking about Idris. He was alive? Hope bloomed in my chest, like a withered flower reaching for the sun.
“He trusts me,” I said.
Keno’s body stilled, then he turned his head to face me. “What did you say?”
“Take me to him. I’ll get information out of him for you. Tell me what you want to know, and I’ll ask.”
Keno’s eyes narrowed as he watched me thoughtfully. Then he threw the door open wider to reveal another vampire, armed with two daggers at his belt. Keno flicked his fingers in my direction. “Come with me.”
I scrambled off the bed. My face was throbbing, and my balance seemed off like he’d knocked something loose in my head. Fuck, I probably had a concussion. Either way, I managed to make it to the door without tripping over my feet. Keno grabbed my arm in a punishing grip and marched me down a hallway. The building we were in had a similar smell to the old subway tunnels where the Gregorie clan lived. Here, the smell was a little less damp concrete and more earthy. Were we underground? Flickering fluorescent lights in the ceiling were the only illumination.
We reached a room with a large window. I expected to see Idris, but instead, a young girl—maybe early teens—sat on a bed reading a book. Her long, dark hair was pulled into a ponytail on the top of her head, and I watched her little nose scrunch up as she turned a page. She was human. I could tell by the shape of her jaw and what I could see of her eyes.
She didn’t glance up. Could she see?
“She can’t see us,” Keno said as if he read my mind. “All she sees is a mirror. It’s soundproof, too.”
“Who is she?” How many other humans did he have down here?
Keno’s hand tightened on my arm. “That girl is your sister.”
My brain shorted out. I whipped my head to him. “Excuse me?”
“Your sister,” he repeated. “Different human mother, since yours died, but same father.”
“You’re lying,” I whispered, my gaze once again returning to the girl.
“Am I?” Keno asked. “Don’t you think Amelia looks like you?” He tugged on my hair. “Same color, texture. Her eyes are like yours, a deep brown. Sure, I could be lying to you, but you don’t know, do you?”
I looked at the other vampire, and all he did was nod at me.
I took a step closer and placed a hand on the glass. Her head came up slowly, like she sensed someone watching her. After placing her book on her bed, she stood up and stretched. Then she walked toward the glass. I didn’t move, watching her as she blinked deep brown eyes at me. She wore a pair of cutoff jean shorts and a plain gray T-shirt.
She looked like me. In a way I couldn’t deny.
She stopped when she reached the mirror, and her lips moved. “What’s she saying?”
Keno pressed a button on the side of the window.
“Dad? Is that you?” Her voice was raspy with a pretty lilt to it. When she received no answer, her body stiffened. “Should have figured it was you, Keno. Go fuck yourself.” She turned around with a whip of her ponytail and collapsed back onto the bed. “I’m hungry whenever you feel like feeding me!” Then she pulled the bedcovers over her head.
“She has a mouth on her,” Keno said as he once again pressed the button, silencing the sound from inside.
She told Keno to fuck himself. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever heard. “Wha—”
My head was wrenched to the side as Keno forced me to face him with a strong grip on my chin. “I’ll take you to Idris. You’ll get the information I want. You think to disobey me? I’ll take it out on your sister.” He pointed to the lump on the bed. “When your father was alive, she remained unharmed, but now that he’s dead, who’s to say I can’t take a child bride?”
I gasped. “She’s right. Go fuck yourself, Keno.”
He clucked his tongue. “See, now you saying things like that makes me think I can’t trust you.”
“I’ll do what you want,” I spat at him. “We both know I’ll do anything to prevent Amelia from being harmed.” Whether she was my sister or not, she was a young human girl. I wasn’t about to willingly let her come to harm. “So just lead me to Idris and let me get this over with.”
Keno smiled, all fangs and evil, and my stomach shriveled.
Idris
Everything hurt. I healed faster than humans, but injuries like this didn’t go away quickly. Even now I could feel my body try to mend my bones. With a sinking feeling, I knew it wouldn’t have much luck unless I fed.
I blinked around the room I was kept in. There were no windows, only a bare bulb overhead. A sniff told me that we were most likely underground. I scanned the room for any other wires, any detection of a camera or microphone but saw nothing. I knew the Valarians had been hiding out somewhere, and this must be it, an underground bunker. So I assumed my cell, with its damp concrete walls, was rather primitive.
I was slumped on a metal platform with one wrist chained to the wall. I had just enough slack that I could lie down, but my arm would still be elevated because of the short length of the chain. I tried to move my chained arm, but pain roared through my shoulder. Fuck.
The Valarians must have brought me back to their compound. But Celia…I closed my eyes with a groan. I didn’t understand what had happened back there. Why had the Valarians killed their king? What did they want with Celia?
And I couldn’t understand why they hadn’t just killed me. Although if they didn’t bother to feed me, I was going to be dead soon anyway.
I fucked up. I fucked up so bad. In my single-minded desire to see the Valarian king’s head separated from his body, I’d put myself and Celia in danger. Athan was going to fucking kill me if I didn’t die before seeing him again.
I took a moment to despair, to feel sorry for myself, because there was no fucking way I was getting out of this. At least, I couldn’t think of a way now. And without fresh blood, I was barely able to even scratch my beard. It itched, by the way. I stretched out my jaw, and it cracked. Well fuck, even that hurt.
I had to think. I was still alive. Still here, and that meant there was hope. It might be futile, but that was all I had at the moment. So step one was to convince them to feed me. I wasn’t doing jack shit without that. “Hey!” I called out. But the door was steel, and there weren’t any windows. “Hey! Could use some blood!” I tried louder, but my jaw protested again and I fell silent.
I was so fucked.
I tried to move, but pain roared through my body, and my vision went dark. I fought to stay conscious and lost the battle.
I came to again when something slammed into my side, and valuable body parts crunched. I moaned and opened my eyes to see a Valarian soldier standing over me. He stared down impassively. “You’re alive.”
“Unfortunately,” I muttered. My tongue felt thick in my mouth, and my fangs ached.
He didn’t say a word, only turned around and walked back toward the door. “Not going to be alive much longer unless you get me some blood!” I called after him.
He walked out the door. “Hey!” I yelled and tried to surge off my platform, but I remembered too late that my one hand was chained to the wall. I crashed to the floor in a pile of broken bones, and my shoulder dislocated with a pop.
The door slammed shut.
My head swam with pain. I raised a trembling hand to my face to feel a cut along my cheekbone. The open wound was dry. If I wasn’t bleeding, then my body was almost out of blood.
Any longer and my heart would run out of blood, screeching to a rusty halt like a car out of gas. I somehow managed to get back onto my pallet. After popping my shoulder back in place, I passed out again.
When the door opened for the second time, I didn’t bother opening my eyes. I tried to say blood, but it came out more like blum because my tongue wouldn’t work.
“Oh, God,” a voice said.
My eyes shot open. That was Celia’s voice. I tried to sit up but nothing was working. My brain was sending signals that my body wasn’t answering. Why couldn’t I see? A hand slipped along the back of my head, and then a warm hand brushed my brow. “Oh, Idris, what did they do to you?” Celia said.
Something touched my lips, and I smelled iron. I opened my mouth and blood poured into it. It wasn’t fresh, so it would really only stave off my death for another couple of hours. But it was better than nothing.
I gulped the liquid, relishing the warmth of the flow as it flooded my body. My hands finally worked, and I raised my non-chained hand to grasp the cup from whoever was holding it. My eyes began to focus and by the time I threw back the rest of the blood, I was sitting up and staring into Celia’s concerned hazel eyes. She was alive. Whole. The relief that rushed through me was better than any blood.
“Idris,” she said, brushing her fingers over my cheek where I knew the skin was split. “I thought you were dead.”
“Close to it.” My voice sounded like I was, in fact, dead.
She pointed to the empty cup. “Do you need more?”
“I need fresh,” I said, “but that’ll tide me over for now.”
Her brows furrowed and she turned her head toward the door. That was when I saw the budding bruise on the side of her face. “Who did that?” I growled.
She turned her head to me. “What?”
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