“I kind of like the idea you were so out of it you couldn’t think straight while you took my blood.” A hint of a smirk crossed her face. “It was like you couldn’t get enough of me—hey, I guess that makes me your drug of choice, you junkie.”
Jachin frowned at her attempt at levity. “I could’ve killed you, Ariel.” He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “Damn it! I can’t trust myself around you.”
“Yes, you can, because you’re an honorable man.”
Jachin’s gaze locked with hers. “You’ve been a complete surprise to me in so many ways.”
“Do you mean because I’m a weak human?” she asked, raising her eyebrow.
“No, in spite that fact. You taught me that strength and humanity are a state of mind.”
Her lips tilted upward. “That’s okay. I still think you’re stubborn, arrogant and hard-nosed, vampire.”
“Your compliments really get me right here,” he said in a dry tone, tapping his heart. When her smile broadened, relief swept through him. She was going to be okay.
Silence descended between them and Jachin lowered his forehead to hers. They sat there holding each other for several minutes. Neither of them seemed to want to break the peace-filled moment between them.
After a few minutes, a scraping sound came from the window. Jachin frowned and laid Ariel back on the bed before he stood and pulled up his pants. Buttoning his jeans, he walked over to investigate.
A scrolled piece of paper lay against the inside curve of the stone.
His heart raced as he withdrew the scroll and pulled off the ribbon holding it closed. A small key dangled from the ribbon while he read the note.
If you’ve killed Ariel, I hope the sunlight crisps you before her poisoned blood gets to you. If you’ve managed to stave off your hunger so far, I’ve included a key to a dumbwaiter we never use. It’s at the end of the hall, past the last dungeon chamber. You’ll have to figure out how to get out of the chamber on your own. There are two guards posted at the bottom of the stairs at the opposite end of the hall. I’ll be waiting. Luck, brother.
Jachin took a deep breath, his lungs filling with air as elation rushed through him. He owed his little sister for this one. Once he’d untied the key from the ribbon, Jachin slid it in his jeans’ pocket and turned to Ariel.
She sat up on her elbow and glanced from the note to him, her expression expectant. “What is that?”
“Mira has given us a way out. We’ll still have to figure out how to get out of this room. Are you up to helping me?”
Ariel’s eyebrow rose. “Do you promise never to hold back with me?”
Jachin set his jaw at her request. He knew she was referring to his vow never to take her blood again. Despite her faith in him, short of being knocked unconscious, he sure as hell didn’t trust himself to stop the next time his fangs sank into her sweet skin, especially during sex. The combination was addictive beyond words. “I promise never to be dull.”
She frowned. “That’s not what I asked.”
“It’s the best answer you’ll get,” he countered, scowling at her.
“My powers of persuasion are greater than you give me credit for,” she said with a confident smile and stood up.
When she swayed a little, Jachin was by her side in a millisecond, steadying her. “You rest and I’ll figure out how to get the guards to open the door.”
Her gaze narrowed on him. “Your lack of confidence in me is insulting.” Stepping away from his steadying hand, she tilted her chin up and squared her shoulders. “What do you need me to do?”
He rubbed his jaw for a couple of seconds, then met her gaze. “Do you think you can convince the guards to unlock the door?”
Ariel glanced down at the swell of her breasts and cleavage exposed by the gaping jacket. She gave him a siren’s smile as she pulled him toward her. “I need you to bite me again—and this time don’t close my wound.”
He balled his hands into fists. “Hell, no!”
She tilted her head, exposing her neck. “Bite me.”
His fangs descended despite his mental resistance. Jachin’s fingers dug into her skin. The need to take what she offered burned in his throat.
His entire body tensed, his cock filling instantly as her fingers slowly slid up his thigh. Even through his jeans her tantalizing touch set him on fire.
“Bite me, Jachin.”
When her hand suddenly cupped his package in an aggressive hold, Jachin’s hips jerked forward as if his body had a mind of its own. He bit back the groan of pleasure that rumbled up his chest even as he lowered his mouth to her sweet skin.
Jachin kissed the column of her throat, marveling at her complete trust in him. When he slid his tongue up her throat and she moaned, her fingers curling tighter around him, he braced himself and plunged his fangs deep.
Ariel gasped and her body tensed in his arms…and all he could think was, Sweet hell, I’ll never get enough of her blood! But he tightened his chest and forced himself to slowly withdraw his fangs so he wouldn’t hurt her.
When he pulled back, Ariel’s languorous gaze locked with his. “Was it good for you?”
Her witty comment made him grit his teeth and step away from her hold before he could follow his desires and throw her on the bed. “Call the guards,” he said in a curt tone. “I’ll pretend to be dead.”
“I need to see Braeden. Now!” Ariel yelled and hammered on the door with as much gusto as she could muster.
Thirty seconds later, the small three-inch square of wood in the middle of the heavy wooden door slid open. A man’s dark eyes narrowed. “What do you need to see Braeden about?”
Ariel’s heart raced as she stepped back and pointed to Jachin’s limp frame crumpled on the stone floor. “He passed out a few minutes after he swallowed my blood.”
Keep those beautiful breasts covered, Jachin spoke in a possessive tone in her mind.
Ariel coughed at his audacity considering their dire circumstances. When she returned her beseeching gaze to the guard’s, the man’s eyes were fixated on the trickle of blood that ran down between her cleavage. “I have something to tell Braeden about the Garotters. I need to see him.”
The vampire turned and spoke to someone. “Trace. Jachin’s poisoned. The human says she has something to tell Braeden about the vampire hunters. Come and stand guard while I open the door.” The guard slid the little door shut at the same time boots shuffled across the stone floor toward her door.
“Move away from the door,” the guard ordered.
Jachin jumped up at the sound of the key scraping in the lock.
When he quickly levitated and lay in a horizontal position directly over the door, Ariel’s heart thumped in surprise. She had to force a composed look on her face as the door opened. Cool air rushed in, displacing the body warmth she and Jachin must’ve created in the small room.
The guard walked in, gun held at the ready. When he saw Jachin was missing, he only got out the word “Shit!” before Jachin fell on top of him.
Ariel’s breath caught at the sight of the other guard lifting his gun. She started to warn Jachin, but he must’ve sensed the danger.
Jumping up, Jachin grabbed the guard underneath him and tossed the man into the hall. The guard’s flying body slammed into the other guard, knocking both men against the wall outside the door. Grunts of pain and the sound of shoes scraping against the stone made her chest constrict. Ariel bit her lip, hoping no one had heard the scuffle.
Before the guards could recover, Jachin rushed forward. He gripped the men by their necks and held them off the ground, squeezing hard. “Drop your guns.”
The sound of the guards wheezing for breath, punctuated by the clatter of their weapons hitting the stone floor, made her heart pump at a frantic pace.
Don’t kill them, she thought right before Jachin clunked the men’s heads together like two cartoon characters. The impact knocked both men out instantly.
After the guards’ bodies dro
pped to the floor, he grabbed one of the automatic rifles and said, “Let’s go. We have maybe ten minutes before they come to.”
Ariel stepped over the guards, her slippers making no sound on the stone floor. She couldn’t help but stare at their necks that were turned at strange angles. “Are you sure they aren’t dead?”
“They’ll have headaches from hell, but they’ll survive,” Jachin said in a gruff tone before he grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hall behind him.
Jachin’s shoes made quiet shuffling sounds as they approached a three-by-three-foot-square hip-high wooden panel at the end of the hall. He pulled a key from his pocket and inserted it into the lock at the bottom. When he lifted the door, Ariel’s eyebrows rose at the thick ropes in front of a dumbwaiter.
“We’ll have to go one at a time. Get in. Once you’re out, Mira can help you lift me up.”
Ariel took a deep breath and climbed into the tight, enclosed space. Bent over with her cheek crammed against her knees, her pulse thudded in her ears as she met Jachin’s gaze.
“You’re smaller—take this.” He started to hand her the weapon, but the gun knocked against the outer edges, obviously too long to fit in the small space with her. “Guess we’re leaving this behind,” he said with regret and set the gun against the stone wall.
He gave her a reassuring nod and grabbed hold of the rope pulley in front of the dumbwaiter, ready to lift her up.
“Hurry!” she said, her stomach knotting at having to leave him.
“I’ll be right behind you,” he said as he began to tug on the rope.
Ariel’s apprehension hitched with each jerk of the pulley. What if Mira wasn’t there when she reached the top? Her blood might’ve restored Jachin’s powers, maybe even boosted them some if the speed with which he’d taken out those vampire guards was any indication, but Jachin couldn’t fight a hundred vampires.
She let out a breath of relief when Mira’s beautiful blue gaze stared at her as Jachin made the final tug on the pulley. Ariel quickly scrambled out of the dumbwaiter and stepped into what appeared to be a deserted kitchen. Without a word, she turned to help Mira lower the dumbwaiter back down to Jachin’s dungeon level.
As they began to pull Jachin up, Mira spoke. “I’m so glad you’re well, Ariel.”
“What happened to that unflappable faith in your brother?” Ariel put her hands above Mira’s and tugged.
Mira glanced at the blood drying on Ariel’s exposed chest and the wound on the side of her neck. “I see my concerns weren’t unfounded.”
Ariel met her gaze, needing Mira to understand. “He took my blood, Mira, a lot of it. He was right about me.”
“I was also right about the fact she is the Sanguina leader’s mate.”
They both stared at Jachin in shock as they made the final tug to get the dumbwaiter to the right level.
“I can’t believe after we’ve…” Ariel stuttered, her heart breaking at his statement. He wanted her to be with Braeden after everything they’d shared?
Jachin stepped down and gripped her waist, pulling her close. Once he ran his tongue across her wound to seal it, he met her confused gaze. “The prophecy hasn’t changed. The difference is, I’m going to be the Sanguinas leader.”
“Her blood has made you insane,” Mira whispered. As she pushed a messenger-style bag hanging on her shoulder behind her back, her blue eyes darted between Jachin and Ariel.
Jachin’s gaze narrowed. “Ariel’s blood is untainted. Braeden knows this.”
Ariel gasped at his comment. “What do you mean he knows?”
Jachin nodded. “When he was alone with me in the dungeon, he admitted your blood tasted different. He gloated about how he’d never believed in the prophecy. Basically…he always saw me as a threat. Even Vivian was a setup. Braeden didn’t want me around, messing up his domain. He enjoyed telling me that my banishment was planned right before he left me in the dungeon.”
Mira’s garbled low scream drew his attention. His sister held a shaking hand against her mouth for several seconds, then her gaze narrowed in fury. “I’m going to kill the deceitful bastard.”
Jachin pulled her close and hugged her tight. “Not if I get to him first. Thank you for helping us. I know you were angry with me for leaving you.”
Mira hugged him back, then met his gaze. “Your leaving forced me to grow up. Now I get to ask the tough question—how do you plan on convincing a hundred vampires you’re the Sanguinas’ new leader?”
Jachin stepped away and met both women’s curious stares with a resolute look. “The same way each Sanguina leader has taken his position in the past.”
Mira’s eyes went wide. “It’s a direct-descendent position. I’ve always assumed the ceremony was just for show.” She shook her head. “I risked everything to save you. You and Ariel need to leave while you still can.”
“And I’ll risk everything to save our people from a self-serving leader like Braeden.”
“Going back to our old land will be suicide!” his sister argued.
Hearing the word suicide inserted in the heated conversation made Ariel’s stomach pitch. “Where are we going?”
His intense blue-black gaze met hers. “To the heart of what is now Lupreda territory.”
Chapter 13
“I f you insist on this insanity, let’s go,” Mira said finally, turning away.
They followed the younger vampire down a back hall off the kitchen and through a door that led to the outside. Mira continued forward, heading toward the woods. Jachin paused and cast a curious gaze his sister’s way. She must’ve sensed his hesitation, because she turned and beckoned them to follow, whispering, “Trust me,” right before she disappeared into the moonlit woods.
“I took your blood. You’re going to be weak for a bit,” Jachin said before he lifted Ariel up on his shoulder.
Ariel landed with a tiny “oomph!” “I see nothing has changed,” she mumbled as he began to run at his vampire’s rapid pace after his sister. But she quickly found a benefit she hadn’t considered in that Jachin’s body heat seeped into her skin, warming her considerably against the cool night air.
Trees rushed by in a blur of pine scents and dark, eerie shapes. All of a sudden Jachin came to a halt and set Ariel down as Mira stood in front of a mountain wall.
In the dim night shadows, lit only by the moon’s light, Ariel watched in complete fascination as the female vampire moved her hand in front of her. A huge rock that jutted out from the tall mountainside wall began to move sideways until an opening was revealed.
“I never knew this was here.” Jachin glanced at his sister, surprise reflected in his gaze.
Mira disappeared into the dark entrance and popped her head back out to wave them inside with her. After Ariel and Jachin followed her through the opening, she moved her hand in front of the wall again and the rock scraped back into place, cutting the moonlight off completely.
After a few minutes of walking in the dark, they paused, and there was another scraping sound as if a rock wall was moving out of the way. As they continued forward and the rock-scraping sound occurred behind them, Jachin said, “I recognize this part. You’ve used the same mine, just via another offshoot. Does anyone else know about this other access to the Sanguinas manor?”
“No,” she called behind her in a low voice. “With our home surrounded on all sides by tall mountains, I find it…confining at times. I needed to be able to get away for a while.”
“Where do you go?” he asked.
“To the edge of the old land,” she responded. “I miss the open expanse of it all.”
Jachin gripped Ariel’s shoulder and tugged to let her know he was making a sharp right turn. She felt so out of sorts not being able to see. Her stomach was a ball of knots, and despite her trust in Jachin to keep her safe, she still put her hand out to protect her head from any rocky surprises.
“It sounds like you put your own safety at risk as well as the other Sanguinas’. If the Lupre
da had discovered you, they could’ve followed your fresh tracks back to our home,” Jachin said with a bit of censure in his tone.
Mira’s footsteps stopped and her voice sounded more direct, as if she were looking right at them. “I’m not a child, Jachin. I’ve been very careful.”
Jachin took a few more steps and stopped, too. “I want to know why you felt the need to leave so often. You’ve always loved everything about the Sanguinas in the past. What’s wrong?”
“Things aren’t the same. Vlad…” Mira paused then let out a heavy sigh. “Like I said, I had to take responsibility for myself.”
Ariel felt Jachin’s rage well inside him with the tightening of his arm around her. “Did Vlad touch you without your permission?” he snarled.
Mira’s exotic scent invaded Ariel’s senses and her voice sounded closer. “Vlad thought he could stake his claim. After the initial shock wore off, I’ve kept him at bay ever since.”
“Tell me the council punished him for his actions,” Jachin demanded in a low, deadly tone.
“Our numbers are dwindling,” Mira responded calmly. “None of the women have been able to get pregnant in five years.”
Jachin’s anger radiated from him in his stiff stance and tight tone. “I’m going to shred the rapist sonofabitch!” Ariel felt Jachin’s movement as he pulled his sister close with his free arm. “I wish I’d been here for you.”
Mira made a tsking sound, and Ariel felt Jachin move back slightly as if he’d been pushed. “Let’s get you out of here in one piece. Survival first, revenge later.”
Ariel and Jachin followed his sister’s lead for a few more minutes until they heard her stop walking. The sound of rocks rubbing against rocks grated in Ariel’s ears, and dim moonlight began to filter into the dark recesses as another wall opened.
Mira ducked underneath the wood planks to the outside and Jachin and Ariel followed. Outside the mine, Mira stood on her toes and hugged her brother tight for a few seconds before she stepped back and lifted the messenger bag off her shoulders.
She began to pull a set of new clothes for them out of the pack. “Put these on and give me your bloodied ones. You’ll have to backtrack a little to lose them.” Pointing toward the east, she said, “You go that way. I’ll head south.”
Scions: Resurrection Page 18
