Rule

by Alaska Angelini

  A roar echoed through the large room. “You can’t do that!” Demetrius yelled. “That’s not fair.”

  “She has the right to do as she wishes,” I countered. “Plenty of leaders do the same thing.”

  “But the vampires they move up aren’t members, they’re slaves. She can’t just skip a number ten to the number three spot because she fancies a fortune teller to do her bidding. It doesn’t work that way.”

  Tessa’s hand came to rest on Marie’s shoulder while she eased the vampire back. Longer, my claws extended. The need to move in her way, to take care of Demetrius myself almost had me flying over the table to get in front of her, but I couldn’t. Tessa had to lead, and to do that, she’d have to fight her own battles. She had to prove herself.

  Silence once again became unbearable as Tessa stopped before Demetrius, eying him up and down. She didn’t say a word. It left the male vampire shifting uneasily in her presence. He looked at her, and then at me, before starting with his attitude once again.

  “What are you doing?” he snapped.

  “Waiting for you to say it to my face. I’m right here. Why don’t you tell me I can’t make her my number three. I’d like to hear you say it.”

  “You can’t—”

  Black fog blew in a fast stream from Tessa’s mouth, right into his, causing him to choke on his words.

  “I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you. Would you like to try to say it again?”

  Demetrius began coughing, grabbing at his throat while his face turned a deep shade of red. Fear had some of the other members moving behind their chairs as they looked on in horror. Crimson began running down Demetrius’s neck as he started clawing at his flesh.

  “I still can’t hear you,” Tessa said, louder. “Maybe you really didn’t have anything to say at all. Is that it?”

  Wide brown eyes shot to her in desperation while he nodded furiously.

  “I thought so,” she said, smiling. “I knew I must have misheard you. Here, let me fix this.” Her claws shot out and the fake sympathetic look melted as she glared and jerked his face toward hers. “If you ever so much as doubt my actions again, there will be no second chances. What I do, I do for this city. Marie has a gift. One you’ll be thankful for when her prediction saves your life. War is coming. Let’s hope you’re smart enough to survive it.”

  Tessa’s lips crushed into his and blood poured from their chins, dripping onto the table in a constant trickle. My vampire went crazy at the sight. I knew what they were sharing was far from intimate, quite the opposite, but I could barely keep in place.

  “Now apologize to Marie.” Tessa wiped her chin, stepping back.

  “I’m … sorry, Mistress.”

  Marie’s fist clenched over her chest as she nodded.

  “Good. Now that we have that settled, we can continue.” Tessa jerked up her sleeve and headed back to the throne. “For the next week you will no longer feed from the servants. You will take my vein and my vein only. Is that understood, Mistress?”

  Marie once again nodded while Tessa took her place. She sat down and we all slowly followed. Even Marie, who kneeled on the floor next to her side. The gesture to feed was given and Tessa’s attention went to her arm as she pulled the sleeve up higher. I watched, curiously, reaching for the arm of the servant before me.

  “A week should be more than enough,” Tessa said, lowly. “My blood is strong and continues to grow by the day. You do understand we will share a tie from my previous … feeding of you, yes?”

  Her French accent rang out as she studied Marie’s face.

  “I do, Princess.”

  “And you’re okay with that?”

  “I am.”

  Tessa glanced at me, almost a silent request for my approval—as her mate. I didn’t like the thought of her holding a tie with another person, but I trusted her instincts and it would be good for Marie to grow stronger.

  I gave a quick nod.

  “Feed.” Tessa let her arm dangle to the side as her free hand came to weave in the human woman’s hair before her. I noticed her fingers tightened at Marie’s bite and she only paused for a moment before she moved in and fed, herself. I held to the servant’s arm, watching Tessa’s every expression as I let my fangs sink into the bend of blond girl’s elbow.

  A good minute went by and when ma minette lifted, her eyes were back to a light green. She closed them almost immediately, clenching her jaw as she took deep breaths. I knew she could feel the pain from the first mark, but she didn’t so much as budge. Marie was another story. Her cry was loud, pulling attention in her direction as she lowered her head and made continuous sounds. Her shoulders tensed and she reached up, gripping to the arm of the throne as the currents and power took over.

  “Slow your pulse,” Tessa said, soothingly. “Roll with it and don’t fight the currents. It’ll only be worse.”

  Marie’s eyes peeked over the edge of the chair. Her pupils were dilated so wide, her eyes almost looked as black as Tessa’s had been.

  “Too … much.”

  “It’s not more than you can handle,” Tessa snapped. “You’re stronger than you know. What the body can endure is only as much as the mind tells us. Strengthen your mind and your body will follow. Accept this. No more fear, Marie. Fear shows of weak leadership and I will not have it.”

  Tessa’s eyes shot to me and I could read her impatience. Her determination to build us all up stronger. She shifted in her chair, and I could tell she was getting antsy. But we were far from over. There was the meeting, the reports, and the most important thing, the calls to the surrounding leaders. I was curious to see how they took to her. It could be a great partnership or impending doom. They wouldn’t be able to feel her power over the phone. All they had was word of mouth, and if rumors of Sayer had made its round, which I was sure they had, leaders just might want to put Tessa to the test. It was a test they would lose. That could be even worse. Not just for her … but for me as her protector and mate.

  Chapter 26

  Hunter

  Whispering in the distance pulled me from the blackness surrounding me. I knew somehow I’d been sleeping, but for how long or where I was, I didn’t have a clue. My brain felt like mush and my body ached as if I’d been beaten repeatedly.

  The voices grew louder and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t open my lids. I didn’t see the point anyway. I didn’t want to be awake. Not here, wherever I was. I couldn’t remember exactly where I’d come from. Or how I got here. Now that I was thinking about it, I really couldn’t remember anything at all. Not even my name. Who was I? I knew the truth was hidden somewhere deep within and it’d come back. There wasn’t a rush to force the information. I was too tired. Too … hungry.

  “I don’t know about this,” a woman whispered. “If Aetas finds us in here, it’ll be the death of us.”

  “He won’t find us. He sleeps. I have Cataline and Harmon watching his chambers. They will inform me the moment he so much as stirs.”

  “This isn’t right,” the first woman pled. “I have a bad feeling.”

  A small growl filled the room and I listened curiously, almost seeing their movements even though darkness surrounded me.

  “Push them away, then. You’ve seen the paths. We have no choice. We have to kill him.”

  Something inside of me snapped to attention. Tingling raced down my skin and heat began to blister inside of me. Although my breathing never changed, I felt as though I was panting inside. What were these woman thinking? They couldn’t seriously be wanting to hurt me? Didn’t they know who I was?

  “What if Aetas changes his mind? The Princess put in the request this morning. He’ll see her. He’ll choose to listen. He always does what is in our best interest. You know he goes through these weird cycles, but our leader always does what’s right. Always.”

  “Dehlia, you saw him tear her letter up at the meeting. He’s gone too far this time. What we’re doing will help. We’ll make the decision for him, then he�
�ll have to go along with the Princess.”

  Silence lasted for a few seconds before light footsteps grew closer.

  “Wait,” Dehlia said, out of breath. “Just … wait a moment.”

  “What for?” the other woman asked, irritated. “Let’s do this and get the hell out.”

  More silence. Then a gasp. “Look at him,” Dehlia whispered. “Look at his skin.”

  Rushing footsteps.

  “No … Oh … no. No,” the other woman said, dragging it out.

  “Let’s go,” Dehlia said, panicked. “It’s too late. We have to prolong this. If we interfere now, my vision comes true. I don’t want to die.” Sniffling sounded and I could tell the woman was stressed. From the moment I had heard her voice, she appeared beyond control of herself.

  What sounded like metal scraping against something had blood coating my tongue. The warmth ignited a burning deep in my throat and I felt my fingers twitch. My body was beginning to come alive and break through the internal pain that held me locked into place.

  “No one is going to die,” the other woman said angrily. “No one but him. Hurry up. You pierce his heart and I’ll cut off his head. We’ll leave and I’ll wipe this room clean of memories. Aetas will never know. Tessalyn’s the only one who’s been able to break through my gift.”

  “Marko found his way around it,” Dehlia whispered. “What if Aetas does, too, this time?”

  “Enough.”

  The footsteps grew to what sounded like only a foot from me. Seconds went by while I tried to fight myself through the darkness. My death would come any moment now, but something … someone inside of me wasn’t ready to leave. He was ready for a fight. Ready to murder these two women who threated his purpose. His life.

  “On the count of three. We’ll do it at the same time.”

  “Alright,” Dehlia managed through the sob.

  “One….. two….”

  Light broke through and my lids flew open. Wide brown eyes were haloed by waves of red hair and the female gasped, dropping the dagger she held. Wet heat was already enveloping my hand and I glanced down to where my fist was through her chest. I gripped to her heart, flexing my fingers. I squeezed tighter and she cried out, but I didn’t stop. I crushed the beating muscle, feeling it ooze between my fingers.

  A swift blur had my other hand catching the wrist of a woman I didn’t recognize. Her dark skin was in complete contrast to my paleness and fear rolled from her as I stepped from the wood that had been curled around me. Dehlia’s body fell to my feet as I withdrew from her chest. I stepped closer, towering over the other female’s thin frame, forcing her back with another step.

  “Look into my eyes,” she said in a trembling voice. “I’m going to make you better. I’m going to save you.”

  Words wouldn’t come, but they didn’t need to. I was already lunging forward, embedding my fangs into the side of her neck. Blood flooded my mouth at the brutality of my bite and I wrapped around her fighting form, pinning her to me. Cries and screams filled the room and out of nowhere a blast seemed to shake my insides. I knew it wasn’t a weapon, but a call. A cry for help to anyone that would come. I wasn’t sure how I knew, but I wasn’t going to stick around and find out. I let the female fall to the ground, screaming as I raced for the door. Two men were already forcing their way through, but there was no stopping me. My claws tore them open as I burst past and practically flew down the long hallway.

  “Hey! Get him!”

  Double doors became visible as I slid into a huge room. There was a grand staircase and multiple places to run, but there was only one direction I needed to go, and that was out of this place. Warnings were shooting through me and everyone I saw was someone I knew I needed to kill. We might have been the same, but we weren’t. I was different. I wasn’t like them.

  “Gina!”

  Three men raced from the far end of the room with their fangs exposed. The one in the middle pointed to me, but looked up to the second story. As I glanced back, a blonde woman was jumping the rail, her focus on me entirely. The threat was obvious and somehow she made it to me before I could reach the middle of the room. Her impact sent me flying toward the door with her still wrapped around me.

  “The Princess is going to thank me for killing you,” she said, growling and biting into the front of my neck. Nails tore into my face and strength I didn’t even know I possessed came barreling through as I pried her jaw open and threw her almost halfway across the room. The men were almost on me. I barely managed to stand and make it to the door before their weight knocked me through the barrier, right onto the porch. Cement tore into my exposed arms. Where I expected them to be on me at any moment, they didn’t step through the threshold.

  Smoke poured from my skin and I suddenly knew why. Although I couldn’t see the sun, it wasn’t entirely down yet. Instinct flared and I knew I couldn’t be out during the day. Fire raced over my chest and I jumped to my feet, barely able to open my eyes as I scanned the nothingness around me. Fields for as far as the eye could see. Where the fuck was I? Where was I supposed to be?

  The blonde vampire pushed her way through and a smile pulled at her lips, exposing her pointed fangs. We kept eye contact for only the briefest moment. She looked me up and down. I was only wearing a pair of jeans and it was the only part that wasn’t burning excruciatingly.

  “Do yourself a favor and start walking. Do us all a favor and kill yourself. You’re not welcome in our world. No one will accept you. You’re better off dead.”

  The door slammed and I blinked past the hatred they all had for me. Although it affected the monster within, something deeper inside didn’t care. I didn’t want to be amongst them, either. Hadn’t I had the instinct to kill from the moment the voices had awoken me? Yes. They were going to pay for ever thinking they didn’t need me.

  To be continued….

  About the Author

  Alaska is an erotic BDSM author who also goes by the pen names Jennifer Salaiz and Jenny May. She lives in Texas...for now. She's a dreamer, and longs for the day when her husband and kids can load up in the car and drive until their hearts’ content. Adventure and discovering new places play a huge role in Alaska's life. It drives her, and feeds the creativity of coming up with new locations for her stories.

  Within the last three years, Alaska and her family have drove across the country twice, and also drove the distance from Texas to California three times. Asked, if she could choose one place to permanently settle down, where it would be, Alaska laughed. "Montana, today. Tomorrow, it may be Alaska, again. I go back and forth."

  When Alaska’s not dreaming of spontaneously hitting the road to find a new place to write about, she's being a mother and wife. If you're looking to connect with her to learn more, feel free to email her at alaska_angelini@yahoo.com, or find her on Facebook. You can also stop by her website jennymayauthor.com.

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