I focused and forced myself to breathe slowly, consciously thinking my heart to stillness. It took a few minutes, but the panic left me and I was breathing normally. I had to think. I had to plan.
I didn’t know how much longer I would have until I turned into one of those creatures, if it even worked that way. Maybe it would just kill me. Either way, I had to figure it out so no one else was affected. Looking into the dark, something that no longer held any terror for me, I guessed my adventure wasn’t completely over. Not just yet.
* * *
The End
To keep up to date on other series by Eric Padilla (including books under the pen name P.E. Padilla) and get a free book, subscribe to my PEP Talk newsletter.
http://pepadilla.com/opt-in-page/
About the Author
A chemical engineer by degree, air quality engineer by vocation, certified dreamer by predilection, and writer by sheer persistence, Eric Padilla learned long ago that crunching numbers and designing solutions was not enough to satisfy his creative urges. Weaned on classic science fiction and fantasy stories from authors as diverse as Heinlein, Tolkien, and Jordan, and affected by his love of role playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons (analog) and Final Fantasy (digital), he sometimes has trouble distinguishing reality from fantasy. While not ideal for a person who needs to function in modern society, it’s the perfect state of mind for a writer. He also writes epic fantas under the pen name P.E. Padilla, and lives in Southern California, though he would like to be where there are more trees.
Blood Captive
Izzy Shows
Blood Captive © 2017 Izzy Shows
* * *
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Blood Captive
In a world ruled by blood, don’t forget to check the shadows.
The dawn of vampires has come, they have dominated the world, and the blood mages that challenged them—the only creatures capable of annihilating their species.
When one blood mage is freed from the dungeons, by a werewolf no less, tensions rise in the vampire court. Werewolves have not been seen in centuries, and a blood mage on the loose could mean the downfall of vampire kind.
She’s taken, trained, and turned into a lethal weapon. The shadows are her friends, the vampires her prey.
The time has come for her to prove herself—her first solo hunt. If she fails, she stands to lose everything she’s come to depend on.
When the Prince of Vampires stands between her and her prey, she has no choice but to find another way.
But he’s not the only complication.
What price would you pay for freedom?
Chapter 1
Grayson
The night held the scent of fear, sweat, and the sound of many hearts beating too fast- welcomed sensations for a vampire such as myself. My lips drew tight in a grim smile as I charged down the empty alley with my friends at my side.
"Careful Grayson, you might actually enjoy yourself for once," one of them called, his soft laughter a welcome sound on the wind.
Indeed. I just might.
For one such as me-the prince of the vampires-there were few moments of pure joy. Too much responsibility, and too many expectations, inhibited indulging the momentary pleasures of life. One was expected to weigh all possible outcomes in every conversation and choose that which would ensure the most success for the species as a whole.
I didn’t resent it. It was simply a fact of life. I was Prince of the People and thus my life was owed to them.
But there were moments—so very few—where I allowed myself to revel in my most basic nature.
Like this one. The hunt.
Adrenaline pumped through my veins along with the stolen blood I'd drained from a thrall earlier in the night. The hours after we have taken blood were the ones in which we felt most powerful, where we could do anything imaginable. You would never be faster, stronger, or more aware than immediately after taking blood.
It was not necessary for me to feed before the hunt; my royal lineage ensured that I was of the strongest stock. I could go far longer than a normal vampire—and I had done so in the past when there were shortages of blood. But those years were long gone. We had risen to supremacy in a world once ruled by humans, and I could take blood when I pleased.
A luxury that I indulged.
My legs pumped harder as I ran, following the scent of the mages we chased. Blood mages were the closest thing a vampire could get to a fair fight, outside of the wolves. The mages had long been an enemy we hoped to eradicate. They alone possessed the power required to exterminate the vampire race.
My father was the one who had managed to devise the collars of iron and ancient magic that would contain their abilities, allowing us to come to full power. They could no longer keep us in subjugation, removing the need to hide.
Now we hunted the blood mages, both out of necessity and for sport. They could not be allowed to roam free. All must be killed or caged.
I preferred them caged. They made excellent trophies, and when the thralls ran low, they were a good back-up source of blood.
A scream pierced the night, and I forced the thoughts from my mind. No need to reminisce on such things when something much more enjoyable was at hand.
"You're getting that serious look on your face, Grayson," Alex said.
My eyes darted over to my long-time friend, my legs never stopping. There were five men outside of my family who were permitted to call me by my given name—Alex was one of them. To everyone else, I was simply 'Prince.' A title, not a name, and a constant reminder of the responsibility that was mine by birthright.
"Am I?" I forced a smile to my face. He was right. I had, in fact, started to scowl again.
"Are you not enjoying the hunt?"
"I always enjoy the hunt, friend." I winked at him. "I will enjoy it more when there is fresh blood in my mouth."
He shot me a savage grin.
We raced through the night, all but invisible at the speed with which we moved. The scent of our prey grew stronger. They could not hope to compete with our speed. They would run as far as they could and then try to hide the sounds of their heartbeats and the smell of their blood, hoping it would deter us from finding them.
Tricky as they were, they cannot stop from breathing. As long as we were close, we'd find them through that sound alone. And even if they managed enough distance, there were the old methods of tracking to fall back on.
But the sounds of labored breathing reached my ears a moment later and I knew that I would not have to rely on ancient methods; the mages were close, and soon I would feast on them.
The five of us rounded the corner as one, slowing to a walk, and came face to face with the family of blood mages that had been running from us. A mother and three young that looked to be in their teens.
I scowled. I had hoped for older prey, something I could dine on without the guilt of ending the life of a youngling. Alas, four more for the dungeons. It seemed that these were destined for the cages.
A quick gesture of one hand to Raoul, and four collars were produced from the pack on his back.
"Submit, woman, and no harm will come to your children." I kept my voice low and m
elodic, a special note of command in the tone. It was a talent gifted to all vampires to compel humans, though some blood mages could fight against it. It was always worth a shot, and there was still the chance that she would see the logic of my words.
"I would rather they die than end up in your hands." She dropped her hands to her sides, clenching them tight.
"Calm yourself," I said, my tone dangerously soft.
"Or what, vampire? You'll kill me?"
I sighed. They never learned. Then again, there were never any survivors or runaways to spread the word as to what happened when we caught them, or what happened to the ones who resisted.
The woman began to chant, and my chest tightened. Another minute and she would stop the heart beating inside my chest, or set my blood ablaze. Or perhaps she would take control of me. I could not allow any of those scenarios to happen.
Quick as you please, I leapt behind her and clamped my hand over her mouth. In small numbers, blood mages were not something to be terribly concerned about, especially when there were outnumbered by vampires.
And when there's a royal vampire who'd just fed? Overkill.
Her children scurried away from me. One of the boys let loose a terror-filled shriek. That answered one question—she had not trained her children in the talents of blood magic. Either that, or they were missing the gene. It mattered not, they would go to the cages all the same.
"Raoul." I jerked my head at the woman.
He strode forward and fitted the iron collar around her throat, his strong hands ignoring her struggles.
"Unless you want your mother's neck broken, you will submit," I said to the teenaged younglings.
They were smart enough not to struggle as each was fitted with a collar.
I glanced at Alex. "Not the hunt I was hoping for," I said, allowing disappointment to creep into my voice.
"It’s too bad. I was looking forward to you taking the stick out of your ass," he said, grinning cheekily.
I stepped away from the mage and shoved Alex's shoulder. "Careful Alex, or I will be rid of you."
"Then what would you do when you are King? Who would keep you grounded?" He grinned. "No, I do not think you will be rid of me anytime soon."
I chuckled. Alex was right. He knew just when I needed to laugh and when I needed to focus, and he was always ready to give me whatever incentive I needed for either.
We led the family back to the castle. Alex walked beside me, two men walked on either side of the family, and one man followed up the back. Just in case anyone got any ideas about freeing the newly captured mages.
But they wouldn't do that. The blood mages would never risk themselves for another like that.
Blood mages were inherently selfish creatures, caring about their own survival. They had no sense of responsibility to their fellow mages, unlike us. We prided ourselves on taking care of our own.
Even the wolves have pack loyalty. But blood mages? Despicable creatures, altogether.
It didn't take us long to reach the castle, and lead them into the dungeons.
"Should we separate them, Grayson?" Alex asked, glancing at the mother cautiously.
"No need," I said. "They cannot rid themselves of the collars."
He knew that so why had he asked? I frowned in his direction.
He shrugged. "Thought you might not want to put the woman with the others."
Ah.
I took another look, my eyes running casually over her body. She was well-built, with ample curves and pale blond hair. But she did not interest me, else I would have already taken note.
I shook my head. "Put them in a cell together."
Alex and Raoul kept hold of the four mages, while my other men went to grab the keys to the cells.
Bored already, I walked down the line of cells, letting my eyes drift over the various prisoners therein. Some had been here only a few days, brought in from a fresh hunt, others for weeks, months, or years. We generally cycled them out of these front cells after they had been here for a while—assuming a vampire did not kill them while taking blood—but there were some that had been deemed necessary to keep an eye on.
Troublemakers, for the most part.
It was not something I concerned myself with. It was the guards’ duty to determine which prisoners were cycled out.
Some of the guards intentionally kept certain prisoners here of which they were, well, fond.
I turned on my heel and walked toward my friends. Perhaps we would go carousing after this. Anything to scratch the annoying itch to get out and do something-an itch the hunt had only intensified.
As I passed a cell, something caught my eye. I stopped and took a few steps back to peer inside.
There was a lone blood mage within—odd, in itself, as they were usually kept in groups—but at first glance she did not appear to be anything of note. She had long brown hair and tawny skin. With her face was turned away from me I could not make out any further features.
I lifted a hand, about to call out to her. I stopped before the words could leave my throat. What was I doing?
"Prince!" Raoul called.
I dropped my hand, hoping they hadn’t noticed., I turned and was pleased to see they weren't looking at me.
"Yes?" It took effort to keep my voice steady. I cast a narrowed glare at the blood mage.
Had she found a way out of the collar? Was she working magic on me? It didn’t feel like it. I shifted my weight so that I was closer to the cell door, and peered closely, trying to see through the thick mess of hair to her neck.
"Let's get out of here and go do something," Raoul said.
Right. Wasn't that what I wanted?
And yet, a part of me wanted to stay...
I shook my head. No.
"Of course," I said. "Let's find something fun to do." I walked away from the cell to follow my friends out of the dungeons, not letting myself look back even though I felt the urge to.
It couldn't have been magic that had caught my attention.
But then what had?
Chapter 2
Nina
Crack.
The sound of the whip greeted my ears before I felt the kiss of leather against my bare back. My teeth clenched together so tightly that I was surprised none of them broke from sheer force.
I will not scream. I’m steel forged from fire and I will not break.
I repeated the mantra over and over. I refused to give the guard the satisfaction of the truth. They had broken me a long time ago.
I liked to pretend that I was still whole. My pride was all I had left; it was the only thing I could hold onto.
They could take my life as they had done to plenty of other blood mage prisoners. But as long as I still drew breath my mind was my own.
"Nothing to say, bitch?" Harsh words, but I was used to a lot worse.
I turned my head to look up at the guard, curving my lips up at the corners into a defiant smile.
"Another please, sir?" My words were so sweet, completely at odds with the situation.
The guard flashed sharp fangs, the mark of what he was-one of the immortal night stalkers who dominated our world.
My grandmother had told stories—before I was taken at only six by the vampires—about a world before the vampires ruled. A system called democracy, where people had been equal. The blood mages had still lived in fear of being found out, but they hadn't had to hide like rats just to survive. According to abuelita, all you had to do was proclaim yourself a Wiccan and just be a little kooky. No one bothered with so-called 'hippies'. The best disguise for a blood mage was disregard.
I wasn't sure I believed the fairy tale of a mythical world where everyone could live more or less in peace, but it was much better than the horror we lived in now.
The vampires had free reign, and they hadn’t hesitated to turn humans into cattle. And blood mages? We were either killed or enslaved with no rhyme or reason which one it would be. Maybe the vampire was in a forgiving mood w
hen they caught you, and decided to let you live.
But was it really better down here in the dungeons at the mercy of the guards?
Another crack of the whip and the metallic scent of blood filled the air. The scars from twelve years of torture had roughened my flesh so new wounds didn't sting as much as when I’d been small.
I had learned quick it was better to cry outs when hit, so they felt they were getting something out of the torture. Power tripping bastards. Silence drove them crazy. They just whipped harder and harder until you screamed.
So why did I remain silent?
Because fuck them, that's why. It was the only control I had in this life. The guards decided when I ate or slept, but I decided when to scream.
Crack.
I bit my lip to keep the whimper from escaping my mouth.
Keep quiet, Nina. You can’t give him the satisfaction.
Of course, eventually, when I couldn’t take anymore and death was a real possibility, I would unleash the screams burning in my throat.
Every night he came to take his pound of flesh, I swore this would be the night I kept silent until he gave up without his reward. Maybe then he would leave me the hell alone. Though, it was more likely I’d be disposed, no longer an entertaining toy for the sadistic asshole.
The whip tore into my flesh and a soft yelp escaped my lips. I hadn't been prepared.
"What was that?" The guard bent down so his face was right in front of mine. His breath assaulted my nostrils.
"Not a damn thing." I bared my teeth at him.
Fuck you, buddy.
"Tch. Too bad for you, then." He stood and pulled back his arm, holding the whip high in the air. I turned my head away and squeezed my eyes shut so I wouldn't see the whip coming down. My hands balled into tight fists as I prepared for the attack.
Myths & Magic: A Science Fiction and Fantasy Collection Page 320
