He kept his gaze on Samantha while speaking to Annette. “Would you care to demonstrate for us, dear? Make sure you only use a fraction of your power now. I will not have her damaged.”
There was no time for Samantha to fully process what Ptah was saying before she experienced it. There was no way for her to describe the filth that she felt. It was as if some rotten, oily mist was traveling inside of her brain, entering all the corners of her mind, even into her subconscious. She was being violated in a way no one should have to undergo. While there was no physical pain of any kind, all she could discern was the black slime seeping through her, invading her very essence.
When she was finally aware of her body again, Samantha was gasping for air. Her lungs felt like exploding. The muck that had been in her mind was gone, although she could still feel the taint of its residue. She was left with the feeling of being emotionally defiled and broken.
“That was just a small taste of what Annette can do,” Ptah said pleasantly.
She couldn’t look up to acknowledge him; she could not move at all. The only thing she was capable of in that moment was breathing. Tears streamed helplessly down her cheeks. She did not think she would ever get over the vile feeling she was imposed with in the most private corners of her mind.
Ptah continued as if he were teaching a small child. “Now, if you were Leisha’s human servant, then Annette would not be able to reach your mind at all. You see what I mean now when I speak of your vulnerability? Anyone with an aggressive psychic power can harm you.”
“Wha-what do you . . . want?” she choked; her voice rasped as if she had been screaming for hours. Maybe she had.
“It is quite simple, really. I do not trust anyone. But you can help me have a little more faith by making sure Leisha does as I see fit.”
“Huh?”
Ptah stood and strolled slowly around her chair as he talked, “First, I want to be assured you know where your loyalties lie. You have now committed yourself to the vampires, and therefore, you have pledged yourself to me. I expect you to be made Leisha’s human servant within the next two years. If not, well, you know what can happen to you if you are not bonded to her.” He caressed her shoulder and down her arm with his hand. “You may rest assure that what you felt tonight will seem like sleeping on a feather bed compared to what will happen to you if you betray me.”
Samantha shuddered violently as Ptah smiled and continued, “Additionally, I want detailed reports of everything when you and Leisha are with the immortals.”
Samantha’s voice still trembled. “But Leisha—”
“Leisha is Leisha,” Ptah interrupted. “She has just returned to us, and is presently used to thinking and choosing for herself. I need to be sure she is truly dedicated to me.”
Ptah stood in front of Samantha and motioned for her to stand. He pulled under her chin until she was staring directly into his obsidian eyes. He was four or five inches taller than her, but he easily made her feel so much smaller, and helpless. “I know when you are lying and when you’re telling the truth. You are easy to read, and I am most knowledgeable in how to cause such great pain that you’ll be begging for me to end your life. You may as well do as I tell you before I have to torture you into doing it anyway. Leisha would also suffer most grievously if you do not comply with my wishes. Since she does have the capacity to heal quickly, her punishment would have to be much longer and more painful than you can ever fathom.”
Samantha saw herself falling into the endless depth of his gaze, fighting with all her will to tear her eyes away. But she could not. Instead, she forced out an answer that barely made it past her lips. “All right.”
Ptah smiled again and turned his attention elsewhere. Samantha blinked several times to clear her mind, but she still felt like she wasn’t fully herself.
Ptah stroked her cheek lightly with the back of his hand, traveling sensuously down her neck. Samantha was disgusted with herself; she couldn’t believe this monster was actually turning her on.
“I am glad we could so easily come to an understanding with each other. I believe it will make our relationship flow more smoothly throughout the future.” Ptah leaned down towards her, and Samantha knew she should pull away—she knew she would regret standing there like a mindless bimbo—but her brain and her body did not seem to be in synch with each other. Ptah’s lips were on the thin side, and yet they were soft, stroking her own lips with such erotic expertise that she couldn’t help but kiss him back.
She was vaguely aware of the door opening behind her—it would not have registered if Ptah hadn’t pulled away.
Samantha turned numbly to see Nikita with an attractive woman following behind. The woman’s brown eyes widened at the sight of Samantha, and she looked somewhat miffed.
Ptah walked up to the woman as he slipped on a pair of sunglasses. He put his arm around the woman’s trim waist and led her towards the bed. “I told you I had interesting tastes, my dear.”
The woman seemed to accept it, glancing back at Samantha. “Will she be joining us, then?” she asked in a thick Portuguese accent.
“Not this time. I want to have you all to myself tonight,” Ptah purred as he pulled pins from her black hair. He turned to Annette, pointing at Samantha. “See that she memorizes all of my personal directions before handing her off to Nikita.”
Annette smiled, a cat about to eat a mouse. “We shall see how well you are with your memory. I hope it takes a while, because I do love to dole out punishment when you do poorly.”
Samantha gulped as she followed Annette to the outer room of Ptah’s apartment. As the door closed behind her, she heard the Portuguese woman moaning in delight. She jumped when an agonized scream echoed from the bedroom.
“Don’t worry about her,” Annette said. “She’ll be dead within the hour.” She gave a predatory smile. “But you and I are just getting started, oui?”
CHAPTER 14
Leisha was walking back to her apartment after she had spent what was hopefully an appropriate amount of time on the dance floor with the other vampires. It had felt odd socializing with them. She’d enjoyed catching up with a few, while putting on a pleasant façade for the rest of them as they boasted of their new strategies for beguiling humans into their bloodthirsty arms.
A few new faces also graced the scene—the younger ones had apparently put her on a pedestal. They had heard about her and knew she was one of the oldest and more powerful vampires. The thing they were most impressed by was the fact that she’d had been living on her own for so long.
Independence was not something Ptah allowed, and these vampires were awestruck that she had somehow obtained it. Of course, vampires lived all over the world, and not everyone stayed with Ptah at the exact same time—modern day technology had made that possible. Vampires could travel around in groups and check in every day via their secure website. Though it made a lot more opportunities possible for the vampires, they were still constantly monitored, not truly independent.
“Leisha,” Victor said from behind, interrupting her thoughts.
She stopped and turned, waiting for him to catch up with her. “I should like to speak with you, if you will permit me?”
That surprised Leisha. Victor had never paid much attention to her before. He used to only acknowledge her with politeness, occasionally complimenting her on her fighting skills, nothing more. Out of curiosity, she agreed to talk with him.
He led her in the opposite direction, toward his own apartment. She stopped short when they walked in to see his human servant, Jonathan, lighting candles in the dim room. A large red circle big enough to fit two people was outlined in chalk on the floor. A silver goblet stood in its center.
Victor turned to Leisha, closing the door behind her. His demeanor was serious and intent. “I require a blood oath from you before we can go further.”
An eyebrow inched up her forehead. “What exactly would I be promising?” She wished she hadn’t followed him now. This could onl
y lead to trouble.
“I only ask that you promise not to discuss what I will speak of to you tonight.”
“There is no need for a blood oath, Victor. I will give you my promise. You know that I always stand by my word.”
He shook his head grimly. “It does not matter whether I can trust you or not. What I have to discuss with you could lead to my destruction, and I will not take any chances.”
Considering briefly, Leisha nodded. “All right, I will accept the oath.”
Victor relaxed slightly. “Good.” He walked to the circle on the floor and knelt on one side of the goblet. Leisha followed him and took her position opposite him inside the circle.
Jonathan sat on a couch facing them, watching with reverence.
Victor held his wrist out above the goblet and sliced open a vein with the nail of his thumb, letting his blood pour into the cup. When the goblet was a quarter full, he pulled his arm back. Leisha followed suit, repeating the same ritual.
When the goblet was more than halfway full, she took her bleeding wrist to her mouth, licking off the blood until the cut healed.
Victor picked up the goblet, swirling it gently to mix their blood. He nodded to Leisha and waited.
Leisha nodded in acknowledgement and began speaking, “I, Leisha, one of the first of the vampires, who came from the land of Africa, do hereby give my oath to you, Victor. I swear that whatever I hear tonight will not be uttered to another soul as long as I walk this earth.” He handed her the goblet. “I drink of our blood to unite and bind us in this oath, so that you may feel my true intent running through your veins as well as my own.” She gulped down three big swallows and felt the cold, lifeless liquid trickle down her esophagus.
Victor took the goblet from Leisha’s hands. “I, Victor, one of the older vampires, who came from the land of Rome, do accept your oath, Leisha. I know that as I drink our blood, I can entrust you with what I am about to reveal.” He proceeded to drain it. The ceremony complete, Leisha waited patiently for Victor’s next move, knowing very well what she’d gotten herself into. Leisha was now bound to her word. If she were ever foolish enough to break a blood oath, she’d find herself under the power of the one she betrayed—Victor. Having no will of her own, she would have to comply with her new master’s every wish. This went the same for Victor.
Once Victor placed the empty cup on the floor, Jonathan got up, flipped on the lights and blew out the candles he had lit only moments before.
They got off of their knees to sit more comfortably on the couch. Jonathan picked up the goblet and exited the room.
“Ptah has become weak in his old age,” Victor began. “He is bound by traditions and rules he could easily break if he wanted to.”
“He holds to his traditions to keep all of the vampires in a stable environment,” Leisha said. “Can you imagine what would happen if they no longer trusted in Ptah as their leader? It would be madness. Surely, none of us really want to see vampires in a panic, running around slaughtering humans everywhere. Ptah gives them a sense of order and peace. We all need that.”
Victor gripped his hands into fists on his lap. “I would be better at it,” he said with more conviction than she had ever heard from him. “I would lead us all to more glory than Ptah could ever imagine. He is just a demon who is content with having a body and a few followers to worship him. He cares not to let us grow and expand as a race on this earth.”
“What are you saying, Victor? Are you going to pull a Brutus on him?”
He ruefully shook his head. “Not exactly. I would never be able to kill Ptah. He is too aware of everyone around him.” He held her gaze. “Except you.”
Leisha’s stomach sank.
“I don’t think he even understands what it is he feels for you; but whatever it is, you are his one weakness. His Achilles’ heel, if you will. I have my pride, Leisha, and I do not come to others for help very often, but you are our only hope of helping the vampires to truly prosper. Ptah has been a hindrance to us for centuries; he is stuck in the old ways.”
Shaking her head, Leisha protested, “That is not true, Victor. Look around you; he has updated everything to the latest technologies, even the latest fashions. He knows we all must change with the times to keep a low profile.”
“That is not what I mean, and you know it,” he snapped, reaching for her shoulders. “He only allows a couple hundred vampires to leave at a time, and they must constantly check in with him.”
“But the immortals—”
“Exactly. Don’t you see? He could have wiped them out a long time ago. He is using the immortals as an excuse to keep a tight net on us all. Ptah enjoys making us subservient to him. He likes keeping our power reined in when we could be so much more. He only allows each of us two or three kills a week. If I could drain a life source every night, do you know how much more powerful I would be? If he was not so concerned about drawing attention to us, we could be dining like the gods we are. We would be powerful enough to stomp down any threat that comes our way.”
Leisha felt sick at his perspective, but kept an impassive face. “There is nothing I can do about it, Victor. Ptah is still just as wary of me as he is anyone else. Besides, it is good for us to keep a low profile. What if our existence was out in the open? We would be hunted down by all kinds of fanatics.”
He tightened his grip. “That is not true. You’re like a blind spot to him. All you have to do is become his mate again, prove your loyalty to him for five years or so. Then, you could cut off his head in his own bedchamber, and he would never see it coming. As for your fanatics, you give them too much credit. They wouldn’t be able to handle our power. They will more likely worship us as gods.”
“So, you want me to kill him, and then what happens? You rule the vampires while I do your bidding?”
Victor’s hands began to slowly trace down her arms. “We will rule the vampires. Together. You’ll become my mate, and we will be unstoppable.”
This was sounding too close to what Ptah had said to her the night before. Victor had become too arrogant. She had been so focused on being wary of Ptah that she did not realize the existence of a bigger threat than him. Victor had proven to be much more formidable than she’d expected.
She brushed his hands away. “Save it, Victor. You and I both know you have no physical attraction toward me.”
He smiled. “But you are definitely my match. You do not even realize the influence you carry over the others. They respect and fear you. If you acted as my mate, we would create the strongest race to ever walk this earth. Humans would revere us as gods.”
Talk about a God complex, Leisha thought to herself as she suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. “Victor, I just want to go back to being independent. I have no wish to rule over anyone. I want to be left alone.”
He readily agreed. “Then, that shall be your reward for helping me. I promise to leave you be; you would never have to come back. You could live out your existence in absolute privacy.”
Victor would, of course, prefer it that way, so he could take all of the glory himself. She had to play this out carefully. She could not agree to any of his plans, but if she baldly rejected his proposition, she would be making herself an incredibly dangerous enemy.
She was quiet for a moment or two before sighing, “I will have to think on it, Victor. I must focus on my duty to infiltrate the immortals first. They are a more immediate threat to the vampires.”
Lips twitching, he looked pleased. “That will be perfect. When you have successfully completed that task, Ptah will become even blinder to you,” He stood. “We shall meet and discuss this again when you have returned from spying on the immortals. You may be with them for some time, which will give you plenty of time to decide on your course of action.”
“Exactly.” She decided to push a compliment, just so Victor wouldn’t see the disdain she felt for him. “I must say, Victor, I had no idea how clever and ambitious you are. You have truly made an impression o
n me tonight.”
His lips twitched as he opened the door for her, stopping her just before she crossed the threshold. “You were wrong, you know.”
Her brow rose in question.
His gaze traveled down her body appreciatively. “I do find you physically desirable.” With a coy smile playing over his mouth, he shut the door behind her.
Samantha felt as if she were drowning in a sea of muck and oil. So filthy. Dirty. She could not seem to think beyond the rancid pit that had invaded her mind.
A familiar voice broke through her haze. “I believe Ptah said she was supposed to be undamaged,” Nik said.
She felt Annette’s shoulders rise and fall under her arm. She hadn’t realized that Annette was supporting her weight. “She’ll get over it,” Annette said. “I went easy on her. It’s not my fault if her mind is too fragile.”
Nik picked her up, carrying her. “Dirty,” Samantha murmured as she squeezed her eyes against his chest.
He stroked her hair. “Yes, I know,” he said gently. “It will pass. I promise.”
She started to shake her head, but it only seemed to thicken the refuse in her head. She gasped at the feeling.
“Shush,” he whispered in her ear. “We are almost there.” Nik laid Samantha down on a soft bed.
“I can make it go away, Samantha. All you have to do is open your eyes and the muck will be gone.”
He must have been insane. This scum was cemented to her memory. It was more than just the residue from the first time Annette raped her mind.
Annette had ruthlessly possessed Samantha’s mind at any excuse the vampire could think of. Samantha was forced to memorize five cell phone numbers, three fax numbers, and ten email addresses—memorizing them wouldn’t be a problem for her if she were given an hour. Instead, Annette had quizzed her immediately after Samantha was able to glance at the list only once. Plus, the screaming coming from Ptah’s bedroom distracted her with an immense amount of guilt. In her mind, Samantha knew there was nothing she could do to save that woman, but just sitting outside the room and trying to memorize phone numbers as if nothing was happening proved too much.
Dissension Page 13
