Linked (The Shadow Chronicles Book 2)

by K. R. Fajardo

  “But, Jade, your face is already …”

  “I have been given permission to feed tonight, so I will be healed by tomorrow.”

  Maya thought hard for a moment. The plan seemed really good, and it didn’t hurt that she would no longer be burdened by Jade’s nightly visits. “All right, I’ll do it,” she consented quietly.

  Jade excitedly embraced her before jumping up from the couch and heading for the door. “Great, see you tomorrow then. Oh, but don’t tell the Enforcer, it will work better if he doesn’t know.” Maya nodded and watched as Jade left, closing the door behind her.

  Once she was gone, Maya sat for a few moments staring in silence at the closed door. Did she really just agree to hit the same person who had already taken one beating to protect her? And since when had it become ok to stand by and let others take her punishments for her. Because if she had to be honest with herself, that was exactly what she had been letting Jarod do these last six months. She would never have even considered taking advantage of people this way before coming to the Tower. Back at home she was the one who had been the buffer, the one who went out of her way to protect the ones she loved, no matter the cost.

  Feeling very disappointed in herself, Maya stood carefully and made her way out onto the balcony overlooking the city. She looked down at the hundreds of tiny forms below going about their work and thought of her mom, alone back in Vicaris. She worried every day about her, about what had happened to her after Jarod brought both her and her father back to the Tower. While her life here was nowhere near ideal, at least she had Jarod. But her mother was all alone and at the mercy of the corrupt patrols that ran the city. She hadn’t heard of her or from her since her arrival to the Tower over six months ago. She did ask Jarod on several occasions about sending her a letter or telegraph to let her know she was all right, but he always told her no, that doing so would inform the Shadows of her location and place her mother in grave danger.

  “You shouldn’t be out here.” Maya jumped, unaware Jarod had returned. “You are weak and unsteady.”

  She turned to face him and was happy to see he was without any signs of injury. “I’m fine. Where were you?”

  “Interrogation,” he replied, stepping to the side and letting her walk back inside, “which is where you are going.”

  A shudder traveled through her entire body. She hated interrogations; specifically the blood drinking that went with them. It was the only real regret she had about deciding to stay with Jarod. “I don’t think I can, Jarod,” she began, but he waved her off before she could finish.

  “You need to feed,” he said, sounding almost angry with her. “I nearly killed you last night and since the red is not an option at the moment, there is no other way. Besides, it has been too long already.”

  Maya made her way to the couch and sat down, the exhaustion overwhelming her. She knew she needed to feed, but she hated killing the prisoners. “Please, Jarod, tomorrow. I don’t have the strength to do it today, not with everything that happened last night. I just want to spend the rest of the day here with you and rest.”

  Jarod sighed. “I’m afraid that isn’t an option. After you feed we are to report to the throne room for punishment.”

  Punishment. The word alone filled her with dread as the memory of Jarod’s mutilated back flashed at the back of her mind. “Unsanctioned activities?”

  He nodded. “I guess you have talked with Jade.”

  That’s putting it lightly, she thought, recalling what she had agreed to do tomorrow night. “Yes, she stopped by.” Maya stood and headed across the room. “Let me get straightened up, the sooner we get this over with the better.”

  Maya went straight through the room, into the bathroom, and turned on the shower. Although it felt good, the hot water only worsened the exhaustion, leaving her so weak she could hardly stand. Somehow she managed to finish getting ready and returned to the living area where Jarod waited. He offered her his arm and together the two of them headed down the hall toward the stairs leading to the eighth floor.

  “I have already chosen a man,” Jarod began as they entered the interrogation wing. “He was arrested for killing a supervisor and stealing his tag.”

  She nodded quietly; he always tried to find actual guilty people for her to feed on hoping it would make it easier, but it didn’t. Killing someone, even someone guilty of murder, still felt wrong. They paused in front of a door, as he looked down at her. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes,” she lied.

  Jarod motioned for the guard to open the door and together they stepped inside. Chained to a chair in the center of the room was a middle aged Full-blood still dressed in his work overalls. He was slightly bruised and covered in blood, although it was difficult to tell whether it belonged to him or the man he killed. He sat still, eyes locked on the floor in front of him as Jarod closed the door and locked it behind them.

  Leaving Maya standing alone, Jarod walked to the corner of the room and retrieved a chair, placing it in front of the man several feet away. He then helped Maya over to sit down, before beginning to question the man. “Why did you kill your supervisor?”

  Unafraid, the man looked up from the floor and glared at Jarod. “He wasn’t my supervisor. That asshole was supposed to be my friend and he lied to me. He told me they had decided not to make the supervisor position available so that I wouldn’t try for the job. He knew if I put in my request for the position I would get it.”

  “And for that you killed him?” Jarod asked without any hint of judgment or emotion in his voice. And why should there be? That wasn’t the purpose of these interrogations. Everyone they questioned had already been sentenced to death, their only job at this point was to try and find out whether or not the guilty party had worked alone or if the crime they committed was part of some bigger conspiracy against the Shadows.

  “Yes, for that I killed him!” The man shifted his attention back and forth between her and Jarod as he continued to speak angrily, “I have worked that road for 30 years, and before that I was on the crew that built the wall around this city. That was my only chance to finally be done with all those years of manual labor and he stole it from me.”

  “Do you not regret it, even now?” Maya couldn’t help but ask.

  He looked her in the eye and shook his head. “No,” then returning his attention back to Jarod, he continued, “I knew they would come for me and I welcomed it. I am tired, my wife’s life had to be ended some years ago due to malnutrition and exhaustion, my son was arrested and I am sure he is dead as well. I have nothing left to live for, the possibility of finally getting off that crew was all I had to hold on to.”

  The man looked the two of them over for a moment, before focusing on Maya. “So are you the one who is going to do this? I can tell, you look ill, like my wife did before she passed.”

  Maya glanced up at Jarod, her eyes pleading with him to not make her do this. But it did no good, ignoring her, he moved to stand behind the man, who was watching him closely. “That won’t be necessary, I am not fighting this.” He then returned his gaze to Maya, and seeing the uncertainty on her face added, “It’s all right, girl, you are doing me a favor. I have lived a long life and I am ready to move on. With any luck, I will be reunited with my wife and son amongst the stars in the heavens above.”

  With a heavy heart and downcast eyes, Maya rose to her feet and made her way to stand behind the man next to Jarod. He grabbed the man’s head by the hair and pulled it to one side, exposing his throbbing jugular. “All the way,” he directed as she looked from him back to the pulsating beat. Freely accepting his fate, the prisoner relaxed into the chair and closed his eyes. Maya nodded and without another word, sank her teeth deep into the man’s neck. A flood of warmth gushed into her mouth and down her throat revitalizing every cell in her body. She drank and drank, feeling the exhaustion and pain fade with each satisfying swallow.

  But with each ounce of blood she drained from him, memories of the life he
had lived flooded into her mind. Memories of a wife and son, loved and lost. Memories of suffering and pain, of years of hard labor, and the feeling of betrayal from being lied to by the only person he had trusted. She continued to feed, hearing his heartbeat as it slowed, and just before the final beat she released the bite and stood staring down at the body of what had once been a good and honest man. Little by little the memories she had received from him began to fade into the recesses of her mind as she wiped away a lone tear before Jarod could see it. “Can we please get out of here?”

  With a swift and effortless twist of his neck, Jarod finished the deed as Maya cringed away from the cracking sound that signaled a life coming to its end. Then, as if killing a man was no less mundane a task than tying his boots, Jarod headed for the door yelling for the guard to open it. Maya heaved a heavy sigh, glancing one last time at the man whose life she had helped end, before following him out the door. Together they walked silently down the hall and descended to the third floor to face whatever punishment awaited them there.

  I deserve to be punished, she thought to herself. Not only do I now have to kill people to survive, but I have also allowed myself to become a perpetual victim. A weakling who stands back and allows others to suffer in my place, heck, even the prisoners feel sorry for me.

  “Get yourself together,” Jarod growled as the throne room doors came into view. “If I can feel your self-loathing, then the Shadows will for sure.”

  She didn’t even bother to acknowledge him, she knew he was right, going in there thinking like that would endanger them both. Instead they paused outside the massive throne room doors, giving Maya a moment to straighten herself and clear her mind, before signaling the guards to let them in.

  “Ahhh, our love birds have decided to join us finally,” Gaia said as they neared the end of the long room.

  “My lords,” they both recited as Jarod went down on one knee and Maya dropped into the low curtsy. Both remained there awaiting permission to rise.

  “And where have you been all day that you have kept us waiting?” Aziel snapped.

  “Interrogation hall, my lord,” Jarod answered, head still lowered.

  “Arise,” Gaia demanded, “and explain to us what happened last night.”

  The pair rose, standing side by side as Jarod began his attempt to explain their way out of any punishment. “My lady, I am not sure what there is to explain. My lord walked in on me, Maya, and Jade in the middle of …” he hesitated, “well, I am sure my lord has told you what we were doing otherwise we wouldn’t be standing here.”

  “Watch yourself,” Aziel warned. “It is not that activity we want to know about.” He stood and headed down the stairs toward Maya. She remained fixed where she was, not even flinching the slightest when he grabbed the neck of her dress and pulled it down to look at the freshly healed bite mark. “Did you feed on this girl last night?”

  “I did, my lord,” Jarod answered without hesitation. There was no use lying about it, Kai had already seen the evidence of that fact last night.

  “Did you have the permission of one of us to do so?” Kai, looking sullen in his giant chair joined in.

  “No, my lord,” he bit out, dropping his voice several octaves.

  “So why would you do it? You know it is against the rules to feed outside the Tower or on anyone who is not a prisoner.”

  Maya bit her tongue to stop herself from bringing up the fact that the three of them regularly feed on their servants, especially Jade. She had even confronted her one time about it, after accidently walking in on Jarod and her in the bed together. Shocked by actually catching the pair in the act, Maya became livid and demanded to know whether she was their whore or their dinner after seeing all the markings that covered her naked body. Jade turned bright red, and for a moment Maya was sure she was going to lunge for her. But she didn’t, instead the anger quietly fizzled out and turned to what Maya was certain was a look of sadness, or maybe regret. Then, without saying a word, she grabbed up her clothes and calmly strolled out the door. It wasn’t until after she left that Jarod explained that the Shadows often fed off her during sex because of the euphoric sensation that came from combining the two acts.

  And that gave her an idea. “My lords, it was my fault,” Maya spoke up, ignoring an angry glance from Jarod. She knew he had told her not to speak unless they specifically spoke to her, but she was tired of watching him take the blame for all the problems she created. “I asked him to do it. I wanted to experience the pleasure of his bite while we were having sex.”

  To say her revelation silenced the room wouldn’t cover half of it. Jarod visibly jolted before coughing into his fist, Gaia smiled devilishly, Aziel cocked an eyebrow, but Kai was furious. “Well, I hope you enjoyed yourself, because you broke the law and now the both of you will pay.”

  “I have a better idea,” Aziel said, staring directly at her with a sheepish grin. Maya immediately dropped her gaze to the floor in an attempt to avoid the intensity radiating off him in her direction. “I say we punish one for the crimes of both.”

  “And who is to be punished, my love?” Gaia asked staring down at the both of them.

  “My lords, I take responsibility for my own actions,” Jarod bit out. She could see him eyeing her angrily from the corner of her eye and knew that look all too well; it was his way of warning her to keep her mouth shut. “She may have asked me to do it, but it was I who had the final decision therefore I should be the one who is punished.”

  “No,” Kai yelled, “she will be the one.”

  “Agreed,” Aziel stated. “She has had it far too easy since arriving, I think it’s time she started taking responsibility for her own actions.”

  “Well, now that we have decided who, what will be the punishment?” Gaia asked as she and Kai joined Aziel at the bottom of the stairs.

  “Lashes,” Kai answered without hesitation, “ten of them, I say.”

  “Agreed,” Aziel seconded the notion.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Maya could see Jarod’s fists clench. Hold it together, she whispered in her mind. Remember what you have told me. You must remain strong, don’t let them see you upset.

  “I do not,” Gaia chimed in. “Ten is a bit much. After all, this is her first time and she is a tiny thing. Why, there wouldn’t be any skin left on her back if you lashed her ten times.” Gaia circled around her, eyeing her from head to toe. “I think five should suffice.”

  “But …” Kai began, but cut off the moment Gaia’s challenging gaze fell upon him. “Fine,” he mumbled pouting like a small child. He didn’t like this decision one bit, but even he knew better than to argue with Gaia.

  “Then it is settled.” Aziel turned to the two guards standing closest to them. “Take the girl to the yard and chain her to the penance pole, we will be there shortly.”

  The guards came forward, hesitating as Jarod’s black gaze fell upon them. But despite their fear of him, they feared the Shadows more. They each grabbed one of Maya’s arms and together they escorted her out of the room as Jarod watched on helplessly. He wanted to save her, to jump in and rescue her from this fate, but he couldn’t. Doing so would only make things worse.

  “Do you have anything you want to say about this?” Aziel asked, watching him as Maya disappeared from the room in the hands of the guards.

  “No, my lord,” he answered between gritted teeth.

  “Good, because you will be the one delivering the lashes.”

  Jarod’s heart stopped as he struggled to maintain what little control he had left. “My lords, with my strength … I will … I could down her.” Hoping to appeal to their reasonable side he added, “And if that were to happen, who knows how long it would be before she awakened.”

  “Would you rather one of us do it then?” Kai asked, grinning. “Because those are your choices, you or one of us.”

  “Then me, my lord,” Jarod relented. They left him no choice, if one of them were to deliver the lashes, it would mos
t likely be Kai and he would take every bit of his pent up anger out on her petite body.

  “Then come along.”

  They lead the way through the corridors, down the stairs, and to the back of the Tower where the yard was located. At the entrance the Shadows branched off in one direction to their viewing booth while he headed toward the main doors where he was met by an old Terrian guard holding a whip.

  The older man seemed puzzled as he approached. “Sir, who is to be delivering the lashes?” He glanced behind Jarod looking for anyone besides him.

  “I am,” he answered, holding out a hand.

  Clutching the whip tight against him, the guard angled his body away from Jarod. “Sir, I, I … There must be some mistake …”

  Jarod remained with his hand outstretched. “Unfortunately not.”

  Reluctantly the guard passed over the whip appearing to be on the verge of tears. “Sir, if I could … if they would let me …”

  Jarod patted him on the shoulder as he silently made his way around him to the doors, receiving similar stares from those guards as well. Not surprising, since he very rarely administered these types of punishments, and when he did it was because the Shadows wanted the victims dead in the end. Inside, the few viewers who had gathered in the stands around the yard, erupted into a swell of chatter when he stepped through the door holding the whip. High amongst their midst he spotted Patches and Jade who both watched dumbfounded as he continued past the atonement table to the end of the arena where Maya was chained to the penance pole, arms above her head with her back facing him.

  “Ladies and gentleman, two members of our court have been caught participating in illegal activities inside the walls of the Tower. As punishment, the lady known as Maya has been sentenced to receive five lashes to be delivered by her accomplice, the man you all know as the Enforcer.” As Gaia spoke the words, Jarod watched as Maya’s head dropped at the mention of his name. “Let this serve as a reminder that no one, and we mean no one, is above our law.”