by T. S. Ryder
Clarissa glanced at the water, chewing on her lower lip. She suddenly stiffened. Her thin arms wrapped around Adrielle's waist and she shrank into her side. Adrielle was so surprised that at first she went rigid. She had the ridiculous urge to push the girl away but put an arm around her instead. She was about to ask what was wrong when Madrid let out a growl.
A handsome blond man approached them. He looked vaguely familiar, though she couldn't remember where she had seen him before. His gaze was fixed on Clarissa and Adrielle felt a wave of protectiveness wash over her. She straightened and stepped in front of the man when he got too close for comfort. He actually walked right into her.
"Is there something you want?" she demanded.
The man glanced at her. There was a flash of something in his eyes and then a smile broke over his face. "Well, hello there. You must be the new nanny."
Madrid's giant hand clapped on Adrielle's shoulder and pulled her back. The woman towered over the blond man, the growl in her throat deepening. Adrielle wrapped her arms around Clarissa and pulled her back, shuddering. This guy gave off bad vibes.
"Is there something you wanted, Samuel?" Madrid asked.
"Is there something wrong with wanting a bit of friendly conversation?" Samuel didn't look at the big woman, his eyes fastened on Adrielle.
Her skin crawled. Though she couldn’t see the lust in his eyes, his gaze felt more predatory and dangerous while she was fully clothed than when Thomas was staring at her nearly-naked body. She had a feeling Thomas could be looking at her completely naked and be pleasuring himself while he fondled her and she still wouldn't feel as dirty as she did with this man's eyes on her.
Not that she wanted Thomas to fondle her… That was completely out of the question.
"I must say, Thomas does have good taste after all." Samuel grinned at her and she remembered where she had seen him. At that auction. Her unease grew as his gaze drifted over her body. "You're much sexier up close. If you get tired of the vampire, I'm always willing to have another woman in my bed."
Adrielle gaped. What kind of person would say such a disgusting thing in front of a little girl? She covered Clarissa's ears, intending to give this guy a piece of her mind – which would also be inappropriate for Clarissa to hear. But Samuel laughed as though it was a joke and Adrielle was too embarrassed to risk making it worse.
"Thomas isn't going to touch you," the man said. "Trust me. I know that. He has this ridiculous notion that if he's good enough, the curse of being a vampire will be lifted from him. But you can't fight the devil inside. He's a monster no matter what he tells himself."
Adrielle had a few choice words on the tip of her tongue in answer to that, but Madrid suddenly seized Samuel by the arm. She all but lifted him over her head and threw him away.
"Leave us alone!" she screamed.
Was it Adrielle's imagination or was the fine fuzz covering Madrid's body thickening? People up and down the beach all stopped to stare but Samuel only laughed as he got to his feet and brushed off his clothing. He ignored Madrid, still staring at Adrielle. He winked and Adrielle glared back. Then he pressed his thumbs and forefingers together, bending the thumbs inward so it looked like a heart, and smiled at Clarissa.
She burst into tears. Even though she really was too big to carry, Adrielle picked up the little girl and started in the other direction. She trembled, grateful for Madrid's huge, imposing presence. They returned to the car and, rather than going back underground as Madrid suggested, Adrielle insisted that they go to her apartment. There, she calmed Clarissa down and put on the TV before pulling Madrid aside.
"What was that all about?" she hissed. "Who was that guy?"
Madrid looked over her head. "His name is Samuel. He fathered Clarissa."
Adrielle jumped, shocked. Her jaw dropped open. She glanced past Madrid at Clarissa. The blonde hair, the blue eyes. It was obvious. Her stomach churned as she folded her arms and fixed Madrid in another piercing stare.
"Okay. So can you tell me why Clarissa seems terrified of him? What did he do to her?"
Madrid shook her head. "Nothing except abandon her. The queen, Erela…She wanted a child. Vampires are incapable of producing children, so she looked elsewhere. It destroyed the king's heart… Thomas has never fully recovered from that betrayal. But Samuel—"
"I hate him." Clarissa turned from the TV, sitting on her knees as she looked over at the women. "That man. I hate him. He's the reason my mother died. He's the reason why Papa… Why he's so lonely and angry all the time. I wish he would just die."
The viciousness in Clarissa's voice surprised her, but Adrielle didn't try to convince her to be more forgiving. There was more to the story than she was being told; she could sense that. Even if there wasn't, Clarissa had a right to her own feelings. Adrielle had had enough of her own vicious wishes to know that being chided for them only made things fester inside.
"He's not a vampire," Adrielle said softly. "Otherwise he wouldn’t be able to… father a child… or walk in the sunlight. What is he?"
"He's worse than a werewolf at full moon," Madrid said as Clarissa wandered over to join them. "And I should know, seeing as I am a werewolf."
Adrielle jumped, startled, but Madrid didn't look like she wanted to answer any more questions. The huge woman – werewolf – picked up Clarissa and patted her back and Adrielle quietly excused herself. She slipped into the bathroom, head whirling with confusion. This was too much for her small human brain to handle. Vampires, werewolves, and attractive men who seemed more dangerous than both combined.
She was in there several moments before she realized that her cell phone was sitting on the counter next to the sink, right where she had left it when she was bustled out to go to auction. Her heart began to pound as she stared at the small black device. With a quick glance at the door, she snatched up the phone. Thomas had been very careful about not letting her touch it when they came here to pack a few of her things before he took her underground, but he wasn't here. She could call anybody.
But who?
If she called 911, they'd think she was crazy. She could say that she was being held prisoner and leave vampires out of it, but could she direct them to the underground labyrinth that would take them to the vampire palace? It had been utterly black as they drove through it. For all she knew, there could be giant pits waiting to capture people who didn't know the way. And then there were the 'mindless' Thomas talked about. Would her rescuers be coming to their deaths?
As she stared down at her phone, wondering what to do with it, the screen lit up. Her ringtone played, echoing in the small bathroom. A number flashed across the screen that had Adrielle gasping. She knew that number. Sweat broke out over her face and goosebumps rose on her arms. William.
He had found her. Despite everything she had done to keep him away, he had found her. Cold sweat coated her skin.
The bathroom door burst open just as the phone fell from her hand. It smashed on the tiled floor, the battery going one way while the casing went another. Madrid glanced at it, then growled as she looked up at Adrielle again.
Adrielle couldn't work up fear in response to the werewolf. Bile rose in her throat and she remained frozen. She was hardly aware of Madrid charging into the room and dragging her out by the arm.
"We are going back to the palace now."
Yes. Back to the palace. Where it was safe. A hysterical burst of laughter crawled up Adrielle's throat but she tamped it down, determined not to give in. Safe? Yes… that was the truth of it. She was safer as a prisoner in Thomas's palace than if she stayed here, free.
How had her life been screwed up so royally?
Chapter Five – Thomas
"My lord." Thomas's head of security, Richard, bowed to him.
The vampire's face was grim, boding nothing but ill. Thomas tried not to react. Less than an hour ago, they had received a call from one of the outlying villages calling for their aid. It had been a group of vampires that didn't acknowledge
him as their king. There were several such groups, living far outside of the palace behind walls of their own in order to protect themselves against the marauding mindless. The relationship with these vampires was tenuous at best, but when they called begging for help, Thomas had sent his best men at once.
"Is there news from the village?" the king asked.
"The men just called in. The village… The walls were torn down, houses burned, the people slaughtered. No survivors."
Thomas straightened. "What?"
"They found bones in the fires and bodies with silver arrows shot through them." Richard swallowed, his expression breaking for a moment. "Are the mindless making weapons now?"
"No. This was not the work of the mindless." Thomas's throat worked as he repressed the growl that so longed to rise up and out of him. He inhaled deeply and reached for his phone. Cell phones didn't work this far underground, but he made sure to keep a good landline network all across the city. His personal line reached the surface, where one particularly nasty demon lived. "Send word to all the outliers. The demons are getting restless."
He noted Richard's shiver but didn't comment on it. All vampires had a special hatred and fear of demons. After all, if it weren't for demons, they'd have lived their lives as humans without having this crushing desire to kill and maim anyone they met. They'd be able to live in the sunlight, fall in love, and have children. Grow old and die having lived fulfilling lives instead of being stuck like rotting leaves under bedrock in a stream.
Thomas dialed the number seared into his brain. He hated having to do it, but when demons were attacking his people, he did what was necessary. After leaving a message, he turned back to his work. Several hours later, a thin, mousy-looking servant interrupted him and told him his guest was waiting for him in his office.
It took all of Thomas' strength not to attack Samuel on sight. The demon sat in his chair, feet up on his desk. He gave Thomas a casual, arrogant smile and Thomas glared back at him. There was an agreement between the two of them, but that didn't mean that the king liked him any more than the rest of the demons. Less, even. This hatred was personal. If it weren't for Samuel, Erela would still be alive. Why she had chosen him to father her child would always be a mystery.
"In need of another human?" Samuel asked. "Did you take that succulent Adrielle to bed and drain her dry while plowing into her—"
"Shut up," Thomas snapped. "You are here because you need to keep your demons in line, not because of my personal business."
"My demons?"
"A village was wiped out earlier today by demons. You're the 'arch-demon' of these parts. Take care of it."
Samuel's eyes narrowed. For a long moment, he didn't say anything. Then, a smile lit his face again. He jumped to his feet and waved a hand as though this was nothing to be concerned about. "I'll deal with it. Just for you. And I won't even ask for anything in return. As much as I'd like a taste of little Adrielle—"
Thomas snarled, barely restraining himself from lunging forward. "I thought you said she was fat."
"My mistake. I saw her topside the other day. All curves. Tell me, is it as good laying between those strong thighs as I'm imagining? Or have you not taken advantage of all that Adrielle has to offer?"
"Just take care of your demons."
Samuel chuckled under his breath. "I saw Clarissa, too. She's the spitting image of her mother, don't you think?"
Thomas reacted without thinking. He leaped over his desk, driving his fists into Samuel's face. The king grabbed him by the collar and dragged him up, pressing him against the wall, and thrust a dagger through his abdomen. The demon made a choking noise, a flash of pain crossing his face, but then he just laughed. Killing the lesser demons was as easy as taking off their heads, but an arch-demon like Samuel… He was nearly impossible to kill. Even silver, which had an effect on every demon and vampire, did little more than irritate him.
"You have no right to say her name," Thomas hissed.
Samuel chuckled again. "Which name? Erela or Clarissa?"
"Both!"
"Erela came to me, Thomas," Samuel's voice was low. "She came to me."
Thomas drove the knife in deeper, snarling. He wasn't sure what happened next – Samuel's eyes flashed red and suddenly Thomas was thrown across the room. He hit the stone wall hard enough to break through it altogether. The air was driven from his lungs and, though he tried to stand, his legs wouldn't cooperate. Samuel straightened his jacket and walked past Thomas's crumpled form.
"I'll take care of those demons for you. I wish that we could be friends, Thomas. I really do."
Ha! Thomas waited until he was gone before trying to move again. A groan escaped him as he slowly got to his feet. Pain shot through his body. One of these days, he was going to find a way to kill that demon. He sagged into his desk chair, a tight ball of fear gripping his heart.
He knew very well that Erela had gone to Samuel. She had told him everything herself. He still remembered the way she looked, wearing that white summer dress that made her look so innocent and pure. Her voice hadn't even broken when she told him what she did.
But then again, morals were always different for her.
A timid knock came at the door and he looked up to see Adrielle in the doorway. He quickly straightened.
"What do you want?" he snapped.
"I've made a list of things I need from the surface," the human mumbled without breaking eye contact. "I think that maybe Clarissa and I should go up together again – with Madrid of course – so she can pick out some of these things herself. You haven't provided her with enough mindless fun, so I'm going to teach her finger painting and drawing on the walls…"
Thomas scowled. "So you can try to call someone again? Madrid told me you took a phone call while the last time."
Adrielle flinched. "I… I didn't call anybody. My phone's wrecked. We'll just go to a store."
"Who was—"
"I heard the conversation you had with that man," she blurted. Another flinch, though this time it ended with her hunched over herself. "Clarissa's… biological father. He's a demon, isn't he? Madrid wouldn't tell me what he was, but…"
Thomas tensed. His hands clenched. When he spoke, he was surprised by how level it was. "Yes. Samuel is a demon."
"That's why she was so afraid of him," Adrielle whispered. Tears filled her eyes. "That poor girl."
A rush of gratitude surprised him. Thomas didn't say anything as he gazed at Adrielle. Her expression was distant, compassion written across all of her features. He had made the right choice. She was just the influence Clarissa needed. Being half-demon and growing up among the monsters that were vampires, she needed this good influence. To see some form of purity in her life. Otherwise, the light in her own soul would be choked out. What would that make her?
"Your wife slept with another man, but you still kept her daughter—"
"Clarissa is my daughter."
Adrielle reached across the desk, putting her hand over his. The touch made him jump, but she didn't seem to notice. "You love her very much."
"Yes," Thomas whispered. "I do."
Her fingers stroked his wrist, then pressed down where there ought to be a pulse. He kept her gaze, trembling, hardly believing that she was touching him of her own free will. Up until now, she'd only been terrified of him. Hadn't she?
"Am I ever going to be free to leave, Thomas?" Her voice was soft. "Will you ever trust me enough to give me that?"
He wanted to tell her that she was free to leave at any time, but the words were stuck in his throat. They both knew it wasn't true. She was no freer to leave than he was. Trapped by the mindless, trapped by his fears and the physical limitations pressed on them by forces they couldn't control. Was he really any better than the demon who turned him into a vampire, forcing him to live out his immortal life in the dark?
The king pulled away. He picked up the list of her demands but it slipped through his fingers. His hands trembled, chest aching. Hi
s heart was trying to beat, but it couldn't. For a moment, all he wanted to do was tell Adrielle everything. He reached for her, his body reacting to his desires. He couldn't tell her, so instead, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her onto the desk. She gasped sharply, and then his mouth was on hers.
His kiss lasted only half a second before he jerked back. His hands on her hips, fingers digging into her flesh. He pressed against her closed knees and her wide hazel eyes stared up at him. With a groan she leaned forward, brushing her mouth against his. He pulled her closer, then released her. He pulled back so suddenly that she lost her balance.
Thomas pushed a trembling hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. I'm… I'm sorry."
Adrielle's cheeks were flushed as her chest heaved. Without a word she jumped from his desk and fled. Thomas's muscles bunched as he turned and drove a fist into the wall. Why? Why had he done that? He hit the wall again and again. He had no control over his appetite. No wonder she was so frightened of him. She had every reason to be.
Chapter Six – Adrielle
Adrielle slipped a bookmark into the pages at the end of a chapter, then glanced down at her charge. Clarissa's eyes were wide as she sat in her bed, twisting the blankets in her hands.
"What are you doing?"
Adrielle set the book aside. "That's it for tonight. We'll have to find out what happens to Harry tomorrow."
"One more chapter," Clarissa begged.
"No. It's getting late and you need to sleep." Adrielle smiled as she tucked the little girl in.
Clarissa was a little old for bedtime stories, but they both enjoyed the nighttime routine of reading and tucking in. It was one of the few times when Clarissa acted like an actual child, rather than a little adult. Anything that helped her have a real childhood was a good thing.
"I remember that my mama used to read me stories," she whispered as Adrielle kissed her forehead. "She read to me all the time."
"Then your mama must have loved you very much."
