Blood Wars: Book 4 (The Talisman Series)

by Brenda Pandos

  I was in hell.

  CHAPTER THREE

  “Julia, open up.” Nicholas knocked on the door louder. “I can rip it down if you don’t.”

  “Go away!” I yelled again.

  “Come on. Why are you doing this?”

  “Go to hell!” I screamed.

  Nicholas exhaled loudly, then walked off. With my new killer sense of hearing, in the distance I heard Alora tell him to back off and give me space.

  I rolled over on the bed and ripped open another pillow. Feathers took flight in the air. The more I thought about what they’d done to me, the more I wanted to murder them all. And that scared me. I’d never wanted to hurt anyone, let alone kill before.

  My eyes kept flickering between the clock and the orange sliver of light at the edge of the curtains, waiting for sunset. Once free to go outside, I’d find Phil. He’d know what to do. Maybe there was a way to reverse my change, reverse everyone’s change. I didn’t want to think of what Katie would do once night hit. Poor Tyler.

  Another draining zap hit my chest, and I slumped against the pillows. Each moment I couldn’t give into my thirst urges, I felt my insides roll around like a hurricane. The buzz of a screwdriver drew me from my self-loathing.

  “Phil?”

  I opened the curtains a hair. Light burned my eyes, but I was able to see a shadow of someone on scaffolding outside my window.

  “Did she see?” I heard one of the men ask.

  “Yeah. Let’s hurry before sunset. I don’t trust her.”

  “She’s crazy,” one of them said.

  Instead of anger surging inside me, I laughed—a full belly laugh that cleared my head for a moment. The dueling hearts racing even faster made me laugh harder. Stupid humans.

  “I’ll find you, my pretties,” I promised loud enough for them to hear. They’d regret they insulted me.

  “Let’s get out of here,” the other said, and they were gone.

  I pressed my ear to the door. The hall was quiet. All but the fast thumping of another heart, the first human to cross my path within eating distance since I’d locked myself away.

  Overcome with hunger, I ripped open the door and pulled the human inside.

  She gasped. “My Queen.”

  I dropped Mimi to the floor. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m—” she swallowed hard. “Here to feed you. Nicholas wants you to keep your strength up.”

  She held up her wrist to me while bowing. I stared at it hungrily, distracted by the stink of her lie. Why?

  Another draining zap hit my chest, and I clutched at my breast. “Dang it.”

  Mimi’s eyes widened. “What’s wrong?”

  “I keep feeling…” I stopped. She didn’t need to know my problems. Overwhelmed with hunger again, I licked my lips. “Why are you really here?”

  “To f-f-feed you.”

  “I know you’re lying.” I stepped forward, scowling. She quaked, but wasn’t aware she had the upper hand. If she cut herself like Phil had, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself. “Why?”

  She crumbled to the floor with her face in her hands. “I just… can’t wait anymore.”

  “Wait for what?”

  She sniffed and tugged at her throat, kneading the skin. “They’re choosing a hierarchy. I’m going to be on the bottom. I just know it.”

  “What are you talking about—and stop that!” I eyed her throat, at the redness from her fingers rubbing against the skin.

  She froze. Then she stood toe-to-toe with me. “Just take me. Please.” She lifted her hair. The pulse of her artery pressed against the thin skin, teasing me.

  My eyes rolled back as I imagined the blood trickling down my throat, at how good it would taste. Then I remembered Phil. He was sober. He’d chosen to refrain. I could refrain.

  “Just give in.” She dragged her nails over the skin, leaving red trails of blood in their path.

  Unable to help it, I grabbed her and was just about to sink my teeth in, when something yanked her away. A growl erupted from my throat. “What are you doing?”

  Katie stood before me, holding Mimi in her arms. She slit her wrist with her nail and threw her at me. “Now you can drink.”

  Hungry, I devoured her gulp after amazing gulp. Mimi struggled at first, making the blood sweeter, then she slumped forward. The bitter sadness followed. I let her fall to the floor.

  “I’ll forgive you because you’re new.” Katie moved to pick up Mimi.

  “What happened to ‘my Queen,’” I said with a smirk.

  Her eyes narrowed momentarily, then she curtsied. “Of course, my Queen. Do you require anything else?”

  I sneered at her smugness. How dare she treat me this way? Her neck was within my grasp before I could stop myself. I pressed her six inches into the opposing wall.

  “I made you,” I breathed in her face.

  “No. I made you.” Katie lifted her chin and exhaled, annoyed. “Let me down.”

  Once again, we were several feet off the ground. “I don’t think you understand. I can unmake you.”

  Katie rolled her eyes. “I’ve been a vampire a lot longer than you. So go ahead and try.”

  A vision of me throwing her down and piercing her heart with the chair leg crossed my mind before it actually happened. The shaft pierced Katie’s chest. I expected flames and ash, but the wooden leg stopped, brushing against her heart as if it were made of stone.

  “What the—?”

  Katie laughed, and flipped me on my back, tossing the chair across the room. “Like I said, I’m smarter than you.”

  I blinked and she was gone. So was Mimi’s body. In a rage, I flung the door shut and locked it again. The screws at the hinges protruded from the metal at the corners.

  I picked up the chair and snapped the leg in two. Underneath the flaking brown paint was metal. I walked over to the desk, busting it in half, then to the side tables next to the bed, finally ending with the dresser. Every piece of furniture was made to look like it was wood when it wasn’t. All metal.

  “What?” I breathed.

  I ran to the door and unlocked it, forcing it open by the knob. It wouldn’t budge. I pounded against the wood. My fist left huge indentations around flaking paint. It, too, was made of metal.

  I stared at it in shock. This house had been planned down to every last detail. They knew one day there’d be vampires here, that they’d need to make it safe.

  How could I have been so blind?

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Once the clock hit 7PM, I couldn’t wait anymore and threw open the shades. White light poured inside, burning my eyes and skin. I shrieked and flew into the bathroom, fanning out the flames.

  From under the door, blinding light pierced the darkness. I stared at it dumbfounded. Had the clock been wrong this entire time? It couldn’t be the sun, not at this angle. Did the workmen hang mirrors to intensify the light?

  “What the heck!” I pounded my fist into the granite countertop, splintering it into flaking bits.

  There was no way I could go back inside the room, or outside without frying myself first.

  I sat on the toilet seat, contemplating my next move. The claustrophobia closed in on me, and I pressed my hands against the walls. My fingers popped through as if the sheetrock was made of toilet paper. Cold air rushed over my fingertips, followed by scorching heat.

  I pulled my hand inside. Smoke wafted from my skin, but it was nothing like before. Peeking outside, I saw dark sky beyond and rows of lights lining the ground pointing upward to the house.

  They’d used some kind of UV light to keep me inside.

  “Damn you, Alora!”

  Thirst hit my throat as the panic swelled. Feeling trapped, I began to poke holes in the walls randomly, looking for a way out. Had they planned this all along? Without a stake, I was helpless to overcome anyone and escape. Yes, I was sure my strength rivaled Nicholas’ or Katie’s, but if they ganged up, could they defeat me?

  I scratched at
my aching throat when the horrid thought hit. Nicholas had said he had Katie under control; that I had nothing to worry about with her. They’d made a pact to secure her immortality while he insisted that the vampires didn’t remember the past. His enjoyment from drinking from her looked far from innocent. Was that because they had a secret relationship? Were they planning to lock me up and ditch the key? Was the Queen bit nothing but a way to get me to comply?

  They had no right. They were vampires because of me. They owed me their alliance and should fear me. Someone needed to pay. Someone needed to be made an example of, and Katie was first on my list.

  Sitting in the dark, I stared at the door. When they turned off the lights to come get me, I’d be ready. I’d overtake them. I’d win my independence back. I glanced around for places to hide, looking upward. Did they light up the roof, too?

  An hour later, I’d quietly and meticulously chiseled a hole through the ceiling with my fingernails. After prying off the marble flooring above, there was a hole large enough for me to fit through. The last ten minutes my building thirst quickly overcame my need to be quiet, and all I could think about was my next meal. Even corpses sounded appetizing.

  I slithered out like a snake and dusted off.

  “Well…” Nicholas said from the darkened corner of the room. “You’re adjusting well.”

  I whipped around, startled. An annoyed laugh slipped from my lips. Of course, in my concentration I didn’t hear or smell him.

  “Is this how you treat your girlfriend?”

  “As I recall, you locked me out.” His foot crunched the broken marble as he came closer. “Ready to apologize?”

  “Apologize? Hardly!” I shot him a look when another weakening pang hit me. Clutching my stomach, I groaned. “You’re killing me by keeping me from eating.”

  A bag of blood landed at my feet in a sloshy heap. “You’re not dying, love. It’s all an adjustment period.”

  I tore into the bag unable to help myself. The cold liquid poured down my throat. It lacked all the tasty hormones I’d come to enjoy from my other two feedings, but helped maintain my level headedness. “That room is a tomb.”

  “It was a safe place for fledglings…”

  “Until you open the curtains.”

  Nicholas crossed to the far wall and hit a button to open the blinds. I shrieked and hid in the bathroom. The light didn’t penetrate the darkened windows like it had in the room below.

  “There’s a button that turns on the UV protection in the glass.”

  I snapped my mouth shut and sneered. “Nice of you to let me know.”

  Nicholas sighed. “You wanted space, so I gave it to you.”

  “Quit with the ‘I’m doing this for you’ B.S. You locked me in that room and almost burned me to death.”

  He merely smiled before he moved to my side and ran his fingers over my arm to my waistband. “I think you like it.”

  “Stop touching me.” I batted his hand away.

  He grabbed my wrist and pinned it behind my back. “You’re a crabby vampire.”

  I grunted, trying to fight him off. “How long do you plan on keeping me locked up?”

  “Until you can behave.” His free hand traveled under my shirt, grazing circles along the tender skin of my stomach. Then his hand moved upward. I stopped fighting. Butterflies swirled and swan dived in my stomach, sending sensations I’d never felt before, filling me with nervous anticipation.

  I sucked in an anxious breath. “What are you doing?”

  “What I’ve always wanted to do.” He leaned over and began to kiss my neck while moving me backward. One hand trapped mine while the other was doing crazy things, gliding like feathers all over. Everywhere but where I craved his touch most.

  Then in a flash, my shirt was gone. His wanting eyes searched me. My dead heart almost jumpstarted to life from the thrill.

  “How did you know I like black lace?” he purred.

  Heat flushed my cheeks. We’d fooled around in the past, but he’d never been so bold.

  “I sense your feelings. I know what you want.” He leaned over me and kissed the hollow of my throat. His lips trailed down, kissing the bare skin, moving dangerously close to forbidden areas. I groaned as he picked me up by my hips and tossed me on the bed.

  “I want to talk first,” I said, swallowing hard as he landed on top of me.

  His teeth prickled my skin as he nipped at my stomach. “I’m done talking.”

  “Well, I’m not,” I choked out. He was just trying to distract me.

  Nicholas laughed. “Quiet, kitten.”

  Though I’d wanted to fight his seduction, my raging hormones had different ideas. I cinched my legs around him like a magnet, and my head tilted back and swam when I felt his fingers fumbling with the hooks on my bra.

  “I see deft hook removal skills didn’t come with your conversion,” I whispered in his ear.

  He grunted in frustration. There was a snap of fabric and the bra went slack. He leaned backward and the corner of his lip quirked upward.

  “Hey.” I covered my chest with my hands before the lacy barrier could slip away. “I happen to love this bra.”

  “I happen to love it, too. Especially once it’s on the floor.” His dark eyes gleamed mischievously.

  I blinked at his boldness. “Oh, really?”

  He tugged at my hand. “Indulge me.”

  Though my body wanted to quench the flames of passion crawling through me and do all the things I’d dreamed about, I wouldn’t deny my situation. He’d played Russian roulette with my life, not to mention lied to me and locked me up. He couldn’t seduce me and pretend everything was okay.

  My mouth opened to argue more when he lunged for me, sinking his teeth into my neck. I cried out before a shiver of ecstasy rushed through my bones, pinpricking me with joy.

  “What are you doing?” I breathed as my desire to fight him off evaporated into bliss.

  Then Cain’s face morphed in my mind and what being a vessel to a vampire felt like surfaced. Nicholas was becoming like Cain in all his greedy glory and he wanted me to throw out my morals and join him. I pushed Nicholas off in one big shove.

  “What?” He wiped his lips of my blood. “It’s perfectly legal.”

  “It’s perfectly wrong. All of this is wrong!”

  Nicholas’ coy smile burgeoned on his lips as he inched closer. “What are you so afraid of?”

  “I’m not afraid,” well, accept of dying and going to hell. I snagged my shirt from the bed and slipped it over my head. “You lied to me.”

  Nicholas turned to me, eyes heated. “I gave you what you wanted.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “To live wherever you want. To be together without limits. To not be afraid. Freedom, Julia.”

  “I hardly feel free.” I blew out a breath to clear my head. Arguing with him was clouding my judgment, and I needed to focus on finding a way out. Without thinking, I smashed the window. Light streamed in.

  Nicholas had my wrist and pulled me inside the bathroom before I could think.

  “Stop,” I demanded. “You can’t keep me here.”

  His eyes narrowed. “I’m not keeping you hostage. It’s just not safe for you to go out into the world yet.”

  “Why? Because I’m fragile?”

  “Because you’re unstable, Julia.” He pointed to the hole in the floor.

  I scowled at him. “That wasn’t from my hunger.”

  “I’m not saying it was—”

  My knee connected with his groin, bringing him down before I could help myself, and I dashed for the door. Slide stood with his back to me. He was down before he could even turn around.

  Hoping over the balcony, I landed on marble floor by the front door, clearing a crowd of vampires feeding on the help. Grabbing the knob, I pulled the door open, praying there wasn’t a lighted walkway on the other side.

  Outside in the dim light, two sets of startled eyes met mine.

  “N
ow!” Phil yelled.

  Red lights flashed from everywhere.

  “No!” Sam grabbed Phil’s wrist knocking the laser pen from his hand. It flipped in an arc and the beam hit my side.

  “What are you—ouch!” Flying over the top of them, I landed further down the walk. Smoke poured out of the neckline of my top, and I patted out the flames coming from my hip where the light had cut into me. “Holy heck! What is that?”

  “Julia!” Nicholas growled from the doorway.

  Sam and Phil trained their pens on the four corners of the door frame, making an impenetrable web of death.

  “One move and you’ll meet your maker,” Phil sneered.

  “You’re making a mistake.” Nicholas held up his hands. “I’m not the one you need protection from.”

  “Yeah, right.” I laughed.

  Phil took two steps backward and whispered nervously under his breath. “Stay by my side, Sam.”

  I smelled his fear and my canines watered with venom. His blood by far had tasted the best.

  “I’m warning you, Phil. You’re no match for her.” Nicholas held up his hands and dared to step on the porch as the other vampires retreated inside, eyes terrified. “Step aside.”

  “Yet again, I’m saving the girl.” Phil flashed a crooked smile.

  Nicholas snickered. “She doesn’t need saving.” They faced off for a moment. Nicholas’ smile broke the tension. “Or are you looking for a quick trip to immortality?”

  “I’m looking to end this.” Phil flipped his laser toward Nicholas.

  I screamed, lunging for his arm. “No!”

  Nicholas pulled a disheveled and ashen Mimi in front of the light and used her as a shield. “Nice try.”

  Mimi whimpered, struggling to get free. Red angry slash marks covered her neck. She lifted her hand to the light in silent desperation. Sadness soured the air, distracting my thirst. Was she only destined to be their blood slave? What about the hierarchy promise from Katie?

  Phil shot the beam inside the house, and I hoped Katie was nearby. Three vamps caught the beam by mistake and fell to the floor, writhing in pain. Once they burned into three piles of ash, power rolled through my muscles like a mighty wave.