Cabrian looked troubled. “Torin can take care of you. You cannot last on your own. Staying hidden from the Halloran’s won’t be easy.”
Kiera nodded. She planned to be gone long before Torin could make arrangements for her. She couldn’t rely on one of the nobles. They couldn’t protect her.
Chapter 30
“Adevax,” a heavily veiled woman said with a gasp. “I’d know you anywhere.”
The male called Peter stared at the woman. Her voice triggered distant memories of the past, long before his time in captivity. Her face was obscured by her veil and only her eyes were visible. One eye swirled with a multitude of ebony shades intermixed with amber. It was a chilling sight to see an eyeball with no distinguishable pupil and he recalled only one woman with such eyes. That woman had been a thorn in his side when he had lived in Adevax. Clearly she knew him since she had called him by that name. It had to be Gwyneth of Turloch. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t the Jelly Queen herself. What are you doing here?”
The woman emitted a high pitched shriek. “How dare you call me by that hideous name! I am your queen and you are sworn to my service.”
“You’re not my queen. I heard that Adevax is dead and his brother took the throne.” He didn’t try to hide his disgust of the woman. He wondered why she hid her face. Did the others at the villa know of her reputation in the North? His people had called her the Jelly Queen because she had gone through hundreds of pots of jelly when entertaining her string of lovers. All while she was mated to the king. Her affairs were legendary and the king hadn’t seemed to mind since her liaisons had benefitted the kingdom. He had zero respect for the woman. “Why do you hide your face?” Gwyneth lifted her veil. The sight of her burned, scarred face made him gasp in horror. “Who did this to you?”
“My mate. He tried to kill me.” Gwyneth lowered the veil to conceal what was left of her once beautiful visage. “Modez apologized. Apologized, as if he can excuse his dreadful behavior by uttering meaningless words of regret. We’ve been keeping quiet about my condition, but eventually everyone will know what he did to me. I cannot forgive him for this. I want him to pay.”
He shuddered. “You expect me to assist you, I assume. You think I’ll do so because you were once my queen.”
“You owe me, Adevax.”
“I owe you nothing.” The king had been the one to elevate his position to that of warrior. He had been a nameless orphan until the king had seen him playing with a toy sword in a field. He had seen his potential and had given him a real sword and a place in the barracks.
“You have no loyalty!” Gwyneth railed at him while she pounded her fists in the air. “I treated you like a son. What did you do to repay my generosity?” Gwyneth spit on the floor. “You got yourself captured on your first raid. So pathetic.”
“I made a name for myself. I became the best gladiator in Rome. Everyone called my name in praise. They worshipped me.”
“They scorn you. Everyone in Adevax speaks of the warrior who lasted not a day. A fortune spent on his training, yet he was felled by one poison arrow.”
“None of our kind are immune to the poison of the vipermantis plant. Those arrows have felled many, not just me. I was a slave but I refuse to feel shame for it.”
“Slavery is a sin. Only the unworthy fall victim to it. A male with loose morals and a weak heart will be judged. You were judged and I was thankful for it.”
He clenched his fists. “Bitch.” A smile stretched across his rugged, battle-weary face. “You were judged as well. What do your scars say about you, Jelly Queen?”
“I am blameless! You are not.” Gwyneth pointed one long finger at his face. “And you’re still a slave. A slave to Diermont. What is a Northerner doing working for a Southwestern prince?”
“That’s none of your concern, Jelly Queen.”
“We’ll see about that. I’ll make it my concern. I’ll make sure Diermont listens to me when I express my misgivings about your continued presence here.”
“Do as you will, spiteful bitch.”
“I could help you reclaim your place in society.” Gwyneth’s tone was suddenly soft and soothing. “A few words from their former queen and your sin of slavery would be forgiven. I am very influential, Adevax.”
“I don’t want or need your help.”
“You best remember who you are, Adevax. I was the one who gifted you with a regal name. Before, they called you Snot-nosed Boy.”
“I’ve been called many names, lady. I don’t go by the name of Adevax any longer. I am called Bloodfanger. You best remember that. I only wonder which name you will take next. Certainly not Jelly Queen. You’re too ugly to charm any more males to come betwixt your thighs now that you’re charred of skin and extra crispy.” He touched her veil with one of his fingers, careful not to touch her actual skin. “Make no further demands of me and stay from my sight. You disgust me.”
Chapter 31
Modez had spent countless days nursing Gwyneth. He hadn’t wanted to be closeted in her chamber with her, but his guilt over her disfigurement would allow nothing less. He had to make it right with her. He wasn’t sure how he could do it. He had no intention of honoring his mating bond with her, but now that she was burned and horrific to look upon, no other would ever have her. He owed it to her to at least stay by her side. Until she had recovered.
He looked upon her silent form. She would never recover. The woman was the most vain creature on the planet and he had robbed her of her beauty.
Gwyneth sat up in bed. Her face was covered in that veil she insisted on wearing. She sported a glass eye to replace the one she had lost in the fire. “Why are you still here?”
“I mean to care for you. Until you are well. The healers have been applying poultices and chanting spells. But the outlook is grim. I cannot say again how sorry I am. I never intended to cast you into the fire.”
“Please, spare me. I realize now your hatred for me. I should have known you could never forgive me for the slight infidelity.”
“Slight infidelity?”
“Yes, well the king bit me against my will. I was a slave to the new bond that was forced upon me. What could I do?” Gwyneth sniffed but her tears were false. “Let us not rehash this again. I should never have come here. You have ruined my face and ruined my life. I will take great pleasure in ruining yours.”
“My face or my life?”
“Your life.” Gwyneth twisted on the bed. “Although if your face is ever damaged I will not waste a tear over it. I want you to be as miserable as you have made me. I will discover what it is that you love and I will destroy it.”
“You will fail. I love nothing and no one.”
“I know that isn’t true. I will discover the source of your joy and I will snuff it out. Kill it. You will understand then how I feel.”
“I am sorry you feel the need to hurt me, but I have no strong feelings for anyone or anything. I have my pleasures like any male, but one can easily be substituted for another. Nothing is irreplaceable. Such is the life of a warrior.”
“I don’t believe you.” Gwyneth’s one good eye narrowed and darkened with hate. “You have been warned. You should kill me while you can, before I am able to put nefarious plans in motion.”
“I won’t assist in your suicide, Gwyneth. I won’t stand in your way if you decide to kill yourself, but nor will I be the one to wield that blade. You should focus on getting better. The druids will heal whatever they can. I am willing to hire the best healer in the kingdom for you. Maybe one of them can transform your marred flesh into something resembling skin. You have a son. That is reason enough to live.”
“A sickly child. I don’t even know which male sired him.” Gwyneth’s laugh was bitter. “I only know that it wasn’t the king. He was sterile. We tried for decades to have a litter. Eventually we gave up. He was willing to accept my bastard, but unfortunately his brother did not feel the same. The new king wanted to erase my little prince’s existence because he
wasn’t truly of Adevax. There is nothing for me now. Nothing but your impending misery.” Gwyneth threw a vase at him. It missed and shattered on the floor. “I will make it my mission in life to ruin yours. It is my only reason for living.”
Chapter 32
The awful noise drew Cassia from her chambers. She wrapped a sheet around herself and stepped into the hall. Kiera, her keeper, was at her side as usual and that girl was the reason she was able to vacate her chamber without Cabrian by her side. Cabrian had been sent out with some of the raiding parties and she hadn’t seen hide nor hair of him for several days. She wished he was still on guard duty. Those were the good days when he never left the villa. Now she had to worry about him, not knowing whether he was going to come back to her or not.
Snotti and her APS ladies dragged the human slave out the door of the villa and into the courtyard. Cassia and Kiera trailed behind. The human, Baby, screamed in terror as Snotti held a dagger to her throat. “I knew some of our males were harboring human sluts beneath our very noses!” Snotti pierced Baby’s throat with the end of her dagger and watched while the blood streamed down her neck. “So yummy looking, but I bet her blood is more like poison than fine wine. I will not lower myself to taste one so unsavory.”
“How did you discover the creature?” Lasair asked.
“I thought Modez had a human lover, so I have been walking the halls at night.”
Cassia recognized the hybrid’s voice so she knew Gwyneth had spoken, but she wondered why the hybrid female wore a veil.
“But I did not find this one in his room.” Gwyneth raised the confiscated Centurion’s staff in the air and waved it with fury. “She was in Shane McDonald’s bed. But I know she serviced more than the one hybrid. I scent at least three on her skin.”
Snotti moved the knife lower, past Baby’s stomach and hips to her thighs. She stabbed into the material and ripped a gash in the fabric that revealed pale skin. “Name the miscreants involved or I will stab you in the cunt. I promise you won’t like being stabbed with my dagger nearly as much as you enjoyed being stabbed with hybrid cock.”
Baby screamed and struggled while Snotti’s ladies held her immobile. Finally, she said, “I belong to Seamus McLeod and Visant Brannon. You cannot harm me.”
Snotti screamed with rage. “You corrupted one of our noble lords and our most powerful druid! And Shane McDonald had you as well, I assume.”
“Yes, Your Highness. All three had me.”
“Well, no longer! Human sheaths ruin our males. You must be the reason Seamus’ mating test failed. And Visant, how can he perform his duties when he has been bewitched by human sex givers?”
Baby cried and apologized profusely, but it made no difference to Snotti as she pronounced a death sentence for the girl. The courtyard filled with warriors and they stood with their hands on their swords while Snotti had her tirade. Cassia could tell they wanted to intervene but were hesitant to interfere with the princess’ business. They waited for Diermont to make his appearance, and in a few minutes, he popped onto the grass. Snotti turned to him and said, “Three of our males violated the ban and are guilty of harboring a human in this very villa. They shall face your punishment, my prince, but first the human must be destroyed.”
“Wait!” The last thing Cassia wanted to do was draw attention to herself, but she couldn’t allow them to kill Baby. “Don’t harm her! The girl has crucial information about a hybrid conspirator. She knows the identity of the hybrid who has been working with Lucine.”
Snotti slit Baby’s throat with her dagger and the girl slid to the ground. Blood gushed from the wound on her neck and pooled on the grass, turning everything in the vicinity red. Her eyes held the look of death. Diermont yanked Snotti by the arm and said, “What were you thinking, woman? We needed to interrogate that human and now we cannot because you killed her.”
Snotti pointed toward Cassia and said, “Cabrian’s slave would say anything to save her human friend. I wasn’t going to let her lies sway me from applying justice.”
Baby hadn’t been a friend since Cassia barely knew her, but she would grieve her death. It was senseless. Seamus and Visant had arrived to the scene too late to stop Snotti from killing their slave. She had never seen them so angry as they raged at Snotti. The males acted as if a close member of their families had been killed and not just a human slave. Even Shane McDonald had tears in his eyes. She felt the fear well inside her as the hybrids focused their attention on her. Scanning the grounds, she felt an overwhelming sense of relief to spot Cabrian. He had come fresh from the battlefield, from the look of him.
Cabrian gathered Cassia in his arms and transported them out of the courtyard. Now inside their chamber, Cabrian paced the room. “All hell is breaking loose out there. This is terrible. We’ll never learn the identity of the traitor.”
“Snotti killed her. Just like that.” Cassia was in shock. It had all happened in a matter of minutes.
Cabrian sighed heavily. “I wish you had told me about Baby earlier. I shouldn’t have waited to talk to her, but I hadn’t expected to be sent on these damnable overnight excursions.” Cabrian let out another string of curse words while he removed his battle gear. “I could not have known Snotti would discover her presence so soon.”
“I am worried. What if they come for me next?”
“That won’t happen. You’re not just a human slave. You are a breeder and my future mate.”
That didn’t make Cassia feel much safer. As a breeder, she was more of a threat to the APS fanatics than Baby had been. They wouldn’t let her live. “Make me yours. I’d feel much safer if I was already your mate.”
“I wish I could, Cassia, but Diermont has forbidden it. He says the sex would distract me from my duties. He is correct in that. I wouldn’t be able to focus on anything but being inside you. That could get me killed and you’d be left without a protector.”
“Am I not already a distraction?” Cassia blushed as she said this, knowing they had been secretly violating the ban on human-hybrid relations.
“Yes, you are a most welcome distraction,” he said while taking her mouth in a passionate kiss, “but I can maintain some control over it right now. Once I initiate the mating bond, that won’t be the case. Please be patient.”
“Okay. I’ll try.” Cassia wrapped her arms around him and snuggled into his warm body. She wished they could simply get married and run off together, but that wasn’t the way the world worked. She was terrified that someone or something would destroy her happiness. There were too many obstacles in their way.
Chapter 33
Later that evening Diermont announced his judgment. It would be punishment via the Windsnapper. Visant Brannon, Seamus McLeod, Shane McDonald, Cassia Maximus, and Kiera Devine were found guilty of violating the ban on human-hybrid relations. Cassia was found guilty because she had admitted to knowing of Baby’s existence and hadn’t reported it. Kiera had been judged guilty because she was ultimately held responsible for Cassia’s behavior. Cabrian had asked to take Cassia’s punishment, saying his human slave would not survive it. That had resulted in a heated argument between the two, but eventually Diermont yielded.
Modez was barely hanging on to his sanity. He had isolated himself in his chamber for days because he knew he was going feral. Soon Diermont would notice and take action to restrain him. He was losing control of his hybrid abilities but he hoped he could do something to help Kiera. He hadn’t seen her in days. He didn’t want to be around any female when he was dangerous. Half the time he couldn’t remember what he was supposed to be doing. His mind was fuzzy, confused. He felt angry most of the time although he had no reason for it. The rage overwhelmed him and he couldn’t trust himself around others, especially those he cared about.
He was grateful he was lucid and rational at the moment. The condemned were in a special torture chamber called the Windsnapper. The cage reached two stories in height. The druids stood at the bars with hands lifted into the air. They chanted
and moved their hands in a circular motion. Air churned in the cage with the force and speed of a small tornado. The winds picked the hybrids up into the air and spun them in a chaotic motion. Bodies slammed into the bars of the cage and bones snapped from the collision. Modez concentrated on Kiera, using his telekinesis ability to stop her from hurling through the air at a hundred miles an hour. He tried to lessen the impact as she hit the bars of the cage. He forced a cushion of air to encircle her body, and he tried to drag her in opposition to the winds. He couldn’t prevent her from being harmed and he winced every time she hit the bars. After an hour, it was over. Healers retrieved the broken bodies inside the cage. None were dead but the injuries were severe and would take time to heal. He hoped he had lessened the damage to Kiera. She did not appear as injured as the others.
He couldn’t understand how Diermont could order a punishment that left some of his best warriors incapacitated for a prolonged period of time. His hatred of humans put them all at risk should the enemy strike before the warriors had recovered.
Modez watched Kiera as the healers tended to her. His vision turned black and a loud roaring sound barreled through his ears. It sounded nearly like ocean waves and for a minute he thought he was in the water. The sky had darkened and he couldn’t see much of anything. Then suddenly he saw them. A tribe of hobbits wielding hatchets raced toward him. The monkey-like creatures were only as high as his waist but their teeth were jagged and vicious like that of a shark. They swung their weapons at him and he picked up his own sword to defend himself.
Vampire Enslavement (Lords of Bondage) Page 37
