Nightshade (1)

by Michelle Rowen

  He studied me. “You feel badly about what happened, don’t you?”

  “No.” I pressed my lips together.

  “You do. You’re no assassin. So it’s true what Noah told me: You don’t have any real part in this. You’re only a pawn used by those who mean to destroy me.”

  “I don’t know what you want me to say.”

  “The truth would be nice.” He took another sip of his wine and walked toward the far wall on the other side of the bed.

  There was no doubt this was a man to fear. His handsome appearance was deceptive. Of course, knowing what he’d done to Declan’s mother kept that shiny exterior from affecting me in the slightest. He didn’t make any move to put on a shirt to cover his upper body, lean and solid, but less muscular than Declan’s. The dhampyr likely outweighed his vampire king father by about fifty pounds.

  I didn’t want to think about Declan now. All it did was bring a solid lump to my throat that was nearly impossible to swallow past. I had to keep my concentration. If I let it slip, I might lose my nerve completely.

  “Tell me exactly what they wanted you to do,” Matthias said. “What Monica Gray requested of you.”

  I licked my dry lips. “How does this work? I answer your questions and you give me a quick, painless death?”

  The corners of his mouth twitched. “I’m trying to think where you got such a poor impression of me. Please try to remember that Monica Gray has her own agenda. And she’s not above spreading lies in order to meet her goals.”

  “So you’re trying to tell me you’re a nice guy and not one to fear. That everything that’s been said about you is just to build a nasty reputation?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t go that far. I’m sure much of what she told you was the truth. I make no claim of being a friend to all humans.”

  I sipped the wine and tried to look remotely at ease and failing spectacularly, I was sure. “What do you want?”

  He slid his hand casually through his dark gold-colored hair. “Many things.”

  “You know what I am and what I can do. Now what?”

  “An excellent question.” He downed the rest of his glass of wine and came back over to pour another. He noted my curious stare. “I can drink more than just blood. I can eat, too, if I choose. With effort, many of my kin could fit in very well among the humans. Some already do.”

  “Then why live underground?”

  “Now, now. Let’s play fair. You never answered my question. What did they want you to do?”

  “Don’t you already know that?”

  He shook his head. “Noah hasn’t related everything to me. He remains resistant to give away all of the secrets of the Nightshade program. He’s only shared a glimmer of the truth with me—but it was enough. I assume that even though your involvement with Monica’s program was a mistake, they still wished to use you. To push you toward me like a steak offered to a starving lion. But they forget that I’m not exactly starving down here.”

  So Noah hadn’t told him everything. I didn’t know exactly what he had told Matthias, though. About the undercover agent? The grand plan? The fusing potion? That Declan was a dhampyr—his son? He hadn’t seemed to give a shit when he confirmed to me he was dead. Maybe Matthias didn’t care about anything but himself. And Noah had definitely told him the Nightshade in my blood was meant to kill him, but he hadn’t believed it. He’d needed to see the proof first.

  If he’d known all the answers, it was unlikely he’d be asking me anything right now. I’d already be dead.

  It gave me something to work with. A small, very faint, glimmer of hope that I could succeed in my goal right now.

  “I didn’t want anything to do with this,” I said. “Really. This was all a huge mistake.”

  “Did they think you could enter my domain without my knowledge? Perhaps as a willing human offering? It happens frequently. You think the girl who was in here was kidnapped from her home in the dark of night and forced to let me drink from her?” He shook his head. “She was willing, if that wasn’t completely obvious. In fact, she has been known to beg to see me.”

  I repressed the sour look I wanted to give him, hiding my frown with the wineglass as I took another sip. “Yes, that’s exactly what they wanted me to do.” I didn’t want to hint that there was an undercover agent somewhere down here if he didn’t already know about that. I didn’t want anyone else to have to die tonight. “But they didn’t go into detail about how I was going to do it.”

  “You spoke to Monica about this.”

  I nodded.

  “She’s wanted my head on a platter for a very long time.”

  “She’s not your biggest fan, no.”

  His lips curved in a sardonic smile. “Tell me, is she still doing her experiments to find a way to produce the perfect hybrid?”

  Another subject Noah had neglected to fill the vampire king in on.

  My finger tightened on my wineglass. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Her Dr. Frankenstein insistence that vampires and humans could produce a being that is the next evolution of mankind. Dhampyrs.” He cocked his head and his cool smile stretched wider. “You know, Jillian, you must never play poker. You can’t bluff very well. You know exactly what I’m talking about. You’ve probably even seen one of them, haven’t you?”

  There was no use trying to deny it. Besides, what difference did it make? “I have.”

  “And what was it like?” he asked, but before I could answer he continued, “A beastly thing not human or vampire? An experiment gone horribly wrong?”

  “You must have seen them before. I can’t imagine you only bite the naked women who spend time in your bedroom. There has to be some mistakes that happen along the way.”

  His lips thinned. “They’re very rare, but they do happen. And as soon as it’s known, the fetus is immediately aborted.”

  I grimaced with disgust.

  “You think that’s cruel?” he asked. “What’s cruel is letting the dhampyr come to full term. A baby dhampyr already has talons with which they slice their way out of the womb. Even as newborns, they’re dangerous to anyone who comes close to them.”

  “So there’s only the one kind of dhampyr?” I asked with mock ignorance.

  “Oh, there’s also the kind that look like a human but have the strength and agility and healing abilities of a vampire. The kind that can go out into the sun and survive without ingesting human blood.”

  “You’ve never seen one of these?”

  “Yes, of course. One I remember vividly was a female dhampyr from forty years ago. A child no more than a year old.”

  She’d be like Declan. My ears perked up. “What happened to her?”

  “She was sliced open in a ritual so a former king could drink what he thought was powerful magical blood to give him true immortality.”

  I felt physically ill. “This king—he’s dead now, I hope?”

  “No, but he was imprisoned for his sins.”

  “Kristoff.” I remembered the name from my chat with Dr. Gray. The benevolent king who kept the vampires in check until Matthias came along and ruined everything with his greed and lust for power.

  A benevolent king who murdered children so he could drink their blood?

  Matthias looked at me sharply. “Monica has many tales to tell, does she?”

  “She ... she said that he was a good king and that you—that you overthrew his reign.”

  He was silent for a moment before his laughter cut through the room like a knife. “Why am I not surprised? Did that help make you feel that giving your life to take mine was a noble cause? Perhaps so that the good king could be returned to his throne?”

  “You have Kristoff hidden away somewhere down here?”

  His amused expression disappeared. “He will never be released. Ever.”

  “If ... if you feel that strongly, then why wouldn’t you just kill him?” I felt his glare at my question like a slap.

  “What I do with my
prisoners is my business, not yours.” He went silent for a moment. “Tell me, Jillian. The man in the car with you. The vampire hunter, Declan Reyes. Were you in love with him?”

  My chest ached at the sound of his name and the direct and unexpected question. “I only met him a few days ago.”

  Matthias came closer and poured me some more wine. Instead of drinking it this time, I placed the glass down on the table next to the half-empty bottle.

  “He’s killed many vampires over the years,” he said. “He was feared more than any other hunter in recent memory. It helped cull the number of rogues out in the human world.”

  I swallowed hard. “You call them rogues, too?”

  “That’s what they are. Those who have pledged allegiance to me are welcome in my kingdom, which offers safety and security and willing blood servants. If they go out into the human world and break these rules, I send servants to bring them back here, where they face punishment. Any others are usually picked off by hunters. However, hunters don’t know the difference between those who are truly rogue and those who are not. That’s the problem when it comes to indiscriminant hunters like your Declan.”

  I grimaced. “He wasn’t mine.”

  “He was a beastly-looking man, wasn’t he?”

  “He wasn’t beastly.”

  He studied me. “You cared for him.”

  I blinked back the tears that gathered at the edges of my eyes. Then I nodded, soundlessly.

  “Such a waste, then, that he’s gone.” He approached me with effort and reached forward to twist a piece of my hair around his finger. “To earn the affections of a woman like you means he must have been worth something to the world.”

  Every muscle in my body tensed at having this monster so close to me. I forced myself not to try to escape him.

  “Careful,” I said. “Get too close and you might want a taste.”

  In fact, I was counting on it.

  “Yes, it’s true.” His jaw was tight. “Many people have attempted to take my life. But I’m very, very hard to kill. Perhaps I’ve begun to feel more powerful than I should. Having you here is a very good reminder of how vulnerable I am.”

  “So why would you bring me here right now?” I asked. “Was it to kill me?”

  “I hadn’t yet decided when I asked them to bring you here tonight.” He slid his fingers fully into my hair and I watched as the veins framing his eyes and mouth appeared faintly before disappearing.

  “And have you decided now?”

  “I’ve decided not to kill you. Not now.”

  “‘Not now,’” I repeated.

  A smile played at his lips. “I believe what Noah said—that you’re an innocent dragged into Monica’s schemes. I can’t fault you for that. Not entirely, anyway.”

  “So what you do want? More answers?”

  “No.” He shook his head. “I want you to help me.”

  I cringed as his hand came to rest on my shoulder, just past the edge of my white dress. His skin was dry and cool, like a silk pillow on a hot cheek at night.

  “With what?”

  “My resistance.” His lips parted and I saw the edge of his sharp fangs.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “The moment I met you, I wanted to sink my fangs into your flesh and drink you deeper than anyone I’ve ever known before. The Nightshade is entirely effective as a trap, luring its victim in by seducing their senses. It’s nearly impossible for me to resist.” His smile widened. “I find that very exciting.”

  “Then you’ve got a serious problem.”

  “Yes. A problem has been presented to me and I like to deal with my problems.” His hand slid down my arm. “I rarely have sex without also feeding. The combination is intoxicating.”

  A shudder of revulsion went through me. “I don’t know much about vampires, but I already know that.”

  “Gandhi is said to have lain with naked women to test his vow of celibacy. He put the temptation right there in front of him in the form of bare skin and willing bodies. But he never succumbed to his base desires. In his faith, this made him stronger.”

  I swallowed nervously. “Sorry, I don’t quite get the connection.”

  “If I can control my hunger with you, then I’ll have proven to myself that I’m truly meant to be king and those who oppose me are wrong.”

  I felt panic creep in. When I tried to pull away from him, he took hold of my arm. His strength was enough to keep me in place.

  “Look at me, Jillian.”

  The sharp way he said it should have been a warning. But I did as he asked and looked at him. The moment my eyes locked with his, the panic disappeared. The worry disappeared. The thoughts of Declan vanished.

  My mind cleared and a pleasantly warm sense of calm washed over me.

  “That’s much better,” Matthias said. He placed his hand over my chest. “Your heart rate is returning to normal. There’s nothing to fear.”

  “What is this?” My words were slurred as if I’d had a few drinks.

  “Vampires of a certain age are able to control the minds of humans to some extent. We can take away your fear when we feed, we can even make it pleasurable for you.”

  “I couldn’t speak when Colin controlled me.”

  “He was only learning this skill. You may speak with me, of course. And my grasp on you is not as tight as it could be. No reason for you to lose yourself entirely.” His gaze swept over me. “You’re feeling better now?”

  I exhaled shakily. “Yes.”

  “Calmer.”

  I nodded. It was true, after all. I felt as if I didn’t have a care in the world. And when Matthias touched me, trailing his fingers lightly over my collarbone, I didn’t find it as repulsive as I should have.

  “Do you find me attractive?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  That made him smile before the expression faded. “Your scent is nearly impossible for me to resist. But that’s the whole point. I must resist.” He raised an eyebrow as his gaze moved to my throat. “And if I fail, then I was meant to fail.”

  “Bite me,” I murmured.

  “That’s exactly what I’m trying not to do.” He took my chin between his fingers and looked deeply into my eyes. “No, Jillian. I’m not going to bite you. I’m going to make love to you. And you’re going to enjoy it.”

  20

  THOSE WORDS SHOULD HAVE FILLED ME WITH PANIC, but they didn’t. I knew it was because of Matthias’s mind control. He was manipulating my emotions—stripping away my common sense.

  But he’d said it wasn’t a strong hold. I could fight this—I had to fight this.

  “You don’t want to do this,” I said.

  “Yes, I do. And if you’d come here without any pretenses and without Nightshade in your veins, I still would have taken you as my lover.”

  I was unable to look away from his hypnotic gray eyes. “You have a lot of lovers?”

  “Many.”

  “She said your weakness was human women.” The mind control was loosening my tongue way too much, as if I’d had the entire bottle of wine instead of just a glass.

  He smiled. “I don’t limit myself to only women, but it is my preference. Monica certainly knows a lot about me. It’s too bad it’s not nearly enough to kill me.”

  I inhaled sharply as his hand slid down my back.

  “Take this dress off,” he said. “And lay down on my bed.”

  Instead of revulsion, I felt a sharp twist of lust snake through me, mixed with shame. Unfortunately, it wasn’t strong enough to stop me. I was under Matthias’s control. It was like I was watching myself from afar and couldn’t help but do as he commanded.

  If this was only light mind control, I would truly hate to witness the full deal.

  I untied the sash at the waist of the white dress. With a shrug of my shoulders, it fell to the floor in a silky pool of fabric. His gaze swept over me, pausing to note the bruises I’d received during my very bumpy few days since becoming a govern
ment-funded test subject.

  I moved backward as instructed until I felt the bed behind me. I got onto it, laying down on the red silk sheets and bringing my head to rest against a large soft pillow.

  “Very good,” he purred. “You’re beautiful, Jillian.”

  My friends call me Jill, I thought randomly. But Matthias wasn’t a friend. He’d never be a friend. He was monster, a rapist, a murderer who wished for ultimate power over humans. He had me under his control and was able to manipulate my behavior and emotions.

  I hated him.

  But the thoughts were distant. Muted under a layer of serenity. Not nearly enough to snap me out of this spell he had me under.

  He undid his pants and took them off fluidly, effortlessly, and he stood naked in the dim light of the room. Despite how I knew I should be feeling—fear, revulsion, panic—I couldn’t help but feel a dark, unnatural desire for Matthias as he approached the bed.

  “That’s better,” he said. “If anyone should be afraid, it should be me. If I lose control and taste your blood, I could die. Just like that. Four hundred years of life would be over as easily as a candle snuffed at midnight.” He crawled onto the bed toward me like a predator, a glimmer of determination in his eyes that fought with the frequent and visible struggle against his hunger.

  He could still lose this battle. He could still bite me. This wasn’t over yet.

  “Yes,” he said, running his hands over my bare skin from thighs to hips to stomach. “Beautiful and deadly. And so tempting.” He bent his mouth and lightly kissed a bruise on my shoulder. The cool touch of his lips should have disgusted me, but it only made me gasp with pleasure.

  The false emotion he’d made me feel was incredibly powerful.

  “You’re making me do this,” I whispered, trying desperately to fight his influence over me—to grasp hold of that piece of me that still had control over my own body. “This is wrong.”

  “Wrong.” He brought his face close to mine, covering my body with his. “There is so much wrong in the world. I don’t believe this is one of those things.”

  I was going to argue with him, but he covered my mouth with his.

  “Kiss me,” he murmured against my lips when I didn’t respond.