The omega kept his gaze to the forest floor, his golden, feral form just as attractive as his civil one. His Payami guards paced next to him, on all fours, watching the forest as well.
Peder.
Benic kept a snarl off his face with some difficulty. He couldn’t really blame Kele’s interest. The slight male was pretty. Under different circumstances, he might have snatched the shifter for an evening or two of his own pleasures. Thank the fates he’d discovered his presence before Kele could overcome her awkwardness around him. She still smelled of virgin.
Benic had awakened desire in Kele. He should be the one to claim it. If he’d stayed after their kiss, his hunger would have forced him to take her harshly. One didn’t take a virgin to bed and eat her for dinner then expect a return visit.
“We exchange Peder for Susan then return straight home. No squabbles.” Kele called out to the thick-headed shifter leading them.
Ahote glanced back at her. “This would be an excellent trap. Not many guards and you as a hostage. I couldn’t think of a better scenario for Sorin.”
Kele gasped. “I hadn’t considered this. Why didn’t you say something before now?”
“What would you have done? Tell Daddy you were hiding an omega in his den and I knew of it?” The dark shifter shook his head slowly in disgust. “No, I’d rather fight an army of Apisi, thank you.”
Benic toyed with the throwing dagger on his belt. The Payami hunter was more astute than Benic had thought. He’d had similar thoughts, hence his knights.
Kele flicked a look his way. “Will you behave?”
“Of course, as long as Susan is returned.”
“What if she wants to remain with the Apisi?”
Benic laughed. “And live among the poor? Besides, could she truly refuse Ahote’s charms?”
Kele stared at the hunter’s back. “She’s not interested in him.”
“I can hear you.” Ahote tapped his ear.
Hiding a smile behind her hand, she winked at Benic.
Benic sighed. Things never went as he wanted. They’d probably have to do this the hard way. “I had hoped Ahote’s animalistic charms would be enough to lure Susan back to the Payami. We should formulate another plan just in case.” He rubbed the back of his left ear, signaling his warriors. His own plans were now going to take effect.
One of his warriors leaned forward. “Maybe this human would like some vampire charisma instead.”
Kele coughed, doing a poor job of hiding her amusement. “Benic terrified her with his.”
The Temple came into view. Tall and imposing, like the gods wanted them to cower. He didn’t frighten that easily. Shade darkened the entrance, making it difficult to see if anyone moved inside.
Sorin, in feral form, leaped from the building and bared his teeth. Shifter etiquette left much to be desired.
Ears flattening to his head, Ahote growled low, yet submitted to the alpha who stood on his hind legs, topping over seven feet tall, silver-furred like his grandfather.
Susan ran down the stairs and stopped close to Sorin. It was obvious even to him that they had coupled.
Sighing once more, Benic shook his head. He caught sight of his guard passing the shifters on each side. So the hard way it would be.
Ahote’s nose twitched. “You’ve mated her.”
Benic rolled his eyes. Great. Did he want to waste time watching the males thump their chests first?
Stepping past the males, Kele approached the human. “Have you been treated well?”
With a huge grin on her face, Susan nodded. “I’m going to remain with the Apisi.” She took Kele’s hand within hers, a very trusting and non-shifter thing to do. “Let Peder go. I wasn’t taken against my will.”
Flinching, Benic braced for Ahote’s attack. The male shifter had been nothing but ornery since Sorin stole Susan. Two Payami guards stood to witness this for the dark shifter. He’d regain his place among the hunters if he returned with a subdued human female in his arms wearing his mark once more. Benic released the breath he’d been holding. Nothing happened.
Ahote remained by Kele.
“Peder?” Sorin spoke.
Kele focused on the omega behind Benic. Her hard glare softened when it met the golden shifter’s.
“She treated me very well and met all my needs, Alpha.” Peder remained between his Payami guards.
A beautiful, rosy blush colored Kele’s cheeks.
Benic ground his teeth, almost chipping a fang. That mongrel had better stick to his lands after this because Benic’s bedroom could use a new fur rug.
Kele chewed on her bottom lip, her gaze never leaving Peder’s. “You were a considerate guest.”
Swallowing a groan of disgust, Benic signaled his warriors with a small gesture. Time to get this over with.
They both strolled from the group in separate directions—one examining the flora, the other the Temple walls. Their movements bored and slow so as not to draw attention.
There were five shifters, not counting Kele, and only three vampires. The odds didn’t favor them but he’d counted on this in his plans.
“Congratulations on your pairing.” Benic nodded to Susan and Sorin as he elbowed past Ahote. “Obtaining an unmated female is a blessing for your pack and a sign of your great prowess, Sorin.”
The alpha’s chest visibly expanded.
“A true feat of male skill to escape the clutches of the Payami hunters with a rare female.” Benic bowed in respect, listening to Ahote’s labored breathing.
“That’s overkill. You make it sound like I’m a prize turkey.” Susan rested her head against Sorin’s upper arm. “We’ve a lot in common and—”
Ahote leaped over Benic, landing dead center on Sorin’s chest. They reeled away in a ball of black and silver fur, claws and teeth seeking to tear flesh.
Knocked away in the process, Susan fell into Benic’s waiting arms. As planned, Kele and the other shifters went after the males. Not to interfere in the challenge, but to play as witnesses. If Ahote actually managed to defeat Sorin, his dominance would rise within his pack. Maybe even become lead hunter.
From a pouch hanging on his belt, Benic pulled out his blowgun and poisoned darts, as did his warriors. The drug would sedate the shifters, not kill. His incubus had shown him a few things over the years, and not all them in bed.
“What’s that?” Susan pointed to the darts, her voice rising.
He quirked an eyebrow. “Let me show you.” He pricked her with one and watched as her eyes rolled back in her head. After she fell to his feet, he armed his weapon and signaled the others to shoot.
He aimed for the fighting males then blew in quick succession. He reloaded and blew until both Ahote and Sorin bore two darts, enough to make them nap for the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon.
His warriors shot the others except Kele.
Covering her mouth with her hands, she stifled a scream then spun to face him. Unshed tears shone in her eyes.
Blowing out an exaggerated sigh, he stepped over the human toward his delicate shifter. “Don’t cry. They’re not dead.”
“Traitor.”
“To whom? I’ve pledged nothing to anyone here.” Shifters and their odd code of honor. He shook his head.
“I thought we were friends,” she shouted.
He chuckled. “We are, which is why you’re still awake and they’re not dead.” He’d never seen her so angry—it gave her more appeal.
The manipulating rat. Kele wanted to rip out his black heart and chew it. She knelt next to Peder and petted his soft fur. He still breathed. They all did.
Betrayal burned deeper than she thought possible. Dagger sharp, it buried in her heart. “Why?”
Benic captured her hands in his, drawing her away from Peder. “Return with me. Your father has terrible plans for you. Come, live at the castle. Let me save you.”
The rushing pulse of her blood filled her hearing. “Plans? What do you mean?” Her thoughts were s
cattered—she couldn’t concentrate.
“He wants to send you off to another pack to be mated.”
She couldn’t breathe. She blinked at Benic then glanced at her pack mates lying at her feet. “Liar.” However, she scented no such thing. The truth hurt too much.
“You’d smell it on me if I were.”
Tears burned a path along her cheeks. She just didn’t want to believe it. Her parents wanted to give her away to some stranger?
He squeezed her hands. “Come with me. I’ll take care of you.”
Taking a deep breath, she puffed her cheeks and let it out slowly. Kele then pried her hands from Benic’s hold. “I don’t trust you.”
“You can in this. Our fates are entwined. You sense this as well.”
Benic had always been part of her life, and she couldn’t imagine a future without him. Even when gray laced her hair, she pictured his young face laughing with her. She’d never lived anywhere but in her den. She never pictured herself leaving either. Could her parents betray her like this? Yes. They worried about her role in the pack once they’d passed into the dirt. Kele needed someone to protect her. Ahote couldn’t do it forever.
She squared her shoulders and faced him. He was right. “I will go with you only if you do no further harm to the others and let them return to their packs.”
Shaking his head, he retreated. “Susan comes with me.” He gestured to one of his warriors. “Carry the human. Be careful—she’s fragile.”
“Benic!” Kele clung to his sleeve. “Don’t do this.”
“She’s a new species. Her blood contains hope for my people. I need to study her.” He shoved Kele away. “Go home.”
She scrunched her fists and stumbled over Peder. Benic would leave her in the forest alone in civil form to defend her unconscious people?
Ahote had been right. Vampires didn’t think like shifters. Their loyalties didn’t run deep. None of them could be trusted. Not even her childhood friend.
With a heavy heart, Kele watched one of the warriors sling Susan over his shoulder. Susan’s arms hung down his back as he strode toward vampire lands.
They didn’t fear her. Why would they? Weak as a pup, she presented no threat to anyone.
Laughter reached her ears.
It burned with the intensity of the sun. Clenching her jaw, she punched her thighs. Hot tears poured freely now, and a sob erupted from her chest.
She failed in everything—her people, her Goddess, Susan. Scowling in their direction, the heat of her anger turned cold and froze her blood, clearing her thoughts. She wiped her futile tears. How dare he think she was insignificant? As a daughter of the Payami, the strongest pack in the tribe, a thousand generations had brought her to this moment.
Failure was not an option.
Standing at the base of the Temple surrounded by the bodies of her people, she appealed to the Goddess. Please, please, don’t let them get away with this. Haven’t we suffered enough?
The wind blew some dead leaves over her feet, and the vampire laughter faded.
Nothing happened.
She glared through narrowed eyes. The vampires were farther along the path. The bastards. All of them. She ran. No plan. No weapons. Her soul raged for the human.
A creature more helpless than she, torn from her world, alone and frightened. Susan deserved better than being experimented on. No one recognized her species but she still had rights as a person. Sorin laid a claim on Susan and she had accepted it. Benic, vampire lord or not, couldn’t break that sacred promise by taking her away.
“Stop!” she shouted.
The warriors kept walking, ignoring her plea, but Benic turned, his gaze sad and hurt. “Go home, Kele.” He wheeled around.
“Stop.” The word rolled up from her stomach and roared out her throat. She panted with the effort and clutched her abdomen. “Give her back. Take me instead.”
A gentle smile graced Benic’s handsome face. The wind blew through his short curls, making them dance on his head. “You’re so beautiful, Kele.” Benic raised his blowgun to his lips.
Chapter Thirty-Five
The bouncing woke Susan. A polka band jammed in her head in time with the movement. She peered through crusty eyes and blinked. What the fuck? Something held her legs as she swung back and forth.
“Easy, I don’t want to drop you.” A vaguely familiar male voice spoke.
She rubbed her eyes and gaped. First, she hung upside down, which explained the pounding headache. Second, she was being carried up a spiraling stone staircase. It would hurt if she fell. A lot. She stopped squirming. “What’s going on? Where’s Sorin?”
They stopped on a landing where he set her down. The world swam but her captor held her steady.
She squinted and her rolling stomach dropped. “Benic?” She glanced over his shoulder, hoping to see more familiar faces. Any other faces. Why was she alone with a vampire? They’d been at the Temple—Kele had just arrived then Ahote freaked and attacked Sorin.
“Better? You look green. Is your stomach queasy?” Benic grabbed her chin in his hand and forced her to meet his gaze. “Your pupils are reacting to the light. The drug should be wearing off by now.”
She needed clarity. “You drugged me?” Her sluggish thoughts seemed a step behind her situation. She recalled him stabbing her with something sharp and rubbed the spot on her arm.
He released her.
She swayed but refused to topple.
One hand opening the thick wooden door, he gestured with the other for her to enter. “Welcome to my laboratory. As I promised, my race has more to offer you than the shifters, and as scientists we will have many things to discuss.”
The world stopped acting like a ship on high seas, and she found her land legs once more. Dazed, she eyed the spiral staircase and sprang. Like a jack rabbit on wobbly knees, she tried to escape.
Sorin’s stories of vampire conquest still fresh in Susan’s mind, she knew Benic wanted more than to show her his lab. God, she’d almost gone with him instead of Sorin. Thank goodness Sorin did the thinking for them instead. She didn’t make it very far. Rounding a corner, she collided with a solid wall of flesh.
Her gaze traveled along the chest made of stone and met Benic’s stern expression. “Damn, you move fast.”
“I move normal. You’re slow. Enough games.” He grasped her upper arm and half dragged her to his lab. Once in the room, he shut the door behind them.
A long table stood in the center of the room, covered with a medieval-looking chemistry set. She paced its length, tracing a finger over the clean, wooden surface. Clear glass vials in all shapes and sizes filled the top. A burner, pipettes and even what appeared to be a microscope lay scattered on the surface.
Without permission, she glimpsed through the microscope’s eyepiece. She saw a red blur and adjusted the knobs. “I can’t see anything clearly.”
“Here.” Benic’s voice by her ear startled her.
She scooted away.
He adjusted it slightly. “I can see fine.” Gesturing to the microscope, he stepped away.
“I still can’t make anything out. The magnification is too weak for my eyes.” She stood straighter. “What am I suppose to see?”
“Your blood sample.” Benic leaned against the wall, his arms crossed lazily over his chest. Dressed in black leathers, he appeared more menacing than the first time they’d met. His curls tumbled over his forehead, hiding one of his eyes.
She licked her lips with a dry tongue. “Where am I? And why did you kidnap me?” She hoped she wouldn’t be on the dinner menu.
“I’ve brought you home to run a few tests. Your blood is very fascinating.”
Hands fluttering to her throat, Susan stepped toward the door. Oh God, he was going to drink her dry. “C-couldn’t you just have asked for another sample without stealing me away?” Sorin must be going nuts looking for her. She gasped, her eyes narrowing. “What happened to the others? You better not have hurt them.”
> The vampire’s grin broadened, showing her a little fang. “They’re well and probably still napping on the Temple grounds. Against popular belief, I’m not a murderer. I study life, I don’t destroy it.”
Nausea made her stomach turn again. Would Sorin come for her? The Apisi were not fully recovered, and he didn’t have any backup.
Shit, she was on her own again.
“The last time we spoke, you explained diverging timelines.” Benic crossed the room, blocking her way to the door.
She tilted her head, frowning. “And?”
“It left me with much to think about.” He plucked the hand safeguarding her neck and led her to a table by the only window.
She sat on a cushioned chair he held out for her, not removing her glare from him.
Benic continued to smile as if entertaining a guest instead of a prisoner. He poured two glasses of red wine and offered her one.
“You’ve got to be kidding. You just drugged me. I’m naïve, not stupid.”
Sipping from her cup, Benic raised an eyebrow and offered it to her again. “See? It’s safe. I didn’t mean to frighten you. I wanted to give you a chance to see the world from a non-shifter point of view.” He shrugged. “I doubt you would have come voluntarily or that Sorin would give permission.” Gesturing around the room with his free hand, he pointed at the clutter. “It’s not all caves and beasts and dirt. This world could be more comfortable for you.”
A few days ago, she had jumped on his proposition. “I’m comfortable with the Apisi.” Especially their alpha—she wouldn’t give him up for some cushions.
“Stay a few days, let me conduct my tests, then you can decide.”
She leaned across the table. “You have nothing I want.”
“Very well. In the meantime we can engage in some speculation—maybe you can assist me with a few hypotheses.”
The exposed fangs of his grin gave her no comfort. She fingered the wineglass and gazed out the window at the courtyard. The scene below came out of King Arthur’s court. She rose a little from her seat to see all the people bustling about. Her stomach clenched. There were no castles in her history built on American soil. “Are they all vampires?”
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