by Alice Wade
“What is it? Death or eternal bliss?” When Lainey didn’t respond, he calmly returned to her and crawled up the table stalking his prey. “What did that little bitch do to you in your cell? Did she prepare you for this? Did she bind you in some way so you’d resist me?” His breath was so close; Lainey could smell where he had tasted her while she wasn’t herself.
“No. Get off of me!” she yelled.
“You are something else.” Kaen shoved off her, surprised he was feeling hurt by her words. She was a weak human and not worthy of his time. Yet, as he turned to look at her again, he wanted nothing more than to have her be a willing participant in this conversion. He felt another flash of anger at her resistance and snapped, “Does your lover know you are such a slut?”
“Screw you!” she bellowed, as she tried to pull away from him, her arms pulled painfully as the chain held her tight. “I’m not a slut!”
Kaen strolled toward the table. “Really?” His brows rose in mock surprise, “Are you sure?” He looked behind him then back at her. “Because I think it was me you were just fucking, sweetheart.” He laughed as turmoil blossomed in her eyes.
“Why are you doing this?” Lainey asked quietly as she battled her internal conflict. This bastard was right, and she knew it. She was a slut, and she had dishonored Dace by doing what she did. But she had no control, right? She had no way to fight back, did she? Kailani had said to survive and this was the only way, wasn’t it? Lainey stared at Kaen breathing heavily through her mouth. She had to find a way to fight back. She must.
“No, you can’t fight back.” Kaen answered her unspoken thoughts. “Cute that you are upset by the thought of dishonoring, Dace is his name? Thanks for that piece of information.” He leaned closer. “We’ve been looking for him for months. I knew he was around and would make a mistake sooner or later, sweetheart. You just made it easier by getting caught in my little trap. I see you fell right into my design by believing poor, innocent Lydia. She’s a good girl and loyal to the last.
Lainey paled as the meaning behind that sank in. Lydia was sent by Kaen to trap one of the renegades. A cold and heavy knot settled in her stomach as she sank into the table. Dace was their target and she walked right into their trap. What a fool she was and how arrogant! Dace was right all along.
“I see you understand now, love. I was expecting to catch your lover, but am pleasantly surprised with the prize I’ve won instead.”
“Get away from me!” Again, she pulled at the ropes holding her arms and began crying when she realized chance of escape was useless. “Please,” she sobbed, “Just let me go.”
“After our time together? I think not.” He grinned. “Didn’t the witch Kailani tell you how this could happen, love?” That word got a nasty glare from Lainey which made Kaen smile again. “Once I chose to release my seed in your body with the intent of conversion, you’re mine. The conversion has already begun. You are slowly being poisoned from my insemination.”
Lainey stared at him in horror. No, there was no way he could be speaking the truth. Lainey watched Kaen as if she were daft. Her mind not seeing him but worked through all the differences she felt within her own body. A single tear formed and snaked down her cheek as she finally accepted she had been altered. The burning in her core now spread through her body was enough to confirm she was lost forever to Dace. Gone. No matter what Kailani had said about surviving this in order to be joined with him again, she couldn’t face him this way. She was ruined.
Kaen interrupted her thoughts by crossing his arms. He said nothing, only watched her.
Lainey released another tear as regret chased the feeling of disgust. She regretted not listening to Dace. Regretted getting Quade into this same mess and regretted the fact she now was a personal whore to a vampire. She laid her head back and closed her eyes in shame.
“You get it now, don’t you? You’re mine.”
Her tortured whisper was easily heard by Kaen’s sensitive hearing, “No. I won’t have sex with you again. I’m not your whore.”
He chuckled, “Correction. You are my toy, not my whore. And I need to do that at least three more times or you will die, because I don’t like my toys broken,” he said with cool amusement. “I suggest we begin soon, baby, or the pain will set in. I would hate to see you in pain.”
“You must be lying. It can’t be true! I don’t believe you.” she stared at him in horror. “Get away from me,” she hissed as the terror sank in.
“Come on, give it up,” he purred.
Lainey spat at him and felt the sting as his large hand slapped her across the cheek. “Watch yourself. My gracious behavior may just evaporate if you keep this up. I have other means of completing this conversion, and they are not as pleasant.” Kaen reached out and caressed her fair skin, smirking when she flinched away. “You have to admit, we had fun, you and me.” He eyed her and cocked his head to the side as he watched her lips partially open.
“Leave me alone.” Her tone was half-hearted and he heard it. “Please just let me go.” Lainey felt a wave of fresh regret for Dace and her lost love as she saw in Kaen’s eyes that he would do no such thing. She would never see Dace again. Never hold him. She would never hear him say he loved her again. Another tear stole from her eye and spilled down her cheek. She would never marry him either.
Kaen barked a laugh. “You were engaged?” He whirled around to the head of the table and fought to capture her fisted left hand. “Amazing!” He finally succeeded in unfurling her fingers and there, clear as day, was the statement of her lover’s promise, signifying their commitment to one another. Kaen slipped the ring from her finger and clutched it in his grasp. “Not any longer, dear Lainey. You belong to me now.” He snarled in possessiveness as he threw the ring across the room. It bounced against the stone floor with a clang. Lainey swallowed a sob as it bounced out of sight.
“There, see?” Kaen took a deep calming breath, “Are you ready to complete this yet?” He could see her resistance breaking down and the fight fade. “Come now, I’m not that loathsome of a replacement, am I?” he asked sarcastically.
Compared to Dace? Yes, he was a horrible replacement. There was no replacement to her handsome, charming, and devoted betrothed. The sob she’d been holding back tore from her throat as the sorrow for her lost love broke free. Kaen gloated as he approached the table.
The vampire grabbed her chin and pulled her back to his eyes, inches from her face. “Am I really so horrible, lovely Lainey?”
Her response was tortured. “Yes.”
“Suit yourself. This will happen either way.” The hurt he tried to hide leaked out in his voice as he turned from her. She couldn’t smell it yet, but her blood stank of his taint already. She was his whether she liked it or not. He wanted nothing more than to finish this now.
“Why?” She met his eyes and followed him as he slowly made a circuit of the room, watching her. “Why are you doing this?”
Kaen watched her as he rubbed at his scar along his cheek. He didn’t want to answer her right away, drinking in the fear that wafted off her. If she wasn’t going to be complacent, then he’d at least get a little terror. “Why set a trap?”
She nodded.
“To catch a thief of course. As I said earlier, you were unexpected.”
Lainey paled. Lydia had asked for Dace at first, but she was too arrogant and wanted to prove herself. She wanted to prove to him that she could be more than the bookkeeper. “Why not just let me go then? You could have followed me back home.”
“True, but you are too glorious and I needed a name. Which, my love, you provided.”
“Let me go,” she begged.
Kaen had stared at Lainey with eyes so black, so deadly that she flinched. “You are mine,” he grunted possessively. “He won’t get you back.”
“Please, let me go.”
“Too late for that now, baby. The conversion has begun and you would die. Accept it, you need me now. When this is all through, I’ll give the order and Dace will die so you won’t be reminded of him and Ondre will be rid of the thief that has been bothering him.”
“No!”
“Oh yes, dear Lainey. Your precious lover will die. He’s become such a nuisance lately.” He sneered. Kaen continued his stroll around the room. “King Ondre is annoyed and when he is annoyed, I become annoyed. Did you both think that stealing from his household would not go unpunished?” He turned to her. “Really?”
Lainey looked away.
“You did think that, how endearing.”
When Lainey looked back, she met his black stare with flaring green eyes. Only this time they were burning out of anger, not desire. “Why didn’t you torture me then? Kill me like all the other thieves. Or send me to the mines. Why this?”
Kaen shrugged arrogantly and turned his back on her. He felt her annoyance at the insult and smiled to himself. Counting to ten he turned back around, once more in control of his body and soul, so his eyes were back to normal. “I did this...” he dramatically waved his hand to include the room, “because you are attractive. It is a pity to waste such lovely commodities.”
Lainey snorted. “There is more to that telling, I’m sure. I think you have other ways considering you convert men as well. Or are you saying you are a lover in both arenas?”
His upper lip snarled in reply, but he stopped himself before attacking. Instead, he turned the snarl into a smile and stepped closer. Her fragrant aroma was drugging him and he felt drawn in to her scent. “There are other ways, of course. I chose this for you because I thought it would be more fun.”
Again Lainey snorted. “What’s the other way?”
Kaen was losing patience. “Painful torture for days on end before you are brought to the brink of death. After taking a drink from my blood, you would finish the conversion.” It was said so flat, so devoid of emotion that Lainey’s wide eyes met his that were pinched in concentration and beginning to glow an eerie yellow with his excitement of the situation.
Lainey felt ill. Painful torture or sex with this vampire. Her eyes watched him as he moved closer to her and when he leaned against the table, she flinched.
He shrugged, “The option is still yours. I care not which way, both will give me immense pleasure, but chose quickly, for I need to feed.”
Lainey panicked and thrashed at her bindings, “Oh, Vasila.”
Kaen moved closer in a seductive manner and caressed her cheek. She couldn’t move away, and he watched her hide behind her shut eye lids. She looked so innocent, so sweet, but he knew better. If she ran with the renegades, then she was probably fairly skilled. The sooner he completed this, the better things would be for sure. Kaen leaned close and sniffed her neck along her jugular vein. He smelled her rich blood flowing through her veins and his mouth watered in anticipation. There was a slight aroma that was new and once Kaen registered it, his cock pulsed to a painful erection. He smelled his mark. With one dangerous glance down at the woman chained to his table, he realized one thing. He didn’t want her to choose torture. He wanted to enjoy her other ways—for days.
“So, the choice is mine to make?” she whispered and flinched at finding his face inches from hers.
“Yes,” he whispered, again planting a gentle kiss along her neck in anticipation. “I’ll give you incentive though. If you choose this willingly, I’ll let your Dace live. If you continue to resist me, his life is forfeit.” He felt her heart race upon hearing the ultimatum. He heard the frantic chatter of her mind as she worked through her options. He knew this was the one thing to force her to agree, because he could feel the love she held for this Dace. He had no intention of letting this man live, but she didn’t need to know that. Yet.
Lainey felt as if she would pass out. Because of her, Dace’s life was balancing on a rope. If she made the wrong choice again, he’d be dead. Looking at Kaen, really looking at him, she felt revulsion. He was bald, wicked, marred with that scar and tattooed. He wasn’t the shaggy-haired man who stole her heart. This man was cruel, where her lover was kind. Dace had to live. She must pay for her own mistakes and not drag Dace into this any further. Lainey took a deep breath and exhaled before meeting Kaen’s hungry, glowing eyes. She saw his incisors had already dropped, for he’d be feeding either way.
“What is your answer?” He was occupying his time by counting the pulse in her neck. It was rapid and made him hungry. She was taking too long. The burn of his hunger seared through him causing him to snarl in frustration, “Choose!” He could not hold out much longer.
“Sex,” her agonized tone was barely heard. It was the only way to protect Dace. The weight of that betrayal weighed heavier on her heart than the chains did at her wrist. She closed her eyes and allowed the tearing of her soul to filter through her heart. She was committing the worst betrayal against Dace and she did it willingly out of fear. She was a coward.
Kaen listened to her thoughts and kissed her neck, “No, not a coward, lovely Lainey.” Kaen purred as his incisors lengthened and seeped their venom, “You show true courage.” He slipped his hand behind her neck and lifted so her neck was more exposed. “You did it for love,” and then he bit deep and transferred his thoughts to her mind instead, “You will awaken in utter perfection.”
“No,” she moaned but the ecstasy of the feeding claimed her, clouding her mind once more. Burning desire flooded her mind and soul. She forgot about Dace, forgot everything except Kaen. The build of the shattering release churned like a storm in her core. Her insides fluttered as the spasms claimed her in small quakes of pleasure.
“You are mine now. Body and soul, or whatever soul you have left.” Kaen drank deep, taking her to the point of death and then stopped. Stopping was the hardest thing he’d ever done, showing incredible strength in that one action. He wanted her pure blood, craved it, and there was a small part that wanted gluttony. It was the slow, deep thud of a dying heart which roused him from his Nirvana. He stopped and looked down at her weakened form lying on the table.
Her eyes were open and staring at nothing, or everything, for he had her on the brink of death. Lainey was floating in a black nothingness. She heard voices, and saw shadows filter past, but she was too weak to turn her head to see who they belonged to. She was so tired and all she wanted to do was sleep.
“Lainey, don’t go to sleep. Fight. You have to return to me.”
Her eyes opened and found an image of Dace hovering over her. “Dace?” She gulped a few times and tried to sit up but couldn’t because she was too weak. The only thing Lainey could do was to desperately reach for him.
“Fight, dear. Fight for me. Stay alive.”
“I can’t do this alone! Don’t leave me!” she wailed but he was already fading. There was a pressure on her lips and something warm caused her to choke. Whatever it was it was refreshing and tasted good. When she stopped choking and opened her eyes again, Dace was gone. She felt that pressure against her mouth again and more warmth flowed into her, so she closed her eyes and enjoyed the nourishment of whatever was keeping her alive. For Dace.
Kaen watched her features as she drifted on the edge of death. He was jealous at whatever she was seeing for a truly blissful smile appeared. He wanted that smile for himself, so he quickly used his talon, to slice a cut in his wrist, about two inches long. Pressing the wound to Lainey’s lips, he squeezed his thick dark blood into her mouth. “Drink, lovely Lainey. Drink and become perfection.”
He became concerned when she didn’t immediately feed. He pulled back and tried again, this time using his mental connection to entice her. He urged her to drink, to live and when he felt the gentle lick of her tongue against his skin, he felt a wave of arousal pulse through him.
His blood flooded her mouth and burned her tongue. T
he more conscious she became, Lainey realized what it was she who drank. Instead of the comforting warmth she experienced before, the blood was now putrid and sour. She couldn’t stop drinking it though. Swallow after swallow she drank Kaen’s foul blood down her throat. For Dace. To live.
“Drink more, you need much more,” Kaen said into her mind.
While she drank, she stared into Kaen’s eyes and tried to find something of humanity left in there. She needed to know the man she was expected to remain with until she could find her way back to Dace was somewhat human. Before she even finished that thought, his eyes glowed yellow in annoyance. There was nothing human left.
“You will not go back to him.”
Now he was annoyed. He knew she’d consumed enough and pulled his wrist away with exasperation. How could she still want to go back to Dace? He looked down at the woman tied to his table and hissed. She wouldn’t. Hell, she couldn’t. Not now. His blood ran through her veins and she reeked of his mark. She belonged to him and any vampire she encountered would know she had been claimed. She was finally his. His toy. His vampire.
Lainey was numb. The burning she felt in her core intensified and now spread through her body starting in her stomach where Kaen’s blood now churned in acidic chaos. She cried as the sensation spread through her limbs and crept towards her traitorous heart. This was just payment for the grief and pain she would cause Dace. At least he would live.
Lainey was so tired and cold. Kaen radiated heat like a furnace and she couldn’t resist leaning towards him. “Now what?” she whispered as the burn consumed her mind and soul.
“We have sex.” He cooed and freed her hands in one violent motion, collecting her into his arms and carrying her down the hall to a room with a large canopied bed. “Let me reward you with your choice of conversion, sweetheart. I promise you, this was much more enjoyable than torture.” Kaen kissed her then, slow and gentle at first, but it quickly mounted into a passionate embrace that teetered him on the brink of losing control again.
