Complying, Helena did as she was told while Viola opened a silver case she had placed on the bed and rummaged through it until she found what she was looking for. Her fingers skilfully massaged Helena’s face, making her wonder who this woman was before she met Andreaz.
“You will be beautiful tonight.”
Helena grimaced.
“Why pull such a face, ma chérie? Do you want to get wrinkles?”
Helena held in a pout. Viola was beginning to sound like her mother. The comfort of that thought made her lips tug at the corners, but the smile didn’t last long. It faded as soon as it came.
Viola finished her fussing with Helena’s face in less than ten minutes. She lifted Helena’s chin, turning her face right and left in assessment.
“Stick out your lips like this.” Viola puckered her lips.
Disinterested, Helena did the same.
Viola’s soft lips collided with hers, and Helena’s eyes grew wide. By the time her brain caught up, Viola retreated with a pleasant smile back in place.
“There, they are nice and red and no need for lipstick,” the woman said proudly.
“You just—” The rest of the sentence appeared to be stuck in Helena’s throat.
“It is a kiss, nothing more than a greeting. Oui?”
Helena was dumbfounded. This woman was definitely nothing like her mother.
She wrapped the leather jacket, Hannah not-so-kindly threw at her downstairs, around her body. Even though it was sturdy, the cold managed to get through.
Hannah didn’t seem to notice her discomfort, or she didn’t care.
Helena’s breath formed a misshapen steam curtain. The dark grey clouds overhead promised heavy rain. Being outside when that happened would be a bad idea in this attire. The knot in her stomach expanded. There was no way she was going to be able to cope with what was going to happen tonight.
Losing my memories may be a good thing after all. Her next step faltered, almost sending her falling onto the slippery pavement. Once she regained her balance, she voiced muffled curses at the high heels that were forced upon her.
From the entrance, Hannah led her in the different direction of the dining hall. Helena had to will each of her legs to move, one after another, so Hannah wouldn’t drag her like a sack of potatoes.
They took a few turns after ascending a curved flight of stairs. The corridors were almost identical in this maze-like mansion.
“Not like you are going back without an escort,” her mind retorted.
At the end of the hall was a black ominous door. Red carpet directed her eyes towards it like a tongue guiding food further into the beast’s mouth. Her pace slowed as if trying to stall the inevitable.
“Hurry up.” Hannah grasped her wrist and propelled her forwards, at the same time, taking Helena’s jacket off.
Helena glared at her. Hannah was the only obstacle between her and a way out of this hellhole. She grasped the round golden door handle for support. With a soft click, the door glided open. And, once more, she stood there gaping at the décor.
It was a large bedroom with white and red drapes hanging from the ceiling as well as concealing much of the room. Through the see-through white veils bordering the bed, she found Andreaz propped up on his side.
Helena felt a push from behind, and she stumbled inside. In the gap between the veils, he looked almost human. His golden silk shirt was opened wide enough to show the dark curls covering his chest. She was somewhat relieved to find him dressed and not on display in his birthday suit.
“Well? Come here. I won’t bite.” His eyes gleamed with something dark.
Her body froze in the same manner it had the night before, binding her trembling form to that one spot.
“You can come here or”—he sat up, shifting closer to the edge of the bed—“I can come to you.”
She raised her hand to stop him. You can do this. She knew better than to believe her own false assurances. Her body was quivering. Her stomach had been replaced by a solid rock that pressed down on her gut, and she could already feel his energy creeping around her shields, forcing her to feel dizzy.
One foot at a time, she thought and edged closer.
The lustful look he shot her made her dinner churn in her stomach. She swallowed a few times to keep from spilling what little food she had eaten on his expensive carpet.
Helena lowered her eyes and felt his presence behind her. His cologne drifted closer while his cold fingertips travelled down her exposed back. She wrapped her arms around her waist to not dodge his touch. Rooted to the spot, she forced her eyes shut, thinking solely of her trembling shields, which were strained under the power battering against them.
I can’t let him in. Not yet.
“I waited a long time to get my hands on you,” Andreaz murmured into her ear. He brushed her loose hair to one side and ran his wet tongue down her neck.
Her body reacted by itself. Her heel pierced his bare foot, and he howled in agony. She shuffled away, quickening her pace and leaving a tiny stream of blood on the carpet behind her.
She didn’t get far. His hands grasped her sides, and he flung her onto the bed. She landed on the hard mattress like a broken toy. Her head was in the middle of trying to make sense of how she got there when he climbed on top of her, pinning her to the bed with his body.
“Women must obey their master,” he hissed. His eyes found hers, inflamed with a scorching red glow.
“Let me go!” she screamed, flailing her arms.
Andreaz grabbed each protesting limb, pressing them against the linen sheets above her head. He was much larger than her. There was little she could do against his inhuman strength, but she wouldn’t relent. Why did she ever think she could let him erase her memories?
Both her hands were gathered under a single hold. She winced when her wrists were forced to grind against one another.
He slapped her. “I will train you to respect me.”
The rough treatment of her skin brought out a pulsating ache in her left cheek. On the tip of her tongue, she tasted blood.
“Soon enough you will be begging for more.” He moved his face closer to her neck. His tongue traced a long, slow, wet trail downwards.
Helena raised her upper body, hoping to shake him off. When his fangs grazed her skin, she stilled. Her eyes burned with unshed tears. Damn it, help me. Someone, anyone!
Nothing happened. Michael didn’t come to help her, and she knew Lucious wouldn’t be rescuing her anytime soon either. She was by herself and in the clutches of this monster. It tore at her heart, knowing she had been abandoned by the people she trusted.
His hand slid to her chest, and he fumbled with the golden clip holding the front of her dress together. Andreaz grew frustrated with them and simply tore the dress off her.
Helena screamed. Her sight grew blurry and her shields closed in on her. She couldn’t let him have what he wanted. Her mind was hers alone. She didn’t want to be like the others in his harem.
Her eyes grew wider when his head moved down to her chest. No. This was her first time. She didn’t want it to be with this creature. Helena whimpered her protest while his other hand found her breast which he grabbed with a bruising hold. She faced away, unable to look at what was happening anymore. Her eyes found a dark figure emerging from the shadows.
“Having fun?” Lazarus’ voice slithered around her mind.
Helena tugged at her arms, trying to free her wrists.
Andreaz’s hand clamped her down, cutting off the blood supply and numbing her fingertips.
Through watering eyes, she focused on Lazarus as Andreaz bit into her breast.
“I could free you,” the demon said. “You know what I want.”
Helena couldn’t think. Her shields were about to fall apart as was her sanity. If she made the deal with him now, she would be saved from Andreaz. She would live.
You would lose your soul, she reminded herself.
Andreaz fought to spread her legs,
and she screamed again, her voice hoarse with exhaustion.
Lazarus sighed. “No one will help you but me. They have abandoned you, left you for this creature to take.”
What can I do? What would anyone else in my place do? The deal Lazarus was offering her was too tempting. If only her lips would move.
Lazarus stepped closer and smiled a sharp-toothed smile. “You are running out of time.”
Andreaz managed to pry her legs open, and his hand trailed up her thigh.
“No!” she wailed.
Lazarus sat on the edge of the bed, not making a single dent in the mattress. “You will be raped and devoured, my flower, your soul tarnished by this beast. Is that what you want?”
Helena shook her head.
“You know what you must do.”
She bit her lip. Her legs and arms ached from fighting the vampire. Her mental shields violently shook under the strain of his energy.
Andreaz lifted her lower body and began positioning himself between her legs.
“I can’t,” she cried out.
Lazarus shook his head. “You are a stubborn woman. To prove to you that I’m on your side, I will give you a gift,” he said and vanished.
Her mind blanked. She felt her shoulder burning with dark energy. It seeped into her body, giving her knowledge she hadn’t possessed before.
She stopped struggling.
Andreaz paused and gauged her reaction. “Why the change of heart?”
She trailed her tongue over her lower lip seductively. The measured action let her know it had a cut because of a sudden sting that followed. “I realised that since I am here, I may as well enjoy myself. If you loosen the grip, I can play, too.”
For a moment, he seemed to consider her offer while searching her face. He released her, sending pins and needles through her hands when blood flow returned to her fingertips.
Helena wrapped her legs around his waist. The action summoned a groan from him. She smiled.
It will be alright. She took his face into her hands, guiding him towards her lips. Their mouths collided. His long dark hair brushed against her swollen cheek. She hadn’t expected him to be so eager when his tongue found its way into her mouth. Clutching at his long curls, she fought back the disgust that came with his touch.
Tension left his shoulders. His cool hand went down to her thighs, and she feigned a few moans to play along. Once she was certain she had a strong enough hold on his body, she concentrated on his energy. Within him, she sensed it dancing like a bright red flame. She extended her energy towards it, winding it around the flame and trapping it in the thick vines.
She pulled, but his life-force struggled against her. It was determined to remain where it was. She persisted and tugged it into her body through their kiss. After a few more pulls, his energy flowed willingly. It ran down her throat and settled in her.
Andreaz’s body shook and his muscles deteriorated. His eyes shot open, but there was no more light left in them. When he wanted to pull away, it was already too late. She had taken more than enough of his energy to paralyse him.
The skin on his face sank into the crevices of his skull. While the skin around his eyelids shrivelled, his eyes continued getting bigger. The horrifying image made her want to stop.
She mentally kicked herself. If she didn’t finish this, he could be saved. She couldn’t allow him to get away.
When a single drop of energy remained, she paused, realising she was taking someone’s life.
“Finish it,” Lazarus ordered.
“He will die if I do this!”
“It is you or him, my flower. Which is more important to you?”
Leaving her qualms behind, she dragged the last drop across. She pushed away the husk of what used to be Andreaz and rolled off the bed. His body crumbled to dust seconds later.
Something’s wrong.
The new energy wouldn’t settle down. Her body convulsed and her face met with the carpet.
“Lucious,” she summoned him with her remaining will.
“Helena?” His voice soothed the hammering of the wild energy a little.
“Lower your shields,” she begged.
He hesitated but did what she asked. Once there was a large enough gap, she grasped the link and ejected Andreaz’s energy out of her body and into the string.
“I’m sorry,” she said to him and shut her shields.
Her eyes focused on a pair of polished heels. Helena rolled her eyes skyward and discovered Hannah standing there, petrified. She stared at the remains of her master on the bed. She didn’t touch Helena. The woman didn’t say anything and stormed out of the bedroom.
Helena’s body refused to move. Her bones turned to marshmallows in a matter of seconds after absorbing so much energy. She burst into uncontrollable laughter mixed with tears. In spite of what she had been through, she still couldn’t get away.
21
New Power
Lucious drummed his fingers on the desk in his room. How could I have been such a fool? The Council was behind it all. More importantly, where were his blood-brother and sisters? Not one of Anna’s children could be found anywhere in Europe. It was as if they had disappeared, or were taken out by the Council. He formed his hand into a fist and slammed it against the desk. He was the last one left in Europe, and Eliza wanted him to come to his “trial” in two weeks.
A shudder rushed through him. Helena’s emotions were stirring again. She had become more unsettled these past two days. If he had known their situation would become so convoluted, he would have had his fill of her blood and left.
He closed his eyes.
Alexander’s sources had notified him she had left Vincent’s residence to stay with Andreaz—a man with a long history of abuse. Tonight was the second night. He could feel her panic creeping over their connection. Her soul-chilling fear made the string tremble between them like a leaf in a storm.
Lucious let out a breath. Helena’s human emotions were clouding his mind when he wished to concentrate on something else. He had wasted too much of his energy maintaining his mental shields—energy that could have been used to make him stronger. Even his sleep was disturbed by her constant agitation.
How many miles do I need to put between us to not be able to feel her?
Lucious buried his face in his hands. What am I doing? Having spent most of his life avoiding any serious relationships, what drove him to sacrifice such an ideal and bind himself to a mortal?
He ran his hands through his hair. There had to be a way to separate them. The last time he saw her, she was a child who had lived a sheltered life. Over the weeks, her image in her mental shields had grown older. It was foolish of him to vow he would keep her safe when he couldn’t even protect his friends. She didn’t belong in his world, saint or no.
“There has to be a way to snap the link…”
“Lucious,” Helena’s pain-stricken voice sounded in his head.
He cursed and leant back in his chair. “Helena?”
“Lower your shields.” She sounded tired, exhausted even.
What happened to her since our talk? Did Andreaz hurt her? Whatever it was, he had no choice. Any harm to her would make him weaker, and he needed his strength. He concentrated on shattering his shields and felt the energy around his body retreating into his shell. A moment later, when they were gone, he felt the string buzzing with excitement.
“I’m sorry…”
Her end of the connection closed, and he knew something was wrong. The influx of power travelled down the soul-bond towards him. He couldn’t begin to guess how much there was.
Lucious thought of closing his shields and paused. Doing so would send it back between them, making them both suffer. No, he had to get himself under control. He was not someone who backed away from a bit of pain.
He clutched the armrests, bracing for impact, as a wave of wild energy slammed into him hard enough to make him double over in agony. His jaws clenched shut and his fingers dug dee
per into the leather.
“So much…power.”
The energy felt like it was setting his insides on fire—a fire that kept burning brighter as more of it seeped into him. He wouldn’t last much longer if it continued.
He slid to the ground, weak from the ordeal. His body jerked from another wave that crawled beneath his skin. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and he struggled to think.
With his last bit of strength, he dragged himself to the bed across the room. He crawled onto the mattress, grabbing at the sheets with quivering hands. Drained from the task, he relaxed, allowing for the energy to absorb and merge with his own. Whatever Helena did to get this would surely bite them in the ass.
“Lucious, get up!” Alexander shouted, banging on the door.
Lucious stirred in bed, exhausted from the energy transfer.
The wood that held the door in place screeched as the whole frame fell at Alexander’s feet.
Lucious blinked a few times. What could be going on to wind his friend up so much?
“Get up, damn it!” Alexander shouted.
Sluggishly, Lucious sat up, his body swaying.
“I’ve been trying to wake you for the past twenty minutes!”
Lucious’ hand shot to his forehead. A pulsating headache proceeded to cause him discomfort and Alexander’s loud voice did nothing to soothe it. “What’s the matter?”
Alexander rolled his eyes. “Do you want the good or the bad news?”
He swung his legs off the bed and massaged his temples. “I don’t care.”
With a nod, his friend paced around the bed. “Your human somehow managed to kill Andreaz last night. She was transported to London, and the trial is tomorrow.”
Lucious’ hand fell away from his face. Uncertain if he had heard him right, he stared at Alexander. “Come again?”
“She killed Andreaz for God’s sake.”
His mind raced. That would explain the influx of energy and the panic she felt last night. “How?”
“Perhaps she was a saint all along and finally cracked. Not surprised, though. Andreaz must have put her through hell, or worse.” The excitement in Alexander’s voice subsided. “But this also means Eliza will destroy her.”
Russian Roulette (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 1) Page 32
