He gave a long-suffering sigh. “I wish that were my mission. I could do with more fuel after being starved for months. I could do with a lot of things.” His crimson eyes scanned her from head to toe, and ended on her lips.
“Screw you,” she said.
“Are you offering?”
She took a step back. “No.” He wasn’t someone to trifle with, yet here she was provoking him.
“Good, because it would be a tremendous conflict of interest for me and I have things I need to do.”
“I need to save Nik.” And possibly the entire human race.
“My mission is more important at this juncture. You will wait here until I return.”
Bossy jackass.
“See she bathes,” he ordered the empty room, just like Nadia had.
There was that bath thing again, coming from Mr. Dungeon Dweller. “Maybe you should bathe.”
“I fully intend to. I, however, do not smell of fear and bear blood. You will upset my household. Please do as instructed.”
God, she hated controlling men. And ever since the convenience store, that’s all she’d encountered. Maybe that’s all there was in the Underveil…that, and people who turn into animals and kill boys. Her heart constricted as she thought of the poor little dog shifter who died in the barn.
The vampire reached out, as if to comfort her, then dropped his hand, blurred, and disappeared. Evidently the teleportation block wasn’t in place here, like it was at the fortress. Well, good. She had no intention of allowing Mr. Bossy Pants to keep her prisoner. She’d freed herself from the cord that bound her to Nik, and there was no way she’d let herself be held captive again. Even if he had saved her from the Slayers in the barn.
Nik needed her. She had to get to him. Focusing all her energy, she imagined the wall outside Aleksi’s room. Her body went warm for a moment, then returned to normal, still in the same room.
Maybe this part of the fortress really was teleport proof. Again, she closed her eyes. This time, she focused on the room where she had just been. Nothing.
“Shit!”
The hall outside the door. Nope.
The bed across the room. Nada.
“I hate this place. I hate vampires and shifters and every damn freaky thing that lives under the Veil. You all suck!” she shouted at the top of her lungs.
Covering her face, she slumped to the floor, legs folded under her. Before getting shot in the convenience store, she’d just gone along with the ebb and flow of life, never fighting fate’s current. Now, she felt like she was constantly struggling to swim upstream—like those salmon that fight and fight to reach some place at the top of the river, only to breed and die. She rubbed her hand over her belly. Well, she sure as hell wasn’t going to be one of those salmon. If being part of this freaky existence had taught her anything, it was to be proactive. Being helpless and going with the flow was as much of her past as her humanity.
Pushing to her feet, she took in her surroundings. It looked like one of those museum castles she’d seen on television. The walls were stone, as was the floor, with heavy, rough-hewn, wooden support beams overhead. A small, ornate four-poster bed with emerald damask curtains tied back with gold cords stood in the center of the room, the only furniture other than the armoire. A door on the opposite side of the room stood open with a view to a modern bathroom.
A skittering sound drew her attention back to the armoire where the mouse peeked out at her. “You’re not really a mouse, are you?”
It shook its head, which should have creeped her out, but didn’t. Maybe she was adjusting finally…or maybe she was just tired.
The mouse moved out from under the armoire and rose up on its hind legs, still studying her.
“Go ahead,” Elena said, crossing her arms. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”
Even so, the mouse stretching and a full-grown woman morphing in that spot was still unsettling. The woman was completely naked, the tiny, discarded mouse pelt in a ball at her feet. Wordlessly, she opened the armoire, pulled out a simple frock, and pulled it over her head. “Shall I run a bath, Miss Arcos?”
Be proactive. “Nah, I’ve got this.” She tromped to the bathroom, turned on the faucet in the enormous claw-footed iron tub, and held her hand under the water until it turned warm. “What’s with the bath anyway? I’m not as grimy as he is.”
“Our master will wash when he returns.”
“Where did he go?”
“It is none of our business. Our job is to trust, learn, and obey.”
Like hell.
The water had reached a good level in the tub, so she turned it off and reached up to unfasten the leather halter she’d borrowed from Aleksi. She paused and arched a brow at the mouse girl.
“Go ahead,” the girl said, in a fairly good imitation of Elena’s tone earlier. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”
Touché. She unzipped the soft leather at her neck and back and pulled the halter off. The pants and boots followed. Mouse girl, despite her words, was transfixed by the markings on Elena’s body. She stepped into the tub. “Who are the people in the big room? No. Better question is what are the people in that room?”
“Some are shifters, but most are vampires. They are the Master’s students.”
“What are they studying?”
“Pacifism.”
And here she’d been thinking it couldn’t get weirder.
She lowered herself into the warm water. “Pacifist vampires.”
“Yes. It is a special order. They are all empaths.”
“Including your…Master?” The word rankled. Nobody should be a Master. She felt like she’d been dumped in the middle ages. She dunked under, wetting her hair.
The mouse girl picked up a small bottle and poured some of the gold liquid in her hand. “No. He took over the job for someone else. He is telepathic with empath tendencies. The previous master was an empath.” She rubbed the shampoo into Elena’s hair, and despite her desire not to, she found herself enjoying it. It seemed so wrong to be here, in a tub big enough for two people, being pampered while Nik was in a cell, enduring torture.
“Where is the previous master?”
“He was murdered.”
So much for pacifism. “What is your name?”
“Lilian. Rinse, please.”
Elena slipped under the water and ran her hands through her hair, removing the shampoo and resurfacing. “I need to get out of here.”
“I am truly sorry, but I cannot help you.”
Elena stood, washed her body, then sat back in the warm water. “Have you ever been in love, Lilian?”
A faraway look crossed her face, her brown eyes going unfocused for a moment. “Yes.”
“I’m in love. And the man I love is in danger. I must go to him.”
“Only at my Master’s wish will it be so.”
“Are you afraid he’ll kill you if you help me?”
She held out a towel. “It is my composition to be fearful. The instincts of my animal form carry over. It is why I remain in my animal form most of the time. My fear in human form disrupts the comfort of the students. Most of the shifters here are bovine. They are much calmer.”
So, the vamps in the hoods were empaths, which probably meant they read emotions, while Vlad and Ricardo were telepathic, which meant they could read minds. Damn. There needed to be a guidebook for all this craziness. And Big, Bad Vlad kept a herd of human cattle. Aw, crap. “Why are there bovine shifters here?”
“In the Underveil, each species assume the jobs for which they are most suited. Slayers are law enforcers. Elves create. Shifters use their unique attributes to their advantage. I move fast. Bovine shifters… Well, they are calm, and the Master…” Her voice dropped off.
The hackles stood up on the back of Elena’s neck. Bossy and bigoted. She thought back on all the shifters she’d met. Yep. Bears were guards. Dogs were stable boys. Mice were servants, and cows were…food?” Nuh-uh. No way. Elena grabbe
d the towel and wrapped it around her body with shaking hands. Rage billowed inside her like flames as she thought about the poor boy in the barn, his life taken so young. “No!”
Lilian scampered back a few steps. Elena hadn’t meant to scare her, but damn, she was mad. That bastard had locked her up and taken off like nothing mattered but himself. “That’s it!” She grabbed her clothes from the floor and ripped her pants on. “He’s not keeping me here.” This level of anger was not normal for her, but somehow, it felt empowering and liberating. She’d saved his ass. After fastening the halter on, she leaned against the side of the tub and pulled on her boots. “Unlock the door, Lilian.”
Shaking her head rapidly, hands wringing, she backed up. “I’m sorry, miss. I can’t. I won’t.” She froze and closed her eyes. “Kill me now if you must.”
Holy shit. Elena couldn’t kill someone. Well, unless her life was in danger…or her baby’s…or Nik’s. Did she look like a killer? A glance in the mirror confirmed she did. All in black leather with crazy wild markings on her skin and her newly acquired lean muscle and red-tinged eyes, she looked like a killing machine. Horrified, she slumped into a stool in the corner.
A howling sound came from outside the door. The girl immediately morphed into a mouse, leaving a horrifying pile of human skin behind, and scampered under the armoire. More howls. Then screams.
She had to get out of this place. Rescue Nik, displace Fydor, end this war or whatever was brewing, and try to break free of this untenable existence. She couldn’t live like this. No one could. Human cattle, dead boys, oppressed women. Just, no. She gripped the door handle right as another howl sounded, and she froze. It was a human sound, but animal also.
She felt more than heard a change behind her. He was back. She didn’t even have to turn to know. “What is out there?” she asked, leaning her forehead against the door.
“Your rage.”
Now, she did turn. The vampire stood in the middle of the room, covered in blood from his chin to his waist. She shuddered.
He pointed to the bed. “Sit.”
Like the dog shifters in the barn at Aleksi’s command, she obeyed.
“This is not your fault. It is mine. I should have explained. So much in our world is taken for granted, and I failed to see the implications from a human perspective—a downfall from living too long as an immortal. We forget what it’s like above the Veil. How short sighted and prejudiced you can be.”
“Short sighted and prejudiced?” She leapt to her feet, and he held up a palm.
“If you lose your control again, I will have to kill more of them, so please refrain. I’ve grown fond of them, despite their shortcomings.”
What an ass.
“Not really. When you lose your temper, the vampires housed here feed off your emotion and react accordingly. They have been isolated from inciting forces until their training is complete and they can either be released or destroyed. All here were slated for destruction.”
She gestured to the blood on his chest and face. “What happened to you?”
His smile was bittersweet. “The better question is what happened to them.”
No. No, no, no. He did not just kill the vampires she saw in the big room when they arrived.
“Indeed, I did. Not all of them, though. Some passed the test, which was unexpected.”
“Are you telling me my anger got them killed?” Her insides roiled and she covered her mouth.
“No. Their lack of self-control got them killed. You simply helped me along. I was in that dungeon so they had not been tested a second time yet. It should have happened long ago.” He took a deep breath. “Do not let it trouble you. I will explain it after I clean up. Please, I beg of you, remain calm until I return.” He disappeared without a trace or sound.
Oh yeah. Stay calm. He just slaughtered people in his own home because of her. No biggy. Welcome to the Underveil, the freaking gateway to hell.
Chapter Thirty
Nik stretched his back and wiggled his fingers to bring them back to life. Fydor and Commander Mihai had been conferencing for what felt like hours, right outside his cell door. The bear shifter guard growled when he flexed his fingers again, and he growled back. The first thing he planned to do when he was free from these bindings was kill that fucker.
“If we’re lucky, Borya is wrong and the vampire will kill her. If not, we know she’ll come for me in order to fulfill the prophecy.” Strain was evident in his uncle’s voice.
“She can only get in via three places. Lady Aleksandra’s window, which is how she got in before, the back door, where she escaped with the hostages to the barn, and the front door itself. We have guards stationed all over the perimeter of the building,” Mihai said.
Nikolai had never really liked him. A little too self-serving for his taste, but that was probably because he was trying to stay alive in the regime of King Fydor, who should never have been given power in the first place. Chalk up another point in the guilt column. Oh, wait. He was out of room for even one more point. He swallowed against the bile taste in his mouth. He’d been chained to this wall for so long that his focus was slipping a bit. He had to get free soon.
“I would like to personally stand guard in Lady Aleksandra’s room,” Mihai said. It was no secret he’d always had a thing for her.
“Wouldn’t you just?” Fydor snapped. “No. She says she wants to take the Arcos bitch down herself. Aleksi has great pride and needs to avenge wrongs herself.” Nikolai could hear the smile in his uncle’s voice. “It’s one of the things I like most about her. Her need for revenge. You will stand guard at the front door.”
He could only hope his sister got her revenge against the bastard who had really hurt her: Fydor. And he would be only too happy to help.
“Yes, sir.”
“Stay alert. She’s coming. Borya has seen it. He’s also seen her burning at the stake. We just hope she shows up sooner rather than later.”
No shit, Nikolai agreed. And as for that burning at the stake bit. No fucking way was that going to happen. Fate was a bitch, but even she wouldn’t deal the world that bad a hand. She had to leave someone standing to screw over.
The vampire looked like a completely different person when he unlocked Elena’s door and gestured for her to follow him. Dressed all in black, he could have been a model or movie star playing the part of a special ops soldier, complete with weapons strapped to his chest, waist, and legs. His state of combat readiness should have been frightening, but it was anything but.
“Hum, Elena Arcos,” he warned as she followed him down the hallway. “Your thoughts, though flattering, are not helpful to anyone.”
“Finding you attractive doesn’t mean I want you.” She loved Nik, pure and simple. No one would ever appeal to her the way he did. “Looking and doing are two different activities.”
“Thank you for your insight.”
Jackass.
“Much better.”
She was seated at a long table to his right, and gobs of fantastic food were placed in front of them. An empty plate sat across from her. “Where’s Claude?” She hoped he hadn’t been hurt when the vamps went nuts.
“He will be here shortly.” He took a bite of fish from his plate and closed his eyes, savoring it.
“I thought vampires didn’t eat.”
“You thought wrong. We don’t have to eat. We like it, though.”
She placed her napkin in her lap. “Sun allergy?”
“Partially true. The younger the vampire, the more sun sensitive. We never fully overcome it, though, and can be in direct sunlight only for very brief periods. Our skin burns off easily. It won’t kill us, but it hurts like hell and takes a long time to grow back. Bright light also hurts our eyes.”
She looked around the room, and there were only two people. A man and a woman, and both appeared nervous.
“They are. It was a bad day here. I lost all but three pupils. Fortunately, none of the shifters had been killed when I arr
ived to put an end to it. I released all but these two and the cook for some time off.”
All because she had defied his orders and had lost her cool. Her stomach dropped to her feet. If only she could go back in time like Stefan and fix it.
“Your remorse is unwarranted. You know Stefan Darvaak?”
“Yes.”
His only reaction was to stare at her face for a moment, and then he went back to eating. “Friends in high places. Just like your father. That’s a good instinct.”
Yeah, only it hadn’t been her instinct. Nik had introduced them. Her whole body ached just thinking about what he was going through. She had to get him out of that cell.
“I know.”
She fiddled with the napkin in her lap. “I really hate that you can read my mind.”
“Then keep me out.”
She hummed an indistinct tune in her head, and he nodded. “You are still angry over what you perceive to be injustices distinct to our world under the Veil.”
“Real, not perceived.” She picked up her fork.
“Human reality.”
“My reality.”
“Fair enough. Were we at liberty to spend time exploring this, I would act as the Ghost of Christmas Past in that Dickens story and show you how wrong you are.”
She rolled her eyes, still humming, which was good because she was calling him names inside her head she wasn’t even aware she knew.
“I could hear your tirade from the forest. You are upset at the death of the shifter pup.” He cut off another bite of fish, his manners impeccable. “The killing of children is not unique to the Underveil. Human children are killed in wars all over the world and in gang battles in your own city.”
He was right there. Teens were caught in gang crossfire and the victims of horrible murders. She’d seen it on television way too often.
He took a sip of wine, never taking his eyes off her. “The loss of young life is tragic, despite species. Which is the real issue here: species. Humans have only one. We have many. Do you think your world would deal with this kind of diversity better? Is everyone in your society slated to be CEO, president, commander, or king, or do they need a skill set, education, connections, or a birthright, just as we do?”
Love Me to Death (Underveil) Page 28
