by Rhea, Lani
The vampire shut the man’s mouth. “The immortality you desire is at hand. Stop your sniveling. Did you think it would be easy?”
Finally, the vampire shoved the man onto the sand, leaving him to lie with his fallen brethren. A second hooded figure stepped close to the man and covered his nude form with a red velvet robe.
Her gaze roamed the two other men waiting to be turned. Anger filled her chest with heat. She stared into the ritual ring. The death stage dominated the wide open space. Black-robed figures stood like statues in the upper alcoves, watching, their hands clasped in front of them. Their features were obscured by the cowls of their robes.
Josh had been right. Her need to flee warred with her need to save the remaining humans. If she left even one behind, how would she be able to look at her face in the mirror? Her fingers tightened on the rock ledge as her muscles rippled and ached with the first signs of transformation. The beast wanted to escape and tear them to shreds.
The first vamp plunged his fangs into the redheaded man’s thick neck. Seconds passed then the vampire pulled back and moved to his next victim.
Powerful roars rose to a crescendo as the last prey trembled. His shoulder-length blond hair fluttered around his thrashing head. He leaned away from his death, fighting for his last human breath.
Deep within her, the wolf growled. With effort, she held the beast at bay. For all its strength, there were too many vamps in the ritual room, a couple hundred of them at least—maybe more. Still, she couldn’t just watch and not try…something.
The poor man on the ground crab-walked away from the robed vamp’s approach but didn’t get far before the vamp grabbed his hair. The blond’s eyes squeezed shut. She could almost sense his capitulation and something about it tugged at her heart. Obviously, he was not there of his free will, and he didn’t want to be turned.
She took a deep breath, summoning her inner strength. About to spring into action, she halted when the chanting died and silence draped the room. Not far from the blond, on a balcony stretching over the sand, one of the black hooded figures lifted a hand.
“This is our last member to transform into the Brotherhood. Soon, we will have enough Truces to protect our territory.”
She sucked back a gasp. Ryant. Ryant spoke to the crowd. He was a part of this. Sweat enveloped her body. Inside, the wolf howled and begged for release. As she ground her teeth, holding on to every ounce of humanity she had, her gaze focused on Ryant until everything else bled into gray. Despite knowing this was his place, she hadn’t thought— How could he be a part of this?
“No, please. Just let me go. I won’t say a word of this. I swear.”
Her attention was pulled from Ryant to the blond. His plea broke something inside her. Springing into action, she kicked off the heels and jumped over the balcony wall, landing two stories below. Sand whipped around her ankles with the impact. She rebounded from a crouch, intent on the vampire bending to the blond’s neck—the human she had to rescue.
Her fingernails shifted into sharp nails. Muscles on top of muscles stretched her leather pants and makeshift shirt. She lunged at the vampire. As she plummeted into him, a loud crack penetrated the air. Tucked against him, she rolled across the arena, tearing with her teeth and slashing at any part of his body she could get to. A sting on her stomach told her he’d gotten her with his razor nails. Shoving him away, she surged to her feet. He swiped at her, cutting her from nape to left shoulder.
“Stop!” The voice thundered throughout the cavern.
Kris snarled at the vampire. Green, starburst eyes glared as he hissed back. The hole in his face would leave a lasting mark. Satisfaction filled her even as her wolf whined at not being able to complete the kill.
From her peripheral vision, she saw the other vampires circling, claws raised, ready to strike but they didn’t move. Just hissed and screeched at her, and all of this because of their leader. From where she stood, she looked to the balcony at where he stood rigid, his body shaking with rage. Her lips curled, exposing her sharp canines. She didn’t care how angry he was; she was furious herself. Josh was right about humans being taken. Humans shouldn’t be plucked from the streets to be turned rabid. “I will not let you turn this last soul into death, Ryant.”
Several vampires shifted toward her. Her skin rose in bumps and her spine tingled as the wolf continued to beg for release. Let them come closer and she’d show them her wolf. She might go down but she’d take a bunch of the bastards with her.
“Truces, keep your distance.”
The vampires edged away, except the one she wounded. She could see every part of him ached to attack.
Ryant’s voice came low, menacing. “Back. Off. Shade.” Each word laced with threat promised that if Shade attacked, he would suffer grave consequences.
With a snarl, Shade backed away, into the sea of red robes. Ryant turned his glare on Kris.
“You cannot have this human, Ryant.”
He studied her for a moment, and then snapped his fingers. A vampire strutted toward her from the perimeter. She snarled at his approach. The only reaction she received was a smirk. His bald head, streaked with tattoos, glistened under the torchlights. The tribal tattoo design above his eyebrows rippled. Bony points shot up from the ink into a hood of bony crown.
“You want to play, Wolf Girl. I love to spar,” he said as his gray eyes glowed, the starbursts brilliant.
She hated being called Wolf Girl.
“Zeke, go to the mortal.”
Zeke bowed to Ryant then tossed at her, “Too bad. It would have been fun.” He snickered and walked off, back stiff, yet with a spring in his steps as he approached the blond whose eyes were so wide she thought they might pop out of his head. She could only imagine the thoughts going through his mind.
Switching her gaze from the blond, she glared at Ryant. An unreadable expression on his face, he stared back before he dissolved into thin air. As he reappeared on the sand floor, he held out his hand. She ignored it and after a few seconds, he dropped his hand.
“Follow me. We’ll discuss the mortal’s life in private.” She didn’t trust the comment, the mortal’s life, as if the poor man was a simple product with a shelf life expectancy of zero.
“He comes with us.” Kris gritted her teeth. Would he accept? He’d better, damn it.
Ryant snapped his fingers. Zeke pushed the human forward, making him stumble, almost falling to his knees. Zeke jerked him to his feet. She cringed at the mishandling of the man. Fucking vampires.
She fell into a position to keep an eye on the human in between. Whatever was on Ryant’s mind, she was not leaving without the blond.
11
The soothing hush in the office did not ease Kris’s sour mood. Sharp thyme overlaying zinc penetrated the air—a clever way to conceal the scent of blood. She hoped the human couldn’t detect the death.
The office looked like a filing room. Two walls covered in shelves, the other two had marker boards with charts. A black leather couch was centered under the boards on the far wall. On the shelves were books and manila folders. An ostentatious, expensive mahogany desk and a mini bar occupied the back part of the room.
“I can’t believe you are kidnapping humans off the streets and turning them, against their will, into vampires.” Heat seethed through her.
His chin lifted. “I have done no such thing. Humans visit my club all the time. I created a survey asking if they were given the chance at immortality would they take it. Humans respond and leave their contact numbers. They volunteered after they were informed of the situation.”
“And him?” She jerked a thumb in the blond’s direction. “Did he volunteer?”
Ryant turned his gaze from her and studied the man. “V’s the lead recruiter. I’ve monitored the first several recruitments.” He looked back at Kris. “I was out looking for you with this last one.”
Her eyes widened. “So you never stopped to verify they were actually volunteers?”
; Thick lashes lowered over dark eyes. From experience, she knew he didn’t like to be questioned. Like she cared.
“No, I did not,” he said. “I trust her.”
“There you go throwing that word around.” Kris stifled a scoffing laugh.
“What word?”
“Trust,” she snarled.
“I’ll have a word with V.”
“You better before I do.”
His nostrils widened then he spun around and strode toward the back of the room. The black robe swishing around his ankles snapped as he placed distance between them. With a deliberate casualness, he sat behind the desk and stared at her.
Movement from her side pulled her attention to Zeke, the vampire Ryant summoned. The bald vamp had a meaty hand gripped around the blond’s bicep. Skin bulged between his fingers. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. Damn them.
“What plans do you have for the human, Kris?” Ryant broke into her thoughts, tugging her focus to him. The air was filled with tension. Hers, Ryant’s, Zeke’s and the blond’s. A smorgasbord of emotion-laden scents.
“First, make your thing take his hand off the man.”
Ryant looked at Zeke and nodded. When Zeke released his arm, the blond stumbled to the side. Shock turned the skin around his lips white. His limbs trembled.
“Baldy can leave,” she said and ignored the hiss from Zeke.
“No. He stays.” Ryant watched her with narrowed eyes.
“Of course.” He could trust others, but not her. She steadied her breathing. Taking control over her body, she wrestled her mind and emotions into submission. She needed all her faculties if she was to get herself and the blond out of here. Wherever here was.
“What’s going through your mind?” Ryant’s voice rolled over her skin like silk.
“A lot, but let’s start with leaving this place and taking this man with me.”
He steepled his fingers as he lowered his chin on the tips then said, “I don’t think so.”
“I’m not really asking, Ryant. I’m leaving and taking him with me.”
He tilted his head. She refused to look away. After a few seconds that felt like hours, he snapped his fingers. Zeke ambled over to the blond, hunger shining behind his gaze. She growled and intercepted him. Zeke snarled.
“Stop.” The command boomed throughout the room.
Chilled air swept over her as Zeke sucked her heat and energy. Bastard was powerful. Lethargy weakened her legs but she tapped into the wolf’s strength and stood strong.
“Zeke.” Ryant purred the vamp’s name, only it didn’t sound sexy or cuddly; his tone was lethal. She shuddered. Just the cold, right? “Last chance. Step away from her. Take the human to a holding cell until I have spoken to V. He is not to be harmed.”
Despite his master’s command, Zeke’s expression dared her to make a move. The tattoos on his bald head rippled, and his nostrils flared. With a final glare at her, he shoved away from her and took the blond’s arm. When the blond winced, Kris took a step forward.
“Zeke,” Ryant snapped.
The tight grip on the blond’s arm relaxed as Zeke pushed the blond to the door. Ryant might not trust her and she might not trust him all the way, but she knew the blond would be safe—for now.
She relaxed, allowing the beast side of her to retreat, but kept her arms close for warmth. As soon as the door closed, her shoulders slumped. With a look of concern mixed with frustration in his eyes, Ryant gestured for her to take the seat in front of his desk.
“No. I’ll stand. I’m fine.” Her body shook as her muscles shrank to normal size.
“You’ve just had a fraction of your life-force removed. Take a seat and rest.”
“I said I’m fine.”
“Fine.” He stood and strode to the bar.
Beautiful chiseled crystal bottles with clear amber liquid littered the top. He retrieved a tumbler and poured the glistening fluid into the glass then slipped his hand inside his pocket and extracted a tiny bottle. Her eyes narrowed as he pinched off the top and dripped red substance into the glass. With a finger, he swirled the mixture until it was mixed.
Lifting the glass to his lips, he took a drink then smiled. “Ah, much better.”
Her chin thrust out. “What’s that?”
“Blood mixed in a formulated liquid to tide me over until I feed.”
She didn’t want to touch that. Instead she blurted, “Why won’t you let the human go? And why are you creating an army to take down my kind? Did you think that would be okay?”
He lifted his brows at her and went back to his desk. Once he was sitting again, he said, “I am creating an army.” He held up a finger when she opened her mouth. “But I’m not going against your kind. The human. What’s so unique about him? Why are you risking everything for him?” Ryant relaxed into his seat.
It killed her to see him so at ease when her insides tumbled like socks in a dryer. “Why I want to save the human is my concern. So is what you are doing. Turning humans against their will is wrong. You’ve never condoned this before.”
“I’m simply taking the next few steps ahead of the game. I told you I would do whatever necessary and to mark my words you wouldn’t approve. I’m preparing for what will come with the Soulscapes.”
“So you’re not trying to start a war with weres?”
He took another drink of his special liquid. “No. I’m trying to protect you and save my people. What happened to your car?”
What? She struggled to keep up with his change of subject. “I was doing my job.”
“By yourself? Is that how you ended up with bruises and a scalded calf? You were hurt because you were not here with me. This is why you should stay.”
Before she could stop him, streams of his mind powers infiltrated hers. Too weak to push him out, she swayed. Flashes of the statues popped into her thoughts. Damn it, she didn’t want him to know about that.
“So, you had an encounter with Soulscapes. I told you there was a war brewing. Now do you believe me?” His mind continued to snake through hers. “This should be another indicator the soul demons are hitting close to home.”
“Just stop. Please...”
Surprise widened his eyes. He sat up straight. “Please, what?”
“Get out of my mind.” She was glad her voice was strong even as her body trembled. She couldn’t take any more of his digging. Her psyche and stomach swirled with the power he weaved. She had to leave.
“You won’t be able to leave.”
Had he just read her thoughts? At least, he’d let her go. She stared at him and placed her hands on her hips. “Are you going to keep me a prisoner, Ryant?”
“Give me a few days. Stay here, safe, and let me determine what’s going on first.” He waved a hand over the desk in a pleading gesture.
She wanted to stay. Her body swayed toward him but she forced herself back. So many things were not right, who could she trust? Ryant? Did he have her best interests in mind? Or was he protecting himself?
“I want the human to leave with me now.” She clenched her fists.
“Not yet. You still haven’t answered me as to why you have an interest in the human.”
“Because he didn’t want to be turned like the others did. He has a soul which strums and strives. I would hate for him to be soulless.” She wanted to say like you to hurt Ryant’s pride, but bit her tongue to save the wasted words, disregarding the fact he could hear her. Instead, she thought of her parents.
“I’m sorry for the loss of your parents.” His voice was gentle.
Tears welled in her eyes. “I miss them.”
Ryant’s gaze dropped to her stomach. “You’re hurt, bleeding.” The skin between his eyes furrowed. “Let me clean it for you.”
She smiled and laughed with regret. “No.” With the back of her hand, she wiped away the tear sliding down her cheek. “I’m fine. Just weak.”
“Soon, the adrenaline will run out of your system. You will hurt.” He stoo
d, glided toward her and circled her. A hiss escaped his lips. “You have nasty slashes on your back. Let me help you, please.”
Kris was taken aback. He demanded, dominated and controlled. He never asked. She glanced at her stomach. The claw marks glistened with sticky blood.
“I have more desire to help you than I do to taste you. I will not stoop so low as a new blood. I can control my hunger. I won’t do anything that will upset you. Who do you think doctored all of your wounds while you slept?”
“You?”
Ryant filled her personal space. “I promise not to hurt you. You are not immune to infection. We need to clean and dress these before they fester.”
Cool waves radiated off his skin through the robe. He stepped closer, staring with sincere distress, his smile polite and warm as he offered his hand. “I would like to help your healing process.”
“What does my health really mean to you? My overall existence?”
His hand dropped. “My sweet, I care deeply for you.”
“Maybe you do. I don’t know.”
His full lips turned thin. She read his exasperation. “Kris, I only want to help.”
Heat overwhelmed her. Was he using tricks? Or could the warmth be her body responding to his? Her knees buckled. She almost collapsed onto the floor but managed to steady herself. Feelings she couldn’t name caused her to tremble. Her mind dipped into a foggy state as warm waves of something wrapped her core, pulling her in his direction. She sank to the carpet.
He knelt beside her. “I won’t hurt you. This is for your own good.” He got to his feet and went to his desk. Reappearing quicker than normal human eyes could detect, he held a first-aid kit in his hands.
While extracting peroxide and bandages, he stopped to look her in the eyes. “I only want these scratches to heal.”
He doused the rag and placed it on her skin. The cuts foamed. Bloody bubbles ran coolly over the flat skin of her abdomen. Drowsiness kept her from feeling any sting from the medicine. He concentrated on the business at hand as he applied antibiotic ointment to torn flesh with dry gauze. As soon as he covered the wounds with a large adhesive bandage, with gentle firmness, he smoothed the edges into place.
