Rebel Bitten (Blood Alliance Book 4)

by Lexi C. Foss

  My feet were numb.

  Cut up.

  Bruised.

  All of me a twisted mess of tormented fate.

  But the chant repeated. Run. Run. Run.

  I couldn’t give up. I just had no idea what I was running toward.

  Until a voice echoed from above. I froze, the darkness in that tone sending a chill of foreboding down my spine. The lycans. The moon chase. They’re here. They’ve found me. They’re going to eat me!

  I started to run, only to have my arm caught by an assailant. I swung with all my might, my training kicking in as a last resort.

  Run, run, run, became, Fight, fight, fight.

  I slammed my knee into his groin, his “Oomph” of surprise music to my ears. Then another tried to grab me from behind. I reacted, doubling down on my instincts, kicking, biting, snarling, screaming, and making myself the most unattractive prey imaginable. I’d make them kill me before I subjected myself to any more of this delirious torment.

  Only, an elbow to the side of my head had me stumbling backward.

  A masculine curse graced the air.

  Followed by a series of stars dancing before my eyes.

  As down, down, down I went.

  This time into the muddy bank, not the water.

  I hope they just let me drown, I thought as my world began to spin. Just let me drown.

  2

  Ryder

  I gaped at the tattered human drinking in mud as if it were oxygen at my feet. “What the fuck just happened?”

  “Seems someone just lost a plaything,” Damien drawled, folding his arms and narrowing his caramel-brown eyes.

  Yeah, a plaything that nearly damaged my pride and joy with that cruel jerk to the groin. Had I not shifted my thigh at the right second, I’d have been knocked down to my knees—a feat no one had accomplished in centuries. Not even Damien.

  The female sputtered, her consciousness wavering between life and death. Another minute in that position and she’d drown herself. Maybe even less. She wasn’t in the best shape but had put up one hell of a fight. Not that Damien and I had been trying to harm her—we’d been too startled by her sudden appearance to muster up a reaction.

  Yet she’d come at us like a damn hellcat, which I found oddly admirable. Hmm.

  I glanced at Damien. “Anyway, as I was saying, Lilith has promoted me to temporary Royal of Silvano Region.”

  My best friend arched a dark brow at me. “Is that supposed to be a punishment?”

  “I’m pretty sure it’s more of a punishment for her than for me,” I replied, amused. “What do you think? Should I keep Silvano Region as my own?”

  “I suspect there will be a few who will be displeased by that decision.”

  “Which only makes it more appealing,” I admitted as the mortal began to choke in earnest on the ground. “That’s not a very attractive noise,” I informed her.

  “Should we just put it out of its misery?” Damien asked, following my gaze. “Seems a bit pitiful.”

  I cocked my head to the side, studying her. “She had a reasonable fight in her. I hear that’s rare these days.”

  “It is,” he replied. As Damien spent more time with current society than I did, I took his words to heart and squatted down beside the fragile female. Her gaze locked on mine, blue flames dancing in her irises.

  So much anger.

  Pain.

  Retribution.

  All emotions I understood far too well.

  Her pupils flared as I reached for her, pushing her just enough to draw her mouth and nose away from the mud.

  “Seems cruel to torture it,” Damien pointed out.

  “Yes, but I’m curious to see how long her fight survives.” Something about her intrigued me. And it’d been a long time since I had found anything remotely interesting in this life. “Did I tell you Kylan took Silvano’s head?” I asked Damien, my focus still on the sputtering female.

  “That would have been a fascinating sight to witness.”

  “It was,” I admitted. And yet, this human captivated me more. Particularly as she scowled at me with adorable menace. “You really are a little warrior, aren’t you?” I pushed her fully onto her back, then looked at Damien. “There’s something strange going on with Kylan and Jace, by the way. I want to know what it is.”

  “Strange how?”

  “They were getting along.” I swiped a lock of muddied hair out of the woman’s face, wanting to study her features. “And Kylan doesn’t get along with anyone.”

  “I’ll look into it.”

  “I’m going to need a survey of the region as well. A list of those who might oppose my leadership.” I wasn’t sure if I intended to remain as the royal or not, but having those details would certainly help me formulate an appropriate decision.

  “Anything else?” Damien asked.

  The female began to cough, her eyes losing their flare with each hacking vibration. “No,” I told him. “I think that’s all for now.” My brow furrowed as I watched her life flicker in and out of existence.

  Humans were so pitiful.

  Broken.

  Weak.

  However, she’d tried to fight me. It’d be laughable if it weren’t so sad. I ran my fingers through her matted blonde hair. What would she have looked like in another reality? I wondered idly, running the back of my knuckles down her cheek. “Dying beside the Sabine River,” I said, shaking my head. “Not the burial place I’d choose.”

  Damien grunted. “Her body will be gone by morning. If it’s not a wolf, a gator will take care of it.”

  “Hmm.” I started to stand, when I saw a flicker of something in her gaze that held me still once more. A golden shine. Like a wolf. There and gone in a flash, but the warrior remained once more. Murder stared up at me. The promise of death. A seduction I couldn’t ignore. “All right, little human.” I slipped my arms beneath her, lifting her slight form with ease.

  “What are you doing?” Damien asked, his nose curling at the stench wafting off the girl. “Do you plan to return her?”

  “Why would I do that?” Seemed wasteful to give her back to the wolves. “I’m going to keep her.”

  “What? Why?”

  I lifted a shoulder. “She’s amusing.”

  “She’s fucking dying.”

  “Yes,” I agreed, staring down at her again. “Seems like a waste of blood, if you ask me.”

  Damien looked like he’d swallowed a toad. “You’re a sick fuck, Ryder.”

  I’d never denied that. Actually, I rather owned up to the reputation. There was a reason I didn’t play well with others. “Call me when you have the information I need,” I told him as I started down the road near the riverbank.

  “Try not to catch anything,” he tossed back at me.

  “She’s a human, not a raccoon,” I returned. Not that vampires could catch zoonotic diseases, or any others for that matter.

  “Seems more like a rat,” I heard him mutter before opening the door to his vehicle. He’d driven one of those four-by-fours out here, the kind that revved loudly. I had a few in my garage, most over a century old.

  One of the perks of country living was having adequate storage space. I had more than enough resources to live out here for a few more centuries alone. The world had gone to shit a hundred and seventeen years ago when vampires and lycans took charge and demoted humans to the position of cattle.

  I wanted none of it.

  Did I agree that vampires and lycans were the superior species? Hell yes. We sat at the top of the food chain. But that didn’t mean I fancied turning my prey into meek little rabbits. What fun was it to hunt a rodent when we used to chase tigers?

  Seducing women into bed had been a fun pastime.

  Now they just knelt like good little girls and sucked cock on autopilot.

  Fuck. That.

  I wanted to work for it. Make my conquest cry out for more, not just cry because it hurt. Well, I wasn’t opposed to the latter, but I preferred it i
n combination with the former.

  “What about you, little warrior?” I asked the female in my arms as I reached the edge of my driveway. “How do you take cock?”

  Her eyes had rolled into the back of her head, making a reply impossible.

  She was barely even breathing now.

  I sighed. “It’s just not fun anymore,” I told her. “You mortals are all conditioned to bend over and take it. Which has its rewards and benefits, but it takes the excitement out of things.”

  I took the stairs up my porch two at a time, then kicked my door open with the heel of my boot.

  The alarms I had rigged up didn’t flare, my technology recognizing my body scan upon approach. I paused, listening for anything out of the ordinary, and found it all peaceful and quiet. Just the way I liked it.

  I nearly smiled until I recalled the reason I’d left my sanctuary almost a week ago.

  Fucking Silvano.

  He’d waltzed through my backyard like a king, setting off every damn alarm along the way. I’d been so pissed that I’d followed him to Clemente Clan, just to see what he was up to.

  When all hell broke loose, I’d stayed, somewhat amused by the fight.

  A huge mistake—something I’d learned the second Lilith arrived. That bitch fancied herself a Goddess. “The only thing regal about Lilith is her ostentatious tower in Chicago,” I muttered, heading down the stairs to my basement. “And that would look better as a pile of rubble.”

  The hierarchy of this world made no sense.

  And now I was part of it.

  Maybe Damien was right about the punishment being mine.

  Well, I’d certainly make Lilith’s life hell, too, just for fun.

  It’d also been my idea to step up, mostly because I didn’t want that bitch anywhere near my property.

  Why did everyone worship her? She was just an ordinary vampire, and a younger one at that. At least when compared to me and Kylan. And Cam.

  Where the hell is Cam?

  I didn’t believe for a second he was dead.

  That asshole was at the bottom of a pit somewhere, just waiting to be found. His Erosita was living and breathing up in Majestic Clan, something no one else seemed to notice. But I did. Just as I recognized a plot brewing between Jace and Kylan. Hopefully, it would involve Lilith’s demise.

  The female in my arms gasped, not in surprise but in a last-ditch effort to save herself.

  “Right.” I knelt and laid her across the concrete floor. “Now what am I going to do with you?”

  I ran my finger along her neck, then down her sternum to the jagged marks across her stomach. It seemed someone had done surgery on her with teeth and claws rather than proper surgical equipment.

  “You came from the breeding camp,” I guessed. My property unfortunately bordered the farm of homes used to create more Clemente Clan lycans. Would Edon continue the practice? I wondered. Something about the new alpha struck me as different from the others of his kind. He seemed almost humanized.

  Watching his leadership might prove interesting.

  Not that I cared enough to truly engage.

  Of course, if I remained a royal, I wouldn’t have a choice.

  “So many decisions,” I mused out loud, taking stock of the little warrior’s injuries once more. I could see why the lycans chose her for breeding. She had nice hips. Toned legs. Her breasts were a bit small, but some calories would fix that right up. Same with her protruding ribs.

  “Hmm.” I brought my wrist to my mouth and bit down. “Let’s see what a little bit of my blood does for you, shall we?” I pressed the open wound to her lips, allowing my life essence to seep into her. “You’re going to need to swallow, little one.”

  She didn’t comply right away, which only made her gurgle as she began to choke.

  With a dramatic exhale, I repositioned myself on the ground and used my opposite hand to guide her head onto my thigh to a better angle for drinking. Her throat began to work automatically, as if her spirit had taken over and recognized the gift I offered her.

  I stroked my fingers through her hair while she fed, whispering encouragement under my breath. If Damien saw me, he’d gape. Because this wasn’t me at all. It just seemed like the right thing to do for my new pet.

  “When you’re more coherent, we’ll pick a name,” I told her softly. “Or perhaps you already have one. I’m good with that, too.” Unless it was something like Veronica or Whitney. I didn’t much care for those.

  Actually, there were a lot of names I didn’t like.

  So maybe I would have to pick one for her.

  My wound began to close, so I reopened it and pressed it to her lips again. “Keep drinking,” I ordered. “When you’re done, I’ll bathe you.”

  Then I’d end up either eating her or playing for a while.

  It depended on how entertaining she proved to be.

  For her sake, I hoped she showed more than a little fire. Otherwise, I’d just wind up dousing her flames and extinguishing her life. For good.

  3

  Willow

  Cold.

  Hard.

  Cement.

  I nearly groaned at the feel of it pressing into every inch of my body, the unforgiving substance the bane of my existence. There were so many times I just wanted to crawl into the concrete and hide, but I couldn’t. It left me exposed. Vulnerable. Pained.

  Except, I didn’t feel all that agonized right now, which was strange because I could tell I’d slept for some time on the ground. Usually, I awoke achy and sore after my naps, but my limbs felt alive today. Energized.

  I stretched, my muscles loosening and warming in response. Odd. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this alive.

  My lips curled down.

  Actually, I couldn’t remember much at all. Everything felt foggy, as if I’d existed in a haze all my life and I was just now coming out of it.

  It must be the drugs, I thought, rolling onto my back to stare up at the iron bars over my head. My eyes widened. Those are new.

  I glanced left—more bars. Same to my right.

  I’m in a cage.

  Not a small one, maybe ten feet by ten feet, all sides exposed to open air. And below me was a slab of cold concrete. No windows decorated the walls beyond my prison, and the room held a slight musky odor. And dust particles floated in the air.

  Oh, those are interesting. I narrowed my gaze at them, watching as they caught in the dim lighting, their colors a flash of intrigue. It was as if I’d never really seen dust before. Was it always this hypnotizing?

  And has my skin always been this soft? I wondered as my fingers grazed my bare thigh. I drew my nails over my hips to my abdomen, tracing across my skin in a hypnotic wave of heat. So smooth and perfect.

  I was naked—no surprise there. But I was also clean, and that struck me as odd. Although, I couldn’t really remember why. The reason was lost somewhere in my memories, the thick fog preventing me from latching onto any specific one.

  Did it really matter?

  I felt good. Like, really good.

  I rolled onto my stomach, then pushed myself off the ground and easily onto my feet. The cage provided a little more than a foot of clearance over my head. I reached up to wrap my fingers around the cold steel and marveled at the silky texture. Sturdy. Heavy. Perfect.

  My knees buckled as I tested my grip. I hung with ease and even lifted myself up a little in a version of a pull-up. Nice. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been able to do this. At the university? In a class with Silas?

  I canted my head, trying to recall the course, but it hovered just out of range of my mind.

  The lack of focus probably should have concerned me, but after months or years of drug abuse, I couldn’t really think beyond the peace of having a clear mind.

  No nightmares.

  No lycans.

  No classwork.

  Just existence.

  I released the bars to spin in a circle, feeling lighter than air
. Then I fell into a fighting stance, my legs moving with a fluidity that just felt right. Perfect. I jumped, careful of my head, then started a routine my body seemed to grasp more than my mind.

  Silas taught me this, I recognized, uncertain of when that was. Yesterday? A month ago? Years, maybe? Time seemed irrelevant. Particularly with how fast my hands were flying in front of me. I went through each kata with a precision I could feel in my very soul.

  By the time I finished, sweat dotted my brow and my chest was heaving from the effort. But I also felt invigorated. Powerful. Complete.

  More of those dust particles flickered, drawing my focus to the darker shadows of the room. Where am I? My mind refused to answer. Something about the breeding camps—which I immediately locked a door on. Had they moved me to a new dungeon cell? When would they return? Would they drug me again?

  I shivered. That had to be the cause of my bizarre state. Maybe they’d increased my dose and this was all a dream.

  No. Impossible. My mind didn’t allow for a positive imagination. I lived in a nightmare. Trapped. Forever considered—

  What is that? I narrowed my gaze on the glint in the dark, some gleam of silver shining in the shadows.

  Then it began to move.

  I jumped backward into the bars behind me, my hands going around the metal columns beside my hips.

  The being appeared to grow, as if lifting from a seated position on the ground. And then he stepped into the dim light.

  My heart stopped. Oh, shit… He was too perfect to be human, his features flawless and sharp as if etched from marble.

  Square jaw.

  Straight nose.

  Harshly cut cheekbones.

  Eyes that glittered like black diamonds.

  Dark, tousled hair that matched the light dusting of a shadow across his chiseled jaw.

  I swallowed. Vampire. Yet he held an animalistic edge as he prowled toward me, a distinct intrigue playing through his gaze that appeared to be underlined in cruelty.

  Where am I? I wondered again, caring much more about the answer now. How had I ended up in a vampire’s lair?