Rebel Bitten (Blood Alliance Book 4)

by Lexi C. Foss

  “What am I going to do with you, pet?” I asked her for the thousandth time, bewildered by this odd little attachment building between us. It would pass, of course. But it temporarily intrigued me.

  With a shake of my head, I left her to heal. I had a few bodies to decapitate.

  8

  Willow

  Dark green orbs haunted my mind, smoldering and intense, reminding me of something I couldn’t quite grasp.

  Another dream?

  A dark memory?

  I couldn’t say, the knowledge there and gone in a flash as something nudged me back to reality. My mind eagerly accepted the reprieve, not ready to indulge in the sadistic thoughts of my past.

  Something about a—

  “Willow.” The voice intruded on my thought, drawing me into a state of awareness and away from the experience I longed to forget.

  I opened my eyes. The lights were all on, and he stood before me with damp hair and a towel wrapped around his waist.

  Nothing else.

  All that perfection on display had my throat drying and my tongue eager for a different kind of taste of him.

  This was why vampires were dangerous. They were alluring and beautiful and lethal. He could snap my neck as easily as that monster had my arm and drink the life from my veins. Yet he could effortlessly bring me to my knees, his very appearance a seduction to the senses. And he knew it, too.

  “Feeling better?” he asked me, his gaze going to my forearm.

  I glanced at it, frowning. It was completely healed.

  “How long was I out?”

  “About six hours.” He helped me roll onto my side, then sat on the couch beside my hip and played his fingers over my arm. “Good as new.”

  What is with this vampire? His actions and words made my head spin. They weren’t at all what the university had prepared me for.

  Lycans and vampires broke human bones all the time at the university, and then they made the mortal suffer through the pain of healing. It served as a reminder of their power and their ability to injure those who stepped out of line.

  From my experience, their cruelest punishments didn’t always equal death.

  Torture could do a lot more to hurt someone. And forcing that person to live with the memories of their torment was the ultimate castigation.

  Yet Ryder had healed me. Twice.

  It didn’t make any sense. Royal vampires took what they wanted. They were savage creatures. And while Ryder exuded that same air of violence, he treated me as if I were something precious. Not just a snack.

  His dark eyes captured mine as he drew his touch up to my neck, his fingers finding my pulse. “What has you so unnerved, sweet pet?” he asked, bending to run his nose across my cheek in a decidedly animalistic manner.

  Because he’s not human.

  “You smell distraught,” he murmured. “Is it your arm? Does it hurt?”

  “No, it’s… you healed me…” I trailed off, having said the first thing that came to my mind, then didn’t know how to finish it.

  He lifted just enough to stare down at me, his proximity a hot caress against my senses. “Yes. Are you wanting to thank me?”

  The way he said it had goose bumps pebbling down my arms. I could only guess what he wanted me to do to show my gratitude.

  His hand traveled from my neck up to my face, where he cupped my cheek. “Are you still in pain?”

  I slowly shook my head.

  “Good,” he whispered. “And how are your memories?”

  His minty breath clouded the air between us, seducing my senses. It would be so easy to taste him, his lips only a few inches from mine.

  Stop it, I told myself. He’s dangerous.

  I recalled the way he killed those two vampires in his living area, how brutal and precise his actions were in destroying their lives. He hadn’t even blinked, so lost to his rage that he exterminated them without a second thought.

  It was exactly what he would do to me when he grew tired of my presence.

  No, my death would be worse. He’d drain me with a bite, take back all the blood he’d fed me and then some.

  I trembled at the notion.

  “Are they still foggy?” Ryder asked, drawing me back to his questions regarding my memory.

  “Yes,” I admitted. “Like I dreamt my entire life before waking up in your basement.”

  “Hmm.” He brushed his thumb across my cheekbone, then lowered his grip to my throat again. “You seem to have an adverse reaction to my blood, or perhaps it’s something with the drugs you were given at the breeding camp. Maybe a combination of both.” His gaze fell to my lips. “I’ll look into it for you next week.”

  I blinked at him. “Why would you do that?” Why do you care? was what I really wanted to know.

  “Because I can,” he replied. “And you’re my pet. I’d like to know what happened to you to make you forget. It’s a sign of a programming failure, something I imagine society would find fascinating.”

  I’m sorry I asked, I thought, swallowing roughly.

  “Don’t worry, sweet Willow. I won’t let them touch you. You’re mine.” He brushed a kiss against my mouth, similar to the one he’d gifted me in his sparring room. Quick. Warm. Underlined in promise.

  “What am I to you?” I asked, my eyes searching his. “What classification is my role in your world?”

  “You’re my pet,” he said, his lips curling at the sides. “Mine to play with and stroke as I please, and in exchange, I’ll keep you safe.”

  “Why?” The university hadn’t discussed the classification of a pet, and something told me Ryder had just made it up. Like everything else. Is he even a royal? I wondered again, confused by his antics.

  His mouth met mine again, this time lingering for a heartbeat before he repeated, “Because I can.” Those three words scattered heat throughout my body, awakening a forbidden emotion I didn’t know how to handle.

  For twenty-two years, I refused to allow myself even an ounce of hope. Until Blood Day, when I thought for sure I would become a Vigil. When the Magistrate had announced my fate, my heart had shattered into pieces, the stark disappointment a nightmarish cloud in my mind.

  I remembered it plainly, even though it felt like a lifetime ago.

  Hope was a dangerous emotion. Happiness was even more lethal. And I refused to allow myself to feel that way now.

  Ryder didn’t intend to keep me. He didn’t intend to protect me. He wanted to play with me for a few minutes, then discard me for his next fresh piece of meat.

  “Why are there eleven headless bodies in your driveway?” a deep voice interjected, causing Ryder to smile against my mouth. He gifted me another kiss before sitting up to face the dark-haired male walking into the living area in an all-black suit.

  Damien.

  But that wasn’t what grabbed my attention. My focus was drawn to the spot where one of the vampires had died. Specifically, to the pristine white carpet that was as spotless as the rest of the room.

  Not only had Ryder cleaned himself up, but he’d also taken care of the blood and gore on the floor.

  “Because the twelfth intruder still has his head in my basement,” Ryder drawled, replying to the inquiry about the bodies outside. I quivered, both at the mental image his words created and from his palm claiming my side. His thumb slipped along my rib cage to rest just beneath the swell of my breast.

  “I see.” Damien slid his hands into the pockets of his slacks as he approached the couch to stand right beside us. “Did I interrupt mealtime?”

  “No, I just finished a bag of O-positive about ten minutes ago.” Ryder continued to stroke along my rib cage, his touch possessive and confusing. It made me want to arch into him and run away at the same time. My heart sped up at the conflicting response, my body turning into liquid fire beneath his hand.

  I didn’t know how to handle the flame burning inside me.

  I didn’t know how to handle him.

  “Why are you denyin
g yourself fresh A-negative?” Damien asked, the reminder of his presence helping to douse the flames only slightly.

  A-negative was my blood type. While it was part of my records, I suspected that wasn’t how he knew.

  “Because she’s recovering,” Ryder murmured, his attention shifting to me once more as he drew his touch down my side to my hip. Both his touch and his gaze felt like a brand. And the implication in his tone suggested he intended to bite me… and soon.

  I shivered, both enthralled and terrified by the prospect.

  Damien snorted. “You said that the last time we spoke about it.”

  “Yes, she’s recovering again,” Ryder replied, his eyes lifting to meet Damien’s stare. “Is there something you want to say to me, old friend?”

  His friend didn’t even flinch. “She’s a problem.”

  “Because I won’t eat her?”

  “No. Because she doesn’t have a designation and the others won’t appreciate that. She’s also not your toy to keep.”

  Ryder cocked a brow. “I’m a royal now. Doesn’t that mean I can break certain rules?”

  “You’re a temporary royal, and you know what Lilith will do when she finds out.”

  So he is a royal, I thought. A very strange royal.

  “Lilith can suck my cock,” Ryder retorted, causing my eyes to widen.

  No one ever spoke about the Goddess that way. Yet Ryder did it without care, his tone suggesting that he despised the queen of our society. A human would be killed for saying such a thing.

  “I don’t give a fuck about this new world rule or their maliciously contrived edicts,” he continued, his grasp tightening on my hip. “And there is nothing temporary about my new position. So either get with the program or piss off.”

  Damien sighed. “You asked me to advise you. I’m just doing my job.”

  “Consider myself advised, and consider your advice ignored.”

  “Fine.”

  “Fine.” The two vampires glowered at each other for another beat, then Ryder’s grip loosened, his posture relaxing once more. “Want to meet Intruder Number Twelve?”

  “What’s his name?”

  “I didn’t ask. But he was the only one who tried to flee after setting foot on my property, which is why I kept him alive. Originally, I intended to play with one of the older vampires, but I changed my mind after observing Number Twelve’s reasoning skills.”

  Damien arched a brow. “Of course you did. So does he still have a tongue?”

  Ryder snorted. “Come on. I’m not a complete monster.”

  “The mess on your driveway says otherwise.”

  “I consider that more of a favor than a monstrous deed. They obviously weren’t adding much intellect to the new world, what with trying to attack me and all.” Ryder lifted a shoulder. “I strongly doubt they’ll be missed.”

  “Whoever hired them may feel otherwise,” Damien pointed out.

  “You mean Janet? Yes, she may be upset, but I’ll be putting her out of her misery soon.”

  “Janet sent them?”

  “That’s what our friend in the basement said, yes. He also gave me three other names of vampires who supported her assignment.”

  “So he’s chatty,” Damien mused.

  “Very.” Ryder smiled. “Feel free to run down and meet him. Then we need to discuss next steps. I’m thinking a lesson on hierarchy etiquette is required in the to-be-renamed Silvano City.”

  “Seems needed, yes,” Damien agreed.

  “Then you’ll help me plan the arrival?”

  “Of course.”

  Ryder smiled. “Excellent. Have fun with Number Twelve in the basement.”

  “Is that your chosen name for him?”

  “It’s the abbreviated version,” Ryder explained.

  Damien smirked. “Then I’ll let you know if Number Twelve sings anything else useful.”

  “Brilliant. Just don’t kill him.”

  “Using him to set an example?”

  “It’s like you know me,” Ryder drawled.

  “Some days,” Damien said, glancing at me. “Is she coming to Silvano City with us?”

  Ryder looked at me, his dark eyes flaring with black flames. My skin heated as he caressed me with that searing gaze.

  I felt owned under that stare. Possessed. His.

  My thighs clenched at the thought, my stomach flickering with a forbidden fire. Logically, I knew craving him was a death sentence. But my body refused to adhere to reasonable thought. I reacted to him because I was trained to react to him. It suited the supernatural chain of life.

  Ryder was the hunter.

  And I was his prey.

  “Yes,” he murmured after a long, hot beat. “Watch the living room footage from a little over six hours ago, and you’ll understand why. She’s quite gifted with knives.” His eyes left me for his friend. “Everyone will expect her to be weak as a human. I can use that.”

  “She’ll be even more underestimated if she’s perceived as a member of your harem,” Damien said, sending a chill down my spine. He spoke about me as if I were an object to be reassigned and used where needed—a startlingly accurate summary of my life.

  “My harem?” Amusement flirted with Ryder’s features. “Ah, right. I suppose I’ve inherited Silvano’s toys.”

  “You have.”

  “And who’s protecting them at the moment?”

  “Garland,” Damien replied.

  Ryder grunted. “So you mean he’s fucking them.”

  “Likely.”

  “Great.” Ryder returned his attention to me, his pupils dilating as his gaze dropped to my chest, then gradually rose to my face. “Hmm, Willow would make a delectable addition to my harem.”

  “She would. But she’s going to need a wardrobe to match.”

  Ryder nodded slowly. “Yes. Arrange it.” The dark flames in his eyes glowed brighter, revealing a hungry vampire behind his handsome mask.

  I swallowed.

  Joining a vampire’s harem had been near the bottom of my desire list, just a few steps above the breeding camp.

  Yet the idea of being in Ryder’s bed didn’t turn me off. Which was exactly why I needed to fight it. His interest in me would be temporary, and when he finished, I’d be handed off to another.

  And then to another.

  Living out the rest of my days in sexual servitude, just waiting for one of the vampires to accidentally—or purposely—kill me.

  His touch ventured up my side to my face, where his knuckles kissed my cheek in a tender caress. “Don’t look so frightened, pet,” he whispered. “I’ll make sure you enjoy it.”

  Damien grunted. “Don’t say that in front of the others. She’s a toy, Ryder. Remember that.”

  He was right. Vampires didn’t see humans as equals. They didn’t care if we were hurt or frightened or dying. We were food. Fuck toys. Beings they enslaved to meet their needs.

  Yet Ryder hadn’t treated me that way, and even now, he continued to glide his fingers across my skin to my throat. “You probably want to take a shower. Then you need to eat.”

  Damien sighed loudly. “Fine, do it your way. I’ll be with Number Twelve in the basement.”

  Ryder continued to ignore him, his eyes holding mine. “Tomorrow, I’m teaching you how to shoot a gun.”

  “That’ll go over well,” I heard Damien mutter from farther away.

  “Then we’ll work on improving some of your sparring techniques,” Ryder continued, disregarding Damien’s side commentary. “You fought well, but all of your instruction has been in regard to taking down humans. As I showed you earlier, my kind is different. We’re stronger and faster. But all vampires have weaknesses. I’ll teach you how to exploit those.”

  “Wh-why?” I asked, my throat dry. None of this made any sense. He wanted me to teach him about my courses—something he should already have had access to—and now he planned to add me to his harem and teach me defensive strategies reserved for Vigils.

&n
bsp; “Because you’re going to be my little secret warrior,” he replied, his eyes twinkling. “You’ll be the ally no one will anticipate.”

  “Ally?”

  “My ascension won’t be easy.” He drew his fingers through my hair, his eyes following the movement. “There are those who want to kill me, as you’ve just experienced. And you, my sweet pet, are going to help me slay them all.”

  The prey becomes the hunter, I thought, mulling over the concept.

  How had this become my life? My fate? How long would he keep me? Would I die at his side? Die because of him?

  Would I die even faster without him?

  My stomach twisted at the notion. He wanted to train me how to kill others. Perhaps I could use the knowledge to defend myself instead. To escape. To finally be free.

  And go where? I wondered.

  I couldn’t answer that.

  Ryder stood and held out his hand. “Now come, it’s time for you to shower. I’ll make you some plain chicken to eat afterward since I know my other food has been hard on you. We’ll work up to it.”

  This vampire baffled my mind, yet I found my palm rising to meet his. Warmth spread up my arm at the touch, the fire reigniting inside me. He tugged me up to my feet, his opposite hand finding my hip to steady me.

  “You took sexual arts classes, yes?” he asked, his palm leaving my hip to press into my lower back. My chest met his bare torso, his heat a welcome blanket to my senses.

  “Yes,” I whispered, my throat suddenly tight.

  “Good,” he replied, releasing my hand to cup my cheek. “You’re going to need that training in Silvano City. Because I intend to take full advantage of it.” He pressed his lips to the edge of my mouth before gliding along my skin to my ear. “Try to use this week to prepare yourself properly, Willow. I’m not an easy lover, and I will be grading you on your technique.”

  My stomach flipped, his words showering me in a sea of warmth and fury.

  I wanted to argue and fall to my knees at the same time.

  It was a perplexing reaction that rendered me speechless, something he translated as acquiescence.

  He led me upstairs without another word, his palm a fiery reminder against my lower back.