by Lexi C. Foss
“You can try,” Damien returned, smirking.
Fair. He wouldn’t be all that easy a mark because he knew me too well. And he’d learned from the best—me.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand,” Yavi said. “You can’t just deny my request. There’s not enough blood to feed those living in Yavi City.”
“Then perhaps you shouldn’t have been so gluttonous,” I suggested.
“Gluttonous,” he repeated. “Blood is our right. We need more.”
“Blood is a privilege,” I corrected. “And you’re not getting any more.”
“You can’t do this,” he snapped, his personality finally shining through. I knew the sniveling bit had to be an act, and now the predator in him had come out to play.
Welcome to the game, I mused. What’s your next move?
He slammed his fist on the desk. “Lilith will hear about this! You’re not even a real royal. You’re only temporary. Just wait until you’re replaced. You’ll be finished.”
“Hmm,” I hummed to myself. “Not the best move. Groveling might have worked in your favor. Of course, then I would have found you weak and unworthy, so perhaps not. But threatening me, well, that’s definitely not a wise decision.”
“You think you’re so powerful; wait until Lilith strings you up by your balls,” he seethed, standing abruptly.
“That would be a kinky sight indeed,” I replied, not at all fazed by his little tantrum. “Unfortunately, the femme fatale scenario has never appealed to me. So I’ll have to pass.”
“No one wants you here, Ryder. I’d watch your back if I were you,” he warned, turning on his heel.
An interesting phrase of words, I thought as I pulled a gun from one of the holsters I’d affixed to the underside of my desk. “Yavi,” I said softly, causing him to pause in the doorway. “It’s not me who should be watching my back.” I pulled the trigger, releasing a bullet right into the rear of his head.
Damien sighed in the corner. “I knew you were going to do that the second you asked me about your call with Lilith.”
“I needed to know how long I had to stage a scene,” I replied, referring to our goal of catching the tattletale among us. We had a pretty good idea after these last two weeks of who might be passing intelligence on to Lilith. “The list is down to five, so I figure we’ll provide another test.”
He nodded. “Who should I call for cleanup?”
“How about Benita?” I suggested. “I’d like to clear her name sooner rather than later since we’ve confided so much in her already.”
“A fair choice,” he agreed. “Are you doing the honors, or am I?”
“I’ll take this one since you have a list of animals to catch and all,” I said, referring to the vampires who preyed upon children in this region. “You can offer them a chance to leave. If they don’t comply, then exterminate them.” What was a few more bodies to add to my growing death rate?
“Lilith will be thrilled,” Damien deadpanned.
“Won’t she?” I mused, standing up. “Now how long do I have before my next call?”
“An hour, why?”
I found an ax on my wall, weighing it in my hand. “I’m thirsty,” I replied, wandering over to Yavi’s prone form and calculating the appropriate arc with my gaze. I hefted it over my head and made a clean hit, dislocating his head in one strike.
“You’re getting better at that,” Damien noted.
I glanced at him. “I missed one time four hundred years ago.”
He lifted a shoulder. “It’s a fond memory of mine.”
That explained why he brought it up all the damn time. I dropped the ax beside Yavi’s corpse. “Ask Benita to clean that for me. I’ll be upstairs playing with my pet.”
I found Willow right where I left her, sleepy and satisfied among the black silk sheets. Her mouth opened to mine the moment I went in for a kiss, her supple form bending in approval as I slid into the bed beside her.
She didn’t ask what I wanted or needed; she just let me take my fill and cooperated beautifully with each stroke and touch.
It was as though our bodies had learned to communicate without words, which was astounding considering we hadn’t even fucked yet.
I nibbled her pert tits on my way down to the deliciousness between her thighs. She moaned a tiny disapproval, her body still sore from my earlier feeding. However, her pained groans soon turned to satisfied sighs as I licked her to completion.
Her fingers slid into my hair, holding me in place as she wantonly rode out her pleasure without ever opening her eyes.
I adored her in this state—compliant and eager and mine.
As the last of her spasms abated, I slid up her gorgeous curves and kissed the hell out of her. My cock ached in my slacks, begging me to free him for a ride, but I didn’t have time to do this properly. So I contented myself with this sensual moment, knowing I would wear her scent for the rest of my meetings.
“You’re beautiful,” I whispered. “And my favorite distraction.”
She mumbled something in reply, her pleasure high consuming her. It was also probably the early hour. My meeting with Yavi had taken place first thing this evening, which explained my craving to return to Willow so soon.
“He wanted to talk about a food shortage,” I told her. “Can you believe that?”
More mumbling came from her, causing me to smile.
“I wish we had time to shower, but I need to get back for another meeting.” I didn’t mention Lilith’s name, because it sometimes seemed to upset Willow—another fault of her society programming.
She didn’t reply, just sighed in contentment beneath me.
“I’ll be back soon, pet,” I promised, kissing her again. “Dream of me.” I compelled her to dream just a little while longer and grinned when I heard her moaning in my wake.
Yes, I truly did enjoy her in this blissed-out state, and I couldn’t wait to take her there again later tonight.
19
Willow
My body vibrated beneath Ryder’s tongue. He’d spent the last two weeks waking me up in a similar fashion, calling me his “favorite kind of breakfast” each time.
I screamed as I came undone for the third time, my muscles tight and strained from the forced release. But then his mouth claimed mine, filling me with the delicious flavor of our mingled lust and blood.
He left me boneless on the bed as he rolled off of it to go take a shower. Sometimes he pulled me in there with him and coaxed me to my knees, but today he mentioned having an early meeting with one of the region’s sovereigns. Something about a food shortage, which, I suspected, translated to insufficient blood reserves.
Or had that meeting already occurred?
I couldn’t remember, my mind a bit fuzzier than this morning. I didn’t ask questions, instead choosing to revel in the rapture coursing through my system.
Ryder had remained true to his word about not sharing me. I’d been nervous last week when he took me to a social affair in the city, but he hadn’t allowed anyone to touch me, let alone snack on my vein.
Life with Ryder was borderline enjoyable, something I never could have anticipated. But I also knew better than to lose myself in the false hope of a future. While Ryder didn’t seem to be tiring of me yet, I knew it was only a matter of time.
Perhaps it would happen after sex. So far, we’d only engaged in oral and hand-driven pleasure. Just last night, Ryder had come all over my chest and rubbed his seed into my skin before demanding I sleep in that state. I’d been too exhausted to argue, just as I was too tired to leave the bed now to wash his cum off of me.
I studied the moon outside, noting its full shape.
How many lycans are roaming around in wolf form right now? I wondered. Are they hunting down humans, or was the moon chase held at a different time of year? I pitied the humans who were sent to the holding pens for that purpose, just as I used to feel for those relegated to the breeding camps.
I still couldn’
t fully remember what happened to me with the lycans. Every night I dreamt of something important, but I seemed to forget the second I woke. I just kept visualizing dark green irises smoldering with sadistic intent. They were particularly bright in my mind now, staring back at me each time I shut my eyes.
I shivered, not wanting to know what it meant. Yet the moon outside didn’t make me feel any better. If anything, the pale white rays coming from it left me even more uneasy.
Something isn’t right, I realized, taking stock of my quivering limbs. Ryder had left me in this state before, but not quite like this.
My stomach clenched, shooting an odd sort of agony through my senses. I gasped and curled into a ball, fighting the shock of pain.
Maybe I hadn’t woken up yet. This reminded me of my nightmares, the searing torment I felt all too often from my time in captivity.
I blinked, confused. What’s happening?
This all had to be in my head. I was fine moments ago, reveling in the afterglow of pleasure. Then I went wrong somewhere. I tried to recall what happened, where I’d gone, but the seconds began to blend together into a fuzzy ball of uncertainty.
Had I fallen back to sleep?
Yes. That had to be it.
I reached down to pinch my thigh, needing to wake myself up, and shot upward in the bed with the sheets twisted around me.
What the hell?
I took in my naked form, noted my need for a shower, and listened for Ryder. The suite was silent.
How much time had passed? The moon appeared a little higher now, the midnight hour fast approaching.
Frowning, I slid from the bed and went into the empty bathroom to turn on the shower. When had Ryder left? Why couldn’t I remember?
Shaking my head, I stepped beneath the hot spray and allowed it to wash away my nightmares. Maybe I’d dreamt of him between my legs this morning. That wouldn’t surprise me with how intimate we’d been lately.
I thought of him as I cleansed my breasts, my nipples hardening as though begging for his mouth. He’d bitten me there a few days ago. It’d stirred a fire inside me that he’d stoked with a second bite to my femoral artery. Then he’d devoured me once more, shooting me to the stars with ecstasy.
Being kept as a harem member had its benefits. Yet today I felt a little caged, like I wanted to be outside in the fresh air. An odd desire, considering I spent most of my life inside.
After completing my shower ritual, I wrapped myself in a towel and ventured through the suite to the balcony doors. The moon taunted my senses again, making me tremble with a foreign energy I didn’t understand. My knees nearly gave out, my limbs shaking so violently I had to step back inside.
I swallowed.
Maybe Ryder had taken too much blood.
Deciding that had to be it, I wandered into the kitchen to find a hot plate waiting for me with eggs and some sort of meat beside it, as well as a healthy portion of greens. The note beside it read, See you soon, pet.
The first time Ryder left me a message, I’d wondered at the purpose. Why would he bother to tell me anything? I still didn’t quite understand, but every time he did, a warm and fuzzy sensation tickled my insides.
I rather liked that he communicated with me.
Another dangerous activity that left me bemused by our situation.
In fact, everything Ryder did bewildered me.
I removed the covering over my food and used a pair of oven mitts to carry the plate over to the counter with the stools. This kind of food suited my taste buds, yet the first bite didn’t quite satisfy me the way it should. It actually came across rather dull. I tried another, my lips curling down at the odd quality of my meal.
My third bite barely went down my throat, my gag reflex kicking into high gear and refusing to allow me to eat any more.
I slid off the stool, feeling increasingly nauseated with each passing second. I barely made it to the toilet before puking everything up, including food from last night.
“Ugh,” I muttered, curling into a ball on the floor, the cool tile beneath my cheek my only reprieve. I’m just going to lie here for a minute, I thought, my eyes drooping closed.
Only, those green irises flared to life once more, causing me to hurl all over again.
Fuck, I felt like I was dying.
A clammy sheen covered my hands and arms, my stomach rioting against every minor movement.
Tears blurred my vision, my lungs seizing in a tormented wave of discomfort.
What’s happening to me?
I was lost between a heat wave and an iceberg, my senses either blazing hot or dangerously cold.
A memory of laughing hit me in the gut, the sound astoundingly cruel. Please don’t. Please! my mental voice begged, but I didn’t understand the purpose or whom I was talking to.
Until those eyes came back to haunt me once more.
They were framed by tan skin and long dark hair. Evil personified. A grin stretching over feral teeth.
I shook my head back and forth, begging him not to penetrate me again, too exhausted and sore from hours of his relentless torture.
Except he had something new in mind. I could see it in the malicious intent darkening his eyes. He revealed his razor-sharp teeth, drawing them down my body to my abdomen. I writhed beneath him, crying, imploring him not to do it.
But it was too late.
His jaw elongated in a partial shift, lowering over my belly, and slicing into—
“Willow!” My name vibrated through my thoughts, my world dancing in a hypnotic wave of insanity.
So much color.
I glanced up, then down, enthralled by the rainbow of lights.
Then a deep voice penetrated through my dizzying cloud, drawing me into the whiteness of the bathroom.
I’d fallen asleep on the tiled floor. Ryder crouched over me, his expression lined with a fury I didn’t understand. Had I done something wrong? Perhaps I’d ignored him too long. Sorry, I tried to say, but my throat was too dry to form anything more than a croak.
Whoa, I thought as my world began to spin, his arms suddenly a brand against my bare skin. What happened to my towel? Oh, who cared? We were spinning, and I was going to be sick again if he didn’t stop.
My stomach heaved, only I had nothing left inside me to expel.
How long had I lain on the floor? I tried to squint toward the window, to search for the moon, but I couldn’t find it. Where am I now?
A grungy cell appeared around me, one I knew well.
The mattress on the floor wasn’t meant for sleeping.
I glanced around, listening as women wept while males grunted.
This was a horror show and my new life.
A chill swept down my spine at the reality of it all. Why had the Magistrate sent me here? I had excelled in all my courses. I was meant to be a Vigil!
Oh, no…
I backed up, terrified as a green-eyed beast appeared outside my cage, his lips curled into a snarl.
A lycan.
Naked.
Ready to fuck.
No, no, no!
I squeezed my eyes closed, refusing to accept it, only to have warm hands on my face forcing me to refocus. Ryder.
What’s going on? I asked, tears tracking down my face as I wondered why he’d sent me to that awful place. Was I not good enough? Had I not pleased him correctly?
I wanted to sob.
And I wanted to kill.
It was a fascinating contradiction, my mind fracturing between defeat and vengeance. I’d given the university everything, and they sent me to hell. It was so damn wrong.
I should have gone with Rae and Silas to the Immortal Cup! I wanted to shout. And maybe I did.
Everything was so hazy now, my reality slipping away, down, down, down the drain.
I whirled with it, a circular motion of madness.
My name followed me along the way, as did those creepy green eyes, until everything around me disappeared beneath ripples of black.
&
nbsp; Cold. Stark. Black.
20
Ryder
Twenty Minutes Earlier
Screaming came through the phone line, the words a jumbled mix of curses and threats. I yawned as I allowed Lilith to continue her tirade. She’d just found out about Yavi’s demotion, two hours after our first call earlier this evening.
Unfortunately, that left Benita on the suspect list as someone who might be informing on me to Lilith. That part disturbed me more than Lilith’s hissy fit.
Damien walked in and paused at finding me with my feet kicked up on my desk and my hands tucked behind my head. Then he glanced at the phone vibrating against the wood from Lilith’s tantrum. His lips quirked up in amusement before he sat in one of the two chairs across from my desk. He probably had an update for me but would wait until my phone call ended.
I started counting, wondering how long it would take for her to hang up on me.
When I reached thirty, I grew bored and decided to pull up my computer monitor instead to spy on Willow. It probably made me a bit of a creep, but I liked to check in on her throughout the evening. Mostly to satisfy myself that she still existed.
Only, when I pulled up the footage of the suite, I couldn’t find her anywhere. The only areas without cameras were the bathrooms.
My brow furrowed and I left the footage up, waiting for her to reappear again.
That was when I realized Lilith had gone silent.
I picked up the phone to find the call disconnected.
“I don’t think she approves of Yavi’s death,” I told Damien.
“No kidding,” he drawled. “And here I thought she’d roll out the red carpet and throw a party.”
“How long until she decides to surprise me with a visit?” I asked him. “Any guesses?”
“I give it a week, maybe two.”
“Then that’s our deadline for finding the leak.” I really hoped it wasn’t Benita, but I learned long ago never to trust anyone. And she’d seemed almost a little too eager to assist me lately. “I don’t want anyone in this tower that I can’t trust.”
