by K Loraine
“But at least I won’t kill her.” Her pointed glare burned straight through me before we all heard it. Running. A racing, panicked heart. Panting breaths.
“Go, Cashel,” Father said, but I was already out the door before the sound of his voice died in the air.
Olivia
I gripped the handle and pulled. My heart sank when the door didn’t move. “No, little bird. You’re not leaving.” Cashel’s hand slid over mine and a tear slipped down my cheek.
“Let me go. Let me out of here. I don’t want to die,” I pleaded with him, a sob building in my chest. “Don’t kill me.”
“No one is going to kill you. Not if you stay here.”
I pounded on his stone hard chest and screamed, “Stop lying to me! That’s what I’m here for. Just let me go.”
“Cashel, shut her up before I do it myself.” Elias’s bland tone had me turning my angry gaze on him. He stood ten feet from us, a bored expression on his face.
“Father, we have to tell her.”
“Tell me what?” I asked through my tears.
Elias sighed. “That you are safer here than anywhere in the world. Now that your mother is dead, you are the most valuable resource on the planet for our kind.”
“Why? Explain. I’ve heard you all tell me I’m special, but I need to understand what makes me that way.”
“Your blood is the key to allowing us to walk in the sun again. And, believe me, you’ll be hunted the world over without us to protect you.”
“What do you mean? I’m just…I’m a human.”
“But you descend from a line of powerful magic. Your bloodline used to hold so much sunlight that one drop could kill a vampire from the inside out. It was a way for your people to defend themselves against vampires. Centuries later, they only served to dilute their power, losing the magic it took to keep the defense up. We’ve been tracing your line for three hundred years, finally stopping with your mother.”
My stomach churned. “You…did you kill her?”
Elias shook his head. “No. But when she died, the magic transferred to you. And now, we will keep you safe from those who’d try to drain you.”
“And in return?”
He grinned. “You’ll give me the blood donations I need.”
Cashel stiffened next to me, his jaw setting. Clearly he didn’t like that idea. “With regular donations of small quantities, we will be able to store a large enough supply of your blood to serve every afflicted vampire in existence. It won’t be much more than a needle stick to you, little bird.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, staring at him before letting my gaze return to Elias.
“As long as you keep your scent cloaked, you won’t be harmed. Brenna seems immune to you as well. She can tend you when you’re…bleeding.” It took me a moment too long to understand exactly what he meant by bleeding, and I shuddered. Being a woman in a house filled with blood-hungry creatures was dangerous. He continued speaking and called my attention back to him with his mesmerizing voice. “Aside from that, you have freedom to roam the house, the grounds even if you have an escort. Just don’t try to leave the property. The call of your blood is strong, and not all vampires are as civilized as us. Never mind the hunters who’d love to get you in their hands and seal our doom.”
“If I have freedom, then I want to go outside. Right now. I can’t be here any longer without seeing the sky and breathing fresh air.”
Elias nodded. “Cashel.”
My kidnapper pressed his palm to the base of my spine and leaned down. “As you wish, little bird.” A tingle of desire rushed straight to my core. Damn him.
Then he opened the door with ease, and I stared at the world as though it was something I could see but not touch. I wasn’t sure if I could step outside and ever allow myself to step foot back behind the walls of my prison.
“Go on,” Cashel said.
“I’m afraid,” I admitted.
“I won’t allow anything to happen to you. Your safety is my duty.” There wasn’t any hint of affection behind his words. He said them with all the emotion of a statue.
But he misinterpreted my fear. No matter what they said, the Blackthornes kidnapped me. They terrorized me for days. Elias took my blood without my consent. They were monsters the same as every single threat out there.
Taking a long breath, I pulled back my shoulders and stepped over the threshold into the bright moonlit night.
Cool air cloaked my skin and made me nearly weep with joy. The breeze kissed my cheeks and toyed with strands of my hair, reminding me of everything I’d been taken from. I didn’t miss the small life I’d built, because my mother’s mental illness…no, her truth, had taught me that connections to other people were dangerous and not to be trusted. I missed the freedom to go where I wanted. I missed the ability I had to walk to the grocery store from my tiny apartment and buy a bottle of wine and a pint of cookie dough ice cream at ten o’clock at night if I wanted to. Now, I could barely move without Cashel or Brenna’s watchful gaze finding me.
Cashel’s arm brushed mine every few steps we took, but he didn’t change his stance or utter a word. I glanced up at his face and my stupid heart fluttered when he frowned and turned his attention to me. “Is there something you need to ask?” His words were cold and those eyes dark and empty.
“I don’t understand you.”
That got a reaction from him. His lips twitched in the threat of a smile. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re so hot and cold. You say I’m tempting, then you’re like a statue. Which is it? Do you want me or not?”
“Do you want me to want you?” That voice of his was a low growl.
“I…I’m not sure.”
“Interesting,” he muttered. “However unimportant. You aren’t mine to take.”
“But you would? I mean…if you could.”
His lips pressed tight and he tore his gaze from mine, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking away. He didn’t stop until he reached a stone bench in the center of the finely curated garden. In no rush, I slowly made my way to him.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” I said.
“This is a test of my will. All of this. I’m sure of it.”
He dragged his hand over the back of his neck and stared out at the line of trees at the edge of the garden.
“What are you talking about?”
“You. Everything about you calls to me. Your blood for one, but the sweetness in your eyes, your perfect curves, the fucking delicious scent of your cunt. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone.” Gaze trained on me now, he took one step forward. “If I weren’t forbidden from having you, I’d be hunting you. I’d make you mine, take your blood and your body, and then, after you agreed, I’d find a way to keep you.”
A shiver of something like fear raced through me, but in its wake, arousal. “Hunting?”
“Yes, little bird. I’m a predator. It’s in my nature. It’s what I was born for.”
I snorted. “So, basically you’re a gorgeous shark.”
His eyes widened and amusement flashed in the dark irises, but almost instantly he went serious. “Exactly. I’m a shark and you’re swimming alone at night.”
“Seems to me you’re a shark without teeth.”
The breeze kicked up and blew my hair across my face. His large hand ran along my temple to push the stray locks behind my ear and before I could step back, he was a breath away from me. “I assure you, I have teeth.”
Instead of stepping back, I leaned in, not willing to show him I was afraid. “Too bad you can’t use them.”
He let out a low moan from deep in his throat. Then his hand wrapped around the nape of my neck and our lips brushed. My heart stuttered and he cupped my face but didn’t deepen our kiss. He just held himself there, the lightest pressure against my mouth. I parted my lips, welcoming him to go farther. A slight gasp left me when he slid his tongue across my bottom lip and his fingers tightened around my nap
e.
“Cashel,” a soft female voice called from behind me. “Where have you and Father’s new toy gone?”
I didn’t want to break apart, but Cashel released me, and his form was only a blur as he put space between us. I was breathing hard and desperate with want for him. I opened my mouth to protest, but he caught my eye and shook his head. Then his gaze landed over my shoulder and I turned to follow his focus.
A tall, leggy woman with flowing copper hair strode toward us. “What are the two of you up to, brother?”
“Calliope,” Cashel said, a sigh in his voice. “You know exactly what I was doing.”
She assessed me, her sharp gaze traveling over my body. “This won’t end well.”
I didn’t like her tone. It was filled with sadness and a sense of inevitability. “What do you mean?” I couldn’t help myself. I needed to know what wasn’t being said.
“It will be Eliana all over again.” Calliope’s voice broke and her eyes glittered with fierce anger…maybe more.
“It won’t. I will have more control. I won’t let it happen.” Cashel clenched his hands into fists and my chest tightened. Of course I was out of the loop again. My life here was going to be filled with half-truths.
“What the fuck are you two talking about? Who is Eliana?” Frustration curled in my belly.
“She’s none of your concern,” Cashel said.
Calliope’s whole body vibrated with distress. I could feel it coming off her in waves. “Don’t do that. Don’t dismiss her as though she never existed.”
At first it seemed she was talking about me, but then I thought better of it. The two of them glared at each other, ignoring me completely. Then Cashel spoke with pain in his voice. “I will carry the weight of her loss for the rest of my days. And if for some reason I found myself able to move on, I’m certain you’d be there to remind me, sister.”
“Yes. You don’t deserve to forget.” Sheer venom in her voice, she trembled as she took two steps toward her brother. “And if you’re not careful, your little pet will be added to your list of regrets.”
Cashel stood tall, his hands still balled into fists, and that strong jaw of his clenched, but he didn’t respond. The two of them faced off, each waiting for the other to back down. Calliope gave in first, her focus flicking to me.
“Don’t trust him, Olivia. He’ll leave you heartbroken if you’re lucky. Dead if you’re not.” Then she turned on her heels and left us, her words hanging heavy in the air.
“A shark,” I whispered.
Cashel’s hand wrapped around my arm. “Come on. We’ve spent enough time out here.”
I tugged free of his grip and stared at him. “What happened to Eliana?”
“She died.” He said the words with such a cold, callous apathy, I fought a shudder.
My stomach twisted. “I thought so.” Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I worked up the courage to ask him, “Did you love her?”
“Yes.”
Unreasonable jealousy rolled through me. “Did your father kill her?”
“No. I did.”
His words hit me like ice water. What was I doing? These weren’t humans with human emotions. They were monsters. My heart raced at the look in his eyes. What was I seeing? Guilt? Despair? I couldn’t tell what was true.
“Olivia,” he said, reaching for me.
“No.” I jerked away and strode back to the house, my cage. “Guard me all you want, but I am done with whatever this is between us.”
8
Olivia
I didn’t see Cashel for three full nights. But to be fair, I didn’t see anyone except for Brenna because I refused to leave my room. I was going to have to figure out how to manage life here at the manor, but that didn’t need to include falling for a man who murdered the last woman he loved. The only way to avoid that was to stay away from him. But my body craved his presence.
The door creaked open as I stepped into the room, fresh from my nightly bath in rose oil infused water. Pulling my robe tighter around my body on reflex, I stared at the entrance to my bedroom with my heart in my throat. Part of me wanted it to be Cashel—a bigger part than I wanted to admit. But the lovely and terrifying face of Sorcha was what greeted me.
“Have you done enough hiding, then?” she asked. Her brows lifting along with her question.
“I’m not hiding.” It was a lie. I was absolutely hiding.
“Good. I’ve been instructed to collect you. It’s time for your first donation.”
My stomach twisted. “Where’s Cashel? I thought he was responsible for me.”
“My brother has been called away. I am your new keeper for the time being.”
She looked me over like I was a meal and she was ravenous. “Keep your teeth off me,” I warned. “I’m not for you.”
A laugh escaped her, and she shook her head. “Oh, you are a feisty one.” She strode to my wardrobe before pulling open the doors. “All these lovely clothes and you never let anyone see them.” She tutted, running her fingers over a delicate lace top. “Such a waste.”
A few minutes later, I was dressed in a sage green silk top and dark denim. My thoughts drifted to Cashel and what he might be doing. I shouldn’t care, but every time I thought about his expression when he told me he wanted me, that he’d keep me, my heart squeezed. There were more layers to the man than the monstrous outward appearance. There had to be.
Sorcha fashioned my hair into an intricate fishtail braid and when she was finished, she leaned in and whispered, “You’ll be Cashel’s ruin if you don’t stop this pining.”
Apprehension shivered along my spine. “What?”
“He does want you. He’s hunting you even if he doesn’t realize it. But you’ll ruin him if you give him hope.”
I stepped away from her. “Did you just…read my mind?”
She shrugged. “I can only do it when I’m in close contact with a person who is projecting. You don’t mask your thoughts very well.”
“Can all vampires do that?”
“Most. Cashel and Callie can’t. Our mother, she passed on certain…other abilities to them. The rest of us can, with the exception of Lucas.”
“Why?” I felt a little like an idiot standing here with a bloodthirsty vampire asking her to share her family history, but I wanted to know everything I could about the Blackthornes.
“My father has had three wives, but many lovers over the last five centuries. First an arranged marriage between vampire royals. They were never able to produce an heir and eventually he put her aside. Next was our mother. They spent nearly three hundred years together until she died.”
“And the third?” I asked, my chest tight with unease.
She cut me a glance and smirked. “A human. He married her to replace our mother. He was mad with grief, so he chose a woman who resembled her and filled her with his child.”
“What happened?”
“Lucas. He killed her as she brought him into the world.”
“Lucas is your half-brother,” I whispered. “He’s half-human?”
She sneered and rolled her eyes. “Yes.”
Why was she telling me all this? It seemed too easy, like she had no fear of what I could do with the knowledge.
“Because you won’t have anyone else to tell our secrets to, Olivia. You are ours.”
I hated that she could get inside my head. Again, I thought of Cashel. I wanted him here with me, not her. “How did your mother die?”
She stiffened and shook her head. “We need to get downstairs. The chamber is prepared for your donation.”
Eyes trained on me, Sorcha gestured for me to lead the way. “I don’t know where we are going,” I said.
“Down the stairs, then to the left. He’ll be waiting.”
Throat tight, I swallowed and started forward. My steps reverberated off the hardwood floor of the hall, each click of my heel like a ticking clock marking the time of my end. What if they decided to take all my blood right here an
d now? My heart hammered as a panic attack crept up my body and wrapped itself around my chest, squeezing the breath from my lungs.
I barely registered Sorcha’s annoyed sigh, but when she put her hands on my shoulders and locked gazes with me, all I saw was her. “Calm yourself, Olivia.” My pulse slowed as her irises turned to thin rings around enormous pupils. “Relax your mind and let go of your fears. You are not anxious. There is nothing to be afraid of.”
“I’m not anxious,” I repeated. The vise around my chest released and full breaths filled my lungs. Calm overtook me and even when she snapped her focus away from mine, I remained in a state of ease. I had nothing to worry about, nothing to be afraid of.
We walked together down the stairs and my pulse sped for an entirely different reason when I reached the first landing of the large staircase. Cashel stood at the bottom, back to me, his dark hair slightly tousled and reckless, a leather jacket covering his torso while black jeans encased his legs. I’d never been calm enough to truly appreciate him, but the man was a work of art.
“Cashel,” I breathed, so softly a human wouldn’t have heard me.
Cashel did. He turned in one smooth movement, eyes finding mine before his brows pulled together in a concerned furrow. All the fear and anger I’d been holding onto was gone as though I’d never felt that way in the past. I practically threw myself at Cashel, his strong arms caught me and he held me tight against his chest. His astonishment was clear in his posture. Something wasn’t right with me.
“Sorcha, what did you do?”
Sorcha laughed and waved a hand in dismissal. “I only gave her what she needed. She was panicked. A little mind fuck never hurt anyone.”
A mind fuck? Had she trapped me in her gaze? “You…you took away my anxiety attack.”
Cashel’s fingers dug into my biceps. “Yes, she did. And now she’ll have to be punished for it.” He turned his focus to his sister. “Olivia wasn’t to be touched or damaged in any way, sister.”
