by Alicia Rades
Venn. I didn’t know how much more heartbreak my body could handle, but I missed him so much.
Valkas leaned over to me, pressing his lips to the soft spot under my ear. My skin crawled, and nausea rolled around in my gut. All I wanted to do was pull away, but I didn’t. There was still the whole stay on his good side thing… no matter how disgusted it made me feel. I’d never felt so sick in my life.
“Now that you’ve earned your place on this island,” Valkas said, “there’s something you should know about me.”
You can’t get it up? Let’s hope to God, because if things went in that direction tonight, I didn’t think Jenna and I were making it out of here. I’d die before I let the devil take my virginity. The greater good be damned.
I wasn’t an expert on how vampire magic worked, but judging by some of the horndogs I’d run across during patrols, those parts still worked fine and dandy.
“Is he going to watch?” I gestured toward Rogers, who stood as still as a statue. His eyes were hard and looked untrustworthy. He took a job with the Soulless, for heaven’s sake. I never trusted anyone with a heart black enough to side with vampires.
“What did I say about questions?” Valkas snarled.
“Right. Forgive me.”
Valkas scoffed, like that was never going to happen. “No, darling. He’s not here to watch. In fact, he’s here to help.”
I almost asked him to elaborate, but I clamped my mouth shut at the last second. Surely, that couldn’t mean what it sounded like.
“You see, I’m very particular about my meals.”
Meal? Well, that was better than other types of torture, but it still wasn’t exactly a good thing. Being feed on was like being administered drugs you didn’t want. It wouldn’t kill you, but it was still a violation of your body.
Valkas pressed his lips to the underside of my jaw again. This time, I actually did shudder. “I don’t like my women… squirming.”
At that, Rogers muttered the first words I’d ever heard come out of his mouth. “Quod dico facies.”
My whole body went rigid, and panic tore through me. I tried to move, but my muscles wouldn’t comply to my demands. It was like my whole body had gone to sleep, like my limbs weren’t getting the signals that my brain was sending. What had that bastard done to me?
“Lie back,” Valkas commanded.
Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t move.
“Um…” Good to know my voice was still working.
“Shh,” Valkas said, like I was some pet that needed soothing.
Rogers flicked his wrist, and I fell backward onto the bed. Fear ignited in my chest. If I had control of my body right now, I’d be shaking unlike ever before. For the first time, I wanted to beg for my safety. It was my last resort. Rogers had put me under some type of spell that turned me into his own personal marionette. How powerful was this creep?
“Don’t worry, darling,” Valkas said, looming over me. He reached up to brush a dark strand of hair out of my eyes, as if that was supposed to comfort me. It only made my heart pound harder—and definitely not in the good way. “This won’t hurt a bit.”
Valkas’s fangs elongated, catching in the light of the burning sconce next to the bed.
“No, please—”
I gasped as Valkas’s fangs sank into my neck. A sharp pain shot out across my skin, but was quickly replaced by a sense of euphoria. My heart rate instantly slowed, and a comforting warmth spread over my extremities like a soft blanket. My muscles relaxed, like I’d been immersed in a tub of calming potion.
I’d been bit once before, but that had lasted only a few seconds. It was easy to forget what it felt like after just the slightest taste. When Valkas fed on me, I felt so calm that I altogether forgot a vampire was stuck to my neck. I didn’t think about the fact that I was trapped on this island. I didn’t think about Jenna or Venn or my family. All that mattered was this feeling overtaking my body, like nothing could ever hurt me again.
I lost all sense of time. Valkas could’ve been feeding on me for a minute, or he could’ve been feeding on me for an hour. When he pulled away, I felt lightheaded and tired. I noticed him licking his lips but saw that there was no blood on them. He apparently wasn’t a messy eater.
That was the only thought that went through my head before the reality of what had just happened hit me like a landslide. As soon as it registered, all the calmness I’d felt vanished. It was replaced by a dirty feeling beyond anything I’d ever felt before. I wanted to dive into a vat of chlorine and wash all the ickiness off of me.
I regained control of my body, and my hand slapped up to my neck. I wiped at the liquid there and pulled my hand away, expecting to see blood. But it was only saliva. Vampires could heal the wounds they inflicted with their saliva so that their prey didn’t bleed out. I felt so woozy that I nearly forgot that tidbit of information.
I wanted to yell at Valkas, to tell him how wrong it was that he’d done that. But judging by the satisfied smirk on his face, he already knew how wrong it was.
I started to sit up, but Valkas placed a hand on my shoulder and pressed me back into the mattress. How could I have been so calm when he fed on me? This mattress felt like a rock.
“But darling,” Valkas said. “We’ve only just begun.”
Dear Lord. Don’t tell me he was going in for another round. I didn’t think I could handle any more blood loss. I felt like puking as it was, but maybe that was just from Valkas’s close proximity.
Valkas lay beside me and propped himself up on his elbow. He twisted my hair around his finger while he spoke.
Gag.
“You are very sweet,” he said. “Sweeter than your sister, even. It's a shame we hadn't met sooner.”
Yeah, a real shame. I kept my lips sealed.
“Where were you that night?” Valkas asked, like we were old friends catching up.
“I don't know what you're talking about,” I replied, careful not to phrase it as a question.
“That night your sister came to us.”
My whole body tensed, and it wasn't from some puppeteer spell, either. He said it so casually, like he actually believed she made a choice coming with them. Maybe in his own twisted way, he did believe it.
“Oh? The night your men murdered my parents?” I couldn't help the question this time as my body shook in anger. Why would he bring that up? Was he trying to piss me off?
The thought of my parents punched an invisible hole through my gut. For so long, I'd avoided thinking about them. I pushed down the memory of their screams and their lifeless faces when I found them that night.
“My men?” Valkas asked innocently. “I think you mean me, darling.”
He smiled as the blood drained from my face. There wasn't much left to begin with, so I could only imagine how pale I looked.
“You were there?” Another question. Dammit.
“Oh, yes.” He gave me a cunning grin. “Who else could have murdered your parents in such a way?”
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to shake the image from my mind. It'd been brutal and bloody beyond belief. I couldn’t bear to recall the memory.
Now I was lying in bed with the man who'd murdered them. This couldn't be happening. I knew the Soulless had killed them, but I'd never known Valkas had been with them that night. I’d dreamed so many times of facing the man who murdered them, but in my mind, he always had a different face. In my head, it was always the guy with the scar above his eyebrow, the one who'd rampaged through my room while I hid in my raven form. I never truly thought I'd meet the vamp responsible.
“It's ironic,” I said through clenched teeth, unable to keep my anger from rising to the surface.
“What is?” Valkas asked curiously.
I couldn't look at him. Instead, I stared straight up at the ceiling. “That you would be the one to take everything from me when I'm the only one who can kill you.”
I finally looked at him, only to see his eyes narrow at me and his nos
trils flare.
“It wasn't an accident,” he snapped. Clearly, he didn't like being reminded that I was one of his biggest threats.
“I’ve been looking for you for a long time. As you know, you pose a threat to my existence, and I don’t like feeling threatened.” He leaned down to whisper in my ear, clipping each word. I held my breath. He pulled away a moment later, but it didn’t seem soon enough. “Finding someone from an old life can be… tricky.”
“I didn’t know it was possible.”
“Possible, for sure. But tricky. Luckily, Rogers here”—Valkas gestured to him in the corner—“came to the Soulless several years ago. He helped me track down the young girl who could kill me.”
“You must’ve offered him generous compensation.” It was the only reason I could think of why a human would go along with this.
“One doesn’t need compensation when they believe in the cause,” Valkas drawled.
“And I suppose that cause is world domination.”
“Ah, see?” Valkas said. “You already know me so well. We could get along, if only you wanted to be on the winning side.”
“Oh, I do,” I replied, finally looking him in the eyes. “I just don’t intend for that side to be yours.”
Valkas chuckled. “So naïve. I like it. And how do you intend to kill me when I have your dagger?”
I shrugged, feigning disinterest. “I haven’t worked that one out yet.”
Valkas grinned. “Excellent. Just what I like to hear.”
“You tell a great story,” I said, “but it doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
Valkas stiffened, like he was offended. “And how’s that?”
“Well, you found me, but you took my sister instead.”
Valkas drew away from me and pushed himself to a sitting position. I finally felt like I could breathe again. As soon as he stood, I sat up. Valkas passed by Rogers and headed to the table in the corner, where he poured himself a glass of an amber-colored liquid. I figured it was whiskey or something, but I didn’t know why he was drinking it. It took a lot for a vamp to get a buzz. I think he just liked to hold the glass for something to do with his hands, like he thought it made him look intimidating or something.
Valkas took a sip and leaned casually against the table. “I don’t admit to many mistakes, darling, but in my four hundred years, I have to say that was my biggest.”
Before I could figure out how to phrase my question as a statement, Valkas continued.
“The fact is, we took the wrong girl.” Valkas wore a pained expression, like it killed him to admit it.
I scooted myself to the edge of the bed so my feet hung off. It made me feel a little safer, like I could run if I had to. “So you tracked me down. You could’ve come after me again.”
Valkas shrugged. “I could have, but Rogers counseled me to stay put, that you would come for me one day. And it seems he was right.”
My gaze flickered to Rogers. “Witches can’t see the future.” Not without a magical object, at least. He couldn’t have one, right?
Valkas took another sip, then gazed down into his glass, like there was something interesting in there. “It depends on how you look at it. Can they see a play-by-play of real events? No. But can they see generalities? Sometimes, if they’re strong enough.”
Answers to questions I’d been asking myself for years began to fall into place. “The Soulless disappeared two years ago, shortly after you took Jenna. Which means…”
I purposely let my statement run open-ended. I wanted him to confirm my suspicions without me having to ask.
Valkas spread his arms out wide. “Which means, it’s all been for you, darling. I pulled back my men so that you’d come looking for me. I didn’t know who you were until you conveniently showed up in my room.”
So when he first mentioned Jenna, he was taking a wild guess, I theorized. It wasn’t exactly hard to figure out we were sisters, considering our resemblance.
I swallowed down the lump in my throat. “Why are you telling me all this?”
Valkas crossed the room slowly, silently. He stopped in front of me, then his hand snapped out to crack across the side of my face. I let out a cry and brought my hand up to protect my cheek. It burned.
“What did I tell you about the questions?” he snarled. “You are such a curious shifter. The fact is, darling, honesty goes a long way.”
That was saying a lot coming from the most morally corrupt man on the planet.
“You must figure that if you’re honest with me, I’ll tell you something in return,” I guessed.
Valkas smiled, but it was one of the most gut-wrenching smiles I’d ever seen. I took that as a yes.
“You shouldn’t have been so quick to show your hand,” I said with a shrug. “Considering I don’t have any secrets.”
Valkas leaned closer to me, running a chilling finger down the side of my face. “Oh, but you do, darling.”
“Funny,” I deadpanned. “I don’t seem to recall any.”
Valkas sat beside me, and the mattress dipped under his weight. I could smell the alcohol on his breath. “I want to know what matters to you. Who matters to you.”
I kept a stone-cold expression on my face as I looked him in the eye. “That’s not a secret. You already know I care about my sister. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”
Valkas took another sip of his drink, then clicked his tongue. “But two years, darling. That’s a long time to be alone. I should know. I spent more than a century on this island. Didn’t you meet anyone?”
“I met a handful of vampires,” I said coolly. “But I never really got the chance to chat with them.”
Valkas’s lips turned up at the corners. “None of mine, I hope.”
“None of your current followers, unfortunately.”
Silence followed for a beat, then Valkas spoke. “So, what’s your weakness, darling? A boy, perhaps?”
Venn! My body went rigid. I realized too late and hoped it didn’t give me away.
“I have no one,” I lied. The fact was, if I’d come here months ago, that would’ve been true.
“Darling,” Valkas pouted, like he thought I might actually feel sympathy. “I was honest with you. It’s only fair that you’re honest in return.”
“Fair?” I asked in disbelief. “You murdered my parents and kidnapped my sister. You want to talk about fair?”
I snapped my mouth shut. I didn’t mean to snap at him, and it was probably a huge mistake. Soon, Valkas would get annoyed with my big fat mouth and shut it for me.
“You’re right,” Valkas said with a wave of his hand. He stood and set his empty glass on the nightstand. “There’s no point in trying to be fair with you.”
Valkas gestured to Rogers. Rogers reached into his pocket and pulled out a small vial with a clear liquid inside. He took a step forward and popped the top off.
“Whoa!” I cried, scurrying back across the bed. “Don’t tell me you intend to give me that… whatever it is.”
“Oh, I absolutely do,” Valkas said with an evil smile.
Rogers reached out for me, but I pulled my arm away.
“But you didn’t tell me what’s in it,” I protested.
Valkas raised an eyebrow. “I’m not obligated to. You’ll take the potion, or I’ll force you to watch as I carve your sister’s skin off.”
For a moment, I had forgotten how cruel Valkas was. He was playing nice with me, which made him almost seem… human. But he was only doing it to manipulate me, and when he realized that wasn’t working, he was right back to his devilish antics.
“What is it?” I asked.
Big mistake. Valkas was so done with my shit at this point. He jumped on the bed and slammed his hand into my chest. I fell back onto the mattress, and he climbed on top of me, holding me down. I squirmed beneath him, trying to break free. What if it was some sort of poison that would kill me? Or a potion that would prevent my soul from reincarnating?
I threw my han
ds up to his face, but he grabbed on to my wrists and squeezed tightly, holding them above my head. I fought against him, but I was so weak from the loss of blood that it didn’t do anything.
“Now!” Valkas roared.
Rogers reached out for my face. I snapped at his hand with my teeth and tasted blood. Valkas readjusted his hands to squeeze the corners of my jaw and force my mouth open. Rogers tipped back the vial, and a tasteless liquid entered my mouth. I planned to spit it out, but Valkas forced my jaw closed, and Rogers pinched my nose shut. My lungs felt like they were going to implode. Basic instinct took over, and I swallowed the liquid against my will.
My body went still. It wasn’t like when Rogers tried to go all puppet master on my ass. Nor was it like the calmness that overcame me when Valkas fed on me. This was more or less like I’d given up fighting. Which was so unlike me. Whatever they’d given me acted quickly. Rogers returned to his post at the door, and Valkas sat beside me on the bed.
He spoke slowly. “I’m only going to ask one more time. Besides your sister, what other weaknesses do you have?”
“My family,” I admitted. I had no idea where the words came from, but I felt them slip out of my mouth, heard them come in my own voice.
Truth potion! The bastard.
“Ah,” Valkas said in interest. “Tell me more.”
I found myself spilling every last detail about Venn, Fiona, and the rest of them. I told Valkas about how I’d met them, what their powers were, and how I felt about each and every one of them.
Truth be told, I couldn’t remember much of what I said beyond that. I wasn’t sure if I was still feeling woozy from the blood loss or if it was part of the potion that made my head fuzzy. Either way, secrets tumbled out of my mouth that I never would’ve told Valkas otherwise. Eventually, he took my hand and guided me up off the bed. My knees shook, and the room spun around me. I felt drunk, only without the urge to vomit. Which was weird, because Valkas constantly made me nauseous.
He led me toward the door, but before he let me go, he leaned over to whisper in my ear. “In case it wasn’t clear, darling, that’s how I expect you to act every time I ask you a question. I’m done giving you second chances. I expect nothing but respect from now on.” Valkas straightened and turned to Rogers. “Deal with her.”
