by Renee Rose
The bed dips and he surrounds me, his large body curling around mine. He’s so big, I’m swallowed up in his embrace. My feet only reach his calves. I crane my head to look back at him. “What are you doing?”
“Can’t I spend the night with my sub?” He brushes the hair off my bare shoulder and kisses my neck. His left arm snakes around my middle, gathering me against him when I would tighten into a ball. This is nuts.
The Vampire King wants to cuddle? What planet am I on?
“Time to sleep.” he whispers. “No more monsters under your bed. I’m the only monster here.” There’s a self mocking twist to his voice. “And you don’t have to be afraid of me. Not tonight.”
I close my eyes, willing myself to ignore his presence. It doesn’t work. Head to toe, his body touches me, and even if he leaves my bed later, he’ll be the first thing on my mind when I rise. The last thing I think of when I fall asleep.
I’m forgetting to hate him.
Chapter 7
Selene
The next day, I’m running as a wolf, sniffing at an old rabbit trail, when something flutters above my head. A piece of paper blowing in the breeze. I catch the paper under my paw. My body goes solid. A copy of an old photograph. Even faded, the lines of the image are clear. I crouch behind the cactus, my wolf whimpering. I can’t stop myself from pushing the paper flat and looking closer, even though I know what the photo shows. I’ve seen it a thousand times. Xavier hung it on the wall of the gym where I learned to spar. I’d fight hooded opponents until my muscles screamed, and when I fell--eventually I always fell--I’d look up at the picture, grit my teeth. I’d endure a beating night after night, staring at the photo of the massacre. I’d limp to the showers, wash the blood off my skin, and fall into bed, stifling a groan. I’d lie there, body one giant bruise, the photograph etched in my mind’s eye.
Bodies lie in a room, sprawled where they fell. I remember the room--an old Elk lodge converted into a community center. The pack hangout, with an old pool table and a faded Ansel Adams poster curling on the wall. Here’s one wolf curled around his mate, protecting her even in death. Here’s another facing the camera, eyes dulled, throat torn out.
This is what Lucius did to my pack. I don’t know why he sentenced them to death. Xavier told me only a few were bitten. The younger ones, the ones who put up the most fight, Lucius took from the lodge and held in his private lair, drinking from them until they died. Xavier doesn’t have photos of that, only reports from eye witnesses.
The breeze tugs at the paper, and I plant a paw in the middle. Xavier left this here for me. He and his people are watching me right now. He knows I’ve been weak. He knows I need a reminder. He doesn’t want me to forget why Lucius has to die.
Old pain cracks my heart, poisons my blood.
I nudge a rock onto the photo to hold it down while I dig a hole. Gotta bury the evidence that Xavier was here.
Once the photo is buried in a hole by the cactus, I return to my room, shift and change into a tight camisole and loose pair of shorts. Somewhere in this house is the clue to Lucius’ lair. Vampires are smart, secretive, viper-fast. Ultimate predators. But during the day they sleep like the dead. I’ve already infiltrated his house, and played the role of submissive until I’m left free and unsupervised during the day. If I can find his sleeping place, I could stake him. My mission could be over by sundown.
I exit my room and start searching. I’m looking for cameras, hidden panels, anything that might clue me into a secret entrance to a safe room, or an underground chamber. I wander through the well-appointed rooms, noting a fancy wooden chair. I grab it and snap off its leg, and use a kitchen knife to sharpen a stake.
As I walk down the hall, cameras track my movements. After a few minutes my search is going to be obvious. Lucius will know what I’m up to. The wolf’s out of the bag, and I will have to explain my actions to an already paranoid king. If I don’t find and kill him, tonight my life will be forfeit.
I better find his lair.
All afternoon I search as the sun sinks, a natural countdown clock. By the time the house is filled with thick, golden light of oncoming dusk, I’ve forgotten all semblance of discretion. I tear through bedrooms, ripping at wall hangings and paintings, running my fingers over every lintel, chair rail, and piece of crown moulding. I rap on walls and pull books off shelves, feeling for false panels.
“Come on, come on,” I breathe, feeling behind a piece of shelving with one eye on the window. My wolf is frantic, clawing to the surface, fighting to protect me. I’m in a race with the dying sun, and I’m losing.
Vampires as old as Lucius have more than the usual defenses, Xavier once told me.
Lucius is old, but he’s embraced modern times. He’ll have extra layers of protection, technology and otherwise. But maybe I’ve relied too much on finding the signs of tech security.
Stepping to the center of the room, I close my eyes and extend my senses. My wolf is right there, waiting to show me the way. I drop to all fours and sniff around the corners of the room until I come to the unused fireplace. I’ve sniffed around here in wolf form before, but something nudged me away. A vampire’s natural defenses, older than technology, communicating to the primal part of me. Go away, the scent around the fireplace says. Danger here. Danger, or a vampire?
I crawl into the fireplace, ignoring the creepy crawly sensation running over my skin, and feel around for a lever, a false brick, anything. I don’t know what I touch but one minute I’m standing on the painted brick--too pristine to ever have hosted a fire--and the next I’m sliding down a slick tunnel, mouth open in a silent scream. I land on my feet and bound upright, groping blindly in the dark passage. Above my head, light from the bedroom winks at me. I’ve found the secret passageway to Lucius’ lair. Yes!
The panel above snaps shut, sealing me in the dark.
Shit.
I jump and wedge myself in the tunnel so I can bang on it. It doesn’t budge. I dig my fingers around the seal, looking for cracks. Nothing.
I drop to my feet and explore the lightless tunnel. It’s tight and narrow. Could it even fit Lucius’ massive frame? I extend my arms and legs and measure it. It’d be tight, but the Vampire King could fit. At least, I hope so. Otherwise, I’ve found a false passage. A trap.
As minutes tick by, the walls seem to close in. The air is stale and stifling. I’ve got a bad feeling about this. How long has it been? Surely it’s after dusk. Lucius must be awake. He’ll see the destruction I’ve wreaked on his house, and know what’s up. If he finds me I’m dead.
I drop to the floor, curling around my legs. Maybe he won’t come for me. If he knows I’m a spy, he could leave me here, in this dark, airless prison. A little wait, and I wouldn’t be his problem any more. It would only take three days…
Light cracks above my head and I heave in relief. Fresh air flows over my face. I launch myself up and scrabble through the tight space, desperate for the light. I emerge from the tunnel, half hyperventilating, half crying, and heave myself over the fireplace threshold. Sweet freedom.
Someone clears their throat above me. Lucius’ bare feet stand a few feet away. I push to my feet and lunge.
The stake slices through the air. Lucius blurs away. Fucker’s so fast. I flail off balance. A big hand hooks around my leg and makes me crash to the floor. A kick to my wrist and I drop my weapon. He kicks the stake away. It rolls into the fireplace and disappears in the trap with a clatter.
I flop on the carpet like a caught fish and squint against the bright light. Not daylight, not anymore. The sun is down. My time’s run out.
Lucius’ leans over me. . “You’ve been a busy little pet,” he murmurs without amusement. “Sticking your cute nose where it doesn’t belong. How shall I punish you?” The coldness in his tone makes me shiver.
I pant on the carpet. I played my card, and he knows I’m his enemy.
I am so fucked.
Lucius
My sweet pet quivers on the f
loor. The past few nights, I’ve been in this position often, looming over her while she lolls in ecstasy at my feet. BDSM is a game where everyone wins.
Tonight, it’s no game. I knew she was here for something, but I didn’t think she’d be so brazen as to believe she could best me.
Now I know. The gloves have come off.
“I’m flattered, pet. You’ve gone through so much trouble to find me.” I sweep a mocking glance over the room’s destruction.
She flops onto her back and glares up at me. A fighter to the last. “Get this over with.”
“What do you think I’m going to do?”
She shrugs and rolls away, coming into a crouch. Even standing, she’d be no match for me, and she knows it. “I don’t know. Kill and torture me?”
“So you do expect the Spanish Inquisition.” I smirk as I reference her Monty Python joke.
She doesn’t smile.
“Maybe I will torture you. Find out the real reason you’re here, but a vampire against a shifter is hardly sporting odds.” I tilt my head to the side. “Who put you up to this?”
“No one,” she snarls.
“No?” As smart as Selene is, the auction, getting me to bid on a woman who looks like my lost Georgianna--the whole plan stinks of vampire. My sired have to be behind this, along with Xavier. “So you want to kill me? Why?”
“Revenge.”
That makes me pause. “Revenge?”
“For the ones you killed.”
“Ah, pet. You’ll have to be more specific,” I mock. “I’m very old, and I’ve had many victims. Are these humans I’ve killed? Did I first suck their blood?”
“Fuck you,” she snaps, rolling to her feet. Her gaze darts longingly to fireplace. She’s wishing for the stake.
“Perhaps later. Right now, I’m in the mood for a game.” I step back and unbutton my shirt.
She frozen, ready to flee. “What are you doing?”
“Getting ready for the game.” I drop my shirt.
“What game?”
“Have you heard of take-down play? No? No matter, pet. It’s very simple. You run, and I catch you, and when I catch you, I win. Are you ready?”
Her head twitches back and forth. Wide-eyed, she backs away.
“Too bad. It’s time,” I tell her, and when she pauses, I hiss, “Run.”
Face blank, she darts to the door. I give her a head start, waiting until she hits the door to stalk behind her. Her pale legs flash down the hall and skid into the living room. I put on a burst of vampire speed and watch her race through the house. By the time she reaches the french double doors she’s almost on all fours. A white wolf sails across the patio and bounds into the desert. A pale flash of fur, she’s heading towards the mountain range. I follow, alternately walking and blurring with supernatural speed. She runs and runs, but never increases the distance between us.
I can tell the moment she realizes she can’t outrun me. She slows her bounds and points her muzzle my way, her common sense taking over.
I flash ahead of her. Shifters are fast, but vampires faster. I run so fast I blur, but she’s expecting it. At the last second she dodges out of the way, ducking under a cactus. I miss her, but an aggrieved yelp tells me she’s learned hiding under a spiny plant isn’t the smartest move.
I stalk around the saguaro and find her whimpering on the ground, spines in her side where she brushed too close a barrel cactus.
Seeing her hurt, my anger drops away.
“Poor pet,” I croon. She struggles when I crouch beside her, but after I snap my fingers, she holds still. I pull the long cactus needles out of her. I search through her thick pelt to find each one while she lies docile as a golden retriever.
“Shift,” I order and she does, back to human form. Her skin is already healing. She moves into a crouch and yelps, arching off the ground.
“Oops,” I lean down and remove the needle from her hip. “Missed one. Are you hurt?”
“Just a flesh wound,” she mutters.
Even when I’m angry with her, she makes me laugh. I run a hand down her flank, checking for more spines.
“Stop.” She scoots out of reach.
“Excuse me?” My voice is dangerously soft.
“Just stop.” Her head is bowed. She knows she’s been naughty. “Stop being so nice to me.”
Ah. My actions confuse her. Good.
“You disappointed me, pet.” I wipe my hands clean. “And you’re going to pay.”
Her eyes flash. She’s not cowed, not by a long shot. “What will you do to me?”
I cup her chin. “Don’t worry, pet. I’m not going to kill you. You’re too much fun.”
Her face twists and she tries to jerk her head away. I cup both hands around her head and she snaps, “Do your worst.”
“Oh I will,” I promise. “But I don’t want to hurt you beyond what you can take. You know why?”
“Because you’re a sick fuck,” she mutters, her eyes sliding away.
“Perhaps. But you, Selene, you intrigue me. You don’t want to submit, yet you do.”
“That’s not true. It’s an act.”
“It’s not. It’s who you are.”
“You don’t know me. You don’t know who I am. What I am.”
“All the more reason to keep you alive. You’ll tell me your secrets, one by one.”
“You could mind wipe me. Make me love you. Then it would be over.”
“I told you I’d never mind wipe you. I keep my promises, pet.”
She closes her eyes. She looks as tired as I feel. Someone must have put her up to this plan, and that someone should pay. “You’re so young. Too young to be so jaded. Innocent…”
“I’ll never love you,” she blurts.
My eyes widen. “Love, pet? I never said anything about love. I’ve lived two thousand years on this earth, most as a creature of darkness. Everyone I’ve ever loved has died. Love is nothing. Fleeting. Emotion. In the end, everything crumbles to dust. Everything.”
“Except you,” she says, struggling upright. “You live on and on and on.”
I should correct her cheekiness, but she’s right.
“You should let me kill you. It’d be a mercy.”
She so sincere, I burst out laughing. “You are refreshing, pet. The first to convince me to end my life because of my...what’s the word...Ennui?”
“You’re not happy.” she insists. “You are sick of living. Anyone can see it. After a while, what is the point?”
“Living. Living is the point.”
“A life without love,” she says. “Is it worth it?”
“No. No it’s not. But love is nothing. A color in the sky before the dawn. Beautiful, fleeting. Dissipates as quickly as it comes.”
“Like humans. Like us shifters.” Her eyes are closed again, pain creasing her face. She’s so young, to be so aware of death. To be fearless in the face of it.
“What’s it like? To have a cause?”
She opens her eyes. “Lonely. In some ways I’m as lonely as you.”
“Such honesty.” I shake my head in awe.
“Well, I thought I was about to die.” Her gaze slides to me as if she’s still waiting for me to strike the killing blow.
Instead I take a firm hold on her hair, drawing her head back. “All creatures are close to death. You’re mortal. Death is only a matter of time. Now, tell me. Why are you trying to kill me? Who put you up to it?”
She presses her lips together.
“I’ll get it out of you,” I tell her silkily. “One way or another.”
“You could just compel me,” she looks me straight in the eye. So daring.
“I told you I wouldn’t compel you. I keep my promises.” Lest she think I am all altriusm, I add, “Besides, if I compel you, our game is over. Where’s the fun in that?” I tug on her hair, using it like a leash and marching her forward.
She’s silent all the way back to the house. Docile as a lamb. Most animals accept their
fate when a larger predator catches them Selene isn’t one to accept, I suspect she’s more curious about what I’m going to do.
I chain her to a column on the patio while I go inside to make preparations. It’s not until I have her lying on her back, tied to a table I’ve set up inside, that she becomes chatty again.
“Why did you make so many vampires if they’re only going to turn against you?
“Because, pet, as you are so fond of reminding me, I am alone. Despite the truth of what love is, I hold out hope that I will one day have a family who loves me.”
“That’s sad.” She drops her eyes, perhaps realizing I wouldn’t be so honest with someone who had longer to live. “Are you hurt by what I’ve done?”
“What?” I inhale, fighting the urge to laugh again. “No, pet. I knew from the first that you were sent to betray me.”
“Since the auction?” she seems horrified.
“Of course.”
“Then why did you bid?”
“Seemed like it would be fun.”
“So that’s all I am? A bit of entertainment?”
“Yes.” I cock my head, remember what she blurted earlier. I’ll never love you. “Why? Did you think you could be more?”
“No,” she mumbles and relaxes. She’s limp and compliant as I hook up the TENS unit, checking the electricity flow against my own skin. If she thinks tonight will be fun and games, she’s in for a big surprise.
When I step back, the corners of her mouth turn up.
“Why are you smiling?”
“Because.” Her shoulders sink down as she sighs. “I’ve done what I came to do.”
“Kill me?”
“Or die trying.”
“You’re not dead yet,” I point out.
“I expect you’ll take care of that, soon.”
“Oh no, pet.” I raise the TENS unit with dangling lead wires and shake it in front of her wide eyes. “I’m not going to make it so easy for you.”
Chapter 8
Selene
I lie back and try to relax as Lucius places patches on my arms. It’s just torture. I expected this.
