“Gee, your mother must be real proud. You turned out to be such an asshole,” Aria said, sneering.
Jacob never flinched at her insult. “Dust, Aria. All humans eventually become dust, including my dear, departed mother, but we live forever and will endure when all else is gone. That is why you and I are going to create, little dove, a legacy that is going to last forever.”
Aria gave him a thoughtful look. “You know I thought you were just an asshole, but now I realize you’re a crazy asshole as well.”
Jacob’s features darkened with anger. Ahh, she had finally hit a nerve.
He reached out, grabbing her by the arms, and yanked her closer.
He undid her cuffs before pulling her to her feet. “Try anything stupid and I’ll drain you. I won’t kill you, little dove, but I’ll drink enough to make you nice and compliant. Understood?”
Aria swallowed hard, a tremor of fear running through her, knowing he would make good on his threat.
“Good. Now smile as I have arranged a nice, little romantic dinner before the show begins.”
*
Damn Jacob to the depths of whatever hell he believed in. Ethan clenched his jaw, his lips pressed in a tight line as he scanned the darkened street. It had been three hundred years since he had last walked in the city of Paris. He had entranced a weak-minded young man in Dunkerque with a shiny black car. It had “Jaguar” written across the back and a sleek, silver cat on the front hood. It had taken several hours to drive him through the traffic of many other vehicles and directly to the address they had left for him. Then he sent the man safely away. He would not remember his strange passenger by morning.
Drawing in a deep breath, he closed his eyes; she was definitely here. With care, he circled the six-storied Parisian building. The once white structure was covered in the traits of wear, rain and painted vandalism; all had left their marks. Tall, arched windows ran around the building on each level. Many rooms looked abandoned. There was one main entrance. In the back alley, there were only two exits. Very few cars were parked along the dim-lit streets. Trash littered the old, cobbled, paved ground and gutters. People who walked past did so at a hurried pace with fear in their eyes. It was obviously not one of the better class areas in Paris. Jacob had planned well. The exits were few, and there
would only be one way in and out to reach Aria. No doubt Jacob would have anticipated Ethan’s speed and strength.
He had no care for the great changes the centuries had brought on the city; his only care was for Aria and her safety. Right now, while she was still being used as bait, she would be safe. Her inner strength was something to be admired. There was only one thing on their side right now—time. It tore at him inside to do it; Ethan glanced at the building one more time and forced himself to turn and walk away.
*
Tandem emotions rolled through Aria; she wanted to both scream in despair and sob with relief. Jacob had monitors set up around the building that had shown Ethan casing the place, but after a long moment, he had simply turned and vanished into the darkness.
“Well this is certainly an interesting development.” Jacob had been transfixed by the same monitors.
Aria gave a humorless laugh. “You’re on his turf now, asshole. He doesn’t care about me. Sure he needed me to get out of the U.S., but here, he has his pick of blue bloods.” Her words sounded empty in her ears, and she knew they were nothing but a lie, yet they were necessary to make Jacob believe Ethan wasn’t as possessive as he had first thought.
“You and your elder buddies are truly fucked now. If I were you, I’d be running for the nearest French exit and scurrying right back to the U.S., ‘cause there’s gonna be hell to pay.”
Aria jumped as Jacob suddenly slammed his fist into the wall right next to her head. White flecks of plaster exploded.
Jacob glared into her eyes with a look of anger that did scare her.
“Keep that mouth shut, little dove. You have yet to see me lose my cool, and trust me when I tell you it is not something you want to see.”
“You think he’ll be back?” one of Jacob’s men asked.
Something suddenly flickered across Jacob’s face as he seemed to realize something. Whatever he was thinking worried the hell out of her.
“Yes, he will very soon.” Jacob licked his lips, his eyes suddenly
flaring with lust—blood lust. He turned on her.
Aria jumped to her feet, knocking back the chair she had been sitting in, and backed away from the vampire.
“You two, out now!” Jacob demanded without even looking at them, his hungry gaze fixed on her.
Shit, she was in trouble. The door slammed shut, leaving them alone. “Don’t you fucking dare.” She was trying to keep the tremor of fear out of her tone.
“I will do as I like, little dove. I was going to wait for Ethan to watch me feed from you, but I will just have to be content with fucking you in front of him instead.”
Her back hit the corner, and before she could dodge along the wall, Jacob had pinned her with his body. She struggled and screamed; she wasn’t going to let him touch her without a fight, but he was too damn strong.
“I suppose you enjoy it when Ethan sinks his teeth into you, hmm?” Capturing her chin, he moved her head to the side, exposing her neck and throat.
She could feel his hot breath against her skin. She shuddered in revulsion. “Fuck off, asshole.” Her breath was labored due to her struggles.
“Oh, little dove, you will learn to take pleasure in my bite as well—that and so much more.”
The swipe of his tongue over her jugular vein was the only warning Aria got. She screamed in pain as Jacob’s teeth tore into her skin. With Ethan, she only ever felt a slight sting then nothing but pleasure; this was like a fistful of needles being jabbed into her neck. The pain spread out down her arm and squeezed at her heart as he tugged on the vein, drawing out her blood. Her thoughts flew to Ethan; she loved him utterly and completely. It had taken Jacob and his cruelty to show her she did not want to live her life without him in it. As her body began to weaken, Jacob withdrew his teeth and pulled back. Her defiant gaze held his cold blue one.
“That was pure divinity. No wonder Ethan wants you.” He licked
his lips in pleasure, savoring her blood.
Aria stared with disgust and hatred. A flush of red rose through his skin and face. Once he released his hold of her, she leaned against the wall for support and raised her hand, slapping him as hard as she could across the face.
He blinked in surprise at her move, touched his face, then laughed.
Aria moved to slap him again, but he caught her wrist this time and tugged her body close to his, his lips crushing over hers in a bruising kiss.
She almost gagged at the coppery taste of her own blood when he thrust his tongue into her mouth. It was only when she bit down on his lip, hard, that he yanked back and touched his hand to where she had drawn blood.
“We are indeed going to have fun together. C’mon, little dove.
Time to prepare a little treat for lover boy.” Jacob gripped her upper arm, firmly pulling her out of the room. “With that acute hearing of his, no doubt he’ll be rushing back at any moment.”
Aria gasped as she realized he had bit her not just to drink her blood but to make her scream. He knew it would bring Ethan back. Would it work? She damn well hoped not.
*
Ethan froze at the sound of Aria’s pained scream; no one fucking hurt his woman and lived. Any good intentions of waiting to just before dawn to rescue Aria were shot. He could not leave her there in the hands of that deranged vampire. He had promised to protect her, to keep her from harm. Guilt tore through him; he had failed to keep her safe.
Ethan backtracked down the street, heading straight into the building. He was stronger, faster and smarter. Jacob was going to pay.
Chapter Fourteen
Her bare feet barely touched the wooden box below, allowing her to take some of the s
train of her weight from her arms. Her hands were tied above her head; she was suspended in the center.
Aria felt like a piece of meat hanging in a butcher’s window.
Reality crashed in around her. This was a cage. She was the bait, and according to Jacob, Ethan was the animal. The gag in her mouth prevented her from telling anyone who neared just how dangerous touching her cage was. Jacob had assured her that if she managed to get free from her bonds, then anything she touched other than the box would kill her.
Ethan, on the other hand, not being human, would simply be rendered unconscious. The whole room was one large trap. Even the floor was wet, and unless you were wearing rubber boots and gloves, there was no safe place to tread or touch.
Aria wanted to scream in frustration at her situation. She was no longer fearful of Jacob but plain pissed. Unfortunately, he had drained her enough to weaken her also, so any fight she put up was even more useless than before.
Don’t come, don’t come, don’t come, she willed. So much for that thought; the door to the room was impressively ripped from its hinges.
Ethan’s familiar figure stood there, looking dangerously sexy as he filled the doorframe. The intensity in his expression told her he was out for blood—and not hers.
Frantically, she shook her head, trying to tell him not to come any
closer. He glanced at her and looked the cage over before surveying the rest of the room. She could only guess he was trying to figure out just what kind of a trap it was. She had no idea where Jacob was.
“I know it’s a trap, ma petite.” He was trying to reassure her, but as he stepped forward, Aria shook her head again. “But I cannot leave you, either.”
Aria rolled her eyes at him then tried to growl. Damn the gag, and damn him for trying to be so heroic. She helplessly watched him step farther into the room, and her gaze flew to his booted feet. Good. At least he wouldn’t get shocked from below.
“Where are you, Jacob? Be a man and come out and face me,” he yelled.
Aria gave a snort, as if he was dumb enough to do something like that.
Ethan reached the cage, his gaze sweeping over her body and his face darkening with evident rage. “The bastard bit you.”
Aria squealed and bucked against her restraints but couldn’t stop his naked hand from reaching out to the door of the bars.
“Aria, it’s going to be all right.”
Her eyes widened in horror as the full volt of power shot its way into Ethan on contact; he was thrown back against the opposite wall. Aria renewed her struggles, seeing his eyes roll back in his head as he slumped down, unconscious.
Her initial panic calmed when she saw the rise and fall of Ethan’s chest; he was breathing. He was alive. A moment later, the sound of footsteps made her look up as Jacob strode through the door, followed by his hired hands. Between them they carried a strong-looking, long metal box with heavy locks all along the edges. Oh, God, they were going to put Ethan into that. She was going to kill the evil bastard herself.
“Why do I feel that was way too easy?” He smirked, looking down at Ethan.
Aria glared daggers at him but remained still and silent, watching as the men set the metal box down, opened it, and proceeded to place her man inside. She noticed there were thick metal bands within the box as
well as out. They shackled Ethan in, and Aria winced as they slammed the lid down before proceeding to lock it.
Jacob opened the cage with a key, forcing Aria to focus her attention on him and his slimy smile. He ran his hands up over her body, breasts and arms as he unhooked her from the ropes that held her in the cage. She couldn’t help but slump forward straight into Jacob’s arms as she was freed.
“I must say it is a nice feeling to get everything you want.”
God, she wanted to smack the damn, smug smile right off his face.
The arrogant bastard.
Leaving her hands tied and the gag in place, Jacob carried her back upstairs to the room she had spent the day in, setting her down on the cot before removing the gag and offering her a drink of water from a bottle near the bed.
She snatched the bottle and took a deep drink. She sucked in a breath, trying to stay calm and focused, when all she wanted to do was launch herself at Jacob, rip out his eyes, and cut out his heart. Ethan’s life depended on her, and she wasn’t about to let him down. She took a few deep breaths before forcing herself to look at Jacob, who was studying her with that same look of hunger. “What are you going to do with him?”
“Even though I can’t kill him, I can make him suffer before he loses his mind from lack of your lovely blood. I am going to make him watch me fuck you then deliver him back to the elders.”
Aria gave a snort of disgust. “It’s going to be a cold day in hell before that happens, you disgusting asshole.”
Jacob just smiled confidently and continued. “After the show, he’ll be delivered back to the elders, and you and I can go on our honeymoon.”
Aria stared at him. The vampire was mad. “You really are deranged, you know that.”
The smile fell from his face. Roughly, he grabbed her wrists, yanked off the ropes, snatched up the discarded handcuffs, and re-cuffed her to the bed railing. She turned her head as he tried to stroke the side of her face.
He frowned and stood abruptly. “Get some rest, little dove. You are
going to need it.” There was an undercurrent of warning in his tone. “Be assured, Aria, you and I are going to be together for a long time, so the sooner you come to terms with that fact, the better off you will be. I’ll be back at nightfall tomorrow; lover boy should have regained his senses by then.” The arrogant smile was back as he walked from the room.
Aria threw herself into the pillow, thumping the mattress hard with her free hand, and screamed in sheer frustration and desperation. Ethan, Ethan, oh, God, Ethan. She fought back the tears. She needed him like she needed to breathe. There had to be a way out. There was no way in hell she was giving up, ever.
*
Ethan’s eyes snapped open only to be greeted with a confined darkness. There were strong, tight bands around his legs, arms and chest; he could not break free. He squeezed his eyes shut, calmed his breathing, and concentrated. His mind and senses searched the surroundings of his prison. Air holes in his prison allowed him to breathe in scents. Aria was close somewhere. He could hear heartbeats—three, all human. Ethan was angry at himself, angry for walking into Jacob’s trap.
When he had seen her disheveled and hung up in the middle of that cage, he had barely been able to contain the rage, and seeing the bite mark on her neck, her stubborn yet pleading eyes telling him to leave…
Yet, he couldn’t leave her, even if it meant falling into a trap. So much for rescuing his lovely lady. Now he was just as trapped as she was.
Ethan wanted to roar in frustration, but it would net him nothing.
He grew weaker with each night that passed without feeding from his Aria; four nights had passed since he’d last fed from her, not wanting to take from her while she had been ill. As the pull of dawn started, a sudden panic gripped him that he would soon become the monster he despised. If ever he needed a miracle, it was now.
*
Damn, she must have fallen asleep. She turned, trying to stretch as far as the cuffs would allow, wincing at the painful bruise Jacob had left on her neck. She still felt weak from him taking her blood. Daylight filtered in through the dirty windows; at least Ethan would be sleeping peacefully. It tore at her to think how he would feel once he woke up trapped in a box.
Glancing around the room, she noted her two guards were back on duty. One seemed to be sleeping while the other paced around the room.
They were human and flawed as much as she was. An idea jumped into her head. She sat up and rattled her cuffs. “Hey, Tweedledum, I need to go to the bathroom!”
Liam was his name, built like a bear with huge biceps, dark brown hair and large brown eyes. He stopped his pacing to glance
at her.
“Yes, you. Are you going to uncuff me or want me to pee right here?”
He frowned and stalked forward. “You got a smart mouth on you, woman.”
“Gee, and you’re just full of witty repartee. You know he’s never going to turn you.”
He ignored her comment and fished out the key from his pocket to uncuff her from the bed.
Chapter Fifteen
He had shackled her wrists in front of her body before shoving her into the bathroom.
Aria swiveled and glared at her captor. “A little privacy, if you please.” The man gave no indication of moving, so she added, “I’ll be sure to let Jacob know how considerate you were about taking care of me; I hold a lot more value to him than your worthless hide.”
The man scowled, unfolded his arms, and slammed the bathroom door shut. Aria let out a sigh of relief, spun around, and scanned the bathroom; there was a small window above the toilet system. Quickly, she placed the toilet lid down and climbed up, trying to stop her cuffs from rattling as she worked the lever on the window. She would just be able to fit through, or so she hoped. On tiptoe, she stood with her bare feet to either side of the toilet system. She gripped the ledge and hauled herself up. When she had anchored her elbows on the ledge, she scrambled up, her toes and feet trying to find grip on the wall. She wiggled her upper body through the window and gasped when she glanced down, seeing she was three stories up.
A drain pipe ran the length of the building, and there were a series of small windows just like the one she was halfway out of. With her hands cuffed as they were, she would not be able to reach out. Her only hope was to shimmy down the pipe. Her heart was pounding in fear, and she fought against the sudden dizziness; she hated heights. Her determination pushed aside her inept fears.
Aria contemplated the other scenario. If she let Jacob take her and Ethan back to the States, she wouldn’t be able to stop him from raping her, as he had made it perfectly clear he would do so and often. Ethan would revert to being a mindless monster. No, she would rather face death than allow that to happen again. Ethan had given her a glimpse of a fulfilled freedom she never dreamed she could have; she didn’t care if he slept all day, had fangs, and drank her blood. She loved him utterly and completely and would gladly give her life to save his. Life without Ethan was simply not worth living.
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