Rebel Dhampir (The Royale Vampire Heirs Book 2)

by Ginna Moran

  “You have a duty as the heir of Gwyneth Gallagher to fulfill your place at my side. She did not lose her life for you to throw the gift she passed down to you away. We cannot afford to wait more decades for another descendant with the dhampir mutation. We must act now.” Freeport closes the space to me again, but this time he keeps his hands to himself.

  “What the hell are you talking about?” I ask, wishing with everything in me that my guys are nearby. Where the hell are they anyway?

  “If you’re looking for the blasphemous Royales, they will not be coming for you.” He flicks his gaze past me to search the dark orchard. “The war they started with the Anderson Coven put your very existence in jeopardy. They must be taken care of appropriately before word travels. For your sake. If anyone found out about you—”

  “They’ll kill me? Cage me for the rest of my life?” I place my hands on my hips. I know I shouldn’t let him continue on. I know I should run and fight for my life. To search for my guys. But he seems to know more about me than I know about myself, and my dumb curiosity gets the best of me.

  “For the rest of eternity,” he says, keeping his voice low. “You cannot die naturally.”

  I blink, a wave of emotions washing through me. “What?”

  He rubs his lips together. “You didn’t know.”

  I don’t answer him.

  “There is so much for you to learn,” he says, extending his hand out to me. “Let me take you home. You’ll be exceptionally happy. I vow that. I know I’ll do right by you and help you successfully fulfill your duty as a dhampir.”

  He keeps saying that: My duty.

  “I will not be feeding you or whatever it is you think is supposed to be my duty.”

  His lips quirk into a smile. “Oh, but it’s so much more. You’ll bear the power I have to offer. A new life will be born.”

  I blink a few times, unsure what to think about his words. What the hell does that even mean? Bear power? A new life will be born? Is that what a Blood Vow is? He thinks I can transform into a vampire?

  A strange noise hums through the air, drawing his attention away from me. I don’t get a chance to react as his hands encircle my waist and hoist me onto his shoulder. The world blurs for a few seconds, and I orient myself, fear colliding over me, stealing my breath away. My instincts take over, and I pound my fist so hard into Freeport’s back that I throw him off balance.

  He drops me, the both of us tumbling across the hard dirt. My body kicks into action, and I catapult to my feet, darting away faster than I have ever moved in my life. It’s like my dhampir mutation suppresses my humanity, leaving me in a strengthened state. Freeport yells my name, begging me to stop.

  I don’t. I can’t. I run, breathing hard, my whole body aching. My eyes water in the wind, blurring my vision. I focus too hard on the world around me that I don’t see the dark shape of a headless body lying in the dirt until it’s too late.

  I trip over the hulking form and land on my stomach, my eyes widening as the back of a severed head appears in my vision. The familiar, tightly cropped hair and smooth dark skin on a thick neck steals the warmth from me.

  Scrambling away, I crab walk back to the body. The guy is dressed in all black, his shirt pulled up slightly to reveal a couple bluish-black lines tattooed on his back. Lines I recognize.

  “Mikkalo!” I scream, my heart exploding, the realization sinking in. “Mikkalo!”

  Something hits me in the back of the head, sending me sprawling across the ground. I land with my cheek in the dirt, facing the open empty eyes of an unfamiliar vampire. My heart skips a beat, my wild emotions paralyzing me.

  I start bawling my eyes out, relief rushing through me. It’s not Mikkalo. I don’t know who it is, but it doesn’t matter. As long as it’s not Mikkalo, I know he’s out here somewhere, strategizing how to get to me.

  “This is what Corona broke an alliance for?” a masculine voice asks, spilling dread through me. “I’m underwhelmed. She looks nothing like a predator to escalate our power.”

  “Agree. If anything, she’ll cause us to lose it.”

  I stiffen at the familiar female voice.

  Tipping my head up, I look at Brooklyn and another vampire standing several feet away from me. Brooklyn remains expressionless, cold even, as she stares at me with eyes I shouldn’t find relief seeing considering she’s nothing like Bronx.

  “What do you say we just give her final donation and claim it was an outcast? Perhaps we can still salvage a relationship with the Royales and Hunters. I’m sure you’d appreciate not being at war with your brother.” The guy strides forward and glares down at me.

  A guttural noise draws their attention from me and to the trees where I catch sight of Freeport as he rushes to close the distance. Blood drips down his face, his nose crooked, broken from some sort of fight that left blood spatter speckling his shirt. Panic ignites through me, my instincts going wild. I can’t tell if it’s because the guy looks ready to kill everyone in the universe to get his hands on me or if it’s because I’m right in the middle of an impending battle. Either way, fuck this shit.

  Pushing to my feet, I scramble past Brooklyn and her companion and race in the opposite direction of Freeport. I don’t make it far. The guy with Brooklyn materializes in front of me, and I crash into his chest. He thrusts me back, and I slide across the dirt.

  Freeport roars, snarling and snapping his teeth. The douche vampire returns his threat by pulling a dagger from his jacket. He kicks me out of the way and blurs in a fight against Freeport. Two cool hands grip my waist, hoisting me up.

  Brooklyn stifles my yell with her hand. “Be quiet if you want us to get out of here alive,” she whispers. “You have a price on your head that’s tough for even me to refuse.”

  I frown, flaring my nostrils as I try to gasp in a breath.

  She eases her hand away. “Now tell me. Where is my brother?”

  “I don’t know,” I whisper, trying to control the pitch of my voice. “Something went wrong. The rebels got him.”

  She flashes her fangs. “You’re lying. He’d never get bested by a bunch of donors.”

  “I’m not. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone. I was on my way to get him when I was attacked. Mikkalo, Jameson, and Everett were all with me, but I don’t know what happened.” The words tumble from my mouth, and I try not to freak out. The dead body I thought was Mikkalo flashes through my mind again, twisting my stomach.

  Brooklyn drops me as I heave, my stomach wanting nothing more than to expel its contents. Turning onto my side, I breathe deeply through my nose and watch Brooklyn abandon me to disappear into the trees. Freeport squats down beside me and pats my back.

  “Don’t touch me,” I snap, swatting his hand away.

  “You’re hurt. Let me help you up. We need to go. My brothers are waiting for the exchange,” he says, ignoring my demands.

  Swinging my arm out, I punch him right between the legs hard enough to send him sprawling back. I push through the pain and knots rippling through me and bolt away. I brace myself to get ripped off my feet at any second, but he doesn’t chase me. Silence falls through the orchard, the growls of vampires fading. Soft light sparkles through the trees, and I head in the direction of the community.

  I slow down and duck behind a tree to search the outskirts the best I can. A few bodies lie in piles on the ground, but they’re vampires and not humans. I don’t understand. Rebels aren’t that great at fighting vampires. Not this many. One or two, maybe. But the three bodies I see turn out to be only the first pile. There are three more piles further down.

  I cover my mouth with my hand and inch forward, unable to resist searching the piles. I heave a few bodies away from their place, terrified of spotting one of my guys. I don’t recognize anyone. An eerie sensation crawls up my back, and I spin around, expecting to see Freeport. But he’s not there.

  “Gwen.”

  I startle at the sound of a familiar voice, and swivel on my feet. Grayson stands wi
th his arms crossed a few dozen feet away. He clenches a bloody silver stake in one hand, ready to fight. His right eye sports a purpling bruise, and blood stains the collar of his plain white T-shirt, dripping from a bite on his neck. I spot another bite on his arm, but it looks older. Maybe a couple of days.

  I hesitate, trailing my gaze to the rest of him. Rubbing my palms over my eyes, I wait a second to see if he’s only part of my imagination. But he steps closer, giving me the same intense once-over I give him.

  “Grayson? I don’t understand.” My voice cracks with the words. “What are you doing here?”

  He strides to me, opening his arms. A frown deepens his face when I’m not quick to react. I step out of his reach and peer around the area. I thought I’d be happy to see Grayson. I thought I’d be relieved. But all I feel is all sorts of wrong.

  “What are you doing here, Grayson?” I repeat, straightening my back.

  “I live here,” he finally says, attempting to coax me to him again by wiggling his fingers. “And I should be asking you the same thing. You were supposed to be gone. Did Freeport not find you?”

  My muscles tense at the asshole from the grove’s name. “He did...”

  He groans, rubbing his hand through his hair. “Please don’t tell me you killed him. He was only trying to protect you. It seems Silas brought a war to our door...no thanks to you.”

  I slap Grayson across the face, unable to control my reaction. “You asshole!”

  Anger bursts through me, and I contemplate running back into the grove. But I have no idea what’s going on or where to go. All I want is to find Bronx. I know he’s gotta be around here somewhere, and most likely in one of the underground cages where a community like this would keep a blood source.

  Grayson surprises me by swinging out and punching me in the face. Pain explodes in my cheek, shock and hurt sending me reeling along with the force. I nearly eat shit but manage to catch myself. Charging forward, I plow into my brother and knock him off his feet. Fury shadows the edges of my vision, and I attack him right back, clocking him in the nose so hard that he yells. Blood floods from his nostrils, and it sets me off even more. I’m so pissed that I can’t see straight.

  “Gwen! Gwen, stop it! You’re going to kill him.” Silas’s voice rings through the air, and I jerk my attention in his direction. I catch sight of Thaxton looming behind him, his tall, sinewy form extinguishing my fury, cooling it into panic. Searching the ground, I find Grayson’s silver stake a few feet away. I scramble off him and dive for it. A muscular arm encircles my waist, hoisting me up to dangle me like a doll.

  I attempt to stake Thaxton in the groin, but he jerks his body back, and I narrowly miss him. Spinning me around, he disorients me, sending my stomach rolling. I have no choice but to stop fighting. The world shifts and moves around me, dizziness leaving me weak.

  “Is she always this feisty?” Thaxton asks my brothers, smiling down at me.

  I glower, digging my fingers into the ground to scoop up dirt. I throw it at him, but he darts to my other side. The cloud of dirt dissipates before I realize he moved.

  “No,” Grayson responds. “Something’s different. I hardly recognize her. My sister would never attack me.”

  “It was the Royales. They got to her,” Silas says. “You should’ve seen it, Grayson. They were all feeding on her.”

  Warmth blossoms in my cheeks. “Shut the hell up. They were not.”

  Thaxton tightens his jaw. “It was far worse. Nearly broke my heart. I assumed Laredo had taught you better than to fall into bed with those beneath you.”

  Is this guy for real?

  I clench my fists, my body preparing to attack again, but Thaxton lands on top of me. He pins me down, freaking me the hell out with how he yanks my hands over my head. A smile splits his lips, turning into a leer the longer he studies me, familiarizing himself with my features.

  “It’s one thing to screw a human—”

  Breaking free of his hold, I shove him hard enough to send him flying off me. I somersault backwards to my feet and dash away. Fear bats at my chest. I feel as if I’m trapped in some twisted game of predator and prey, but my body refuses to accept that I’m the bigger threat. All it wants to do is run.

  “Gwen,” Thaxton calls. “You’re going the wrong way. If you’re looking for the Royale Coven, you won’t find them in the grove.”

  I freeze at his words.

  “Unless you would prefer to chance it with one of the Andersons, though, it’s only the few too coward to try to free their leader. We have him too.” Thaxton releases a laugh. “Such a fool to think he could ever contain you. That he was worthy of even gracing the same room as the one we’ll assure bears the greatest power of the future. Only a Baron can provide the Blood Vow necessary.”

  How do I even respond to this bullshit? I knew that Blood Rebels always referred to me as a gift to humanity, but what the hell does this guy mean about me bearing great power? And again with the Blood Vow.

  “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, but no fucking thanks,” I say.

  “If you do not agree, we will take the region by force. You will not give us a choice. Word cannot get out about your precious gift. Everything counts on it, little dhampir.” Thaxton closes the space and cups my cheeks in his hands. “You will leave us no choice but to end the Royale Coven, and seeing as their loyalty grows for you, we thought they would serve our cause well as long as they know their place.”

  I think of a dozen ways to take the asshole down, but if I do, then what? He could be lying about having my guys, and Corona for that matter, but I can’t be so sure. I have no other explanation as to why no one has shown up for me.

  “What will it be?” Thaxton asks, rubbing his thumbs over my cheeks. “Perhaps if you see them, your decision will become clearer.”

  The world blurs, and I land on my ass in the middle of a sprawling lawn outside of a towering brick, wood, and stone mansion. Light shines through the tinted glass windows and ivy vines climb all the way to the roof. I don’t take in the enormity of it for long because a dozen figures sit on the wide steps, bound and peering in my direction.

  I fly to my feet, only making it half of the distance to Bronx, Everett, Jameson, and Mikkalo. Freeport appears in front of me, blocking my view. I try to back up, but I hit Thaxton’s chest. Six more vampires materialize out of seemingly thin air, closing the space around me. They each take turns drinking me in, making me squirm on my feet.

  “She’s so perfect,” one of the unfamiliar guys whispers. He tilts his head, sending chestnut brown hair across his forehead.

  I realize they don’t know that I now have super hearing.

  “Right, Wesson? I can’t get over how much she looks like Gwyneth,” another guy says, his blue eyes burning the side of my face with their intensity.

  A bearded guy with dark hair and eyes risks touching my shoulder. “Or that she’s finally here.”

  Thaxton raises his arms. “Careful, brothers. She’s agitated. It seems she’s bonded with the Royale Coven.”

  “So soon?” The vampire, Wesson, inches closer to me, his eyes flashing silver.

  The guy with a beard tenses. “Which one? I want his head.”

  “Easy now, Cortland,” Thaxton says. “That’s unnecessary.”

  “The hell it is,” Blue Eyes says, his voice sending a shudder down my spine. He disappears from the group and stands in front of my guys. None of them look at him, all training their eyes on me.

  Thaxton cuts him off. “Duncan, I said it was unnecessary.”

  “But if she—” Duncan takes a deep breath. “They could destroy everything we’ve worked for. Any impurities could ruin things.”

  “What the fuck?” I ask, unable to control my rebellious mouth.

  The Baron brothers ignore me, keeping their attention on each other.

  “He’s right. I’m not willing to risk it.” Freeport touches my cheek and disappears to stand behind my guys.

&
nbsp; Thaxton tries to intercept him, but one of the other brothers—a guy with auburn hair—tackles him. Wesson snatches my hand, stopping me from running forward. Freeport pulls a blade from his jacket and grabs Bronx by his dark hair.

  “I’m going to assume it was you, Mr. Royale,” Freeport says, stretching Bronx’s neck.

  I release a small cry, drawing Freeport’s attention to me. He flashes his fangs like I just confirmed his thought.

  “Close your eyes, dandelion,” Bronx says, meeting my gaze.

  I shake my head, refusing to look away from the sparkling blade in Freeport’s hand. Flashing his fangs, he smiles at me. I’ve never seen someone look so happy to cause me pain before.

  “Would you like to taste him one last time, Gwen?” Freeport asks, scratching the blade across Bronx’s throat hard enough to make him bleed.

  I bob my head, my mind whirling.

  Freeport’s smile widens. “Wesson, bring her here.”

  Wesson growls. “No. If she wants a taste, just give me his head.”

  Chapter 25

  Brave

  “NO!” I DRAG WESSON FORWARD with me, surprising him with my strength.

  He pulls back to stop me, and I swing my arm, punching it hard into his chest. Bones crush under the force, and warmth blossoms around my wrist as his blood pours from the hole I create. Wesson’s eyes widen, his gaze flicking down to my arm impaling him. It shocks everyone so much that no one reacts right away.

  Two hands lock onto my shoulders, and another one grabs my wrist, keeping me in place. Thaxton digs his nails into the skin of my wrist, releasing a scary-ass growl that causes me to squeeze Wesson’s heart harder in my hand.

  “Don’t let her pull,” Wesson yells, snapping his teeth at me.

  A roar sounds out from where my guys are, and I turn my gaze in their direction, catching sight of Bronx throwing his body back into Freeport’s gut. Bronx jerks his restraints into the dagger Freeport grips in his hand, sending the blade clattering across the concrete.

  “Fuck. Cortland, help him,” Thaxton says. “Kill them.”