And fuck me, I couldn’t do it.
“Simon,” I said to him over the very few humans around us, hoping that that was his name. “I am over four hundred years old. And in all that time, I have never killed a child. I’m not saying I’ve never killed before because I have.” I stole a glance at the Lycans and they were listening with straining ears to hear me. “I have drained the blood of innocents and thought nothing of it. But my hands have never harmed a child.” I stood up and held my hand out to him. He took it and let me lead him to the edge of the border, in the middle of the street. There were no cars around, so the Lycans met us in the center.
The Alpha regarded me with cautious eyes. “Why are you letting the boy go? He crossed. He is surrendered to you now. His blood is yours to spill.” The boy’s mother was holding back a sob, pretending she was growling at me. Her mate put his arm on her shoulder to steady her.
I met the Alpha’s gaze, suddenly feeling brave while sizing up a Lycan so big he made me look like a toothpick. “You heard what I said. I will not spill a child’s blood. Not even a Lycan.” I tried not to say Lycan like it was a dirty word. Simon’s hand was still in mine, I released it and gave him a push to his parents. They grabbed him fiercely, giving me a look like they’d fight me if I changed my mind.
“Your kind will find out,” the Alpha warned me.
“I don’t smell anyone nearby,” I told him, making sure to breathe deeply and push my senses out around us. “And if you left, it would be even better for both of us. So leave. Now.” I gestured with my hand in the opposite direction of where we were standing.
Instead of just leaving like Simon and his parents were doing, the Lycan Alpha handed me a bracelet he’d just removed from his wrist. It was easily almost three times the width of my own delicate wrists. “We owe you a debt, bloodsucker. Keep this, and it will protect you from any Lycan that tries to harm you.”
I turned the bracelet over in my hands. It was very intricate with braided threads and beads, and… “Are those fucking vampire teeth??” I tried not to be too horrified since he was trying to thank me, but damn it was difficult.
He smiled ruefully. “They are a symbol of strength and status.”
“That’s kind of bullshit,” I whispered to myself and almost gave it back, but he chuckled at me and was gone. The bracelet stunk of Lycan and I found a public restroom to wash it clean until it smelled like vanilla soap before stuffing it in my pocket.
I went home and pretended nothing had happened. As far as I could tell, I was in the clear. No one knew I’d broken our second highest law. The first was about killing another vampire. As in, it’s forbidden. I hid the bracelet in my room. I seriously wasn’t about to wear something with vampire teeth on it as decoration. Symbol of strength, my ass.
Olivier unlocked the two remaining turned the next morning. They were large men with ripples of muscles, not that I was looking. And strong. Stronger than I was. It was a shame they were one of the turned. They would’ve been invaluable if they were Born. With the addition to the ranks, we took the opportunity to introduce the strength lesson early.
After dark, we led the turned out to a small clearing beyond the castle grounds. It was lit with gas lamps that looked like the color of firefly light. One lamp flickered, so Olivier walked up and kicked it. It flickered again and came back on stronger than before like it was afraid Olivier would kick it again. She hopped onto a fallen log and I walked up to stand beside her as she got the group’s attention.
“Today we’re learning about the limitations of our strength. It’s important to know the exact limits of strength in order to keep it under control. You can’t be in control if you’re afraid of breaking someone or something all the time. So. Go pick a tree, and have fun.” She gestured to the forest behind us. “Don’t worry. We sell any trees you knock down and plant new ones later. You two,” she added, pointing her finger at the two bigger turned. “With me.” They followed her, and one of them glanced over at me and waved with his pointer finger. I tried not to check him out on his way past me.
The other turned quickly began their strength lesson, and it was my job to supervise and motivate them. They started hitting the trees, softly at first, but then they really started giving it their all.
“Don’t be afraid to punch it! It won’t hit you back. No,” I told one of them. “Put your thumb on the outside of your fingers. You’ll cut into your palm if you- Damn it! No punching other students! Oh my god!” Someone started laughing behind me, and I turned to see Balthazar standing next to one of the gas lamps. He swung his cane at me as a hello. Everyone was busy with their exercises, so I left the turned and crossed the clearing to join him.
“Hey,” I said as I got closer. “What are you doing here?” I squinted at him, trying to figure out his motives. “Don’t tell me. The restriction is lifted and you want to tell me all about the human girl you just fucked behind Arby’s?”
He sighed wearily, no traces of amusement on his face. “Am I not allowed to visit you whenever I choose?”
I blinked. He was never not cheerful. And he also never came to the castle. “Umm, of course you are.”
“I’m just checking up on you,” he said quietly, his face softening and looking more normal. “You’re busy though, so I’ll leave.” I started to protest, but he was gone and there was no way to call him back. Damn it. It was about time he got a mobile so this would stop happening.
“What was that about?” Olivier asked, suddenly right in my ear. I screamed and jumped three feet in the air, then came crashing down, only to land on one of my heels. I heard a snap that wasn’t my leg.
“Fuck!” I shouted, peering down at my shoe. Olivier bent to examine it and said with a sigh of relief, “not designer,” as if that meant breaking it wasn’t a big deal. Though, if they had been designer, I'd have been more upset. I hobbled to the log she’d stood on earlier and sat down to inspect my broken shoe.
Speaking of breaking.
“You might want to…” I pointed to her big charges that were launching tree trunks at other trees and starting to launch them at each other.
“Son of a bitch! QUIT THAT RIGHT NOW, YOU FUCKING HOOLIGANS!”
I laughed under my hand, pretending to cough. Frustrated Olivier was always entertaining but she didn’t appreciate me giggling about it. The turned continued for several hours, making the small clearing into a bigger one with the effort. We still had a while until dawn, but by then we were all as exhausted as we can get. The turned walked back to the castle with us at their heels. I hobbled beside Olivier with my broken shoe. She was about to make a snarky comment about my boots but stopped when we opened the rear gate and entered the back garden.
Othello stood with a few older vampires, discussing something intense. Among them stood a tall muscled Born I’d never seen before. We walked closer, catching their attention. Everyone’s gaze was business as usual, except for the new Born. He stared at us with cold icy blue eyes like he was looking for the person who stole the cookies, and we had cookie crumbs on us. Olivier went rigid beside me and gave him an equally pensive look. She was momentarily the Hunter Olivier, the side of her I’d never been around, and if her face was anything to go by, I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
“Ladies, there you are.” Othello motioned us closer. The Born’s eyes followed us as if he expected us to bolt away. “This is Arthur,” Othello said, waving a hand towards the hawk-like vampire beside him. Arthur’s clothing was decorated with a horde of weapons strapped to his limbs and waist. His face and arms had a few tattoos and several nasty looking scars, but it only made him look more virile, and annoyingly, slightly attractive.
Yes. He was super hot. I’d have to get his number.
Arthur finally spoke, his voice deep and rough. “Olivier and I are acquainted.” His inflection on acquainted spoke of more than simple friendship, but his expression remained neutral. Staring into his cold eyes, I found myself wondering if he was capable of any emotion other th
an disinterested. What would happen if I kissed him?
“If you’ll excuse us, Lisbeth and I are exhausted. Good night.” Olivier grabbed my arm and herded me through the back door. I tried to speak several times, but she continued to hush me until we’d reached my suite. Cameron was asleep in his room so the parlor was empty. Olivier sank down into a chair and sighed heavily. I didn’t say anything, just sat on the couch next to her chair, and waited for her to explain. She peeked over at me and then looked at the ceiling. “Arthur is a Hunter. A special kind of hunter, I should say. When he arrives, he’s looking for a criminal that’s part of an Order. And he never EVER shows up at an Order unless someone has broken the law.”
Oh. SHIT.
Arthur was here for me. The tall sexy beast I’d contemplated kissing was here for me. And not in the good way.
I tried not to tense at her words and failed. She sat up straight to appraise me blankly. “Something you’d like to share with the class? You know I’m trained to notice even the slightest hint of body language, right?”
Oh, I knew. I’d once attempted to pull off a lie in front of her, and it didn’t go very well. When I met her gaze, I couldn’t help but display a small measure of guilt. She stared at me for a long time, waiting for me to explain, but I kept my mouth shut. Admitting what I’d done would mean Olivier might be punished as well. Besides, I was being irrational. Just because lawbreaking was rare didn’t mean it never happened. Arthur might be here for someone else. Maybe.
“So,” she said slowly, dragging the word out. “Keeping secrets? Secrets are shit. No one is allowed to have secrets.”
I almost laughed. “Not even Renard?”
“Never.” She dropped it, seeing that I wouldn’t be confessing anytime soon. I couldn’t tell whether she suspected me or thought I knew who the culprit was.
The next day I found Arthur walking around on the west side of the building where the full-sized chest set was. He lifted up the king piece easily and looked inside its hollow center.
“I don’t think there’s a criminal in there,” I informed him, pointing to the empty space. He set it down and reached to pick up the rook to search it. “I’m Lisbeth, by the way.”
“Hmm,” he said in response, and picked up another piece to study. “I’m busy, Lisbeth. Go bother someone else.”
“Rude,” I muttered and climbed on top of the rook to sit on top of it, watching the Hunter check the chess field like a moron. He had sandy blonde hair cropped close to his head. His jaw looked like it was chiseled from stone. Je-sus. I was still attracted to him. Wrong place, wrong Hunter. “So you were with Olivier, huh? And by with, I mean…” I mimed sex with my fingers. He watched me and raised an eyebrow, then picked up a pawn to look at.
“That was a long time ago.” He moved to the white side of the board, where I was sitting.
“Are you with anyone now?” God, I was really going there. Be still my loins. He wasn’t worth it.
“I’m on the job,” he informed me shortly and picked up the rook with me still on it. “Besides, you’re not my type. I prefer women who aren’t airheads.” Oh no he didn’t.
He set me down with a thunk and I jumped off, grabbing his dog tag necklace to bring that chiseled jaw towards my face. “Airhead I am not, sir.” His blue eyes looked my face up and down, and I instantly regretted being this close to him. My body was heating up and I found myself wanting to test that kiss theory. Would he melt in my arms, or push me away? I let go of his tags and stepped back to the rook. “They tell me you only come here when one of us has broken a law.” I tried to look casual. The chess piece search forgotten, Arthur leaned against a pawn.
“That’s true. I prefer to not be amongst all the…” He wiggled his hand, but I wasn’t going to let him be vague.
I crossed my hands over my chest. “Amongst all the what?”
“Castle. Money. Cars. Jewelry. Your kind. Stuffy rich vampires.”
“I am not stuffy,” I huffed. Now I wasn’t sure if I wanted to kick him or plant my body against his until he surrendered to me.
He snorted, hiding the smile, and pointed a finger at me. “Oh yeah? How much did your shoes cost?”
“Fuck you!” I shouted and stormed off across the lawn.
Five
Days passed, and I tried to wipe Arthur from my mind. Lying in bed, my mind kept flashing images of the Alpha, and the brown-eyed pup I’d saved. I’d hidden the bracelet behind the drawer in my nightstand, and for some reason, I felt like taking it out. It truly was a fine piece of work, despite the insulting teeth woven into it. I tried to pretend they belonged to a cat. A very large cat.
I’d just drifted off to sleep with the bracelet still in my hand when there was a pounding at the door. My blood turned cold. Was Arthur here to arrest me? I quickly used the bracelet to tie my hair back and then covered it with a wide ribbon so no one could see it before putting on a robe. Cameron was answering the door when I walked into the parlor, and in burst Arthur, followed by his security team.
Othello entered behind them, protesting loudly. “I told you that Lisbeth cannot possibly be the-” He was cut off by Arthur’s hand rising as a signal to shut up.
“Everyone is suspect. No exceptions,” Arthur informed him. Arthur’s voice was deep and rough like he’d shouted too much or hardly used his vocal chords, but he also lacked the tonal quality that made voices nice to listen to. He was truly cold inside and out.
Without even asking me, the Born security team swept over my rooms. They took care to not break anything, thankfully, but they didn’t care about replacing pillowcases after they’d been removed or putting my belongings back in an orderly fashion.
I played it cool and kept my face neutral like I was simply annoyed at being bothered. “Anything in particular you’re looking for?” I asked him casually.
Arthur had stayed in the parlor, probably monitoring mine and Cameron’s reactions. “Evidence,” he replied like it was obvious. He glanced at me and his eyes went south, his mouth twitched a few times. My robe was open, so I closed it quickly. Under these circumstances, I didn’t want him staring at me. Stuffy, indeed.
“He’s searched everyone else’s rooms as well,” Othello mentioned from the doorway, no doubt trying to make me feel better. It didn’t work. I knew exactly what Arthur was doing. He was an experienced Hunter who didn’t need to bother with looking for evidence. Searching our rooms was just a pretense to appease whoever had sent him. Once nothing incriminating was found, the criminal would relax and slip up somehow. And then Arthur would have him. Or her.
The security group finished, having only found a naked mermaid statue in Cameron’s bathroom that held a stash of money. Othello led the team out and onto the next suite, but Arthur didn’t move from his spot on my carpet.
“You didn’t answer the door.”
“I was asleep.” He was squinting at me, and I really wanted to slap him for it. “Being stuffy is exhausting, you know.”
He wasn’t amused. “It wasn’t the first room we searched. You didn’t hear us?” he observed, scratching at his stubble.
Cameron was the one who spoke up and saved me. “Dude, these walls are ridiculously soundproof. Do you know how many times the couple next door bangs? We don’t, because we don’t hear it.”
It occurred to me that Arthur knew all of this. He was simply testing my reactions. He was nothing if not thorough. And that meant he was close to being onto me. Thankfully, he left, and we all went back to bed as if nothing had happened.
Stupid Arthur with his stupid searches trying to get under my skin. I was confident that I would be able to get him off my scent and on his merry way. I even entertained that he wasn’t here for me, though I didn’t discount it. I mean, who had even seen me at the border? I hadn’t smelled anyone nearby at the time.
However, if anyone had seen me, even a human, they could find out. Since it involved drinking excess blood and using their powers on humans, it would be technically against the
law, which was ironic. Breaking the law to find out who broke the law. It all depended on how far Hunters could go to keep us in line. I supposed it was a grey area for them. They got exceptions for all kinds of things. Mind controlling humans might be in that category. I had a slight hope that such methods were not allowed, even for them.
The next morning, I spent ten minutes finding the best way to hide the bracelet on my person without someone noticing, just in case Arthur searched my rooms again. Why was I even keeping it? My intuition overruled my logic since some part of me wanted to hang on to it. I finally went with fastening it to a garter belt.
I forced myself to relax when I went downstairs after feeding from Cameron. Even he was noticing my off behavior, so when I joined Olivier in the dining hall, I tried to pretend like nothing was wrong.
Arthur was sitting next to her.
He didn’t react when I approached. I sat next to Renard, who was clearly annoyed that his lady was sitting next to another man. I avoided all body language that indicated hiding something and lying. My body felt stiff from sitting a certain way all the time. The way Arthur was staring at me was unnerving, like he was hunting and I was his prey. That should’ve turned me on, but for once, it didn’t. For once, I might actually be his prey.
“Hey hey,” I said as I unrolled my napkin and put it in my lap.
No one spoke. Olivier picked at her food and stared at a spot behind me. She too looked unusually stiff.
“So,” I said slowly. “Arthur. Where are you going after you catch the lawbreaker?”
He turned his frigid ice blue eyes to me like I’d just spit on him, and I had to physically hold my breath to keep from displaying any damning signals.
“What?” he asked blankly.
I saw Olivier’s eyes dart to me, and then back at whatever she was fixated on. “I mean, you won’t stay here afterward, right?”
Knight of the Hunted (NSFW Edition) (Born Vampire Book 1) Page 4