by J. C. Wilder
“Why, why did you choose me? My mother wasn’t perfect but she was my mother.” Panic clawed at her throat. With every word this vile creature was creeping her out more and more.
His expression shifted and a cruel sneer twisted his lips. “Did you know your mother liked kinky things in bed? She loved to be tied up and whipped like a dog.”
Shai clamped her lips shut to keep from screaming. Nothing he said mattered to her, she wouldn’t let it. Her mother was dead and there was nothing she could do to rectify the past. All she could do now was save herself.
“You killed her to hide the fact that you couldn’t satisfy a woman in bed,” she taunted.
His face twisted with rage. “You fucking bitch.”
She knew she had to push him over the edge. There was a slim possibility she could survive in hand-to-hand combat. If not, hopefully, he was so angry he’d destroy her quickly. “I heard her laughing while you were with her. I never heard her laugh at the other men, only you. Why is that? Are you defective below the waist? Can you get it up at all?” She gave him a scathing look. “I don’t think so.”
A cry of rage erupted from his mouth and he lunged at her. She braced herself and pulled the dagger from her pocket and aimed for his throat. With a snarl, Mikhail impaled himself upon the razor-sharp tip. An almost comical look of disbelief crossed his face as blood squirted from the wound like a geyser, dousing Shai and the floor around her. She staggered back, scrubbing furiously at her eyes and sliding on the slick concrete. The taste of blood filled her mouth while a dull roar filled her ears.
The world tilted wildly and she fell to the floor. She struggled to open her eyes only to see Maeve moving toward her, as if to help, but Mikhail backhanded the young woman, knocking her to the ground where she lay still.
He loomed over Shai, calmly pulling the knife out of his throat. He smiled a feral smile. “You lose.” His voice was raspy from his damaged vocal cords. “Don’t you know you cannot kill a vampire? I told you before you watched too many movies.”
“Bastard,” she croaked. She watched in disbelief as the gaping wound closed itself, but she noticed he was much paler than before.
He began to remove his tie and unbutton his once-elegant shirt. “And to the victor, the spoils.”
Her head throbbed and she was having trouble breathing. Everything seemed to move in slow motion around her. Grayness beckoned at the edge of her vision and she longed to give in to it. Curling onto her side, she clutched her legs, drawing them up into a fetal position.
“This is no time to play the innocent angel,” he crooned, tossing his shirt aside. With a wave of his hand, she was stripped naked and clothed in a white silk nightgown. From the hard concrete beneath her, a bed materialized, cushioning her battered body. Blood-red sheets adorned the bed and soon she was bound to the brass head- and footboard with black silk ties.
“Time to accept your final lover.”
She wheezed painfully. Her ribs creaked, as if they were under a great deal of pressure. The pain was excruciating, yet nothing was touching her. She was freezing cold and her teeth chattered uncontrollably. She tried to move away when he settled on the edge of the bed, but her limbs wouldn’t cooperate.
He roughly cupped one breast, but she could barely feel his hand. He was speaking to her, but she couldn’t understand his words. It was like someone had turned down the volume on the television and all she heard was white noise.
A sudden movement swung her attention from Mikhail and toward an approaching shadow. All of a sudden, the sound was back with the bang of a gunshot.
Val stepped into the pool of light, anger flashing in his dark eyes as he looked at the two of them on the bed. “Enough!” he roared.
Mikhail jumped up from the bed, his expression feral. “You? What are you doing here, peasant?”
“Stopping you,” Val shot back. “I should have killed you years ago.”
Mikhail laughed, a bitter, harsh sound. “Who are you kidding?” he sneered. “It was your mistake that made me into the monster I am.”
“You’re correct. I did create you and I will destroy you because it is my duty. You’ve wrought enough havoc in this world. It is over.”
He withdrew a gleaming-edged sword from the scabbard at his waist and moved gracefully toward Mikhail, each movement deliberate, deadly. “You cannot escape. Give in to me and I’ll show mercy.” He spared a glance at Maeve, lying still on the cold concrete floor. “Which is more than I can say for you.”
“You won’t get away with this, Val. You cannot kill another vampire. The Council will not allow this.”
“Says who? I’m one of the oldest on this earth. I make my own laws.”
A sword materialized in Mikhail’s hand. He waved it at his adversary. “So be it. To the victor, the young woman.” He slashed the air, not even close to the other man’s sword. “Just think of me between those beautiful thighs.” He nodded at Shai. “She won’t even remember your name when I’m through.”
She raised her head weakly at the crash of swords. Val had Mikhail on the run. His movements were graceful, efficient, while Mikhail flailed wildly like a fish out of water. The blond vampire struggled to keep his footing as Val relentlessly backed him toward the wall.
Her head fell back to the bed as the sounds of battle grew muted and began to fade in and out. Snatches of their angry words washed over her.
“First blood to me,” Mikhail chortled.
Shai turned to watch, her heart in her throat as her vision dimmed.
“Merely a scratch, ‘twill be healed in moments.” Val lunged and slashed at Mikhail’s sword arm, nearly severing the appendage. “And the last will be to me,” he growled. “Now you die.”
A wave of pain crashed over her and she gave an agonized groan. Her stomach rolled. She hurt so badly. How could she stand it much longer? She was dying. She had to be. She couldn’t feel anything from the waist down and she was so damnably cold. Mikhail’s furious screams broke into her thoughts.
“This is not over,” he snarled. “I’ll destroy you and your rabid bitch!”
For a blissful moment, there was silence then the crash of a sword striking concrete. Val appeared next to the bed, his sword in one hand, his dagger in the other, and blood soaking his shirt. Shai forced her eyes to remain open as he leaned over her.
“My love,” he whispered.
She blinked as she caught his worried expression and tried to reassure him with a smile. “What happened?” she groaned as more chills racked her body.
He dropped the sword to the floor and cut away her bonds with the dagger. He pulled out a handkerchief and began to wipe the blood from her face. “He’s gone, Shai, left with his tail tucked between his legs. You did it.”
She shook her head, stopping when the movement caused the pain to increase. “No, my love, you did,” she panted.
“Did you make the right decision?” he asked. His voice was low, urgent. “You do believe I had nothing to do with these murders?”
“I was foolish. I was so afraid of trusting you. I’ve been hurt so many times. But that girl is gone now.”
His eyes glinted devilishly. “I hope some of her remains with you.”
“She does.” Her eyelids drooped.
His hand stilled. “Shai, did you drink any of his blood?”
“N-n-no,” she chattered as a violent icy chill shook her body.
He pulled the blankets around her in a vain attempt to warm her. “It splattered all over your face. Not even a drop entered your mouth?”
Shai frowned. She remembered stabbing Mikhail and his blood erupting from the wound. It had struck her in the face and mouth. It was possible that she’d swallowed some of it.
She nodded. “Yes, it’s possible, but it was only a little. I’m just so glad that th-th-this is over,” she chattered. Why was she so terribly cold? She forced her eyes open once more, looked up into his eyes and saw something had disturbed him. She tried to push away and he refused
to let her go. She frowned. “What…”
“My angel. You’re dying,” he whispered. “You are becoming a vampire.”
She stared at him, uncomprehending. He looked about to cry. Was it because of her? “I can’t be dying,” she whispered. “I can’t be a vampire.”
“Yes, baby, you can.”
Tears filled her eyes as she became aware of the breath-stealing pain spreading through her body as her organs ceased functioning. She raised a trembling hand to his cheek, shocked to see purple veins showing through her pale skin. “I’m scared, I’m scared,” she whimpered.
“I’m with you, Shai.” His grip tightened and he cuddled her close.
“Thank you, thank you,” she whispered as her eyes began to close. She felt so terribly weary. It was too much of an effort to keep her eyes open and consciousness was slipping away.
“When you awaken, I will be here with you, Shai.” His voice was fading fast as the darkness laid claim to her soul. His lips brushed her throat, his teeth scraping across her skin. With a soft sigh, reality faded and the darkness took her.
The transformation had begun…
Epilogue
Three months later
“So what does it mean that Mikhail is my Master?”
Shai’s silken voice startled Val from his reverie. His lover stood in the doorway of his den, her cloud of red hair piled in a careless tangle on her head. Her lower lip was slightly puffy and he knew she’d been biting it again. No matter how many times he’d warned her, she still wasn’t used to her new canines that could pierce flesh with ease.
“To be quite honest, I’m not really sure of all the ramifications of that type of relationship. Mikhail is your creator, the vampire who turned you into one of us even though I tried to thwart that.” Val dropped the faxes he’d been staring at for the past half-hour. “That relationship carries some weight as he’s a powerful vampire and some of those powers will have been transferred to you.”
“Like being left-handed?” Her smile was faint.
“In a way.”
“So, does he know what I think?” She walked toward him, her lush body covered by a thin black silk robe.
“Some Masters do have that ability but as far as I know, Mikhail doesn’t.”
Relief washed over her lovely face. “That’s good. I kept waiting for him to strike me down.”
Val smiled. “That isn’t something you have to worry about. The servant-Master relationship is a bit murky to most of us.” He pushed away from the desk and rose.
She blanched. “I have to…serve him?”
“Not in the way you’re thinking. The term has no relevance unless you are a revenant or a human servant. Human servants are required to be at their Master’s beck and call.” He reached for her, pulling her close. She leaned into him, her cheek against his chest and the scent of roses teased his senses.
“What a horrible fate that would be.”
He rested his chin on her silky hair. “There are much worse fates than being a human servant to a vampire. You could be a werewolf—”
“No way.” She chuckled. “I don’t think I could handle the fur.”
“How about a were-cat…”
“Now that’s what I’m talking about.” Her grip tightened on his waist. “Is it true that were-cats are multi-orgasmic?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Can you imagine that—”
“What are you talking about?” He gave her a squeeze. “You’re multi-orgasmic now.”
She tilted back her head, her eyes gleamed with wicked amusement. “Only when you do that thing with your tongue…”
Val laughed even as he felt the blush spread across his cheeks. “Wench.”
“Pirate.”
His chest felt curiously tight when she rubbed her face against his shirt, her giggles rained down like kisses against his skin. In the past few months he’d laughed more than he could ever remember. Being with Shai was as natural as breathing and he couldn’t imagine his life without her bright presence by his side.
Thanking his lucky stars that he’d walked into the restaurant that night, he knew the most important job he had was watching out for her. Shai was a sweet, generous soul and soon he’d have to explain the realities of their new lifestyle. Right now she was caught up in their relationship and a serious fascination with her new abilities. What she didn’t know was that as a vampire, there were people in the human and Shadow Dweller world who would instinctively hate her and wish her ill. The fact that she was Mikhail’s servant and Val’s lover would only increase the danger surrounding her.
His grip tightened. He had to find the diary, it was their only hope for a peaceful future together.
Mikhail was still out there, wounded and more dangerous than ever. According to a decree handed down from the Council of Elders, the vampire was now considered a rogue among his own people and the Shadow Hunters had been charged with tracking and capturing him. Over Shai’s bright head, Val looked outside into the darkness of a cold winter’s evening.
As long as Mikhail was still on the loose, Val had to be ever vigilant where Shai was concerned. He didn’t know what he’d do if something happened to her.
About the Author
J.C. Wilder left the world of big business to carry on conversations with the people who live in her mind, fictional characters that is. In her past she has worked as a software tester, traveled with an alternative rock band and currently volunteers for her local police department as a photographer. She lives in Central Ohio with 6,000 books and an impressive collection of dust bunnies.
The award-winning author also writes as Dominique Adair.
J.C. welcomes mail from readers. You can write to her c/o Ellora’s Cave Publishing at 1056 Home Avenue, Akron, OH 44310-3502.
Also by J.C. Wilder
Ellora’s Cavemen: Tales From the Temple II anthology
In Moonlight anthology
Men of SWAT: Tactical Maneuver
Men of SWAT: Tactical Pleasure
Tactical Pleasure
Things That Go Bump in the Night 2004 anthology
‘Twas the Knight Before Christmas
Writing as Dominique Adair
Holly
Last Kiss
Party Favors anthology
R.S.V.P. anthology
Tied With a Bow anthology
Xanthra Chronicles: Blood Law
Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.
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