by Alicia Rades
It wasn’t until Valkas’s men had disappeared into the woods behind him that the people below me finally moved. They all took a collective breath, as if they’d been holding it until now. Even I hadn’t realized my lungs were about to implode from the pressure. I inhaled deeply through my beak, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling that had settled in my feathers.
For the first time since Valkas’s arrival, emotions began to cross people’s faces. The whole clearing broke out into whispers. People grabbed on to each other for comfort. One girl threw her hand over her mouth and raced behind a cabin to spew her guts. Another dropped to her knees and covered her face with her hands while she cried. Two guys came up behind her and settled gentle, comforting hands on her shoulders.
“We're here for you,” one of them told her.
Three other women quickly joined them, surrounding the younger woman to make sure she was all right. At least six people entered the cabin I was perched on top of. I could hear their voices reassuring Mop Head.
“It’s not your fault,” a male voice said.
“We’ll get this cleaned up,” a woman added.
It struck me how much these people cared for each other. No one turned into their cabins to leave the mess for someone else. They acted like one big family, like a community.
It should’ve warmed my heart, but I was still shaking in rage. Valkas had aptly named his gang of vampires. Soulless. How could anyone with a soul be capable of such evil?
The young woman couldn't stop her sobs. The group surrounding her helped her to her feet and into a nearby cabin. My breathing grew ragged as the sound of her cries echoed in my ears.
This is what happens to people who steal from me.
Surely theft wasn't worthy of a death sentence. The man was an innocent captive; of course he wanted a way off this island. I didn't even want to think about what the Soulless had done to him to drive him toward risking his life like that.
Whatever it was, I couldn't sit around contemplating the possibilities. My gaze swept across the clearing again, but Jenna was nowhere in sight. Every fiber of my being told me that Jenna was somewhere on this island. If she wasn’t here with the other blood slaves, that meant she must’ve been up at the chateau. I’d go there, find Jenna, and kill Valkas. Once he and his men were gone, I'd get all these people safely off Gregor Island.
Mind made up, I launched myself into the air in the direction of the chateau.
4
I swooped down at a back entrance to the building. The trees were close and concealed me, but since I didn’t see anyone nearby, I shifted into human form. It’d be easier to navigate around the chateau that way. Glancing upward toward the tall windows, I saw that the curtains were drawn on all of them. After determining the coast was clear, I raced across the space between the trees and the backdoor, keeping the dagger clutched tightly in my hand.
The doorknob twisted easily, and I peeked inside. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that the hallway was empty. Quietly, I slipped in. I was careful to close the door behind me as softly as I could. As a shifter, the vampires wouldn’t hear me coming by my heartbeat or my breathing, but they’d definitely hear a door banging shut and announcing my arrival.
I started down the narrow hallway, taking soft steps. Light flickered across the walls from the fire within the sconces on the walls. It definitely gave off a haunted house vibe, which only made me smile. Haunted houses were totally my thing.
The various doorways on either side of the hall were all closed, so I couldn’t see where they led. I itched to peek into one of the doors just to see if Jenna was inside, but I wasn’t too keen on waking a group of vampires. I’d scope everything out first to get a feel for where Jenna might be.
I reached the end of the hall and came to a second hallway. This one was wider than the last, with big arches cut out in the wall that revealed a huge seating area. The drapes were drawn, and a huge candelabra chandelier hung from the ceiling, lighting up the room. There were no lamps or overhead bulbs, no electricity of any kind, and that gave the place an even more unique, antique vibe.
I could hardly take in the grandeur of the chateau. Whoever had designed it certainly had good taste. The floors were all polished hardwood and the walls were plain white, but there was an architectural beauty to the place. In the large room beyond the arches, sofa upon sofa sat elegantly arranged in various seating areas, with a big grand piano in the corner. Had this really been where Valkas had been imprisoned all those years? I’d been picturing him hanging out in a deep, dark cave or something on a deserted island. This place was practically a castle.
A door banged loudly toward the end of the wide hallway, where I could see it opened up to a large foyer. I caught sight of a group of men in dark clothing and immediately crouched down low. Peeking around the corner, I saw Valkas’s three men remove their helmets. As I predicted, they all had matching pale skin.
“Caleb, wake the girls and bring them to my room.” Valkas’s voice carried down the hall. “Punishing slaves makes me thirsty.”
The girls? Blood slaves?
Jenna!
I shot up from where I was crouched but hesitated. My eyes followed the men as they dispersed. Valkas started up a grand staircase, while the other men went in opposite directions. I had no way of knowing which one was Caleb. Otherwise, I would’ve followed the bastard to find my sister.
There was only one other easy solution. Follow Valkas and wait for Caleb to bring Jenna back to his room.
One of the vamps was headed my way, so I crept back down the hall and crouched behind a long, decorative table. I held my breath as the vamp continued past the large sitting room with the grand piano in it.
As soon as I heard his footsteps fade, I was back on my feet, peeking out into the wider hallway. It was deserted, so I took my chance and hurried down it. My heart slammed against my rib cage, but not because I was scared. If anything, I was excited. I was going to see my sister again. These vampires were going to die at my hand. This was a freaking thrill ride!
When I reached the foyer, the sound of footsteps in the hall above the grand staircase met my ears. I glanced around quickly, but the foyer was empty. The only decorations were mirrors and paintings on the walls, unlike the rest of the chateau, where there was a sofa, table, dresser, or some other piece of furniture every few feet. I rushed into the corner beneath the stairs and held my breath, praying that whomever it was wouldn’t see me through the darkness.
Who was I kidding? It was sure to be a vampire. If he took one look at where I stood, he wouldn’t miss me. I held my dagger up, poised for attack if it came to that.
The man’s footsteps pounded down the stairs above my head. When he reached the bottom, he slipped his motorcycle helmet back on and exited out the front doors.
I remained frozen in the corner, forcing my breathing to slow and listening to the sounds around me. The building was eerily quiet. Taking my chance, I rushed out of the shadows and hurried up the stairs with light footsteps.
When I reached the top, I found a maze of hallways, all veering off in different directions. I had no way of knowing which way I’d find Valkas. So I took a wild guess. I started down the hallway to my left, passing by door after door. Something told me Valkas’s room would be a bit over the top and easy to spot, so I skipped all the plain doors and headed to the pair of double doors at the end of the hall. I pressed my ear to it and heard muffled voices inside.
“Lord Valkas does not like to be woken in the middle of the day,” a gruff voice said.
Definitely not Valkas’s. The way he spoke, it didn’t even sound like Valkas was in the room, but I continued listening to be sure.
“This incident will reflect poorly on all of us,” Gruff Voice continued.
“Yes, of course, sir,” another man replied.
“This never should’ve happened in the first place,” Gruff Voice said. “If you men down at the boathouse were paying the slightest bit of attention, it wo
uldn’t have.” He spoke in such a harsh tone that it made me flinch. “See to it that it doesn’t happen again.”
“Yes, sir. It won’t.”
“Excuse me a moment,” Gruff Voice interrupted.
Silence followed for several seconds. I had no idea what was going on behind that door. Then the sound of the floor creaking just on the other side met my ear.
I leapt away instantly and took the first hiding place I could find—a large, decorative vase situated in the corner of the hall. I shrank to my raven form and hugged the wall, holding my breath. My dagger had fallen from my hand and lay at my feet.
I heard the door swing open. In the reflection from one of the mirrors on the wall, I saw a man stick his head out the door and glance around. Something in his features hinted at old age, but his skin had been smoothed out, and there wasn’t a gray hair on his head. Freaking vampire curse turning them all into the most beautiful versions of themselves. It was like cosmetics on steroids.
He narrowed his silver eyes and pursed his lips, looking so angry it rivaled Valkas’s terrifying features. The man gave me chills.
He stood there for what felt like a full minute, frozen in the doorway. If it weren’t for his eyes scanning the hall, I might’ve mistaken him for a statue. He sniffed the air.
He can’t smell me, I told myself as reassurance. It was true that he couldn’t smell me the way he could smell humans, but perhaps he could sense me in other ways? The metallic smell of my dagger? The scent of laundry detergent on my clothes? Perhaps he could even sense the shift in the air when I breathed.
Usually by now I would’ve already staked the vamp through the heart, not giving him enough time to assess my presence, but I wasn’t about to alert the whole house I was here. Killing him would be reckless and stupid and… fun.
He stepped out into the hall. I could see his polished black shoe from where I crouched behind the vase.
He doesn’t see you. He’ll give up, I told myself.
But I was a liar. Because he’d already seen me, and his hand was headed straight for me.
Instinct took over. I shifted just before his fingers touched my feathers. In a quick motion, I threw my hands upward to connect with his wrist as I ducked out of the way. I used my strength against his agility, following the momentum of his hand upward. And then I yanked down, causing him to flip through the air and land with a hard thud on the floor.
I reached for my dagger. Before I had my fingers around the handle, he’d already leapt to his feet. His knee swung upward, connecting with my nose. Pain shot out through my face, which turned out to be a blessing. He caught sight of the blood trickling down my face and paused momentarily. Hunger burned in his eyes.
It was just enough time for me to kick my leg out beneath him and knock him back on his ass. Before he could react, I was on top of him, shoving my dagger through his heart. He crumbled into a pile of ash beneath me.
I didn’t even have a moment to relish in my victory. A split second later, the second guy was in the doorway. This man was younger than the last, though he had the same good looks. A moment of shock crossed his silver eyes.
I leapt to my feet and sprang on him. He reeled backward and slammed into one of the bookshelves in the room. He spread his arms out to catch himself. His fingers curled around one of the thick books, and he hurled it at me. The thick, pointed corner smashed just above my right eyebrow, making me see red.
I cursed under my breath, clutching my forehead, which was warm and sticky from blood. All he did was smirk.
“That freaking hurt, jackhole,” I snapped at him.
“I’ve got plenty more where that came from.” He wiggled his eyebrows and lifted another book. “Who are you, and what are you doing here?”
“Seriously?” I asked, totally unamused. “We’re going to talk this out?”
He hurled the second book at me, but I ducked. It soared over my head and crashed into a shelf on the other side of the room.
I sprang back to my feet. “Hey, now. We don’t want to wake everyone.”
“Then tell me who you are,” he demanded.
“So you can kill me?” I shrugged. “Nah, I’m not really one for talking.”
He cracked his knuckles. “Have it your way.”
He dove toward me. His shoulder smashed into my abdomen, and his arms curled around my middle. I didn’t even try to dodge out of the way. I let him take me to the ground.
As his fingers clamped around my throat, I swung my dagger downward into his back. His eyes went wide, and he inhaled a sharp breath, then… nothing. His clothes fell on top of me as his body turned to ash.
I squeezed my eyes shut and closed my mouth to keep from getting it in my face. I felt the ash rain down on my skin, but I shook it off.
After I sat up, I used the guy’s suit to wipe the blood from my face. Outside the door, I grabbed Gruff Voice’s clothes, cleaned up as much ash from both of them as I could, and shoved their clothes into a drawer in the desk across the room. Surely, I didn’t have long before someone noticed the two were missing, but I didn’t need someone walking in on the evidence and launching a search party before I got Jenna out of here.
Once completed, I hurried out of the library and down the hall. When I reached the top of the balcony where I’d started, I decided to try the hall to the right. It was identical to the last, only mirrored. I got the strangest sense of déjà vu.
When I reached the pair of double doors on the end, they were open a crack. I tiptoed forward and peeked inside.
At first, I saw nothing but an empty four-poster bed. Thin red fabric draped across the canopy, and the sheets were crumpled up in the middle, as if the owner had just gotten out of bed.
Then I saw him. The blond hair, the broad shoulders… it was definitely Valkas. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him as he paced around the room. He looked distressed as he raked his fingers through his hair, then curled his hands into fists at his sides. Just looking at him made my insides burn with rage. All I could think about were all the people he’d killed when he’d rampaged across the States eight years ago. All the people he’d changed into vampires and the ones that they’d killed and enslaved in turn. How he’d forced Elizabeth to cast the spell that changed him. He was a monster then, and he was a monster now.
But worse than all of that, he’d ordered his men to kidnap my sister. And I’d be damned if he didn’t pay for that.
He was alone. No one was around. All that stood between me and him was a thin wooden door. All it took was one move, one stab through the heart.
Now was my time, before Caleb returned with the girls. I could hardly believe this was happening. All I had to do was slip inside and kill him. This would all be over soon.
Valkas sat on the bed with his back to the door. He reached for an unlit candle on the nightstand and tilted it to the one that was burning.
Now! Do it now!
I didn’t second guess the little voice in my head. I pushed on the door, and it swung easily under my weight just enough for me to slip inside. I felt like a ninja as I tiptoed across the floor. My footsteps were so quiet across the carpet that Valkas didn’t notice me. He was too preoccupied lighting his candles.
My heart pummeled against my rib cage as I lifted my dagger, careful not to make a noise. I held my breath so tightly it felt like my lungs might explode. But I barely noticed, because I was on Valkas’s island, in his chateau, in his bedroom, and I was half a second away from killing him.
The world would rejoice. I didn’t even care if anyone recognized me for what I’d done. All I cared about was getting rid of the vampires once and for all.
Goodbye, filthy vamps! No one will miss you.
I thrust my blade downward.
But my hand never made it to his back. Valkas whirled around and caught my wrist without half an inch to spare. My heart leapt into my throat. He yanked on me so hard it felt like my arm was going to rip off, spun me around, and pinned me to the bed.
&
nbsp; Holy hell! Vamps were fast, but I’d never seen one move that fast! I probably had freaking whiplash from the bastard.
“Mm…” He straddled me, pressing my hips into the bed and leaning in so closely that I could smell the copper on his breath. “What’s this?”
Hell! What have I done?
My mind instantly flickered to Venn. Maybe he'd been right.
Valkas’s eyes roamed over me, and he inhaled deeply. Pleasure crossed his expression, and I thought I might throw up in his face. I tried to struggle out of his hold, but the vamp was holding on tight. He was even stronger than Ryland. He squeezed my wrist so tightly I knew it would bruise, but I didn’t drop the dagger. I only curled my fingers around it tighter.
“A shifter?” he asked with a smirk, biting his lower lip like it pleased him. “And not one of mine.”
“I’m not here to talk,” I snapped, then I threw my head forward into his nose.
The top of my head throbbed from where they’d connected, but he barely reacted apart from tightening his hold on me. I writhed beneath him, trying to find a way free. But I’d already broken my one rule about vampires. Never let them get the upper hand.
Valkas laughed, a terrible laugh that made me nauseous. “Oh, you’re a fighter, too?” he mocked.
“Go to hell.” I spit in his face.
He didn’t even bother wiping it from his eyes. Instead, he leaned down until his lips were at my ear. For a second, I thought he might bite me, which by the way was a total never gonna happen.
But he didn’t bite me. All he did was whisper in my ear. And those words were enough to make my blood run cold.
“I’m going to have fun with you.”
5
I thrust my hips upward. It bought me just enough space to turn to the side. I grabbed hold of one of the bed posts with my free hand and yanked myself across the bed. I managed to get one foot free, and I kicked it up under his chin.
He responded by tugging hard on my arm, throwing me back down on the bed. I held in my cry of pain as the muscles in my shoulder tore. I kicked my feet out again, trying to struggle free, but he knelt on top of my chest, looming over me. He pressed down so hard that I gasped for breath.