Beloved Rebel: A Dark Paranormal Reverse Harem Romance (The Accursed Saga Book 2)

by Eva Brandt

  Lucienne grumbled but didn’t acknowledge the logical nature of the argument. At this point, she probably didn’t feel inclined to give the Alarians credit for anything, even if they had reasons for a lot of their actions. “Anyway,” she said, “I thought I heard you talking to someone before I arrived. Everything okay?”

  “Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” I answered, hating the lie even as it left my lips. “I wasn’t talking to anyone. Just thinking out loud, trying to figure out where we stand.”

  Lucienne easily accepted my explanation, which made me feel even worse about the deception. She wrapped her arms around her legs and supported her chin on her knees. “And what did you conclude?”

  “That we’re in a lot of trouble,” I answered. That much, I could admit. I couldn’t say much else, and not just because Alois had told me not to. Without him here, the guards might be less inclined to grant me privacy. They had been running around in apparent agitation for the past half hour, give or take, and Alois had confirmed that he’d created a distraction that would allow us to speak without risking being overheard. I would not be so fortunate in my conversation with Lucienne.

  “I’m confident that we can still make King Sterling and Cardinal Vaughn listen to reason,” I added. “We haven’t actually done anything wrong. Prince Darius’s situation is an accident, and I was trying to help him and you. It would be ridiculous for us to receive the capital punishment for something like that.”

  It really wasn’t, not according to Alarian law, but Lucienne already knew that. I was trying to convey another message, and judging by the sharp glint in Lucienne’s eyes, she must have received it.

  “I think so too. We can’t lose hope. And I...” She hesitated, and in a lower voice, added, “I believe in Declan. I believe he can make his way back to us.”

  The words came out a little uncertain, but they came out. She was trying to tell me something too. Had she found out something about Declan since my conversation with Bjorn? It almost seemed too good to be true.

  “Do you really think that, Lucienne?” I asked softly. “It’s just so unlikely. Nobody who’s ever been taken captive by Mathias Vandale has ever returned alive.”

  I hated uttering my own doubts out loud. It felt like admitting defeat, like giving up on Declan, even if that was the last thing I wanted to do. Lucienne almost seemed to be able to read my mind. “I know what you mean,” she replied, her eyes glowing with determination, “but I won’t give up. Not ever. If there’s even the slightest chance that we can fix this, that we can truly have something not plagued by that idiotic curse, I will take it.”

  There was something sharp and dangerous in those words, something that went far beyond the hope she might have put into Bjorn’s plan. I didn’t understand it, and perhaps my confusion showed. Lucienne smiled sheepishly and said, “Sorry. I’m getting ahead of myself a little. It’s been tough. But never mind that. I’m not just here to complain about things you already know.”

  She leaned in a little closer and bit her lower lip. The act didn’t convey any of the hesitation she’d earlier displayed. It was purposeful and fierce, and I knew what she intended the moment the scent of her blood hit my nostrils. “We don’t have the time or privacy for me to give you too much, but if you want...”

  She didn’t actually elaborate on the meaning of her offer, but she didn’t need to. Even if I was still trapped in my chains, I reached for her and crushed our mouths together.

  The taste of her life essence exploded on my tongue, making my head spin with lust and desperation. Everything I had ever known faded into a fog of sweet crimson and my fangs dropped, digging deeper into her flesh, making the already existing wound bigger.

  If Lucienne was in pain, she didn’t show it. Instead, she wrapped her arms around my neck, moaning softly as I ravaged her mouth. She crawled into my lap, pressing her full breasts against my chest and grinding against my erect dick. The flavor of her arousal flowed freely into my bloodstream, stirring the predator hidden inside me into a frenzy.

  I had known that feeding on Lucienne would be intense. The one kiss I’d shared with Declan after he had made out with her had been more than enough to point that out. Even so, I had not been prepared for something like this. I wanted her as a beast and as a man. I craved her at every possible level. I ached to taste her blood and her pleasure, to bury my cock inside her body and drain her of everything that wasn’t me. And even if I knew it was stupid and dangerous to take those things, to take what I wanted, I couldn’t help myself.

  Our blood-flavored kiss might have been addictive and delicious, but it was not enough to satisfy my thirst. I ripped my mouth away from hers and pressed feverish kisses to her neck, reveling in the sound of her escalating cries. “Mal, Mal...”

  The only person who had ever called me by the shortened version of my name was Declan. My vampire family had been much too formal. That was why they had straddled me with a name like Malachai, to begin with. On Lucienne’s lips, that one syllable sounded more beautiful and alluring than the call of any siren.

  On some level, I realized it was a bad idea to take this further, but my body still moved without much input from my brain. Snarling, I reached for her blouse and ripped it open. Her bra was in the way too, so I easily got rid of it with my claws. Lucienne jerked in surprise but didn’t pull away. When I cupped her now exposed breasts in my palms, she let out another beautifully seductive moan that made my cock strain in the confines of my pants.

  With clawed fingers, I massaged her right nipple, and she arched against me, a vision of unleashed passion and vibrant life. I wished I’d had more patience to truly worship her body with my own, to fulfill each and every one of her fantasies. But the sound of her pulse thundered in my ears, even more hypnotizing than her voice, and her jugular was so very close to my mouth.

  “G-Go ahead,” Lucienne stammered. “Take what you need.”

  What little control I had left shattered at her shaky, but determined words. I could not have denied her if I’d tried. Without a single moment of hesitation, I buried my fangs in her throat and drank.

  The few drops of blood I’d tasted earlier in our kiss had been heaven. This went far beyond that. It was heaven and hell wrapped into one, a blessing and a curse I never wanted to break. The magic in her blood clawed into me like a beast, with the same savagery I myself had displayed when I’d torn her clothes off.

  I could do nothing but succumb to my basest impulses, and she could do nothing but hold onto me, urging me on. And as I fed on my soulmate’s blood, a sinful thought crossed my mind.

  At that moment, I could truly understand why scavengers consumed their soulmates. I could understand what had led them to turn into predators who exploited the curse that should have damned them. It wasn’t just the power, although that was definitely a bonus. The rush that went through me when I tasted her made me feel like I could take on the world and win.

  I was no longer just an Accursed, just another vampire. I was no longer trapped, chained by my own power and the beast living inside me. I was free. I was a god.

  I was Lucienne’s soulmate. She belonged to me and I could have her in any way I pleased.

  As that thought crossed my mind, several things happened at the same time. Lucienne arched against me and cried out in pleasure. The taste of her blood grew sharper and sweeter. My cell door burst open, and one of my guards burst in. He was a younger paladin, Valerian Christensen’s younger brother, Harlan.

  I released my hold on Lucienne’s neck, but it was too late. Harlan had already seen what I had done and reached for his sword. “Malachai Braun, you are not—”

  “Leave him alone!” Lucienne cut him off. Her magic surged in response to her anger, slashing through the air like a whip. Harlan’s body went taut and his eyes glazed over. Without a word, he sheathed his sword, turned on his heel, and left the cell.

  It was only when the door closed behind Harlan that both Lucienne and I dared to move. Lucienne spoke first. “H
uh. I didn’t know I could do that.”

  “It was probably an instinctive reaction to a moment of stress,” I replied. “You shouldn’t try to do it on a regular basis. It could be dangerous.”

  “Bjorn made that clear, thanks,” Lucienne drawled. “I have no intention of mimicking professionals in brainwashing.”

  “Good call,” I said. My mind was still fuzzy and my body buzzing. Distantly, I wondered if there was any chance we could get back to our previous activities. It seemed unlikely. And we’d been having so much fun too. What a waste.

  Then again, perhaps I could still convince her to continue? I could have done so much more. I had yet to fuck her and that was a mistake that needed to be remedied at once. Once I buried my cock inside her, I could feed on her again, drink her blood, have her at my mercy and make sure she never escaped.

  As that thought fully registered, my head finally cleared, and I recoiled in horror as I remembered my actions. I started to shake in panic and disgust. “Oh, gods. Oh, dear gods. What have I done?”

  Lucienne shot me a concerned look. “Malachai? Are you all right?”

  Was she serious? Was she really asking me that after what had just happened? I had actually empathized with the scavengers. I’d thought that everything she was—her life, her body, and her power—belonged to me. Not ten seconds back, I’d thought that I could make her my captive.

  Fuck. No wonder the Alarians prohibited feeding if this was the effect it had.

  “Lucienne, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have... Fuck, I’m so sorry.”

  There were no words I could say to make up for my mistake. It didn’t help that Lucienne didn’t seem to understand why I was apologizing. “Sorry? Sorry about what?”

  I had trouble facing her properly, but I did manage to vaguely gesture to her torn top and still bleeding neck. “Mauling you, obviously.”

  Lucienne snorted. “You know, I’m beginning to realize that everything about the Alarian way of life is different from what I knew, including their version of the English dictionary.” She flicked my nose like I was a disobedient puppy. “If you start beating yourself up over this, I will not be happy. We have plenty of stuff to be upset about without feeling guilty over bullshit.”

  She might have said that, but I couldn’t forget the thoughts that had earlier gone through my head. She had trusted me, and I’d almost ripped her throat out in my thirst and desperation. She still trusted me, when I was dangerous and had been actively making plans to harm her.

  “But Lucienne,” I started to protest, “you have to know that I—”

  “Stop,” she interrupted me. “I mean it. I’m not lying to myself, Malachai. I know this is dangerous. I’m not getting myself into anything I’m not ready for. But I think you should give yourself a little more credit. At the end of the day, no matter how much that beast inside you likes the taste of my blood, I think it must realize that killing me would be counterproductive. It’s better to have a long-term supply of food, than just a tiny snack, am I right?”

  I stared at her in a mix of grief and horror. “You’re not food to me, Lucienne. Surely, you must know that.” Damn Pierce Garnier for making her want to accept such a thing.

  Lucienne shrugged. “I think we shouldn’t get too stuck on labels. I can be whatever I need to be, as long as we fix this, as long as we all survive, as long as we keep fighting.” She smiled, and her eyes glowed with such conviction their light scorched my very soul. “Can you do that too, Mal? Can you keep fighting?”

  “Of course,” I replied, feeling a little numb. “You don’t even have to ask.”

  “Good. Because I suspect that soon, we’ll have a difficult fight on our hands.” She cupped my cheek and pressed our foreheads together. “I don’t know what this is, Malachai. I won’t claim to understand what is going on. On some level, I’m still only a human. But I won’t let any of you die. I promise you that.”

  I thought about Alois, about the strange secret he had mentioned, and the comment he’d made about me being somebody else in a past life. I wondered who Lucienne had been then, if we had known one another, if we had fought side by side.

  I felt like I was failing her simply because I was allowing her to touch me. Had I failed her before? That was a distinct possibility, considering my track record in this life.

  Still, it was too late to back down, and she needed me to get a grip and not freak out over my loss of control. “I believe in you, Lucienne,” I said. “I believe in us.”

  That much was, at least, true. I didn’t believe in myself, not anymore, but she was an entirely different matter. From the moment I’d seen her heal Declan, back at the club, she had been special to me, but with every second that passed, she became more so.

  Having a soulmate was no guarantee that we’d actually fall in love with that person. Scavengers were the most eloquent proof of that. It was naive to think that the relationship between us was based on love. But what was love, really, except a combination of chemicals that affected your brain in the right way? It wasn’t very different from a sickness, and I could work with that.

  I knew now that the curse would affect me and not Lucienne. If my guess was correct, the curse on me might manifest in me losing complete control over the beast inside me. Even so, I couldn’t deny her. I had to cling to my sanity and my feelings for her with all my might. I had to be stronger. For Lucienne’s sake, I needed to fight the curse.

  She had made a promise to me, so I made one to her. “I won’t give up either. I’ll fight to the very end. I won’t fail you.”

  “I know you won’t,” Lucienne murmured. She tilted her head again in invitation and tentatively guided my mouth to her throat. “I’ll never fear you. I have faith in you.”

  After what had happened earlier, I should have refused her offer. I should have held back. I didn’t. Instead, I buried my fangs in her flesh once more and continued to drink.

  I could do this. I could withstand the avalanche of power and emotions that came with feeding on Lucienne. And if there ever came a time when it became obvious that I was too dangerous to be around her, I would remove myself. There was just no other way.

  Eight

  The Trial Begins

  Lucienne

  It was finally here. The day of the trial had arrived, and I was more nervous than I ever remembered being. You’d think that after facing off against crazed, cannibalistic murderers on more than one occasion, I’d have managed to gain at least some degree of immunity to panic-inducing events, but apparently not.

  “Calm down,” Bjorn said as he watched me pace through my quarters. “You’ve faced them before, remember? You can handle this.”

  “At the time, I was more or less going with the flow, and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. This is different.” Also, I’d had the voice to guide me, but the more I thought about it, the more fearful I became. It had yet to return, and I still did not understand why.

  “It’s only your perspective that’s changed,” Bjorn reasoned, pressing his hand to my shoulder. “We have a plan. This will work. Breathe and stay strong.”

  Right. I just needed to focus on the plan and stop freaking out. I could do this. No, I needed to do this.

  Today was the day when we’d finally get our answers, when we’d learn if we had no choice but to turn to Mathias Vandale. In my heart, I already knew what the outcome would be, but I needed to see it and hear it for myself before I could make a final decision.

  Bjorn’s fears had been proven correct, and we’d been unable to see Darius unsupervised since that strange incident from the day we’d first made our pact. Security in the Palasion had tightened, and while I’d visited the healing wing, there had always been someone around, watching. I had kept my distance, wary of both the curse and the paladins.

  With Malachai, it had been similar. I’d noticed no side-effects after my accidental mind-control of the guard who’d run into Malachai feeding on me, but there hadn’t been any more chances for us
to speak without being overheard. Even with Cardinal Vaughn running interference for us, it had been impossible for us to discuss any of our plans further. I’d also been unable to feed Malachai again, which was not ideal. Judging by what I’d read in Clara’s letter, the process would have weakened me and strengthened him, which should have kept him safe from the curse. It was frustrating to not be able to take advantage of the information.

  The only benefit of this mess was that Bjorn had managed to visit me a little more without it looking suspicious. But we still had to be careful, and I couldn’t for the life of me shake the feeling that all these precautions might just spell trouble for us. “I can’t help but think something will go wrong.”

  Bjorn arched a dark brow at me. “Malachai, Darius and I are Accursed. Of course something will go wrong. But we’re as prepared as we can be, and we do have our backup plan. Even if the king does sentence Darius and Malachai to death, it won’t be immediate. We’ll be able to intervene. We’re not alone.”

  The sheer concept that we were relying on Mathias Vandale to save our asses was enough to make me break out in cold sweat. Since I didn’t want to succumb to panic all over again, I picked frustration and anger. “You do realize that he might have actually changed his mind since I spoke with him, right? Besides, we have no way of knowing if he meant his words.”

  It was stupid to say that, especially to Bjorn, who didn’t trust Vandale at all. If he was willing to even consider Vandale as a backup plan, it was because of me.

  As such, I was not surprised when Bjorn said, “You’re the one who insisted it’s worth a shot. Don’t change your mind now.”

  “I haven’t,” I replied, flinching. “I’m sorry. I just... This is such a mess.”

  Bjorn didn’t make me any further promises or reassurances that would’ve meant nothing. “Well, then, the only way to fix that mess is to face it,” he offered instead. “I think we’re both agreed on that part. Isn’t that true?”