by Maya Daniels
“Aha, but wait until I’m done with her.” Shoving his hand in the pockets of his pants, he starts pulling out makeup. “I just need five minutes, and she will be ready.”
Rubbing my forehead, I walk up and down, unable to stand still. “This is stupid. She is human.” Jabbing a finger at the woman, I continue talking to myself. No one pays attention, all three of them watching the woman like they expect her to grow fangs out of nowhere.
When I pass by Sebastian, he grips my arm, pulling me between his parted legs. Wrapping his arms around me, surrounding me in his scent, he tucks my head under his chin. Shuddering under my palms that are pressed on his chest, he sighs.
“I don’t like this.” I hear his deep voice through his chest, snuggling closer to him. “They should not be anywhere near you.”
“I have no intention of letting them do anything. And you’ll come for me, just like I came for you.”
“I’m done,” Andrei says proudly, cutting off whatever Sebastian was going to say.
When Andrei moves away, we all gape at the woman. It’s like staring through a mirror at the past. Before I died and became who I am today. She lacks the tightness of the skin and the allure of the predator the rest of us have, but she definitely resembles me. The old April, I should say. When Andrei gathers her hair in his hands to show off his work, the realization hits me.
“You came the night Khan was in the penthouse.”
I remember this girl from the night Khan came to visit the penthouse. She wore almost no makeup, but still stood out against the group of made-up, almost naked women Andrei had called in to distract him. The one that brought that sheer dress I had to wear. It feels like a lifetime ago.
She nods grimly at me.
“Why are you doing this?” Frowning at Andrei, I can’t help but wonder. “Did you force her to agree?”
“No, he didn’t,” the woman that answers. “I agreed on my own.”
“Why?” Prodding, I have to know her reasons.
“Khan killed my sister.” Swallowing thickly, her eyes shimmer with unshed tears for a brief moment. Steel enters her gaze. “I will do anything to see them pay.”
Her words are like a dark cloud over our heads, and I hold her gaze.
“You and I”—At my words, Sebastian tightens his arms around me, grim looks covering Marcus’s and Andrei’s faces—“have a lot in common.” Reaching out, I take her hand, and her icy fingers latch onto me like a lifeline.
“He will pay. They will all pay.” It’s a promise I intend to keep.
“If this doesn’t work, I need you to hold Sebastian back.” Mumbling under my breath, I glance sideways at Marcus, crouched next to me on the broken beam of one of the walls where we’ve been sitting for over an hour.
From this height, we can see most of the destroyed lobby, plaster, brick, and broken furniture like scattered remains of a carcass covering the once beautiful oriental rugs and marble tiles. Any moment now, I’m expecting to see Sebastian show his face, doing his part. My gut tightens at the thought, but I push it away. Don’t be stupid. It’s just to trick Irina, I keep telling myself.
Marcus wraps a paw-sized hand around my arm like he is reading my mind. Not like it will do much to stop me if the haze hits, but if it makes him feel better, he can do it. I stiffen when I feel Sebastian nearing, the bond between us getting stronger and his emotions getting louder in my head. His fear for me that this will blow up in our faces is the only thing keeping me crouching, and still, when he strides into view, the woman tucked under his arm like she belongs with him.
Her acting skills are excellent, maybe even a little too perfect for my liking when she laughs at something he said, gliding her hand over his chest. Marcus tightens his hold on my arm, and to my shock, I realize I’m panting, then my fangs extend. I’m coiled up to throw myself at her and rip her apart. He shakes his head jerkily, the downturn of his lips telling me he is as unhappy about this whole thing as I am right now.
“Look what the cat dragged in.” Irina’s thick accent breaks the crazy need to kill the woman in my head. “And she is still human.” She laughs nastily. “I knew I couldn’t trust those idiots. They are good for nothing.”
“Did you come to die?” Sebastian pushes the woman behind his back, the fear on her face genuine.
“You and I will have a different conversation after I kill that bitch.” Spitting the words, Irina circles Sebastian. I creep up closer to the edge. “I will bind you to me.” Chuckling, she gloats in his face “I will do things that you cannot even imagine. I have planned it for decades.”
“You really are sick in the head if you think I’ll let you do that.” Fangs extending, Sebastian squares off with her. “I will rather chew off my own head than bond myself to you.”
“You’ll change your mind.” Irina winks at him and attacks.
The bitch is fast. A whirlwind of platinum blonde hair and her red dress swirls as she snarls, then snaps and claws at Sebastian. He, on the other hand, moves as fluid as water, gliding through the space, the muscles on his arms, legs, and back bunching with each block and hit back. Irina catches him midturn, her claws sinking in his side, opening up a gash to his naval. Marcus and I lean forward, our claws sinking in the wooden beam like through butter. The only thing holding us back is that Sebastian doesn’t seem to notice.
Grabbing Irina’s wrist, he yanks her close, plunging his own claws in her stomach, spurting blood darkening her shimmering dress. The wicked smile on his lips sends a thrill through me. Irina’s eyes widen, a cough spraying blood through her lips and splattering her porcelain skin. The woman takes her cue, inching closer to Irina, pretending she is going to use the wooden stake with runes to protect Sebastian.
Taking the bait, Irina flings herself away in the direction of our decoy, wrapping her hand in the woman’s hair. With an evil grin, she spits blood at Sebastian.
“How about I kill her now?” Jerking the woman’s head to the side, she scrapes her fangs over her bared neck. “I can suck her dry while you watch.” Her laugh is high pitched and crazed.
“Let her go.” Sebastian takes a step towards Irina.
“Move, and I’ll rip her throat.” Irina shakes the woman like a broken doll in her grip.
“Let her go, and you can leave.” Inching closer, he lifts his hands in the air, placating her.
“You think me stupid?” Her words are slurring, the blood still gushing from the hole in her stomach. “I’m taking this bitch to Khan. I’m sure he would love to reunite with her. It’s been too long, after all.” She laughs again.
Sebastian frowns, not understanding her words. But I do. I know them too well and can’t wait to stand face to face with the mighty Khan. Assuming it’s just Irina’s crazy talk, Sebastian inches closer, yet. Irina moves fast towards the opening of the wall, giving me a pause. It’s daylight outside. There is no way she can survive that even without her injury.
A shadow moves from the outside. Squinting, I try to see who it is, but they stay hidden behind the broken wall. Irina stops for a moment, glaring at Sebastian.
“In two days, come to see your precious human displayed for all to see.” Sneering, her beautiful face is an ugly mask. “The Council is having a ball in her honor, just like the old times.” With a shrill laugh, she spins around, a silver blanket getting thrown over her head, then she disappears with the woman. Before they are gone, the person helping her comes partly into view. My body stills, unable to believe I’ve missed that little clue.
“And the thread keeps unraveling,” I tell Marcus before we drop off the wooden beam.
“I told you it would work.” Andrei comes out from the partly destroyed elevator.
“I still wonder where the mage is.” Musing, Marcus inches closer to the gaping, makeshift doorway, keeping just shy of the daylight streaming through.
“Probably dead somewhere.” Waving a hand at what is left of the hotel, I pull Sebastian’s shirt up. “You’ll need to feed.” The wound is c
losing very slowly.
Hunger burns in his gaze when it flicks to my neck. “On a human”—My words are as dry as desert sand—“unless you wish to die. In which case, go right ahead.” Tilting my head to the side, I offer him my neck.
Marcus and Andrei stiffen, low growls coming from them both when Sebastian places his lips on my skin. We all stand frozen like that for a long moment before he presses a possessive searing kiss there and lifts his head up.
“I worry they will kill the human.” He puts words to the thoughts running through my head.
“No, they won’t,” Markus speaks, getting all of us to look at him in surprise.
“You know something we don’t?” I doubt Irina will be able to control herself if she thinks she has me in her clutches again.
“They think she is O negative and still human. They are greedy bastards, but none of them wish to die.” Rolling his shoulders, he turns to Sebastian. “Now what?”
“Now we get ready for a ball,” Sebastian says grimly, and I can’t help but laugh.
“Oh, come on, grandpa.” Winking, I tug him towards the common area. “It can’t be that you have forgotten how to have fun.”
“I don’t see the fun in this disaster.” He grumbles, letting me drag him further into the hotel, Marcus and Andrei falling in step with us.
“That’s where you are wrong, tesoro. Chaos is always so much fun.” My smile hurts my cheeks when Marcus and Andrei chuckle uneasily.
Sebastian
“She is hiding something.” A muscle ticks in my jaw like a heartbeat.
“Hiding what?” Marcus squares off with me, his fists clenched at his sides. It seems like Marcus and Andrei have taken it upon themselves to be April’s liaisons.
“You are pushing your luck, amico.” My voice sounds tired, even to my own ears. “I have no strength to fight with you.”
“She told you to feed,” Andrei chirps in from behind the bar.
It’s where I hide now, so I don’t go insane from April. The damn dog growling at me as soon as he sees me is not helping either. The rest of our people steer clear from both of us, sensing the tension in the air.
After she dragged me in the reception hall, April looked around as if searching for someone, power radiating from her in waves. Pushing away from me, she settled in one corner, and she’s been ignoring me since.
“I don’t know what I have done.” Centuries old and I’m lost on how to handle a woman. “Pathetic!” Exploding from the barstool, I pace the length of the bar. “She reduced me to a pathetic, lovesick fool.”
Marcus coughs, Andrei chokes, but they wisely keep their mouths shut. Anger bubbles up like lava in my gut. My claws sharpen, digging into the skin of my palms while I clench my fists.
“You want some whiskey?” Andrei waves the bottle at me.
“No.” Continuing my pacing, my nostrils flare with each harsh exhale. “What I want is to know what’s in her head. She found a way to block the bond. She is planning something. I know it.” An idea struck me. “Can you two feel her through the bond you have with me?”
“They can’t.” April is leaning on the doorframe with her arms crossed over her chest.
Drinking in the sight of her, my gaze scans her from head to toe. Her dark hair cascades over her shoulders, grazing the top of her breasts. Rounded hips and beautifully shaped legs are wrapped in thigh jeans that she must’ve found somewhere in the hotel. My cock hardens, pressing on the pants I took from Marcus. I still haven’t washed or found something suitable to wear.
I’m a mess.
“You need to feed.” That’s all she ever says to me now.
“What I need is to know what is going through that head of yours.” Taking a step towards her, I halt when her eyes sharpen.
“I took too much blood from you.” Holding me captive in her dark gaze, she presses on. “Aren’t you wondering why you are losing the hold on your control, and why you’re so irritated?” Stepping inside, she lets the door close shut behind her. “In a few hours, we will need to be in full control of ourselves. Especially you, if you want to be done with those old fools once and for all.”
And that’s the problem right there. I don’t want to feed from anyone else. My eyes flick to her neck with a mind of their own, and I clench one fist. Showing weakness is not something I do. Well, not something I’ve done, until she came running headfirst into my life. I was looking for her, but it was April that found me.
Pushing at the new bond between us, frustration eats me inside when I hit the impenetrable wall she placed between us.
“You know that’s not possible right now.” Her gaze softens for a moment before she catches herself. “Not yet.”
“I can find someone that will be happy to bleed for you.” Determined, Marcus moves to leave. “I’ll be right back.”
“Not Sara.” April’s words freeze us all where we stand. So softly spoken, but such a strong command, we all feel it like a punch to the chest.
With a nod, Marcus disappears through the door, leaving the three of us standing in the silence. I fight the smirk that wants to lift my lips, barely managing to keep my face impassive. It warms my dark soul that she shows jealousy. However, I doubt that what I find endearing will be welcomed as teasing at the moment. Even with her calm demeanor, April seems tense and coiled up. What I wouldn’t give to be inside her head. She is plotting something. I know it.
“We will need to split up tonight.” Her comment yanks me out of the warmth I was basking in just a second ago.
“Absolutely, not!” Slicing my hand through the air, I ignore the pained groan coming from Andrei.
She has both him and Marcus wrapped around her little finger.
“If you walk in there with me by your side, apart from giving up our surprise, we will get the woman killed,” April says pointedly, as if I should care about the human.
I don’t.
“The woman”—Which none of us asked her for a name, and I’m glad—“agreed to this of her own free will. No one forced her.” Ignoring April’s glare, I keep making my point. “She knew it was dangerous, and that it would be at the cost of her life. That is the least of our worries.” A shiver runs down my body when April’s eyes flesh a golden color. “If we don’t succeed, all of us might join her.”
“Let me make one thing clear, Sebastian.” April’s voice is soft and sweet like a slow killing poison. “If that woman, risking her life to save mine, dies tonight”—Coming to stand in front of me, she cups my face, and I nuzzle her palm, unable to stop myself—“Everyone in that room will join her, including all of you. This, I promise you, tesoro.” She pulls away after placing a soft kiss to my lips, leaving me bare without her touch.
My heart thumps hard once right against my ribs as I watch her turn her back on me and walk away. I’m eternally grateful her words keep Andrei in muted silence so I don’t turn on my old friend like a wild beast. Fear for her life—for the lives of many others depending on me—mixes with the anger at those dishonorable murderers calling themselves gods, pulsing like a living thing inside me.
April walks past Marcus, who has returned in time to hear her parting words. He stands a few feet inside the bar, holding a tall glass of thick, warm blood while staring at her wide-eyed. She reaches her hand out, patting him gently on his chest twice, then she is gone, leaving the tension-compressed air choking us all.
“She spoke the truth.” Shocked at how calmly she threatened our lives, threatened my life, after she bonded me to her, makes me speak out loud.
“April doesn’t even know the woman.” Andrei frowns, confusion and hurt clouding his face.
“I think both of you are idiots.” At my scowl, he lifts an eyebrow. “With all due respect, Sire”—Snapping, he comes to hand me the glass—“it’s like both of you haven’t paid attention to her at all. Don’t you know April by now?”
“What’s that supposed to mean? And tread very carefully now, my friend. I’m not in my right mind.” Snatch
ing the blood, I gulp it down, twisting my mouth in distaste. “It tastes like shit from a glass.”
Marcus simply stares at me. Pressing my forefinger and thumb at the bridge of my nose in hope to relieve the pressure behind my eyes, I sigh heavily. The glass thumps on the wooden bar where I place it, my fingers sinking in my hair when I sit tiredly on the bar stool.
“Speak.” With my head in my hands, my fingers yanking on my hair, I keep my eyes closed. “As I said before, when it comes to her, I feel less than human.”
“That’s one problem, right there.” It’s a good thing I can’t see Marcus through my closed eyelids because I have a suspicion he is looking down his nose at me, and I’ll rip his head out if that’s the case. “You keep saying human like it’s a vile thing or a vermin, not understanding that regardless of her being reborn and now remembering everything, she still sees herself as one of them.”
My head jerks up, and I stare at him in utter shock. Andrei, who was apparently lifting his drink to his lips, drops his hand with a heavy clink, almost breaking the glass and sloshing whiskey everywhere. The smell of alcohol permeates the air around us. Apart from the knowing glint in his eyes, there is no smugness on Marcus’s face.
“She pushed her fear and hatred of our kind to come and save you from the Council because you are the only one who kept your promise to her.” His jaw clenches for a long moment before he unlocks it to keep talking. “No matter how deceptive and selfish your promise was—our promise was—what mattered to her was that you kept your word. She looked up to that. To you. She died and was reborn to return it in kind. Even to monsters that have hunted her almost her entire life.”
I feel like my gut is full of lead. Sinking to my feet, Andrei’s gulp is too loud in my ears. Numbness overtakes my irritation, leaving me watching my oldest friend in disbelief. Was I so wrapped up in myself, in the plans I had made, to have missed everything that’s right in front of my face? But Marcus is not done, he keeps talking, adding nails to my still-dead heart.