by Jess Haines
“Why didn’t you tell me you were bound?” he hissed, sounding deeply disappointed. “Damn it thrice, no wonder he gave you up without a fight.”
I couldn’t find my voice to answer him.
“I don’t know of any way but one to break his hold on you,” he whispered, that sweet, smooth voice almost as tantalizing as Max’s to my confused and way too overworked senses. “I’ll have to bind you as well. I need you to agree, Shiarra. I won’t do it against your will.”
A trickle of fear penetrated my consciousness. I blinked, rousing from the false calm he had me under. My voice came out weak and thready as panic returned. “No. I can’t.”
Distantly, as if in a dream, I heard Chaz’s voice from somewhere far away. “What the hell are you doing to her? Don’t touch her!”
“Don’t do it! Don’t listen to him, Shia!” Devon shouted. I could hear a scuffle, but Royce wouldn’t let me look away.
“Don’t be fools. Do you people want her running back to Max? I’m doing what I can to protect her from him, so save the righteous indignation for another time.”
Slender, delicate fingertips traced along my temples and jaw, keeping me focused on him throughout their little spat. Despite the thunderous, warning growl from Chaz, I couldn’t help relaxing. Royce’s voice took on a sweet, surreal quality, pleading, cajoling in a way I’d never heard, drowning out the harsh demands from Max.
“You want to stay with your friends, don’t you? Let me do this, Shiarra. Let me help you.”
Like an angel on his knees, begging to show me a slice of heaven. Royce was anything but an angel, and I had no doubt his “help” would come with a price I wouldn’t want to pay. Only the deeply ingrained terror of knowing what being bound by blood as well as contract to him meant made me hesitate. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stand up against this brand of assault much longer.
“Please, Roythe,” I pleaded with him, clinging to that little bit of sanity screaming about what a terribly bad idea it would be to agree to this. Chaz gathered up one of my limp hands in his, though I was still far too focused on Royce’s eyes to look at him. It was impossible to turn away. “I can’t. There’th got to be another way.”
“You know there are no other options here,” Royce said. “You need to choose now, between Max and your friends, people who love you. If you don’t do this, you know Max will call you back to him. Even if we manage to keep you safe for tonight, he’ll be back, and I can promise you he won’t be nearly as lenient and understanding as I am.”
Jack’s mocking voice played back in my mind. There’s a new player in the game. It’ll be down to him or Royce. Or us. I hated that the smarmy bastard was right. He’d warned me I’d get tied up with forces above and beyond my ability to cope with; I just hadn’t wanted to listen at the time.
Honestly, I might have laughed if I’d been more myself. The idea of Royce being “lenient and understanding” would’ve been hysterical under other circumstances. I tried to rationally consider what he was saying, to think it through, but it was incredibly difficult to concentrate. Would it be so bad being bound to him? Oh, yes. Yes, it would. Still, was there anything else I could do that wouldn’t result in my being summoned by Max?
I wanted to close my eyes so I wouldn’t be forced to stare up at him while I weighed my options. It was unbelievably distracting. He pressed on, not giving me the time to think it through, that impossibly alluring tone begging to allow him the chance. The serpent in the Garden of Eden had nothing on that soft, surreal voice.
“Please, Shiarra. Say it. Say yes …”
There is a point where a person can only take so much. I’d done my best to keep my head despite everything that had happened to and around me the past couple days. As much as the idea frightened me, I was lulled into passivity by whatever he was doing. The charm around my neck should have prevented any mind games of this sort, but it hadn’t been doing me much good lately.
I swallowed hard and stared up into the mesmerizing gaze that quieted Max’s siren call, silently praying I was making the right choice. My voice came out as little more than a strained whisper once I found the breath to answer.
“Yeth.”
The curve of his thin lips was more mischievous than reassuring. Terror assailed me at the thought I’d just made a horrible mistake. Chaz squeezed my hand reassuringly. It helped. He was here, he wouldn’t let Royce or anyone else hurt me. It couldn’t go that badly if he was by my side, could it?
Don’t answer that.
“Just keep your eyes on me,” Royce instructed, pulling back half a step. He lowered his head just a bit. His eyes stayed focused on mine as he withdrew one of his hands and brought his wrist up to his mouth. The few drops of crimson on his lips and trickling down his arm shattered my false calm. I jerked back from his offering, knowing Jack was right about this, too.
The guy who had his arms wrapped around me whispered in my ear, holding me tighter against a still, cold chest. Vampire. “Just relax, it’ll all be over soon.”
I wished I could believe that.
I wanted to tell Royce to stop, to wait, to give me a minute to wrap my wits around needing to swallow his blood. There wasn’t any time for it. Before I could get the words out, he was pressing his arm to my lips. The taste of that bitter, metallic liquid coated my tongue as I twisted away. Royce’s other hand tightened slightly on my jaw, holding me in place.
However, he’d kept me calm before, it wasn’t working now. I closed my burning eyes, too sick and tired for tears.
If I didn’t do this, Max could call me back to him. There was no guarantee he wouldn’t flat out kill me this time around, if for no other reason than to piss off Royce. I didn’t want to die like that. I could do this. I could drink Royce’s blood if it would keep me alive and sane, out of the hands of that psycho, Max.
It tasted awful, but I drank a few drops, feeling it burn a chill path down my throat. As soon as I swallowed, Royce pulled his arm away and the vampire who had been holding me let go.
I thought I might be too weak to stand. That I’d have hysterics, panic, or do something equally stupid. Instead, I felt … fine. The taste lingering in my mouth wasn’t anything to write home about, that’s for sure. It felt like something was tickling the back of my throat, but otherwise, I was fine. I stood where I was, probably looking sort of stupid to the others as I sought an appropriate reaction. What does Ms. Manners say you do after drinking a vampire’s blood? Thank him? Curse him? Run screaming from the room? I didn’t know, and none of those options sounded that great.
Chaz wrapped his arms around me, blocking my view of the rest of the room. I blinked woozily up at him. His features were twisted with concern and fear; I wished I knew a way to persuade him I was all right. First I’d have to figure out how to convince myself.
“Are you okay, love?”
I cleared my throat but my voice still came out hoarse and raspy. “I think I’ll be all right.”
Wonder of wonders, it didn’t hurt to speak. I touched a hand gingerly to my lip, and was surprised to feel … nothing. No pain. There was a small ragged bump like a scar, but I wasn’t lisping anymore, and the cut from Peter’s fangs had vanished. Did vampire blood do that?
“Shiarra.”
The call of my name was like the dulcet chiming of a bell, ringing out with command. I pulled away from Chaz and stared at Royce. He was watching me, his eyes narrowed to thin slivers. Had he always sounded that way, or was I hearing him differently with his blood inside me, changing me?
“Do you still hear Max’s call?”
“No.” I shook my head, but realized after only a few seconds it was a lie. He was there, whispering in my mind; it just wasn’t as strong as it had been. The instant I focused on it, the call was louder, more insistent, demanding. My eyes widened and I took a step back, putting a hand to my forehead. “Wait, why is he still there? I thought you fixed this!”
Royce sighed and advanced on me, his easy, boneless grace m
ore attractive than it had ever been. I’d once admired his walk, that predatory mien, but the draw I felt now was magnetic. Not like before. I wanted to get closer to him, to meet him halfway, but didn’t quite dare. Was I seeing Royce through rose-colored glasses now that we were bound by blood?
Hadn’t I always felt this way?
One chill finger tilted my chin up so I was once more staring into those depthless black eyes. “I have the advantage of proximity. For the moment, my tie to you is stronger than his. He won’t be able to reach you while you’re with me.”
Chaz was suddenly there, slamming Royce by the throat up against the wall and sending me stumbling back. Chaz’s eyes were positively wild as he hissed through his teeth, muscles straining as he fought the rage putting him on the verge of change.
“You lying son of a bitch! You never said any of that! You didn’t tell her she’d be bound to both of you leech fucks!”
“Chaz, no!” I cried.
Though I felt sick at Royce’s revelation and the implications of what he had done, I still had an intense desire to be near him. I didn’t want to see him dead.
Chaz’s hand spasmed around Royce’s throat until rivulets of blood trickled down his fingers. His hand shifted into claws, biting into the vampire’s skin.
Royce didn’t look fazed. He calmly met Chaz’s narrowed blue eyes as though staring at him from across the expanse of his fancy desk in his office, laying out the terms for a business contract. Not like he was being held bleeding against the wall of his corpse-ridden basement.
“Take your hands off me. You heard her; she agreed to this.”
Chaz slammed him against the wall again. The first hints of red bled into Royce’s eyes. His fingers clenched at his sides, but he didn’t fight back.
“You told her you were breaking Max’s hold on her, not leaving it there!” Chaz accused him.
“I’ll ask one more time. Take. Your. Hands. Off. Me.” Each word was enunciated slowly and clearly, making me nervous. Almost as much as the unnatural swelling of muscles under Chaz’s skin. He was going to shift, and it wouldn’t be pretty when he did.
Rather than do what Royce asked, he howled an angry challenge into his face, and I could see the upper and lower fangs sprouting in his mouth. I couldn’t remember ever seeing Chaz get this mad before, so angry he was losing control over his ability to keep his beast in check. It scared the hell out of me.
Royce’s actions scared me more. He no longer hesitated to shove Chaz away. With a thrust of that odd force, he sent Chaz flying across the room until he crashed into the opposite wall, plaster and dust raining down on impact. Chaz groaned and lay where he’d fallen, a hand slowly moving up to the back of his head where he’d struck. Even from where I stood, I could see the fresh blood on his fingertips when he pulled his hand away.
Gaping in shock, I slowly turned to look back at Royce, somehow more terrified by this show of force than by the implications of what he had done to me. Everyone else in the room had gone dead silent, holding their collective breath to see what would happen next. The vampire brushed himself off as though he were wearing a clean, tailored suit, not the ragged remains of a ripped shirt displaying more of his chest than it hid. He met my eyes once more, wordlessly extending his hand to me.
I didn’t want to go to him. I really didn’t. Right then I would’ve much preferred running screaming from the room so I could go hide under a bed somewhere.
Instead, I stiffly approached him, lightly taking his outstretched hand in my own. Once our skin made contact, more false calm stole over me, making the drama playing itself out before my eyes less frightening, less real. My tense muscles started to unknot themselves, and I found myself longing for the sound of his voice.
“Shiarra, I need you to listen closely and pay attention to what I’m about to tell you,” Royce said, waiting for my nod of acknowledgment before he continued. “When our blood works its way out of your system, you won’t be drawn to us anymore. However, you’ll find yourself craving it in the next few days. You can come to me and reinforce the addiction–and the bond–or you can ignore it and suffer withdrawal. The symptoms will be very painful, but you’ll be free of us both if you are strong enough to withstand the need for our blood. Do you understand?”
I considered it, my hazy thoughts focusing on what he said only because he’d ordered me to listen carefully. Between the unbelievably seductive draw of his voice and the faint but insistent calls from Max, I was surprised I could concentrate on anything at all. Still, he was asking for something amounting to a decision here, though I wanted to beg for him to keep this bond as strong as it was now. It felt so good, so right to hold his hand in mine, to feel his voice like a caress, teasing at my senses. I didn’t want that taken away.
“I understand,” I squeaked out, though I hoped I understood as well as he wanted me to. Maybe he hadn’t been as conniving and vicious about this as Chaz had thought.
It was so odd to feel so calm and composed with his hand in mine. There was no lingering sense of terror, no sickening feel of coming off an adrenaline rush, no wash of self-disgust at the atrocious things I’d done tonight. If staying with him meant feeling like this all the time, I’d take it, and gladly.
“Good.” He smiled at me, and even the glimpse of his fangs didn’t scare me. Instead, I felt that same, soul-warming contentment as when Max had been pleased with me. I basked in the heady glow, barely hearing his words.
“Until it wears off, you need to stay here with me.”
Chapter 35
“Get your hands off her,” came a low, angry voice from somewhere in the shadows. It sounded weak, worn, but familiar somehow. “Right now.”
Royce turned a winsome smile in the direction of the voice. “That isn’t necessary. Put down the gun, Devon.”
The hunter limped closer, looking almost as pale and drawn as one of the vampires. He had a gun leveled at Royce’s head. That was worrisome. He was a good shot. Even with me in the way, he could make it.
“Devon, don’t,” I started, moving to interpose myself between them. Royce hushed me, and I obeyed.
“I’ll let her go in a few days, as soon as the bond fades.”
“Yeah, right,” Devon sneered. “She’s so taken with you, she won’t want to say no when you offer her another drink. She’ll be safer far away from you and Max both.”
I was getting tired of people talking about me like I wasn’t there. I cut in this time, bristling at Devon’s tone. “So what if I say yes? What’s it matter to you?”
He pointed sharply toward the far wall, and guilt ate at me at the sight of Tiny helping Chaz stagger up to his feet. Blood was trickling from his scalp. With a Were’s metabolism, that must have been quite an impact for it to still be bleeding.
“That’s what matters to me. You barely even looked at him. I know how much you care about him, Were or no. You want to abandon all of your friends for that monster whose arm you’re hanging on? The same one who did that to Chaz?”
I tightened my fingers around Royce’s, and he mirrored my motions, coming to settle beside me as we stared at Devon. Though I hadn’t paid much attention to Chaz, I certainly hadn’t forgotten who hurt him–or why.
“I’m not abandoning anyone. Chaz was asking for it when he picked a fight with Royce.”
“Oh really? And how do you feel about the idea of drinking a vamp’s blood? Him drinking yours? Do you remember how you felt about those things even just a couple of hours ago?”
I frowned, thinking. The idea of either didn’t bother me nearly so much as it used to, true. Come to think of it, the idea of being bitten was intriguing now, knowing what it felt like. Royce wouldn’t be trying to scare the life out of me in the process like Peter and Max had.
That’s what clued me in to how right Devon was.
It took a monstrous effort to pull my hand out of Royce’s, to step away.
“Shiarra?” Royce’s tone was soft, concerned. My heart ached for that not
e in his voice.
“No.” I took another couple of steps away, feeling like I was tearing off something vital in the process. It was painful, which only helped strengthen my resolve. Covering my eyes with a hand, I kept backing away. “Don’t, Royce. Don’t do this right now.”
I felt the first stirrings of anger radiating off him. I shivered in reaction, fighting the urge to return to his side and apologize.
“Your hunter friend is dividing us. If you truly want to be free of us both, then I need you to realize how unwise that is. My will is all that protects you from Max’s call right now. The fact that I’m giving you a choice should tell you my intentions are pure.”
Yeah, the choice that wasn’t a choice that showed he was about as pure as the slushy snow you’ll find in the gutters at Christmas.
I hated that he could use something so little to back me into a corner, hated more that I couldn’t risk his being wrong about this. I stayed where I was, silent, trembling, and wanting more than anything to be somewhere far away from this dark, smelly basement with all of the dead bodies, regrets, and divided loyalties it held.
“Shiarra,” said Devon, his voice low and radiating fear, “please come with us. It’s daylight outside; we can go somewhere they’ll never find you until this blows over.”
I ignored him as best I could. It sounded like such a great idea, to run and hide for the time being. After feeling Max calling me to his side, I knew that would be suicide. There was no way I could take the risk.
“Royce,” I said, hating the waver in my own voice. “Can they stay here until it’s safe for me to leave again?”
“Of course.”
I don’t think anyone in the room missed the note of triumph under those smooth tones. Not even me.
Tiny helped Chaz come closer to me, and I moved to meet them halfway. I don’t think Chaz would’ve made it if he hadn’t had the big man to help support his weight. This time, it didn’t hurt to leave Royce’s side. I decided not to think too hard about what that meant. Instead, I wrapped my arms around Chaz’s waist and buried my head against his chest, trying very hard not to cry.