20 Shades of Shifters_A Paranormal Romance Collection

by Demelza Carlton

  “You would really kill me to stop my brother from getting hurt?” Kevin demanded, looking hurt. “I thought you cared. I know you kissed me. Oh, didn’t she tell you that, little brother? She kissed me too.”

  “If you try to move me, I won’t be killing you for Fallon,” Briony said. “I will be killing you because you will have become nothing more than a monster. If you can’t control yourself that much, how could anyone be safe?”

  Kevin fell silent at that, and so did Fallon, but it was a tense silence. They weren’t trying to attack each other anymore, but that was simply because Briony was in the way. She knew just from looking at them that the moment she stepped back, one of them would attack the other. She simply didn’t know what to do.

  The faint sound of applause came to her, and Briony looked around. There were shapes in the trees, and more out across the meadow. At least a dozen of them. Probably more. What were they? Werewolves, vampires? It was too much to ask that they might be human. Far too much.

  They started to step out from the shadows, one by one, taking their time. They clearly knew that there wasn’t anywhere to run, and they were enjoying it. They were pale, and glorious, dressed in everything from clothes from the nineteenth century to the latest fashions, their eyes glowing red in the half-light. Many of them were Briony’s age, while others looked a little older, in their twenties and thirties. Not one of them was anything less than beautiful. Vampires.

  The applause continued, just slow enough to be sarcastic, but not coming from any of the vampires who had stepped forward so far. Those glanced nervously between Briony and a point she couldn’t see in the trees. Whatever was going on then, it concerned her.

  Finally, the sound gave way to that of a throaty chuckle. It wasn’t a maniacal laugh, or a deranged titter, or any of the other out of control expressions of mirth Briony might have associated with villainy, but somehow, that amused little sound managed to convey a sense of evil in a way Briony wouldn’t have thought possible. She really didn’t want to meet that laugh’s owner, which was a pity, because Briony suspected that in a moment or two, she was going to.

  “Pietre,” Fallon whispered, and Briony could hear the fear there.

  At first glance, the man who stepped from the trees did not seem like he should have inspired such emotion. He was as good-looking as any of his flock, though perhaps a little older when he was transformed, looking forty when none of those around him got close to it. He was dressed in modern clothes, an expensive looking suit in dark gray that went well with his nicely-groomed pale blond hair. His shoes looked better suited to a sidewalk than to trampling through woodland. He looked, to Briony, like a fairly successful businessman or at least an older elegant European male model that just happened to have wandered into the middle of a group of vampires.

  She went on thinking that right up to the point where he looked at her directly. Power rolled over her then. Power, and age, and the sense of something darker behind it. The sense of a life, not just infinitely prolonged, but utterly given over to evil. Briony could almost taste it, dull and metallic on her tongue. In that moment, she found herself in no doubt that this was the vampires’ leader, the master.

  “Well.” His voice held just the faintest trace of an accent. Was it from some far off place, or just some far off time? “Finally, I get to meet you in the flesh. Sophie’s young replacement. It is an honor, of course.”

  The mocking little smile that went with that told the truth about what he was feeling. Briony made sure that she kept the cross between them. It probably said a lot about how terrifying the new arrival was that even Fallon and Kevin had given up trying to kill one another for the time being, standing near one another, their eyes darting to the surrounding danger.

  “I am Pietre,” the master vampire said. “Could I persuade you to put that trinket down, Briony?”

  He knew her name. Briony cursed herself for her stupidity. There were vampires in her school. Of course he knew her name. “No.”

  “Ah, of course. You think it will protect you. I will have to change your mind on that. But first…”

  He moved as quickly as any vampire Briony had seen, stepping past her to Fallon and Kevin. In a second, he had a hand around each of their throats, and had lifted them clear off the ground. Kevin made a strangled sound.

  “Strictly speaking,” Pietre said, “Fallon here does not need to breathe. It is a habit. An affectation. One I gave up on long ago. On the other hand, a snapped neck will kill him as surely as any other vampire.”

  “What do you want?” Briony demanded, still keeping her cross up.

  The vampire ignored her. “Heart and neck. I always tell them, guard your heart and neck, but do they listen? His heart… well, I think you have that, and now, thanks to Fallon’s efforts against his brethren, I will have his neck. As for the wolf, it’s always nice to deal with vermin.”

  Briony saw his grip start to tighten. She had to think of something. “Wait,” she tried. “Let them go and I’ll… I’ll let you do whatever you want with me.”

  That got another of those laughs. Briony hated him for that. Hated that anyone could behave like this and find it amusing.

  “Oh, dear Briony. How very self-sacrificing. Haven’t you worked it out yet? You are surrounded. Very soon, you will be captured. And then I get to do whatever I want with you anyway. At some considerable length. That these two will die is just a bonus.”

  That made Briony shudder. She did not want to think about what the vampire had in store for her. About what a mind like that might decide to do when it had her helpless. But she couldn’t exactly fight her way free. Yes, she had her cross, but what happened when vampires rushed her from all sides? Besides, by that point, Fallon and Kevin would be dead. Briony wasn’t sure that she could live with that. Yet what else could she do?

  Slowly, Briony looked down at the cross. At its sharpened blade. She thought back to the way Pietre had looked at her as he entered the clearing. To the looks from the vampires. They wanted her for something. They needed her. Silently hoping that she was right, Briony lifted the blade to her own throat.

  “Stop!” she ordered. “Stop, or whatever you want me for, you won’t get the chance.”

  “You wouldn’t dare,” Pietre countered.

  “Wouldn’t I? You really think that death isn’t better than what you have in store? You think I’ll take that chance with Fallon and Kevin dead?”

  Pietre appeared to consider it. “Put the knife down, you foolish girl.”

  “No. Not until you give me your word that you won’t kill them.”

  “And then?”

  Briony swallowed. It had to be this way. It had to. “And then I will come with you willingly.”

  The master vampire nodded, throwing the two boys down in a gasping heap.

  “There.”

  Briony considered running for it then, but her chances of escape weren’t any better than last time. Besides, what would stop Pietre from killing Fallon and Kevin then? She squeezed her eyes shut and dropped the blade. Hands were on her instantly, grasping her arms, caressing her cheek. The voices of other vampires came to her then, whispering close.

  “Open your eyes, little human. Open your eyes, Briony. It will be so much better. Open your eyes.”

  Pietre's voice cut through it. “Open your eyes, or I will change my mind, girl. I have my prize, after all.”

  Briony winced at that. She knew then that this was going to be worse than she could possibly have imagined. She opened her eyes, staring up into those of another of the vampires. Such beautiful eyes. Such beautiful…

  Darkness claimed her.

  Chapter 20

  Briony came to sitting on a chair. It was a straight-backed wooden chair that was as far from comfortable as could be, particularly in comparison to the armchairs that filled the rest of the room. Those had a slightly frayed look, as though their glory days were long behind them, but at least they went with the rest of the décor in that respect.
The whole place had a look of slightly tattered opulence, as though it had been a mansion at one point, but nobody had bothered with repairs for a few years.

  Her lack of comfort was at least partly down to the fact that she was tied to the chair. Securely too, because straining against whatever ropes held her didn’t result in any give. Another part of it had to do with the view. From where she sat, Briony could see out through the door to the room, across a corridor, and into the opposite room. That was bare, except for two solid looking chairs similar to hers. They held Fallon and Kevin, both tied, both bruised, and both currently unconscious. What did it take to knock a vampire and a werewolf out? Briony hoped that she would never find out.

  As she watched, Pietre stepped out of that room and shut the door behind him. He was down to his shirtsleeves now, and there was blood on those. He stepped across to Briony in an unhurried fashion.

  “And so you wake.” He picked one of the armchairs and sat down. It was to Briony’s side, so that she had to strain in her seat to see him. She knew without asking that it was deliberate.

  “So what? Are you going to torture me now? And I thought Kevin and Fallon weren’t going to be harmed.”

  “I said not killed,” Pietre retorted. “I never said anything about leaving them alone. As for you, I am more inclined to talk right now. Harming you could cause problems. Unless you would rather I bit you?”

  “Never.”

  “Really? Some people rather enjoy it. Some people practically beg for it. Feeders…for instance.”

  “Well, I’m not one of them,” Briony snapped. “And I can’t believe that anyone would willingly give themselves to you.”

  The master vampire stepped out of sight behind her, and for a moment, Briony suspected that she had made a serious mistake. Helpless as she was, could she really afford to anger someone that powerful? Would the next thing she felt, the last thing she felt, be his fangs at her throat? Or worse, would that only be the start? What had Aunt Sophie said back at the Inn? That it would take more than one bite to drain someone completely? Just the thought of it made Briony shiver.

  “Hmm…” Pietre was right next to her. “So much fear. And yet… what if it were young Fallon offering to taste you? Would it be so terrifying? Or would there be a part of you that wanted it?”

  Briony shook her head, not daring to speak.

  “You know,” the master vampire said, “I think you actually believe that. Suffice it to say that there are others who are more honest about their desires. There are those who will do almost anything for us.”

  “You really expect me to believe that there are humans out there who sympathize with you?” Briony asked.

  “I do. You would know it, if you only stopped to think. People think we are exciting. That we are beautiful. And so they help us. Either they do it for the pleasure, or from love of what we are, or the promise of what we can give them. Take this house. I would never have found it without the aid of a human or two. Though they didn’t exactly get the reward they were looking for.”

  That made Briony look around the room again. Had this been someone’s home? Had they invited the vampires into it, seduced by the promise of eternal youth, or by simpler things like money or pleasure? From the sounds of it, whatever they had wanted, they had found death instead. Briony couldn’t help feeling sorry for them, whoever they were.

  “Where are we, anyway?”

  “Plotting your escape already?” Pietre asked. His hands moved to rest lightly on Briony’s shoulders. “Perhaps you would like a map, a knife, and a running start?”

  Briony forced herself to stay calm. “It might be an idea.”

  “Oh, I think I am going to like having you as my guest,” the master vampire said. “As for where we are, let us simply say that you are deep enough in the woods that your screams will not be heard, and far enough from help that we could hunt you down before you got to it, were you to attempt an escape.”

  Briony could believe that. There were no sounds of traffic nearby, not even in the distance. Wherever they were, she was a long way from help.

  “Nothing to say?” Pietre asked. “Or are you simply trying to be brave like your great aunt?”

  “Leave Aunt Sophie out of this.”

  Pietre moved back round into view, crouching before Briony. “Why should I? Tell me, is she still as sympathetic to my kind as she used to be? I know she kills mostly werewolves.”

  Briony couldn’t help laughing then. Just the thought that Aunt Sophie would ever sympathize with creatures like this was ludicrous. She laughed, and laughed, right up to the point where Pietre's fingers tightened around her throat.

  “You do not like the thought? I assure you that it is true. I know from personal experience. Why, when we were both much younger, Sophie sympathized with me very much. Very much.”

  He let go of Briony then, and she gasped for breath. No, she wouldn’t believe it. Aunt Sophie would never have… not with a monster like this.

  “You can’t bring yourself to believe it, can you?” Pietre said it gently, as though he hadn’t just been choking her. “I understand, I really do. Yet my Sophie was very much in love with me, and I with her, truth be told. At least up until the day when she tried to drive a stake into me. Apparently, forever didn’t appeal to her. Perhaps it will now.”

  Briony looked at him, so earnest as he crouched there, so deadly and so evil. She couldn’t really imagine Aunt Sophie ever falling in love with something like this, though it certainly fit with some of the things she had said. Briony could certainly imagine her trying to kill him, though. Another thought came to her.

  “Kidnapping me is just about Aunt Sophie, isn’t it?”

  “Kidnapping you?” Pietre laughed that nasty little laugh of his. “Oh, I have done far more than that to get her attention. Picking off her family, harrying the town. This is just the last act. Maybe finally, dear Sophie will come to me as she was always meant to. Begging. Of course, after her little rejection of me I vowed to kill her, so it won’t make a great deal of difference, but she will come to me.”

  This was all down to that one moment? All of it? Her family’s deaths? The attacks? All the misery that had seemed to surround Briony like a cloud? It had all been focused on Aunt Sophie? There seemed to be only one thing to say to that.

  “You do realize that this makes you look like a total stalker, don’t you? I mean, okay, it wasn’t exactly a great break up, but don’t you think all this is a bit… obsessive?”

  That was the wrong thing to say, it seemed. With the sound of splintering wood, Briony found herself hauled from the chair and dragged, literally dragged, across the hall to the room where Fallon and Kevin were being held. They were awake by now, but still tied and gagged. Pietre tossed her to her knees before them.

  “You think this is some joke? We will see how funny you find it, human. Now, you are going to help me to bring your great aunt here, doing whatever it takes to bring her to me.”

  Briony shook her head. “I will not. There’s nothing that you can do that will make me betray her like that.”

  Pietre smiled, or at least, he peeled his lips back to reveal his fangs. “I was hoping you would say that. It occurs to me that, with two prisoners here, I have one more than I really need to keep you obedient.”

  It took a moment for the threat to sink in. Briony looked up at him, horrified. “No, you wouldn’t-”

  “Of course I would.” The master vampire seemed to be enjoying it. “I would even enjoy it. And it would simplify things for you, of course.” He moved to kneel beside her, wrapping an arm around Briony’s waist and whispering in her ear. “Poor little thing, with two handsome brothers wanting her. Such a difficult choice to make. My heart goes out to you. Now, which one should I kill, Briony? Choose.”

  “No, please,” Briony began. Pietre put a finger on her lips.

  “Too late for that. It is time to choose now. No? Then I will. The werewolf first, I think.”

  He rose, sta
nding behind Kevin and bunching his hand into the werewolf’s hair to yank his throat into a taut line. His fangs came down, and Kevin gasped in pain. Even Fallon struggled against his bonds, trying desperately to get to his brother. The worst part, the very worst, was that Pietre kept his gaze on Briony the whole time that he was drinking.

  “Please,” Briony begged. She could feel the tears starting to fall. “I will do anything you want. Anything.”

  Pietre pulled away from Kevin, letting the young man fall limp in his chair. Briony could see the rise and fall of his chest. He was still breathing. That was something, at least. Pietre pulled her to her feet, forcing Briony from the room and slamming the door behind them. The last view Briony had was of Fallon looking forlornly over at his brother.

  “You know,” Pietre said, guiding Briony to one of the armchairs in the other room, “you are a very lucky young woman.”

  “Lucky. Right.”

  Pietre's eyes narrowed. “Lucky indeed. After all, it would be so easy to drink your blood instead of just your boyfriends’. To teach you obedience. But you are lucky enough that your family has become popular in my nest here, and news that you have been hurt would not go down well.”

  As shocked as she was by everything else, it took a moment for that to get through to Briony. “My family?”

  Pietre smirked. “Oh, you didn’t know? Vampires one and all now. I think that will hurt Sophie more than almost anything. Perhaps, in time, I will turn you too. Yes, that might be fun. For now though…”

  He rose and left before Briony could respond. Though in truth she didn’t know how to respond. Elation at the news that the members of her family weren’t dead mixed with fury at what had been done to them, then despair at the thought of what might be to come. Briony lay on the armchair and cried unashamedly as the door slammed, leaving her utterly alone.

  Wicked Woods continues in

  Book 2 of Wicked Woods