Bitten

by Kim Faulks

  “Are you okay Miss Flynn?”

  I flinched at the sound. Devlin took a step toward me and the memory of Kol slipped away. That ache flared, branding my head with a sudden realization. He did this. He… pulled at the edges of my mind to watch me unravel. Ice slid along my spine as fear wrapped its arms around me.

  The center of Devlin’s attention was a very bad place to be.

  My mouth was filled with ashes. I couldn’t swallow, couldn’t speak. Kol lingered inside my mind, whispering against my ear, don’t look him in the eyes, Nova. Don’t listen to a word he says.

  “I’m fine, thank you.” I forced the words out.

  My escort stepped away from the wall to find me in the dull light. His brow creased in the middle. Concern flared in his gaze. The whites of his eyes were neon in the dim light. He opened his mouth to speak, then clamped it shut.

  “The light is perfect, Levi. I won’t be needing you anymore tonight. Leave.”

  The guard jerked and shuddered, dragging his feet across the floor as though his mind obeyed one master, and his body another, until the scrape of the door behind me ended with a bang.

  Nova

  “You look stunning, Nova. I hope you don’t mind me calling you that. I find formalities are wasted on a moment such as this, as is free will.”

  Devlin’s slippery voice brushed my mind and burrowed deep. “Come to me.”

  His emotionless voice didn’t just graze my mind, it slipped between the cracks, and smothered right and wrong. I thrashed my head as my feet shuddered, skimming my heels across the carpeted floor.

  “Why are you fighting me? Isn’t this what you want? To be owned? To be used?”

  I stared into those cold eyes and spat. “No, I don’t. So, get out of my head.”

  His chuckle sped my heart. The thunder of galloping horses filled my ears as I took another step.

  “You’re a fighter. Good, I do enjoy a challenge. Come to me now, Nova.”

  Fire lashed the insides of my arms. My muscles strained like over tuned piano wires—one small twist and I’d break.

  “That’s the way. You want to obey me, Nova. You want to do exactly as I say.”

  A tortured hiss slipped free as I closed the distance.

  His bloodless lips curved in a smile at the last slow step. “There. That wasn’t so bad now, was it?”

  “Yes, it is. You disgust me, no wonder we drove your kind into the ground.”

  Those gun-metal grey eyes never moved from my face. The hard lines of his nose cast shadows across his cheek. This monster was petrified, there was no warmth, no humanity. He was a rock, razor sharp edges and cold as ice. I shuddered under his stare.

  “Disgust you?”

  The word lingered like an echo, until I blinked and he moved. Devlin Holland forced my brittle bones and soft muscle to yield as he forced himself against me. His dark eyes blazed in the dim light. Steel girders wrapped around my waist. A tortured sound slipped from my lips and was soon swallowed by his own.

  My body bowed. Every muscle screamed. His icy lips stole the warmth from mine. Something sharp stung the inside of my mouth and I was smothered in the metallic taste of my own blood.

  He dragged the soft flesh of my lip into his mouth and I moaned. My muffled cries were swallowed by his mouth. I swung my fist. My blows bounced, thudding against this suit-covered wall, until his arms relaxed. I thrashed, wrenching my head to break the kiss and growled. “Get off me.”

  An inhuman sound lingered in the air. The remnants still dark and dangerous and not mine. Shivers raced across my skin, inside my belly quivered. I sucked in the air and blinked, brown eyes consumed me like a landslide. I struggled, wrenching my arms from his grip on my wrists. I stared at the beast, searching for the man he’d once been—and found none.

  “Do I disgust you now, Nova?”

  He craned his body, towering over me. I ran my tongue along the inside of my mouth, peeling my lips from the ridges of my teeth. My swollen lips pulsed from the brutal kiss, so hot, bruised.

  Danger hovered just under the surface in this man. He rode the hard line of my shoulder and trailed his finger down my arm. My flesh quivered, goosebumps raced to reach his touch.

  The corners of his lips curled, but the smile never reached his bitter gaze. There was no warmth there, no compassion, only an unbridled hunger. He peeled back the layers of my soul, exposing my mind, just as his eyes exposed my flesh.

  “That dress is beautiful, but I think I’d like to see more of you.”

  My head shook on its own, casting his words from my mind. “No. Please….”

  “Take off the dress.”

  I clenched my hands into fists until my knuckles popped. An ache drove through the bones of my fingers. My fist rose. My knuckles were frozen, unable to bend as I brushed the zipper under my arm. I fought, trembled, battled with the demons in my mind. He was just like Jared, wanting something, my blood, my body, my mind… bleeding me dry. The word was a snarl through my clenched teeth. “Don’t.”

  Silver sparkled as his eyes widened. The white tips of his fangs peeked out from under those sculptured lips. The sight of those teeth shimmered. The pressure built, smothering, suffocating. Something warm slipped down my cheek as I pinched the skin under my arm, grasping the end of the zipper.

  “Take off the dress, Nova.”

  That warm caress turned to ice. The grating draw of the zipper sent another drop sliding, following the same path to fall from the edge of my jaw. The cool night air rushed in, spearing icy fingers under the fabric to trail the soft skin of my stomach.

  “Show me that beautiful body, Nova. Let me see what no other man has.”

  I closed my eyes as the shoulders of my fabric slipped. My dress hit the ground at my feet with a thud. I hugged myself, covering what little I could.

  His frigid fingers pulled my wrists. He eased one arm down, leaving me bare chested in middle of his stateroom.

  “You’re breathtaking… do you know that?”

  I dragged air into my lungs. “I’m standing here naked and crying and you want to tell me how beautiful I am? You truly are a monster.”

  I opened my eyes to see the flicker of something in his gaze. Had my words hit home?

  “Then why are you here? Why come to me if you’re unwilling to be used?”

  I flinched at the sound of that word. “Because being paid for a service should never equate with being used, as you so eloquently put it.”

  The ghost of a smirk crossed his face. “You’re right. So if it pleases you, may I take your hand?”

  He moved faster than I could track to lift his arm. I stared at the pale skin of his wrist and his upturned palm. My fingers tingled, itching to rise and obey his command. What if I refused? Could I do that? Fight this compulsion over my mind and my body?

  Even without the command I couldn’t fight him—no more than I could fight the shadows and the night. I caught the hard angle of my wrist as my hand rose through the air to land in the center of his palm.

  His gaze dropped to my exposed breast. The cold air mingled with his attention, tightening, hardening. Nerves fired, sending panicked sparks through my belly and between my thighs. Please, no.

  Ice enclosed my hand. His voice was like a winter’s wind rushing through me, yet not lingering. “You’re far too beautiful to cover yourself.”

  I closed my eyes. I didn’t need to stare into his eyes to know what would happen next.

  “Why don’t you take a seat?”

  I stepped free of the beautiful gold dress. A fresh tear wove its way slowly down my cheek, carving a track. Tears were useless, and so was fighting. My body obeyed a new master. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss, disappointment covered me like a shroud. There was no room for propriety, no room for anything other than exposure in the cruelest sense.

  Sparks danced in his gaze as I followed with my other foot, clearing the crumpled fabric. My heels were muffled against the carpet as I headed for the black loun
ge. The leather swallowed the soft glow of the lights over the table.

  The harsh chatter of my teeth filled the cabin with the brutal sound. He was a whisper behind me. I turned at the sound and dropped my weight. Cold leather hugged my bare thighs, my thin panties the only thing between being vulnerable and indecent—and even those weren’t enough.

  Sequins sparkled. My gold dress hit the lounge beside me with a thud. “I’d hate for such a beautiful dress to be ruined.” He murmured above me.

  I raised my chin. His lips were parted, even from here I could see the tremble of excitement. He stepped to the side, nearing the table and snatched a bottle of wine from the table.

  “I thought at first the white with the sparkle of gold against your skin. But seeing you bare… your nipples dark, blushing with a rosy hue against your pale skin, I think I prefer the red.”

  He lifted the bottle above me and twisted his wrist. Wine hit my chest and slipped between my breasts like bloody tears. I clenched the leather cushions until my nails buckled under the strain.

  The deep plum rivulet pooled in the valley of my stomach and filled my navel. Red wine spread out like spidered fingers to grasp my hips and find the elastic of my panties.

  “Beautiful. Just beautiful. Don’t move, Nova… be very still now.”

  Danger wove a tangled web, if I remained still I’d be consumed by this monster—and if I fought the binds inside my mind, I’d surely die or go insane. The bottle hit the floor with a thud. Devlin hunkered over me and grasped my hair.

  Fire lashed my scalp. I cried out, and slapped the back of the lounge as he wrenched my head backwards. My breasts wobbled under the cruel jerk of his hand. I grasped his hand as he pulled my hair taut, bringing tears to my eyes.

  Devlin blurred and shimmered under the sheen of tears.

  “Are you going to do what I say, Nova? Are you going to do exactly as I say?”

  His blurred face loomed close, his breath cooled the hot tears against my cheek. The sickening smell of blood made my stomach clench. I gripped his wrist as sobs slipped free. “Yes. Yes, okay? Just, stop.”

  This monster rode a fine edge of cruelty, one a human could never hope to survive.

  “Get your hands off her.”

  The snarl slipped from the shadows. My head was dragged upwards. Through my splayed legs I caught someone move. Black on black shifted. My heart thundered, booming against the confines of my chest. Inside my mind blue eyes called to me… is that Kol?

  Color came from the darkness, darkened jeans, white shirt. I blinked the tears from my view and felt the grip on my hair ease. My pulse was deafening as I caught the glint of a gun. A figure stepped from the shadows, took aim at the center of Devlin’s chest and fired.

  Nova

  Glass shattered, fragments battered my face as Devlin stumbled, smashing into the chair behind me, the thud followed as the back of the chair hit the floor.

  The sharp scent of gunpowder filled the room. My head hit the lounge and bounced. I lay there stunned. Gold shone against the black leather lounge. I snatched the dress and slapped the fabric against my bare chest as the blurred figure sharpened and instead of Kol there was… Jared.

  He stepped from the shadows, brown eyes glinted in the soft light, but this wasn’t the same man I knew. The side of his face was swollen. The corner of his lip was split and bloody. He squinted, turning his whole body slowly to spear me with a glance, then turned his back to the vampire. “I see you’re having a good time.”

  A sob wrenched from my chest at the sight of him. “Jared.”

  Cutlery clinked and rattled as Devlin regained his footing. His bloodless lips curved into a wicked smile. The vampire held Jared’s gaze and murmured. “You think a gun’s going to stop someone like me?”

  Jared’s malformed face twitched. The end of the gun wavered as he shuffled toward the overturned chair. I could see he was in pain. He lifted his foot and bought it down on the leg. The wood cracked as a leg of the chair broke.

  He dropped to one knee, never taking his eyes from my host and wrestled with the shard. The end splintered, sharp and cruel. The vampire turned ashen as he stared at the pointed end.

  Jared waved the wood. “No, but a bullet will slow you long enough to shove this through your chest, won’t it?”

  The soft hiss sounded like a dangerous rattle. “What do you want?”

  I scooted forward on the lounge, not caring if I drew the monster’s attention. I clutched the fragments of what was left of what we had just as I clutched the dress against my body as Jared gave me a ghost of a smile. He stared at my body, barely clothed. “I want what I’ve always wanted… money. I want money and a lot of it.”

  His words didn’t sink in. I stared at him, at this man I’d love for over half my life until finally those words settled. I jerked. My ears rang with his barbed words. “Jared.”

  He smiled at the look on my face, twisting the bloated corners of his mouth into a sneer.

  “How much?”

  The man I once loved jerked his gaze to the vampire and sniggered. “How much do you have?”

  Jared stepped past me without so much as a second glance. This was what he wanted all along. My ankle buckled as I tried to stand. He wasn’t here to save me. He never cared about me at all….

  So stupid… so fucking stupid.

  The white noise repeated inside my head.

  I want what I’ve always wanted… money.

  I saw him then, really saw him for what he was—a liar, a user… and I’d let him. I’d let him…. I took a step, leaving behind the shell of the woman I’d once been and stumbled toward the door.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  I inhaled and took another step. Outside, lights sparkled, beckoning me. My feet moved. I clutched the dress in my hand and stared at the stainless handle of the cabin door. Just one more step and I’d be free of these monsters.

  Heavy footsteps echoed behind me. The floor shuddered as I grasped the handle. My hand trembled. I knew his walk. I knew his scent—I knew everything about him.

  But he didn’t know everything about me.

  Jared speared his fingers through my hair to grasp the back of my neck and leaned in. “I asked you a question. Where do you think you’re going?”

  I reeled backwards and swung, knocking his grip free. My hand followed the arc. My palm hit his cheek, fire bit, sending flames through my hand as I screamed. “Get your filthy fucking hands off me. You… liar. You filthy fucking liar. You did this. You did this to me!”

  My breath came hard, filling me up only to abandon me just as fast, still the only constant was rage. It welled in my belly like a rock weighing me down with every step. I lifted my head and stared into his wide eyes. “I hate you. I hate you for what you’ve done to me—I hate you for wasting my life. But I hate myself more.”

  Jared lifted his hand, his other never wavered, pointing the gun at Devlin. The stake—I blinked away tears that weren’t there, and found the shattered leg of the chair tucked under his arm.

  Jared grunted and swung. His fist found my nose. The crunch of my teeth cleaved my thoughts. My head snapped backwards. I stumbled. The floor seemed to slip away. I wind-milled my arms, fighting for balance—and lost.

  My heel snapped and my knees buckled. I hit something hard, stars fell from the sky to burst behind my eyes, bringing blinding pain with them. I rolled onto my side as his screams closed in.

  “You stuck-up fucking bitch. You hate me? You hate me? You never loved me to begin with. This last year, I hated every fucking minute I was with you. I couldn’t stand to look at you. I thought you were going to sell your mother’s place, that’s the only reason I stayed.”

  Movement blurred as he shifted from one foot to another, a hiss of exertion followed. Dark, sodden denim seemed to consume the ghostly light from the dining room as he drew his foot backwards through the air and swung.

  My lungs tightened, muscles clenched a second before he drove my st
omach into my spine. The crack shattered something deep inside me. I tried to draw breath to scream… but there was nothing.

  Agony impaled my body, twisting and turning, knotting parts of me that I knew would never heal. I slapped my palms against the floor, my lungs wouldn’t work. There was no air… no air.

  Fire lashed my face. The blaze moved deeper, sending sparks down my throat and into my lungs. My lips stretched wide, the corners almost tearing. My stomach shuddered, the tiny draw filled my belly with air.

  Tears filled my eyes, blurring the trampled dress at my side. Shadows moved in to claim what was theirs—my mind first and then my body. The sparkling white lights dulled like fading stars in the night sky.

  My jaw turned slack. My elbow shuddered, then collapsed inward. My spiked earring pierced the soft flesh behind my ears. A slippery touch followed. None of that mattered now—nothing mattered at all.

  Air slipped in, breaking some unseen seal. I forced the concrete of my lungs to move, dragging in tiny sips of air until my chest expanded. The cold air slapped me awake, dragging me from the clutches of darkness.

  I dragged in a breath and whimpered. My stomach clenched, something deep turned to water.

  “It’s done. Fifty thousand dollars, now get out of my boat and take her with you.”

  In. Out. In. Out. Tiny breaths consumed me. I swallowed, wheezed. My breaths were so light, barely moving my chest. My stomach turned to stone, every tiny jerk and tremble drove a fist into my belly.

  “You paid for her. She’s not my problem… not anymore. Fuck the bitch, don’t fuck the bitch. I don’t care.”

  Shapes moved. I blinked and tried to focus. Ghostly faces moved into my view, then slipped away.

  “She’s barely conscious. I’m not into rape.” Those words lingered. I wrestled my head to toward the heavy thud of boots. His pale face came near, dark eyes held nothing but pain—my pain. “But it would be a shame to waste something so pure.”