“Natasha?” Demitri said, nodding in Sebastian’s direction.
Sensing his awkwardness, Natasha flashed a grin and shoved the young woman over to Sebastian. He let go of Serenity to catch the girl and immediately he changed. His eyes burned, his fangs elongating and protruding. He wanted to fight it, to fight Demitri, but in the back of his head, a voice spoke. You have to do this to save Serenity. He didn’t want to admit it, but the voice spoke to the part of him that wanted nothing more than to sink his teeth into the young woman’s luscious throat.
Sebastian felt Serenity’s eyes upon him. If it had been the old Serenity, he might have held himself back. She surely would have begged for this girl’s life herself, but the woman watching him had lived with Jackson as her master and she’d seen more death than he could imagine. Serenity watched the scene unfolding around her with dull, impassive eyes.
Demitri gestured at the woman in Sebastian’s arms. “Please, after you.”
“I can’t,” he said, fighting his instincts, his voice hoarse. “I don’t kill the young and innocent.”
Demitri’s eyes flared and he raised his upper lip, exposing the fangs that had killed hundreds of thousands over the years. “You will kill who I tell you to, or your human companion will remain a shell.”
The woman he held saw his face—now bone white, his eyes bright yellow, his jaw and fangs protruding from his face—and screamed. She renewed her struggles, but they were pointless. She was no more than a rabbit caught in a fox’s jaw. The girl in Sebastian’s arms glanced up and caught sight of Sebastian’s own face. He had changed in the same way Demitri had, ready for the kill, his normally smooth and calm features now the mask of a killer.
I’m doing this for Serenity; for her and Elizabeth.
Demitri roared, unwilling to wait for Sebastian to change his mind. He lunged down at the woman, his teeth puncturing the soft skin of her throat. The heady aroma of blood filled the room and Sebastian could hold himself back no longer. Roaring his own frustrations, he lowered his face, the girl’s soft hair brushing against his cheek, and bit.
Warm, sweet blood flowed and Sebastian moaned with pleasure, even as the girl screamed. So much time had passed he’d forgotten how much of a delicacy the blood of the innocent was.
Even as the sweet nectar flowed down his throat and spread through his veins, he couldn’t block out his inner turmoil.
This wasn’t who he was. He didn’t do this.
Sebastian wrenched himself away and the girl dropped to the ground. She scrabbled away, terrified, clutching her still bleeding neck, tears streaming down her face.
“No, I won’t do it! I won’t kill her!”
Demitri’s woman was already dead. He let her fall and the body slumped in a heap. The girl caught sight of her dead friend and her screams increased in volume.
Demitri snarled. “Damn you!”
The elder vampire launched himself at the girl, flying through the air to land directly on top of her. She didn’t get the chance to utter another scream. The vampire sank his fangs into her neck and tore. Blood gushed from the wound.
Demitri stood. “Your turn,” he said to Natasha and Vincent.
The two youngsters didn’t need any encouragement. They were on the wound in a flash, licking and slurping as the last of the life drained from the girl. Sickened at his part in this, Sebastian looked away. His eyes flicked to Serenity, still standing to the side, but she stared at the ground and didn’t meet his gaze.
With both girls dead, Demitri settled back in his chair. “Take the bodies away.”
Natasha and Vincent did as they were told, removing the bodies to dispose of in whatever fashion Demitri had previously instructed.
“So, Sebastian. You’ve gone soft on me.”
“I’m simply more selective in who I kill.”
“Why? Because you’ve fallen in love with a human?”
“I chose not to kill the young long before meeting Serenity. But I did as you instructed. You asked me to feed with you, not kill with you, and I did as you asked.”
Demitri waved a hand. “Semantics,” he sighed. “If I share with you the secret, Sebastian, you will be indebted to me. Should I want something from you, you will be obliged to give it to me.”
“Whatever I have is yours as long as you can help her.”
He gave a sly smile. “Are you sure about that?”
“Of course,” Sebastian snarled. “I’d give up everything I own to make her well again.”
“Very well.” Demitri rose to his feet and paced back and forth. “All you need to do to make, and keep, her well is feed her your blood.”
“What?” Sebastian reared back in shock. “I can’t!”
Demitri laughed. “Of course you can. It doesn’t have to be much, just a few drops. She’ll heal again quickly—become whole again—and remember who she was. You’ll need to continue to allow her to take your blood, a few drops at least once a month. If you don’t, you may find she goes back to the way she is now.”
“Serenity doesn’t want to become like us.”
“She won’t,” he said. “Your blood alone would not turn her because she hasn’t been drained. However, should something happen to her, should she reach the point of death and you feed her your blood, well then yes, she will turn. As long as she stays alive, she will stay human. She will, however, experience side effects from your blood—the aging process will slow, she’ll heal faster, she’ll be stronger. But if you want to keep her alive, she’ll be tied to you forever.”
He glanced her way. “As long as she wants me, I’ll always be there for her.”
Demitri jerked his head at Serenity. “Go on, then. I want to watch.”
“You mean I should do it now?”
“No time like the present,” Demitri grinned, flashing his lethal canines.
Sebastian studied Serenity’s face. “Do you understand what’s about to happen? I’m going to need to feed you my blood and it should make you well again, but I won’t do anything unless you’re absolutely certain this is what you want. You’ll be tied to me for the rest of your life.”
She gave a weak smile. “I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be.”
A snort of laughter came from Demitri’s direction, but Sebastian ignored him. “Ready?” he asked.
She nodded.
Sebastian felt his face change once again—the muscle building in his jaw, his fangs protruding. Serenity’s eyes were trained on his and they widened as his face took on that of a predator. He lifted his arm to his mouth and bit into his wrist. His fangs punctured the skin in two perfect circles of beading blood.
His held his wrist out to her. “Quickly, Serenity. Before they heal.”
Her slim fingers wrapped around his arm and she lowered her mouth, her warm lips encircling the wound, her hot tongue licking the flesh in a way he found to be almost erotic.
She dropped his wrist and stepped back, drawing in a long, rattling breath.
“Serenity!” Sebastian stepped forward in alarm, catching hold of her. “Are you all right?”
Struggling to breathe, she couldn’t answer him.
He turned and saw Demitri watching with intense, fascinated eyes. “What did you do to her?”
Demitri grinned. “It’s not what I did to her. You were the one who fed her your blood.”
“Because you told me to!”
“Oh, pshh. If I told you to walk off a bridge, would you do it?” He laughed. “Actually, I suppose you would. It’s not like you’d be harmed.”
“If she dies, I’ll kill you.”
“Hush, now. Stop talking nonsense. Your little girlfriend will be just fine. Look.”
He turned back in time to see Serenity straighten. Before his eyes, her hair softened and sprang in loose curls around her face. Color flooded the pale orbs of her cheeks. Her flesh filled out—the curves of her breasts and hips rounded again. The remaining scabs and cuts on her throat melted away, the scars disappearing, leav
ing smooth, perfect skin.
She raised her dark eyes to his and there was a light behind them again, a recognition. The sad, vacant expression that had been present for so long had disappeared.
Chapter Thirteen
Sebastian barely believed what he’d seen. He’d witnessed the birth of a new vampire before, but he’d never seen such a transformation occur in someone who remained human.
Pleasure at finding him standing before her flashed across her face, but was quickly replaced by a frown.
“Sebastian?”
“It’s me. I’m right here.”
She spun around, suddenly wide-eyed. “Where am I? Where’s Jackson?”
“It’s okay. He can’t harm you anymore. Jackson is dead—forever dead.”
She stared at him, as though she didn’t want to believe him but hoped it was true. “He’s dead?”
“I promise.”
“I can’t believe it’s you.” She stepped forward and lifted her hand to touch his cheek. Her warm fingers grazed his skin and he caught her hand, pressing her fingers to his lips in a kiss.
She burst into tears and flung herself into his arms. “I was so scared,” she said, burying her face into his neck. “I thought Jackson would kill me.”
“I’d never let that happen,” he said, though he was only too aware Jackson could have killed Serenity at any time. Only Jackson’s sadistic desire to keep her as his slave kept her alive.
She broke away. “Elizabeth? Where’s Elizabeth?”
“She’s safe. She’s at home with Bridget.”
“Who the hell is Bridget?”
“Don’t you remember anything about the past week?”
Serenity frowned and shook her head. “No… I remember being in the mine and Jackson taking me. I remember him biting me…” She raised her hand to her throat.
“It’s okay, you’re healed now.”
“How long have I been gone?”
“It’s been two years.”
“Two years!” Her eyes filled with tears. “I’ve missed out on two years of Elizabeth’s life?”
“She’s been with you every step of the way. She’s thought about you every day, talked about you every day. You both have a lot of catching up to do. Do you not remember anything about the last two years?”
“Nothing! I don’t know how we got here or even where ‘here’ is.” She caught sight of the other vampire, still sitting in his chair. Instinctively, she pressed closer to Sebastian’s side. “And I certainly don’t know who that is.”
Demitri got to his feet and gave a mock bow. “Demitrios of Samos. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
“Demitri helped us,” said Sebastian. “He told me how to make you well again.” He turned to the other vampire. “Thank you. Thank you so much. We’ll leave you in peace now.”
He started to back out of the room, when Demitri stopped him with a theatrical clearing of his throat. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
“Such as?”
“We agreed you should give me something of yours, did we not.”
“Oh,” Sebastian stuttered, caught off guard. His mind whirred, trying to figure out what Demitri could possibly want. “I didn’t realize you meant right away.”
“Of course!” he exclaimed, flashing his white, elongated canines. “I’d say life’s too short, but I guess that doesn’t apply here, does it? Now, tell me all about the child.”
Alarm raced through him and Serenity’s hand tightened on his. “What child?”
“Now, now, Sebastian. Don’t play games with me. I hear you have a half-vampire child and the girl possesses somewhat predictive tendencies, does she not?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The vampire shot from his seat and slammed into him, knocking Sebastian backward. Beside him, Serenity screamed. Demitri’s long fingers wrapped around Sebastian’s throat, his eyes burning yellow.
“Don’t fucking lie to me, Sebastian. Do you think I can’t tell when a younger vampire is lying?”
“The girl is not up for exchange,” he said, tearing Demitri’s hands from his throat. “She’s a little girl, not a thing to be bartered with.”
“No, but she can always be a meal.”
Sebastian snarled and leapt at the other vampire. Demitri put out a hand and pushed Sebastian away. The impact felt like a concrete block hitting him in the chest. He slid across the polished floor, smashing into the far wall.
In an instant, he was back on his feet.
Serenity stepped forward, terrified and out of her depth, but determined to fight for her child. “Elizabeth’s only a little girl. Take me if you want something in exchange. I can do more for you than a child ever could.”
He looked her up and down with scorn. “Is that what you think I want? I’m not interested in the physical. I want the girl for what her mind can do. Can you imagine the fun I’d have if I could predict what was going to happen in the future?”
“She only gets glimpses of things. Parts of the lives of people who are important to her. She couldn’t tell you when an earthquake was about to happen, or if someone was about to shoot the president. She’d only be able to tell you about the people closest to her.”
Demitri grinned. “That might be true at the moment, but imagine what will happen when she hits puberty. We both know her powers may escalate and I’m sure a regular feeding of blood will help to make her stronger.”
“You’ll have to kill us first,” Sebastian snarled.
“Now, now. You know perfectly well I can make that happen. I’ll allow you to go home and say goodbye to the child, and then you shall bring her to me.”
Sebastian stood, glaring, his fists clenched, his jaw so tight he thought his teeth might shatter. He couldn’t kill the other vampire—he was too old and in vampire years that made him stronger and faster. Even if he hadn’t been an ancient, Sebastian still wouldn’t have been able to kill him. One vampire couldn’t kill another. Serenity had been the one who killed Madeline, Sebastian’s maker, in the end. Only his lack of knowledge about the act allowed him to play the small part in her death that he had.
He needed to take Serenity away from here, get her home to Elizabeth and allow them to be reunited. Then he’d come up with a plan about what to do about Demitri. He had to. He refused to allow Demitri to take Elizabeth. The very idea called to something dark and fierce at his core.
He took Serenity’s hand. “This isn’t over, Demitri. Don’t think for a moment I’ll let you take her without a fight.”
The other vampire wrinkled his nose and gave a shrug. “I wouldn’t expect it any other way.”
Sebastian stared at him. “Why would you even want to know the future? What possible benefit could you take from such knowledge?”
“Entertainment, my dear Sebastian. Life gets so dull, century after century with nothing new or exciting to look forward to. You can only travel the world so many times or lust over and kill so many beautiful women before everything becomes so tedious. Even killing loses its thrill. I know you understand me. Why else would you fall in love with a human, if not to try to capture some excitement back in your existence? Do you think I’ve not realized that you’ve spent the last few years living vicariously through her? Her trauma and problems have become your own. By loving her, you’re attempting to be human again. Of course you and I both know such a thing is impossible. Eventually you’ll grow bored of her, or her of you.”
His hand tightened on Serenity’s. “Never.”
Demitri huffed air through his nose. “We’ll see. Forever is a long time, Sebastian. Who can tell how many changes both you and the rest of the world will go through?”
“I still don’t understand how Elizabeth can help you?”
“What?” He feigned astonishment. “You mean you don’t think being able to predict world events be entertaining? Imagine being able to immerse yourself in all the great tragedies humanity succumbs to—the plane wrecks, the earthqu
akes, the mass shootings. With Elizabeth’s help I can be there to witness it all first hand.”
Serenity tried to step forward, but Sebastian held her back. “She can’t predict those sorts of things,” he said. “She only sees what happens to the people around her and even then they’re mere glimpses.”
“Ah, for the moment, anyway. But how old is she now? Six, seven? In a few years, she will hit puberty and her powers will increase. That’s only a few years from now. I’ve been around for thousands; I can wait a few more.”
“So, leave her with us until then. She’s only a child. She needs her parents.”
Demitri tilted his head to one side, as though considering the option. “I can’t promise that long, but I will allow you to go home to her. I realize the mother won’t have seen her child in a long time.”
“Not that she can remember.”
“Then you are free to go. But remember, you owe me payment, Sebastian. As soon as I decide I can’t wait any longer, I will take what is owed to me.”
Sebastian bristled with anger. “If you try to take her, you’ll need to go through me.”
The older vampire shrugged. “Very well. Now, I suggest you leave before I decide to make a meal of your little girlfriend.”
Sebastian hated feeling as though he’d been bested, but he also knew better than to stay and try and fight. He couldn’t take on the elder vampire, not on his own, and he wouldn’t place Serenity in harm’s way again. He’d just gotten her back and someone would need to tear off both his arms before he allowed her to be taken from him again.
He tugged on her hand. “Come on, Serenity. Time to go.”
“Wait.” She turned back to Demitri. “I thank you for bringing me back, but if you ever go near my daughter… I swear to God…”
He laughed. “Empty threats don’t bother me and I won’t hurt your child. Now, run along before I change my mind.”
The Serenity Series: Box Set: Books 1-3 Page 54