by K. A. Jones
“Should I fear that you would hurt me?”
Dario shook his head and held out a hand as we rounded the last few step and stood in a brightly lit corridor. I could smell chlorine strongly and knew that the pool must be down here.
“There are a several who would tell you that I should be feared for I make quick judgements. I have never once acted without thinking of the consequences to our kind, but in answer to your question – no my love, you should never fear me.” Dario tugged me close and lifted my chin so he could see my face. His lovely eyes searched my face for a moment before his lips briefly touched mine.
I felt my insides tingle. I went on the tips of my toes, reaching up and tangled my hands in the lengths of his black hair. My lips and teeth nipped at his jaw and along his neck. When I had his full attention I smiled and said, “Are you not interested to know if you should fear me?”
Dario looked down at me and softly said, “If you wanted to strike me down, then I would let you. I couldn’t bear the thought that I had done something that would make you hate me. If anyone else were to try it – I would rip their hearts out before they got close.”
In that simple statement, everything inside of me changed. That defining moment of clarity when you realise that you are capable of loving someone. My need to get him into bed was lust driven, yes I found him attractive and wanted him, but what I felt now was so much more powerful. Now I felt emotionally attached to him the same way he did me. Dario had given me the power to destroy him, and trusted me not to. Yet I had run, rather than let him show me how good we could be together. He’d pursued me, night after night talking to me in my mind, keeping me company when I was lonely, and staying quiet when I needed space. He’d been relentless in his pursuit of me because he believed in us.
I made up my mind there and then to give this relationship my best shot. It would be trial and error, but we had years to get it right! Caring for someone was proving a little too easy and nothing this good was going to be this easy.
Chapter Five
Sparring with a vampire was not something I had ever done. Standing in a room with my feet placed in a fighting stance and my arms ready to strike or defend was second nature, but staring at Dario, shirtless, wearing his oh-so-sexy cocky grin, made my insides ignite and butterflies dance about happily.
His broad frame, defined muscles and silky smooth skin warmed me in places that had no right reacting like this, when I knew that he was going to put me through my paces. Oh, I knew that I was in no danger but I also knew that he was seeing what I was made of.
I had been trained to kill. My trainers had inflicted injuries over my six months training that would prepare me for the cunning ways of the vampires. Yet I stood facing Dario and the instinct to fight waned a little.
Dario spread his arms wide and tilted his head to one side in a showmanship way. “Are you ready?” I nodded and wiped my clammy palms down my sweat pants. “Then forget your hunter training, welcome to training – DeLuise style.” Dario moved fast knocking me to the ground. My head snapped back and hit the floor. I swear I saw stars for a moment. He bounced on the balls of his feet waiting for me to get up. “Come my Princess, there is much to learn.”
Several words that were most unpleasant were on the tip of my tongue. I refrained from voicing them, but the wicked glint in ice-blue eyes told me he knew he had pissed me off. I rubbed the back of my head as I made it back to my feet. “You said I could ask for equipment, how about some padded mats if this is how you are going to treat me?”
He looked at the stone floor and then back at me. “Did you have mats on the floor when you trained? I seriously doubt that Carlos wanted hunters that were soft!”
Dario had a point; concrete floors had been the bane of my existence whilst I’d trained. I’d had grazes the size of dinner plates on my back, butt, shoulders – pretty much everywhere when I’d first started the programme. The worst was when one of the trainers had shoved me face first along the ground because I’d turned my back on him for the briefest of moments. I’d learnt pretty quickly never to turn away from those hell bent on causing you injury!
Before I had chance to recover, Dario was on me again. This time, grabbing my arm, and doing a fancy move. I was sprawled on my back staring up at him. He made a tutting sound and walked away.
Slowly I got to my feet wondering what the hell had I gotten into. I’d agreed to spar with him, not get flung about like a sack of potatoes!
“You will discover that there is a difference between fighting as a vampire and killing your quarry. To kill – you hide, bide your time and strike. So far you have been lucky, you have maybe got into a tussle and suffered a few scrapes in the process, yet you lack any real qualities when it comes to a good old fashioned brawl.”
Dario knew nothing about the tussles I had gotten into when killing my target! I’d damn near had my throat ripped out several times and had received countless bite injuries! The difference was, this was supposed to be sparring, not fighting for your life. When my life was at serious risk of coming to an end, instinct took over.
I saw him move and counter stepped, getting in a good kick to send him on his way. Dario whirled back to face me. The menacing look on his face told me that play time was over.
At vampire speed he launched into an attack, I was hit, punched and flung across the floor. My shoulder bled as the stone flooring bit into flesh as my top shredded from the force of sliding across the ground. Anger and fear began to flood my senses. I sprung from my back to my feet in one swift action. Dario whirled around as I launched myself at him, landing my knee in his stomach making him double over. My fangs descended and my body shook with rage. “Is this what you want Dario, you want me so pissed off that I hurt you?”
His chuckle irked me to no end. “My dearest Shyla, you once asked me if you died if I would die too… the answer to that is simple, no. This is my way of ensuring that I get to keep you around for a very long time to come.” Really? From where I was standing it looked as though he wanted to kill me himself!
He slam dunked me to the floor with the moves of a wrestler and straddled my mid section and bent down so his face was inches from mine. “This isn’t a game my little Diana, goddess of the hunt. Today you learn that playing with vampires can get you killed.”
I bucked quickly and twisted throwing Dario to one side, my knee came up and caught him in the groin and I took the opportunity to rise to my feet. Dario rolled to his knees and caught this breath. “My crown jewels are my most prized possession Shyla; most wouldn’t want to damage the chance of me fathering a new Prince.”
“As romantic as that was – today is the day you learn not to piss off a hunter!” I rolled my shoulders and bounced on my feet. If he wanted to play rough then rough was what he was going to get.
The need to prove to him that I wasn’t some defenceless female rose to the forefront, and with a new purpose, I launched into an attack.
Dario deflected a few of my moves but I got in a few good hits, but it wasn’t time to do a victory dance yet. If anything, it was time to up the ante as Dario went into full vampire mode. His teeth descended and his eyes had taken on a feral look, one that made me pause briefly before instinct took over, and things got crazy. From thinking that I loved this man to feeling as though I wanted to kill him was confusing. I found myself holding back, but as soon as one of his hits made it home and I saw stars, I soon forgot that I didn’t want to hurt him.
I had never unleashed so much fury, so much vengeance as I did when Dario came in for another attack. My ribs were killing me from the previous blows and there was no-way in hell that he was going to get more free shots at me.
Something inside of me snapped and I attacked him with everything that I had and everything that I was – and all that I was, was now vampire.
‘Let go Shyla, let me see what you are made of. Let me see your vampire.’ At best, it was a taunt, one that worked!
Launching into a full on attack Dari
o became something so much worse than I had ever faced during my training, he turned into something far worse than I had ever faced on the streets. His mouth became a weapon, teeth slashed my arm, and hands pummelled my body. He was right – my hunter training was useless in a good old fashioned brawl between vampires.
The attack went on an on, I tried to defend against his powerful blows; I dodged a few and even got in some more hits against this vampire. My teeth ached with a need to slash and tear him apart, yet I couldn’t get close enough to do any damage.
I lay sprawled on the ground after another failed attempt to best him. I found myself flinching away from him as he approached. ‘Shyla, don’t. I would never hurt you.’
Scrunching up into a ball I let the tears flow. I had been defeated and what’s more, it was by Dario. He brought me here to see what I was made of, I had given it my all and it wasn’t good enough, and now he was telling me that he would never hurt me? He told me before we had started that he would never hurt me, yet here I lay, feeling broken at his hands. The guy was a jerk!
“Shyla, please, let me see to your wounds.” That said it all – my wounds! He held out a hand to help me to my feet. Ignoring it, I forced myself to my feet and made my way to the stairs without giving him a second glance. Dario walked silently behind me. I could feel him trying to speak into my mind but forced him away. I couldn’t deal with him now. I had wounds to lick and whisky to drink.
Making my way to his private level, I turned to face him before going up the stairs. “Do you object to me using your lounge or would you prefer it if I went to my room?”
Dario’s hand lifted to stroke my face; I ducked out of the way and glared at him. “Shyla, you’re being unreasonable and I don’t know why…. Did you not train as a hunter?” Hunter yes! Punch bag, no!
I couldn’t help the derisive snort. “Dario, I’m trying really hard here not to take this personally – but trust me when I say that right now – I hurt like a bitch, therefore I will act like one. I don’t want you to ‘see’ to my wounds. They will be a reminder and make me work harder to make sure that this never happens again.” I stomped to my room, slamming the door firmly into place.
Stripping out of my clothes and dropping them to the floor I checked over my wounds in the mirror above the bathroom sink. The blood had dripped down my arms and dried into a crusty mess. I quickly showered, slipped on some clothes and flung myself onto the bed.
‘Are you going to speak to me?’
I let my own silence be my reply. It wasn’t like I had anything worth-while to say. For months Dario had spoken to me, supported me and made me feel special. The moment I’m in his castle, I’m in a separate bedroom and humiliated and confused beyond belief.
In front of the other vampires he’s affectionate towards me. I see the way they look at him; they’re as confused by his behaviour as I am. They are used to seeing a ruthless leader whereas I’m used to the confident, sensitive, supportive side to him. Oh, I knew he was arrogant in that sexy-as-hell kinda way, I also knew that I was attracted to him – but I was mad at him and more importantly, mad at myself. If I’d had sense at all, I wouldn’t have slept with him and put myself in this situation.
Grabbing my bags I shoved my dirty clothes and daggers inside and crept towards the door opening it slightly. I listened for a few minutes trying to gauge where the vampires were. Locating them was easy. When I was sure that I was alone on this level, I made my way towards the stairs and made my way down them.
I didn’t have a plan, well not one that was thought out. My only thoughts were to get away and keep running. I still had about eight hours of the night left before I would have to find somewhere to stay. I couldn’t imagine Mrs Johnson letting me stay at the bed and breakfast again, and it would probably be the first place that Dario and his goons would look for me.
Outside was still a hive of activity. I skirted around the edge of the castle hoping that the shadows would conceal me. Vampires would know I was there, but if I walked as though I belonged and not as though I was hiding, I might be able to pull it off. I pictured in my mind where the cameras pointed and hoped that I blended in and no-one would question my whereabouts until it was too late.
To the east of the building were a set of steps that led to a secluded garden. I could only sense a couple of vampires and figured that going in that direction was my best bet for getting away without being seen.
Walking with as much confidence and courage as I could muster, I made my decent down the steps. I picked up my pace the further away from the castle I got.
The vampires were on the move, heading towards a wooded area. They were moving fast. Gripping my bags tighter, I began to sprint in the opposite direction until I heard a gunshot and something heavy hit the ground.
My hands found my daggers as I ran at full tilt to where one of the guards lay on the ground with a hole in his chest. The other guard was giving chase and I went into full hunter mode. I could hear Dario’s panic as he spoke into my mind, demanding for me to tell him where I was. I closed my mind to him; I needed to focus my attention on the hunter. I made a quick assessment of where the guard had been shot from, and quickly and silently made my way to where the hunter had taken his shot. This was no contract kill; this was the hunters with a new mission. This mindless killing was to let Dario know that they were coming for him and for me.
Now it was personal, it was time to send back my own message. One that told them not to mess with me and what was mine!
A twig snapped, I knew exactly where the guard was and knew that the hunter had heard it too, but this hunter was mine.
Putting on a burst of speed I caught a flash of metal in the moonlight just before another shot rang out. I heard the guard grunt, but he kept advancing towards the hunter. The hunter was running, I imagined the fear he would be feeling knowing that the game was up. Another shot was fired. I saw the small glow from the end of his gun. As the guard didn’t make a sound, I assumed that the hunter was firing without taking aim, but it had enabled me to pin-point him. I was on him before he knew what had hit him. My dagger plunged deep into his chest. The smell of blood sent me into a blood crazed frenzy and instinct took over. I dropped my bags at my feet as my teeth became pointed fangs and sank them into his neck. His strangled screams exciting me further as I drew away his life force. I could hear Dario, he was really forcing himself into my mind, but I could also hear the relief in his voice when he said, ‘Nothing tastes sweeter than revenge.’
When the hunter’s heart no longer beat, I dropped him to the ground and wiped his blood from my chin. Dario’s guard watched me with a wary look in his eyes. I fumbled in the hunters pocket and pulled out his phone. There would only be one number stored in it. I hit the dial button and waited for Hunter to answer.
I didn’t give him chance to speak, when he picked up, I said in a calm steady voice, “Carlos, or should I say Prince Carlos, your hunter is dead.” I hit the end call button and smashed the phone under the heel of my foot. Damn, that felt good! I watched the guard lower himself to the ground. He really didn’t look too good.
Dario’s guard was loosing a lot of blood. I knew that the bullet would be made of silver and would eventually kill him if it was left in. I grabbed the handle of my dagger and pulled it from the deceased hunter’s chest. Wiping the blood onto my jeans, I asked, “Want me to get the bullet out?” He gave a small nod of his head and pulled his hand away from the wound. Blood soaked into his top, from what I could see it had missed any vital organs and had hit him just below the collar bone. I cut away the material and shoved my finger into the hole. The guard made little noise, but I could tell from his shallow breaths that he was in pain. “This is going to hurt like a bitch, but once its out you will be okay.”
I can imagine how it must’ve looked to the guards that found us, but I really needed to get it out or the silver would kill him. One of the guards issued me with a warning but I ignored him and carried on regardless. My blade was just
touching the bullet. I slid two of my fingers into the hole and tried to catch a hold of the slick bullet. I was hauled to my feet. Arius dangled me in the air by my throat. The guard that had been shot was trying to tell him that I was trying to help him, when all hell broke out around us as Dario came into sight. His anger slammed into me, I wasn’t sure if it was directed at me, the fact that Arius dangled me by my throat or the fact that I had been running away.
Arius dropped me to the floor. I scrambled back to the guard and slid my fingers back into the slimy hole. I shut out everything that was going on around me and concentrated on getting the bullet out.
I let it fall to the floor and cut a strip of my top off, bundled it up and applied pressure to the wound. As soon as the bullet was out, the guard smiled in relief, it was more of a grimace, but I got idea and he blacked out.
Sitting back on my heels I looked up and saw that Arius lay on the ground with his neck half chewed off. He was still alive but no-one was trying to help him. Dario was standing over the dead hunter and was holding the smashed up phone. I cut off another strip of my top, wadded it up and went to Arius. He eyes went from side to side as though he was saying ‘no,’ ignoring him, I lifted his head onto my lap and held the material tight against the wound. I was a friggin assassin, not a nurse!
With my fangs firmly back in place and all my vampire cravings gone, I waited for Dario to turn back to face me. His guards stood waiting for him to issue a command, it was quite sad that none of them thought to help their fallen comrades.
‘Dario…. Please… ask your men to help your guard and help Arius.’
I watched Dario slowly turn to face me. There was no emotion showing on his face, his eyes didn’t stray from mine. “Princess Shyla, would you like to explain why you were leaving me?” Oh shit!
“Dario, your men need assistance, we can thrash it out later once they are okay.”
His perfect eyebrows arched and his men began shuffling about, still unsure if they should help the fallen guards. “Answer me!”