Tension, as I waited for the sharp pang I knew was coming, built inside of me. Maybe not this one, maybe not even the next, but eventually I wouldn’t be able to stop from crying out.
Defeat welled inside of me, and with it, the pessimistic voice that had invaded my mind years ago.
Why do you make trouble? Just give him what he wants and he’ll go away.
But he'll just move on to another prisoner.
Maybe that was the real reason I refused to give in, because I if it wasn't me, someone else would feel this pain. I couldn’t bear the guilt.
There were children here. The guards didn't care your age, all that mattered was you being a blood mage. If you're one of us, you were nothing more other than a bit of sport.
At least the children didn’t have to endure the other horrors.
My shoulders tightened.
No. We will not go down that memory path. I mentally slammed the door.
"Stop!" An unfamiliar male voice dripping with authority yelled.
My eyes popped open, but I didn't dare turn my head. Had that been real or imagined?
"Unhand me,” the guard bellowed. “Who the fuck do you think—Prince!"
Prince.
Disgust curled deep inside my gut. I didn't know the Prince of the vampires, but he must be a truly awful creature to rule over the sadistic guards.
Why had he stopped the guard?
"You will cease your ministrations." The prince’s voice had a dangerous edge, but the soft tone stroked my ears pleasantly, so foreign a sensation I hardly recognized it.
"Sire, this is...this is the way of things!"
"You are needed elsewhere, good sir. Surely you won’t second guess my orders?"
Silence for several heartbeats before the guard grunted. His footsteps echoed as he marched out of the chamber.
The Prince’s footsteps were soft in comparison as he walked closer. My heart raced as panic set in—what did he want with me?
If I hadn’t been bound, I would have smacked myself. You would think the thralls would be enough to satisfy him; he must have his pick of the litter. Apparently, he wanted something different, or he wouldn't be down in the dirty dungeons with me.
My bare breasts pressed against the rough wood of the table I laid. The damp air that permeated the dungeon caused goosebumps to erupt on my bloody back.
"Hello," he said.
I was surprised how gentle his voice was, and even more embarrassed the way my body reacted to the sound.
Talk about Stockholm syndrome. Down girl. You don’t want to get involved with a vampire prince.
"Will you look at me, please?"
What had it cost the Prince to say please? Still, I wasn’t stupid enough to disobey the prince. I might as well sign my own death sentence.
Slowly, I lifted my head off the table and looked at the Prince as he had commanded.
I wanted to be disappointed he wasn’t horribly disfigured by the evil that tainted his soul. He was so beautiful it took my breath away. Thick white hair—not even a tint of blond to it—fell past his shoulders. Part of it was pulled back into some sort of half ponytail, so it didn't hang into his eyes, but one stray lock had gotten out of line and fallen onto his forehead.
The strangest urge to brush it back into place consumed me. I dug my nails into my palms to stop myself.
He was tall and well-muscled, but it was his striking blue eyes that held me captivated. I could drown in them, and it wouldn't even be a bad way to go.
My lips parted to tell him to leave me alone, but the words wouldn't come out. There was a strange warring sensation inside me—I didn't entirely want him to go. I wanted to keep staring at him, wanted to commit every inch of his face to memory so I could hold onto it later.
You're being ridiculous, Nina. Get ahold of yourself. He's a vampire. He's the entire reason you're caged down here. He possesses the power to set us all free, and instead he lives it up in the castle. He's just here to use and abuse you. Remember?
He cocked his head to the side as if I was a puzzle he couldn’t figure out. "Who are you?"
I arched an eyebrow, tilting my head to the side so that my forehead touched the wood of the table. What a weird thing for him to ask.
My stubborn streak kicked in and I smirked at him, refusing to answer.
Go away. I thought to myself, since I couldn't get the words to come out of my mouth.
"You won't talk to me, will you?" He set his lips in a firm line and sighed. "I'm not here to hurt you."
Liar.
No vampire ever came down for any other reason. And they definitely didn’t come just to talk.
"I'd like to know your name." It wasn't a question, but it also wasn't a command. I could refuse.
So, I did. He could like to know all he wanted, but I wasn't going to give it to him unless he pulled the prince card. I wanted him to know I understood the rules, and he wasn't going to get special attention just because he used pretty words.
"Surely, you haven't had a conversation in a long time."
No shit.
"I thought perhaps you might want to...talk."
I shot him a dry look and resisted the urge to roll my eyes. He didn't care about us down here, and I wasn't going to let him pretend that he did.
"Is it such a bad thing to speak with a vampire?"
"Go. Away." The words came out in a croak, rasping against my throat.
His eyes widened. "I..."
"Leave me," I said, before he could get another word out.
His eyes dropped to the floor as he turned his head to the side. I tried not to be impressed by the strong jawline in his profile.
He's not handsome. He's ugly as a toad.
Yeah, I'd keep telling myself that. Maybe it would make me feel better.
"As you wish." He turned and left the chamber.
A confusing pang of sadness gripped my heart. I hadn't expected him to actually leave.
Chapter 3
Nina
My back ached as I leaned against the stone wall in my cell. A guard, not the one who had whipped me, had taken me back to my cell. Surprisingly, he hadn't been horrible to me. He'd kept his eyes averted while I put my on shirt, and hadn't manhandled me on the walk back.
While I didn’t know for certain, I suspected the prince had said something to him. It grated against my nerves—I didn't need some prissy, spoiled prince inflating his sense of self-worth by looking out for me. I’d done just fine the past twelve years in this hell. I could take care of myself.
Alone in my cell, I was very much aware of the warm, wet sensation of my shirt sticking to my bleeding wounds. I would have been better off removing the shirt and letting the wound heal. The longer the fabric stuck to my flesh, the more it would only hurt later when I peeled it away. At the very least I should stop pressing against the wall and making it worse.
But I did none of those things. I welcomed the stinging pain washing over me in small waves, reminding me what it meant to be a prisoner in the vampire's world. I couldn't forget how horrible they were, couldn't lose sight of the reality of this world. No matter how nice the prince had wanted seem, I knew the truth.
One way or another, they’d be the death of us all.
The ones who died before they saw the cells were the lucky ones. They’d never know what it was like to yearn for the feeling of the sun on their skin.
God, I missed the sun. I looked just like my mother—brown hair, brown eyes, and you guessed it, brown skin. All right, it's more of a tawny color than anything, not super dark, but still. I wasn't pale as your typical vampire from having not seen the sun in twelve years, but I was a few shades lighter than I probably would’ve been.
Once when I’d been a child, we'd taken a vacation. An honest-to-God vacation. What, that doesn't sound like a miracle to you? Try living on the run your entire life, and you'll realize what a miracle a vacation was. We went to the beach, and I laid out in the sun for ages, played in the ocean,
and enjoyed myself. I’d grown up in a constant state of anxiety, waiting for the hammer to fall-for the vampires to swarm us.
Having a few hours by the ocean...it was the best memory I could store in my mind.
I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the wall, calling to mind the sensation of the sun warming my skin. I would give anything to have just one day in the sun again.
Sudden cries jolted me out of my daydream. I frowned, climbing to my feet and edged closer to the bars. I was alone in my cell and there was no one in the cells around me. No one to ask questions of.
I’d learned a while back my isolation wasn’t normal. Most prisoners were kept in groups to save space. But apparently, this one guard liked me—and not in a good way—so I got ‘special’ treatment.
Fucking awesome, right?
I gripped the iron bars and pressed my face against the cool metal, straining to peer down the dark hallway. The suppression collar around my neck clanged against the bars—it was what kept me subservient to my captors. Without it, I would’ve been free to kill anyone who looked at me funny with a simple spell.
Not that I knew how to use my magic. Training didn’t start until thirteen, and only if your parents followed the old ways. I’d known some teenagers who hadn't started training, because their parents didn’t believe they were ready.
I would never know what it was like to tap into the magic that burned inside me. Could you imagine being divorced from a part of yourself? It was a horrible feeling. I was painfully aware of it every moment of every day, and it hurt worse than any beating.
Like a giant, ugly wound kept open forever.
More yells came from down the hallway. Incoherent, unfortunately, so that wasn't doing me any good.
I tried to make myself sit back down, but my curiosity was piqued. It was probably just the guards coming back for a little more torture—probably of me since my torture session had been interrupted by Mr. Prince. The guard would be super pissed about that, and it would royally suck when he took it out on me.
I should’ve gone into the corner and made myself disappear but I couldn't move my feet. I needed to see what was happening.
Morbid curiosity and all that.
Then a guard ran past. I jumped back, my eyes wide, before I stepping forward and pressing my face against the bars. What had he been running from?
If I could just get a little closer, I could see what it was...
The guard flew forward, a giant grey wolf on top of him.
What the fuck is a wolf doing down here?
My mind froze as I tried to absorb the information my eyes transmitted, but I got nothing. I stared as the wolf savaged the guard, tearing into his throat and then ripping his heart from his chest.
I should be screaming. The thought didn't transmit to my vocal cords. Probably because I was still gawking as the wolf went to town on the dying guard. I didn’t waste any of my time on pity.
When the vampire stilled, the wolf took a few steps back, then slowly turned its head. Its eyes locked with mine. It still growled, hackles raised.
My blood ran cold, but I still couldn’t move. It was dangerous so close to the bars keeping me safe from the wild animal.
How had it gotten in?
A moment later the wolf seemed to calm, and turned its attention back to the guard’s body. It rooted around the vampire's waist and yanked the keys from the belt. With one toss of its head, it threw the keys into my cell.
My jaw dropped. Was this a rescue? A chance to escape?
My frequent dreams of escape were never like this. I’d never once imagined a wolf would plow its way into the dungeons and set me free. It felt more like a fairy tale than abuelita’s stories.
It took a second before I’d the presence of mind to grab the keys off and reach through the bars to the lock on the outside. I fumbled, trying to find the right one, and the numbness began to fade. Time was ticking by and any minute now more guards would come.
The wolf growled impatiently.
I finally found the right key. I’d never been so happy to hear a clanking sound as when the tumblers fell into place, and the cell door parted. I shoved it open.
The anxiety hit as soon as I stepped out of the cell. I’d never been out without at least one guard telling me where to go, usually with a hand wrapped around my upper arm. I didn't which way to freedom. If I didn’t figure it out, and soon, this rescue mission would be short lived.
The yells of the other prisoners dampened my panic. I shook my head to clear. I had to get the other prisoners out, too!
The guards would take their rage out on anyone left behind. I started toward another cell, its occupants reaching through the bars begging for freedom. And before I could get two steps, teeth punctured the skin on my hand. I shrieked. In reality, it wasn't a huge bite, just a little nip, but it shocked me.
The wolf continued to growl, baring its teeth when I moved toward the other cells. He would bite me again if I continued to try getting the other prisoners out.
Why would he set me free, but stop me from saving the others?
The wolf stalked past, and then shot a glare over its shoulder at me. It knew the way out and it was my only chance at freedom. That was a more compelling reason that the fear of getting mauled.
I took a last look at the people I was abandoning--my people. I’m sorry. There was nothing I could actually do to save them. Trying to be a hero would end with me back in my cage, or worse. I wasn’t big on self-sacrifice, especially futile ones.
Reluctantly, I turned and followed the wolf away from the cries of my fellow blood mages.
Chapter 4
Nina
The wolf sprinted down the corridor and I rushed after it, terrified of being left behind. I didn't know what it was, but it wasn't a normal wolf.
Could it be...? No, that's impossible.
Werewolves were a thing of myths. No one had seen one in centuries, or so the stories claimed. But all the evidence in front of me pointed to a beast with the mind of an intelligent human being. Either this was a very funny dream I was going to wake up from any minute, or I’d just been saved by a creature from ancient lore.
I didn't have time to spend pondering, though, as I had to focus on keeping my legs moving.
It’d been years since I’d done more than walk after the guards as they dragged me from the prison cell to the torture chamber and back again—I had never gone anywhere else in the dungeons, and running hadn't exactly been on the menu. They didn't care about keeping us fit; they cared about keeping us under control.
My lungs burned and my under-used muscles screamed as I charged down the hallway with the wolf ahead of me. It was purposefully going slower than it was capable of; there was no way in hell the wolf was as slow as me. I was thankful that it didn't just take off and leave. I wouldn’t have known where to go without it to lead me.
We came to an intersection, but the wolf didn't hesitate, turning the corner and sprinting.
It clearly knew where to go. Which made sense. It had come into the dungeons on its own somehow.
We passed a body on the ground bearing the same savage marks as the guard the wolf had killed. A shudder ran down my spine at the violence, but I didn't have time to stop and dwell on it.
What would happen if we got caught? If I was lucky, the vampires would take me back to my cell—no, if I was lucky they would kill me. I couldn't go back to the cells and the torture after coming so close to escape.
I wouldn't be able to bear it.
I stumbled and barely caught my footing, panic jolting me back to the urgency of the moment. I had to keep my mind on the task at hand.
No multi-tasking for me.
We rounded another corner and came face to face with one of the vampire guards.
I skidded to a halt and backed up a few steps, prepared to run in the other direction. Or maybe throw myself on the ground and beg for mercy. I didn't get the chance to choose.
The wolf leap
t onto the man without a moment’s hesitation, bearing him down to the stone floor and ripping into his throat.
An odd thought occurred to me. It didn't make much sense to rip the throat out of a vampire. They could survive anything but heart extraction—or the power of a blood mage. I wished I could be rid of the collar so I could help in our bid for freedom.
Then again, I didn't know even the simplest of spells. I wouldn't be able to defend us if it came down to it; I was reliant on the wolf to get me out of this alive.
Which was terrifying in and of itself.
The wolf made short work of the guard and we kept going, charging down the hallway again.
God, I just want five seconds to catch my breath. My blood pounded, and I stumbled again.
My muscles didn't know how to do this. I was going to fall, and the wolf wouldn't notice. The vampires would get hold of me again, take me back to the cell, and a whipping wouldn't be the only thing I got this night.
No, you're going to get out of this alive. Don't think about anything other than moving forward.
I ran, pushing the horrifying thoughts as far to the back of my mind as possible. If I fell, if the vampires came in force and subdued the wolf, if I was taken back...I would deal with the consequences then.
Not now.
Keep going, Nina. Just keep going.
* * *
What felt like an eternity of running later, we came to the end of the corridor—two stairways at the very end. One led up and one down. I moved toward the one that led up. To get out, we had to get up from the dungeons.
Pain lanced through my thigh as the wolf bit into me again, a low growl rumbling in its throat.
I shot him a nasty glare. "You know, there are better ways of getting my attention than damaging my leg. I need that for running, you know."
The wolf's eyes bore into my soul. I shuddered.
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