by Sarra Cannon
“Her name is Sienna.” Abigail scowled at him. “Make sure you are kind to her.”
“I always am.” Faren winked at her before leaving the room.
Abby touched Sara’s hair lightly. She didn’t move and Abby smiled faintly when she realized that Violet was sleeping in the girl’s hair.
“You cannot keep her, Abigail.” Val said in a low voice.
Abby sighed before joining him by the fire. She sat in his lap and rested her head against his shoulder.
“She’s completely alone, Val. Did you really want me to leave her to Tavien? She’s a sweetheart and you know it.”
“That isn’t the point. She’s an added complication that we do not need.” He said gruffly.
“Tavien would have beaten and raped her. You can’t honestly expect that I would be okay with that?”
“I’m not either but you cannot take in every stray waif that catches your attention.” He replied.
She laughed softly. “She was offered to you as a gift. There was nothing wrong with accepting it. In fact, it probably helps lessen Darius’ suspicion of you.”
Val cupped her head and tugged until she looked up at him. “I am not sure that even now he believes I am Joven.”
“I know.” She sighed. “Tomorrow morning I will kill the shifters guarding the slave quarters and Wesley, Evan and I will kill Darius and the others.”
He studied her pale face and the dark circles under her eyes before shaking his head. “It’s not a good idea, Abigail. You’re still tired and weak because of the blood I took from you. You will not be able to defeat the shifters in your current state.”
“I’m fine.” She said stubbornly.
“You are not.” He scowled at her. “Wait one more day. Tomorrow night there is another round of games. The vampires will be tired from their night of revelry and will sleep more deeply during the day. It is better to do it then.”
“Val, I—”
“Promise me, little dove.” He interrupted her. “Wait one more day.”
She didn’t want to admit it but Val was right. She was tired and feeling weak and she bent her head and kissed him. “I promise.”
“Good.” He glanced at the sleeping Sara. “You should join her in the bed.”
“I will in a bit.” She stroked his cheek until he looked at her. “Was it really thirteen months, Val?”
He looked away and she frowned and forced his gaze back to hers. “Tell me.”
“Yes.” He admitted. “I spent the first few months searching desperately for you and then, when I believed you to be dead, I couldn’t stomach the thought of drinking another’s blood. It is you I want, Abby. Only you.”
He said the last in a soft mutter and she kissed his warm mouth. “I want you too, my love.”
She deepened the kiss, sliding her tongue into his mouth and flicking it gently against his. He groaned and his hands tightened around her hips as she ducked her head and licked his throat.
“Little dove, we cannot. You need your rest.” He said raggedly as she reached between them and stroked his cock through his pants.
“I need you.” She whispered. The need for him, the almost overwhelming urge for him to bite her, had returned but it didn’t bother her. She had loved him before allowing him to feed from her again, and she felt only a warm rightness.
“The girl – your new pet – is right there.” He gritted out.
She grinned. “I never took you to be a prude, Val. I sucked your cock in a room full of vampires and you fucked me in a hallway where anyone could have watched.”
“That was different.” He protested.
“It isn’t. Besides, I don’t think she’ll wake up. She’s exhausted. We’ll just have to be very quiet.” Abby winked at him before unbuttoning his pants and sliding her hand in to wrap around his thick shaft.
“I need you. Will you deny me?” She whispered into his ear.
“No.” He groaned. “I will not.”
“Good.” She gave him a cat-like smile of satisfaction before tugging his cock free of his pants. He took another look at Sara, she was still sleeping soundly on the bed, before sliding his hand under her skirt.
He rubbed her clit lightly and she moaned softly before unhooking her bikini top. He sucked her nipple into his mouth greedily, rubbing at it with his tongue as his other hand traced the scarring on her back.
“You’re so beautiful.” He whispered.
“Thank you.” She smiled sweetly at him before rubbing her thumb over the tip of his cock. “You’re beautiful too.”
He slid two fingers into her, probing deeply, as she rubbed her pelvis against him. “Fuck me, Val. Please.” She moaned lightly.
“Whatever you want, little dove.” He breathed.
He lifted her and she guided his cock into her wet warmth. As she sank down on to him he groaned loudly and she clapped her hand over his mouth.
“Hush, my love. Do not wake her.” She glanced over her shoulder at the bed as he cupped her breasts and pulled on her nipples.
Her back arched and she bounced up and down on his cock as he tried to stop his loud groans. He reached between them and thumbed her clit. Her body stiffened and then she was clenching around his cock, her hands digging into his shoulders as she stifled her cries of pleasure.
“Bite me, Val.” She pleaded in a soft voice. “Bite me!”
“I cannot.” He groaned. “Not this time.”
She made a soft sound of displeasure but didn’t ask again. Panting harshly he plunged in and out of her until, his cock swelling and his balls tightening, he came with a hoarse moan. He stared at her neck hungrily as his fangs lengthened, but he controlled the urge to bite her with a fierce determination. She could not afford to lose more blood. She shuddered above him and collapsed against his chest.
He stroked her back lightly, the familiar rage rising up in him at the feel of the scars. If he could, he would find this woman - this foster mother - and tear her apart for what she had done to his dove.
She burrowed closer to him as he softened inside of her and gave a sigh of contentment. Her body was warm and lax against him, and he hugged her closely before doing up her bikini top and lifting her off of him.
She made a muttered sound of disapproval and he kissed her lightly as he buttoned his pants. “Time for bed, little dove.”
“Hmm…” She said sleepily.
He carried her to the bed and tucked her in beside the blonde woman. She slid her hand under her pillow and sighed again as he sat down next to her. He stroked her hair as he studied her face.
She loved him. His heartbeat increased and he felt another unfamiliar rush of happiness. She loved him.
And you love her.
His hand froze against her soft hair for a moment before he rested his hand on her hip. He did love her. God help them both, but he did.
He leaned down and put his mouth to her ear. “Little dove?”
She didn’t stir and he rested his face against her hair for a moment before whispering, “I love you.”
Chapter 16
“Did he take the slave?” Darius, sitting apart from the others in the common room, arched his brow at Tavien.
“He did, my lord, but only because his current pet asked him to take her.” Tavien sat down beside him and the two of them watched the other vampires in the room.
“Do you still doubt that he is Joven?” Darius asked.
Tavien hesitated and Darius waved his hand at him irritably. “Speak your mind, Tavien.”
“I do, my lord.”
“We tortured him quite badly last night and he did not break.” Darius mused.
“True.” Tavien replied. “But that proves only that he can withstand pain.”
“I do not believe he is Joven.” Darius said abruptly. “The real question is – why is here if he is not? And who is his slave? She is not like any human female I’ve seen before.”
“She is unique.” Tavien agreed.
“I have ne
ver seen a woman fight so well with a sword before. Have you?”
“No.”
“She would make an excellent addition to the games.” Darius said thoughtfully. “How many vampires are in the estate right now, Tavien?”
“Not many, my lord. Most of them are out hunting.” Tavien gave him an eager look. “Do you mean to kill the imposter?”
“I do.” Darius said quietly. “And I will take his slave as my own. She will fight in the games and warm my bed.”
“I will gather what men we have and—”
Darius held up his hand. “Wait, Tavien. Are you not the least bit curious as to who he really is and why he is here?”
Tavien shrugged. “Not really.”
Darius rolled his eyes. “That is why I am ruler and you are not, Tavien.”
Tavien flushed, a grimace crossing his face, as Darius stared thoughtfully at him. “I want to know why he is here. I want to know why he is so fond of the slave girl and why he only fed from her when he was dying. I have seen vampires who have not been feeding regularly, and this Joven bore all the markings of being hungry.”
He gazed into the fire. “I’ll admit I am impressed at how well he bore his punishment last night. If that’s how he is when he is hungry and weak, can you imagine his power now that he has fed?”
“That’s exactly why we should be killing him now, my lord. Before he becomes even more dangerous.”
Darius sighed loudly. “It is a pity we’ll have to kill him. A vampire like him would do well in my household. Perhaps if we used the slave as a bargaining chip…”
He trailed off and sat silently for a moment before shaking his head. “No. He is not a vampire who will be told what to do. We’ll have to kill him.”
Tavien breathed a sigh of relief. “I will take care of it tonight, my lord. In fact, I will—”
Darius grunted in annoyance. “Hold your tongue, Tavien. We will kill him but first I want to know who he is.”
“My lord, there is no way of—”
“He came with two other slaves, did he not?” Darius asked.
“Yes. They are in the slave quarters.” Tavien’s eyes gleamed as he stared at Darius.
“Bring one of them to me.”
“Which one, my lord?”
“The bigger of the two.”
— —
“What is your name?” Darius stared at the dark-skinned man standing before him. He was tall and broad and his bare skull gleamed in the torch light.
“Wesley.” The man grunted.
“Do you enjoy being Lord Joven’s slave?”
“Where is the Lord Joven?” Wesley asked in reply.
Darius gave him an admiring look. The human was in a room with powerful vampires but he could smell no fear radiating from him. “You are brave for a human.”
Wesley didn’t reply and Darius leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. “Tell me who he really is.”
“Who?”
“The man pretending to be Lord Joven. I want to know his real name.”
“He is the Lord Joven.” Wesley gave him a confused look.
Darius chuckled. “I know he is not. Now tell me his real name or suffer the consequences.”
“His name is Joven.”
Darius sighed irritably and waved his hand at Tavien. Tavien was standing on Wesley’s right side and without a word, he grabbed the big man’s forearm and twisted it sharply to the right. There was a loud crack and Wesley screamed as his skin split open and white bone protruded.
Blood poured out of his arm and both Darius and Tavien licked their lips as Wesley, his face turning grey, clutched at his broken arm.
“Tell me his name.” Darius demanded.
“His name is Joven.” Wesley whispered.
With a soft hiss, Darius moved. He was nothing but a blur and Wesley cried out when Darius grabbed him by the neck and dragged him forward. He tried to struggle back but the vampire was incredibly strong, and he screamed hoarsely as Darius sunk his fangs deep into his neck. He drank until Wesley fell to his knees. His head dropped forward and he panted harshly as his eyes closed.
Darius crouched before him and tapped him lightly on the forehead. “His real name. Give it to me now.”
“Joven.” Wesley breathed.
“You are going to die. Do you hear me? I have drank you nearly dry and you have, maybe, minutes left in your stupid, insignificant life. You will tell me what I want to know.”
With great effort, Wesley lifted his head and stared directly at him. “I will die before I tell you anything.”
Darius grinned. “You will tell me everything.”
He brought his own wrist to his mouth and with a flick of his fangs, sliced the skin open. As dark blood poured down his pale skin, he grinned again at Wesley. “You will make an excellent vampire, my dark-skinned friend.”
Wesley’s eyes widened and with one last burst of energy, staggered to his feet. He lurched toward the door and Tavien, laughing under his breath, tripped him. He fell to the floor with a harsh thud and rolled on to his back.
He shook his head and clamped his mouth shut as Darius leaned over him and held his bleeding wrist over his mouth. Blood poured on to Wesley’s face and closed mouth and, with a sigh of annoyance, Darius glanced at Tavien. “Open his mouth.”
“Yes, my lord.”
He kneeled on Wesley’s chest and forced his mouth open. Wesley made a gurgling scream as the blood poured into his mouth and tried desperately to spit it out. Darius laughed and held his wrist closer to his mouth until the blood was flowing thick and heavy into Wesley’s mouth.
Wesley went rigid, his eyes closing and his hands clenching into fists, before his back arched and he bucked Tavien off of him. His eyes popped open, their dark brown colour was slowly fading to the golden colour of honey, and Darius grinned when he clamped his mouth around his wrist and drank eagerly.
— —
“Stay close to me.” Val murmured as they followed Darius and Tavien to the arena. “Something doesn’t feel right.”
Abigail nodded as Sara gripped her hand tightly. Val was right. Darius and Tavien were acting no differently but she couldn’t ignore the warning tingle at the base of her spine. Something was very wrong.
She gave Sara a reassuring smile that turned into a grimace when she saw Violet’s head peek out of the woman’s blonde girls.
“What is she doing here?” She muttered to Sara.
“She didn’t want to be left in the room.” Sara whispered.
“Keep her hidden.” Abigail warned.
Sara nodded, cringing a little when they entered the arena and she caught a glimpse of the vampires sitting in the stands. “Abby?”
“It’ll be fine.” Abigail squeezed her hand again as Val sat down. She sat on the pillow at his feet, urging Sara to sit beside her.
There was a loud crack of thunder, and lightning flashed across the sky. The wind was picking up and Sara huddled against her as the first few drops of cold rain fell from the sky.
Darius glanced at the sky. “We are in for quite a storm tonight. Don’t you agree, Lord Joven?”
“Yes.” Val nodded to Faren when he joined them. Sienna trailed after him and she sat at his feet as he stroked her hair gently.
“Where is Jaxen?” Val asked abruptly.
“There was a matter I’ve asked him to attend to.” Darius replied evasively.
Val glanced at Abby. She was giving him an anxious look and he squeezed her shoulder briefly.
Darius stood and waited patiently for the crowd of vampires to quiet. “My friends, welcome! Tonight we have something very special in mind and I believe you’ll be immensely entertained by it.”
The crowd cheered loudly and Darius raised his hands and motioned for them to quiet. “Let us begin!”
The thick wooden doors to the arena opened and Ursula stepped into the arena. She stared silently at the crowd as they roared their approval. Abigail waited tensely to see who her opponent woul
d be. She did not believe it would be Maria but she couldn’t relax until she knew for sure.
The minutes passed and when a second fighter did not join Ursula, the crowd murmured impatiently. Darius, still standing, grinned as Tavien stood.
“Are you ready for her opponent?” Darius shouted.
The crowd screamed yes and Abby, scanning the arena anxiously, felt Val’s hand on her shoulder tighten. She glanced up at him, her gaze widening, when she realized Tavien was holding his sword to Val’s chest.
Darius grinned at her and held out his hand. “Come, my pet. The crowd waits for you.”
“No!” Val snarled. He started to stand and hissed loudly when Tavien pressed his sword into his chest and blood bloomed on his shirt.
“Be still, Lord Joven. Unless you want to die tonight?” Darius said softly. He turned to Abigail. “You will fight the large bitch or watch your master die.”
“Abigail, do not—” Val began fiercely.
She ignored him and stood up quickly. “Don’t kill him. I will do what you ask.”
“Excellent.” Darius grinned widely and pointed to the arena. “Go on, then. Show us what you can do.”
Her heart thudding and adrenaline singing in her veins, Abby bent and quickly kissed Val on the mouth. “I love you.” She whispered before turning and leaping nimbly over the stone wall in front of them.
She landed in the dirt with a soft thud and walked to the center of the arena. Ursula scowled at her.
“You are the one who killed my sister.”
“She gave me no choice.” Abigail replied softly.
“I’m going to enjoy hurting you.” Ursula responded. “You will suffer more than any human has suffered in this arena.”
Abby stared silently at her as two vampires appeared and handed them each a sword. She breathed a sigh of relief at the weapon choice and gripped it tightly as she glanced back at Val. Tavien still held his sword to his chest and he was staring at her with a look of fear on his face. She gave him a reassuring smile as the vampires disappeared and left her alone with Ursula.
With a sudden shriek of rage, Ursula charged at her. She swung her sword and Abigail blocked it, nearly collapsing under the weight of the larger woman’s swing. She backed away as Ursula grinned at her.