by Marian Tee
Didn’t what happen between them matter to him? The question had her cringing. Technically, nothing had really happened between them. It wasn’t as if he had taken her virginity.
In minutes, they had walked out of the clearing and she saw a huge black Jeep waiting for them. Alexandru dropped her hand, murmuring, “Wait here,” before walking ahead of her to talk to its driver.
This was really it. After this, who knew if she would ever see him again? And even if she didn’t, why should it matter? She should just focus on finding her parents and rebuilding her life. She should forget about ever finding out that not only humans existed in this world. That was the smartest thing to do.
“Zari? It’s time to go.”
She looked up at the words and found the vampire’s eyes hooded as he returned her gaze.
Slowly, she walked towards him and allowed Alexandru to assist her up the Jeep.
“Make sure you don’t forget about me,” he said teasingly, but his smile faded when she didn’t answer, didn’t even look at him. Her gaze remained at her tightly clenched hands on her lap. Another strange painful pang hit his chest, but he told himself it was nothing.
“Goodbye then, little pet.”
Still not looking at him, she muttered, “I’m not your little pet.”
The smile that curved on his lips didn’t reach his eyes. “I know.” He closed the door. As he started to walk away, he heard the driver starting the engine.
Master.
It took him a while to realize that he was hearing Zari’s thoughts.
Master. Master. Master.
She was muttering the word out loud, practicing the word over and over in a tear-choked voice.
Alexandru closed his eyes. God, what an idiot. Ridiculously proud, strong, brave, cute idiot.
One moment, Zari was fighting back tears. The next moment, a strong gust of wind hit her, and the next thing she knew, she heard the door burst open and slam shut. When she blinked her eyes open, a shriek of surprise slipped past her lips at finding Alexandru sitting next to her.
“What are you doing here?” She tried to sound like she was angry even though she was feeling incredibly relieved at the sight of him.
Her expressive face gave her away, and he shook his head. “You truly should quit lying, little pet. Your face will always give you away.”
She flushed at his words, but even so, she said stubbornly, “You haven’t answered my question.”
His beautiful green eyes bored into her. “What do you think?”
She couldn’t say the words she was thinking, afraid that it would mean hoping for nothing.
His voice lazy, he continued, “After saying Master over and over in your mind, after telling yourself you could swallow your pride and call me Master, what do you think?” He waited for a second, and as expected, he was rewarded with another comical look of surprise as Zari’s cheeks puffed up, reminding him once more of a cartoon character.
Zari wanted to die of embarrassment. She couldn’t believe how she had forgotten that the vampire was able to hear her thoughts.
“You can still change your mind, you know.” He stopped, frustrated at the way he was privately torn between wanting and not wanting the soul seer to change her mind.
“It will not be an easy life with me. And though I may look and speak in an easy matter, I am unfortunately very traditional. I do not want you taking your role as my pet lightly.” His eyes narrowed. “Among other things, it means having to call me Master.” He lifted a brow. “Can you do that?”
She thought about it hard, and in the end she realized one thing. At the end of the day, Master was just a word, and it was up to her to decide what that word meant. For others, it might mean giving up one’s freedom. For herself, it meant having the vampire in her life.
Slowly, Zari nodded.
“I’m afraid that’s not good enough, pet.”
“Master.” She choked on the word and glared at him as she said it.
Too fucking cute.
Not caring that there was another person inside the jeep, he reached for Zari. In a moment, he had her on his lap, his hand in her hair and his lips on hers. He kissed her hungrily, unable to believe how much he loved the taste of her even though they had just met. Even though she was no one to him. Even though his heart already had someone else inside it.
When the vampire’s lips drifted down her throat, Zari arched her neck, unable to stop herself from giving him more access because it just really felt good. “Is this…part of…being…a human pet?” The way she sounded so breathless made her embarrassed, but she couldn’t help it.
The way Zari’s skin turned pink was a turn-on, and Alexandru’s lips moved back up as he took her lips for another kiss. The way she returned his kiss was still inexperienced and clumsy. It should have made the kiss distasteful and boring, but instead he found her innocence all the more arousing. He had never been a possessive lover, but with the soul seer, he realized that he liked – really fucking liked – the fact that he was the first one to kiss her, to touch her, and soon…to take her.
“With others, it’s…optional,” he whispered against her lips. He lifted his head, his gaze intense as it met hers. “But with me, it’s non-negotiable. If I shall be your Master and you my pet, I want the right to touch you as you will and make you cry out in pleasure. It’s a right that I alone shall have.” Slowly, seductively, he traced her lips. “Do you agree with that?”
Even as her cheeks turned redder at his blunt words, she whispered, “Yes.” There was no other answer, not when she couldn’t imagine any other man doing what he did to her.
When his lips curved in a smile, her heart tripped, making Zari realized how much this person had suddenly meant to her. He meant so much, to the point that she hungered for his approval. The thought had her discomfited, and she blurted out, “Alexandru?”
He raised a brow.
After a beat, she realized what it meant and she said, “Master?”
His head bent, and then he was sucking on her lip, as if giving her a reward. When he lifted his head, he asked, “What is it?”
“Is seduction one of your powers?”
He choked.
“Tell me honestly.”
“How would I know?”
She said glumly, “It must be. I’ve never been interested in boys, much less kissing, but with you I’m just…” Her hands flapped in the air.
He suppressed a smile. “Just...what?”
She glared at him.
Too damn cute.
He kissed her again, and when he released her mouth, she said, “It’s definitely one of your powers.”
He laughed but didn’t answer her. He had a feeling it was better for both of them that the little soul seer believed he was manipulating the sexual attraction between them. Instead, he said, “If you are serious about being my pet…”
He stopped, giving her a chance to change her mind. In all honesty, he didn’t want to give her that chance. In his mind, he already saw her as his. But he was nothing but fair—
“I won’t change my mind.” She looked down. “Until we find my parents, that is.”
He inclined his head in agreement. “Understood. But for now…you are mine then?”
She flushed at the words, as expected. When she saw him grin, she said with a glare, “Stop it—”
He raised a brow.
She said chokingly, “Master.”
He stroked her cheek, and the tender gesture made her blush harder. She knew that it was his silent way of apologizing.
Alexandru sighed. “Those blushes of yours, pet…remember that they’re only mine, mm?”
Before she could answer, he was kissing her again, his tongue possessive and bold as it danced with hers.
When he released her mouth, she muttered dazedly, “Is there some kind of antidote I can take so I’d be immune to your kisses?”
He chuckled, but his voice was sober when he said, “There’s one last thing you ha
ve to know about being my pet…and about your real identity.”
****
“Why did you take us back here?” She tried to keep her voice from shaking when she found herself standing in front of the entrance of the mining shaft once more. Although it was already broad daylight, the sun appeared unable to penetrate the darkness inside the tunnels. Its blackness was like a living creature, hungry and intent on devouring everything made of light and life.
If she closed her eyes, she wouldn’t be surprised if she started to hear the same screams, over and over.
“I told you I came to rescue you, didn’t I?”
She nodded.
“It’s because I was sent to look for you.”
She shook her head, bewildered. “Why would you…a vampire…look for me?”
“Because you’re no ordinary human.” He took her hand. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes.”
Again, her unquestioning loyalty sent a pang through his chest, and Alexandru swore to himself that it was something he would cherish forever. Slowly, he drew her inside with him, and again she didn’t hesitate even though he felt her body start to tremble in fear next to him.
When they had walked deep enough into the tunnel that it was black all around, he took her hand and placed it on the wall.
He said quietly, “I’m going to bite you now, just to open your mind a little more and let you see.”
“I don’t—” But she forgot what else she had to say when Alexandru’s fangs sank into the side of her neck. She gasped at the pain of it, and then she gasped again, her body jerking as images from long ago invaded her mind.
****
Black.
Everything in black jumped at Zari, leaving her blind to any other color but black.
Black. BLACK. BLACK.
The blackness of the soot that marked the children’s clothes as they crawled into the narrow passageways, their tiny fingers gripping explosives. The color of the sky as they worked into the wee hours of the night. The shadows under their eyes as they struggled against hunger, thirst, and most of all, fear.
And then the scene changed, hundreds of sheets of paper falling to the ground. She tried to reach for a piece, and it was only then she realized that she didn’t exist, not in this world from a hundred years back.
Black.
The descent of the papers slowed down in front of her eyes, as if someone had set everything in slow motion. Words written in black ink screamed at her.
MISSING!
Toby Manderley, Age 7.
Katie Sanders, Age 11.
Darwin Colt, Age 5.
Another shower of paper fell, torn sheets of newspaper falling from somewhere above her.
More words cried out to her, headlines printed in black.
Wealthy clan owning mines denies allegations of child labor!
Furious, grieving parents file lawsuit against the Richmond family!
A possible truce? Parents invited to inspect mines!
A tragedy! All 98 parents buried alive by explosion!
Mining explosion declared accident by experts!
Richmond family builds memorial in remembrance of victims!
Tears ran down Zari’s face. She wanted to cover her ears as the howls and tears of despair reached her. In front of her, parents sank to their knees as they were shown the skeletons of their missing children, all of whom had died from either sickness or abuse. She cried harder when she saw the moment the parents realized that they were never leaving the tunnels – not alive anyway.
She thought it would end there, but it didn’t, the world twirling around her into something new, something different, and something terrible.
Black.
The color of vengeful souls, the color of hatred, the color of death—
Ghosts of murdered parents seeking retribution against the Richmonds. An eye for an eye.
A solitary sheet of newspaper once again drifted down, big, bold black letters on the front page spelling the fate of the owners of the mine.
Entire family found decapitated in their beds, mutilated, no signs of struggle!
****
“Come back to me now, pet.”
The words sounded like they came from a great distance. They were repeated over and over, louder and louder, until it roped her back into reality and Zari found herself falling to her knees, a silent scream lodged against her throat.
Frightened gray eyes sought Alexandru.
His first instinct was to reach for her, but he forced himself to remain still, knowing it was the only way to help Zari become stronger. “Breathe slow and deep.” He issued the command in a soft voice.
Zari instinctively followed the order, a part of her recognizing the fact that everything Alexandru – her Master – would ask of her was for her sake. Always for her sake.
She concentrated on breathing, and little by little, the chills racking her body subsided, enough for her to be coherent. “The children…” She started to cry again. “Their parents…” She looked around her, and this time she saw them with new eyes.
“What you saw was from the past, and you’re able to see it because you’re a soul seer.”
She whispered, “I don’t understand.”
“It’s why I was searching for you. You are one of the last of your kind. Most members of your race had been annihilated by an ancient war.” Demons in particular had been responsible for nearly wiping out their existence, but for now, he decided to keep that fact to himself. It was clear that Zari was suffering from shock, and it was best to tackle such knowledge on another day.
Zari rubbed her temples, her head literally hurting at how hard she was trying to understand what had just happened. She said haltingly, “But I’ve never seen something like that before. So why—” That was when she remembered his earlier words.
I’m going to bite you now, just to open your mind a little more and let you see…
She gazed up at him. “Why…did you want me to discover what I am?”
“Because it’s who you are, and in my world, you’ll need your powers as a soul seer to survive.”
The words struck her as both true and untrue. “That’s not the only reason,” she said quietly. “Is it?”
A smile touched his lips. “No. It’s not.”
She waited for him to say something more, but when more than a few seconds passed and his handsome face remained impassive, Zari said, “You’re not going to tell me, are you?”
No. He wasn’t. Not when he knew that his reasons could – would – hurt her.
He said finally, “Just know it is for your sake that I’ve done this.” He offered his hand, wondering if she would take it. If she still trusted him.
She took his hand.
Again, the pang through his chest, one that felt more and more familiar.
He helped her to her feet, and when she was upright, he was the one who bent down to dust off her knees. It made Zari inhale in surprise. “You don’t have to—”
When he straightened, he murmured, “It’s my duty as your Master to look after you.”
“Oh.”
“You’re glaring at me, pet.”
Because the way he was smiling at her was making her heart throb, but of course Zari couldn’t say that.
Alexandru suddenly yanked her to him, causing her body to slam against his. Her cloak parted open, and she gasped at the contact of her naked skin against his fully clothed form. She opened her mouth to yell at him for being a pervert, but he beat her to speaking.
“This is the last time I’ll ask you.”
Zari froze.
In all honesty, he did not want to ask her again. In his mind, she was already his. But he also knew he would not be able to live with himself if he did not give her this one final chance to be free of him. One last chance to live a life without pain because sooner or later, Alexandru was sure he would only make her cry, and it wouldn’t be tears of pleasure.
“Are you sure you want to r
emain by my side as my pet?”
The words had her looking down. She didn’t want the vampire to see how relieved she was at what he was saying.
“Zari?”
She said softly, “Yes.”
The world seemed to shift the moment she spoke. When she gazed up at Alexandru, she could see that it was the same for him.
****
It is not politically correct to call human pets as food.
If that was the case, then we pets have the right to call vampires bats with feet.
Zari’s Rules for the Modernization of Relationships between Human Pets and Masters
~ Zari ~
La Scala Legaturia.
The words, spelled in molded black steel on top of the gates, supposedly meant the School of Bonds. Since this was a training ground for human pets wishing to serve their Masters well, I had to wonder if the double entendre behind the name was intentional. If most vampires were like my Master, it probably was.
Beyond the gates, a sprawling structure made of ancient red bricks soared against the overcast skies. It would be my home for the next few years, assuming I was accepted as one of the school’s privileged students.
“Scared, pet?”
I looked up at the question, and the sly smile that accompanied the words made me lift my chin and say, “Nope.”
It was a lie, of course, and my Master knew it.
He threw back his head and laughed, the rich dark sound echoing in the night like a dangerously addictive melody.
My heart skipped a beat at the sound, and when I glanced back at the vampire, my heart skipped again. I wished it didn’t, but it was no use. Tall, dark-haired, and broad shouldered, Alexandru remained the most gorgeous man I had ever seen in my eighteen years of existence. And since I had become a part of his world? That was saying a lot. Every – and I mean every – nonhuman male I got to know had been prettier than me.
My Master clucked his tongue. “You and your lies,” he chided softly. “It is not bad to admit to a few weaknesses, pet. That is why I am your Master.” He spread his arms wide open. “Would you like me to comfort you with my body?”
My cheeks heated.
When I saw an unholy gleam light up his emerald-green eyes, I realized belatedly that I had fallen for his trap. Again. We had been together for less than a week, most of it spent on the road as we traveled from the wilds in Brazil to the mysterious isles of Key West. That much time in his company was enough to make one thing glaringly clear: nothing brought him greater pleasure than seeing me blush.