Part of Bastian thought it merely another trick of his mind and refused to move from his spot at the back of the cage. He waited with narrowed eyes to see if the cage door would slam shut again, but instead two vampires stalked into the cage and snagged his arms.
“No! Let me go! I’ll kill you for this!” He snapped his jaws and fought against them, but they laughed at him. He’d been weakened too much to even make them wince in pain.
His hands were bound as he continued to fight until one of them punched him in the gut and he doubled over. “Get him to the tent. The Master does not like to be kept waiting,” the first vampire ordered and Bastian was dragged through the camp, unable to find his feet again.
Closing his eyes, he stretched out his mind as he had before, searching for Haddie, but the lack of blood made it impossible to hold onto any thread of emotion. He sagged, utterly spent. It was foolish. He would need his strength if he was to get them out of there, but desperation drove him to try anything he could to break free.
After he was shoved inside the tent with sparse furnishings and nothing to tell him where they were, his arms were lifted over his head so they could tie him to the metal post in the center. Then the vampires walked out, leaving him alone. He tugged at the ropes, praying they’d give, but his muscles screamed in protest, and he snarled as his hunger reared its head, distracting him even more. He needed blood, needed to feed if he was to have a chance of escaping.
Voices whispered outside the tent flap. A woman? He strained to hear, but it was not Haddie, though the tone was familiar. It tugged at his chest, twisting his gut and he frowned. The impossible passed through his mind so quickly…he wasn’t even sure he’d truly considered it.
Then the tent flaps parted and she stepped inside.
Bastian’s mouth fell open and his world turned upside down in a heartbeat.
***
Catherine growled again as she listened to Tula tell her they weren’t ready to go yet. Five days. It had been five days since she’d felt Bastian’s lips on hers, five days since he was taken from her. She could not keep waiting like this and hoping a miracle would happen. His time was running out. She wasn’t certain how she knew, but she did and if the scouts didn’t return soon, she was going after them with or without aid.
“Catherine please, stop your pacing,” Liam muttered. “You’re driving my head to ache.”
She snarled at her brother, but all he did was glare in return. “We need to leave, now.”
“And Tula said no. I agree with him. You don’t think this Master will have his men scattered throughout the forest and swamps? He will, and the moment he catches you off guard, he’ll take you too.” Liam went to her and grabbed her shoulders. Though he could not really make her stop, she did anyway and flashed her fangs.
Catherine frowned and strode over to Tula. “How much longer are we going to wait?”
Amusement showed in his eyes as he shifted his gaze to hers. “Two more days then we will go if they have not returned. Will that suffice?”
She wanted to say no, but the sudden stern look on his face said there would be no more arguing. She nodded and absently touched her fingers to her lips, wishing she’d been able to reach out to Bastian again. No matter how hard she tried, she could not find him in the darkness filling her mind, and had a feeling she knew why.
The night Bastian had appeared before her, she sensed someone else beside him, a dark silhouette she could not make out, and a moment later he’d been yanked away. The Master had to be blocking her from getting to him. Her hands curled around the edge of the table so tightly it cracked and splintered.
“Catherine,” Tula snapped and immediately she stopped.
“Sorry,” she whispered, ashamed at her actions. “I’m worried.”
“We all are,” he told her, “but you need to begin controlling your anger. Channel it into your training.”
Catherine groaned. Training. Tula had decided while they waited to see if there was a trail they could follow for Bastian and Haddie, he would begin training Catherine how to fight. Being turned into a vampire might have given her supernatural strength and speed, but unless she knew how to use it, she was worthless in an actual fight.
“Yes, training. Shall we get going on that then?” she asked, hoping she did not sound too desperate for the distraction.
Tula nodded and followed her up to the main floor of the monastery and outside. He barely gave Catherine a moment to take her stance before he lunged forward, quieter than a cat, and attacked. She fought to keep up with his speed and dodged his first few hits, even landing one of her own to his stomach. But her second of glory did not last long as she flew backwards with blood dripping from her nose.
“Damn it!” she snarled and jumped back to her feet.
“You are distracted,” Tula snapped. “It will get you killed. Focus, Catherine.”
“I am,” she hissed and attacked again, aiming for his middle, but he easily side stepped her and kicked her hard in the back.
The sparring went back and forth for hours into the night until Catherine finally fell exhausted to the ground. Tula stalked over to stand beside her, arms crossed over his chest, but instead of disappointment, she saw the slightest hint of approval.
“A few more nights of this and perhaps you will not get yourself killed so easily,” he said and hoisted her to her feet.
She began to respond when Kendi called out Tula’s name and she whipped around. “Kendi! You’ve returned! Did you find them? Where are they?” she asked quickly, glancing behind him, hoping against hope they had somehow managed to bring Bastian and Haddie back.
But Kendi shook his head. “We found where they were taken and the path they walked afterwards. I left the others behind to keep place on the trail.”
Catherine sprinted into the temple, gathered up her daggers, telling Liam and Mary the good news. “You stay here,” she told her brother firmly.
“I’m coming with you,” he argued immediately.
Catherine growled, “No, Liam, no. You cannot run as fast and we need to make it there by sunrise,” she said. “I cannot lose the trail, brother, I cannot lose my one chance at finding him.”
Liam hung his head on a sigh. “Fine, but you had better come back, sister.”
“I will,” she said and gave him and Mary a quick embrace before she was back outside glancing between Tula and Kendi. “We’re leaving, yes?”
Tula shifted, eyeing her closely and nodded. “Yes, we are going.”
Catherine’s heart lifted as the three of them took off into the trees.
Hold on Bastian, she whispered into the darkness, hoping against hope it would reach him. We’ve found you. We’re coming for you, I swear it.
***
Bastian shook his head, waiting for the image to disappear, but the woman sauntered closer, hips swaying as she tossed her long hair back over her shoulder. “You’re not…you’re not really here,” he gasped. “You can’t be.”
The woman laughed, a sound he was all too familiar with, but this time it was tainted by darkness, an evil that had sank into her and he yanked at his ropes, snarling and snapping his jaws at this imposter.
“I refuse to believe it! You’re dead! You have to be dead!”
“Oh Bastian, my dear sweet Bastian. Did you really think running away would save you, or me for that matter?” She was within a breath of him before he realized it and pressed her lips hotly against his, her body molding to his own.
But it was wrong, terribly wrong and Bastian bit hard on her lip until she cursed and stepped back. She raised her hand to smack him, but a hiss from the tent opening stilled her hand at the last second.
“Now, that is no way to treat our guest.” It was the man Bastian had only ever seen once before in his life. He stalked inside. “Bastian, it has been so long my friend. So many nights since that one on the beach.”
Bastian swallowed bile when the man slipped his arm around the woman’s waist and pulled her
up against his side. He kissed her fiercely until she moaned against him and their hands covered each other’s bodies in a sickening display.
“Her? Why…why did you turn her?” he snarled.
They broke their kiss slowly as the woman leaned against the man’s shoulder. “I wanted this,” she told him. “You left me behind, you abandoned me and then he came into my life.”
He shook his head, praying this wasn’t true, but then her name bubbled to his lips and he whispered it softly. “Antoinette…my Antoinette.”
Antoinette, his wife, glared back at him fiercely, her eyes flaring at him in the dim lighting. “Bastian. How long I’ve waited to see you again. I hear we have some catching up to do, husband. So many things to talk about.”
Bastian hung his head as she and the man stalked closer. All he could do was stand there and watch.
***
Catherine barely made it through the day, waiting impatiently for night to fall once more so they could continue on their journey. The trail was fresh, but that did not mean it would stay that way. She followed close behind Tula and Kendi, while the three other vampires protected the rear in case the Master left his soldiers behind to guard it.
But the farther they ran, meeting no resistance whatsoever, the deeper a horrible fear worked its way through her mind. They were not going to find Bastian or Haddie.
“Hold,” Tula muttered and quickly came to a stop. He sniffed the air and snarled. “Fires, they’ve been put out.”
Catherine stared around him and caught sight of a tent. Without thinking, she took off past him, ignoring his yells for caution. She had to find him, had to reach Bastian and get him away from that murdering bastard, but when she reached the tent and threw the flap open, she roared in rage. It was empty. The entire camp was empty.
Tula appeared at her side a second later, eyes calculating as he took in the camp. “They are not too far ahead of us,” he told her, shooting her a glare that promised a lecture later about her taking off.
“Where did they go?” she asked, searching for any signs.
“I don’t know,” Tula told her. “But we can’t just take off after them.”
“What do you mean? We’re so close!”
“Here we had a chance,” he told her. “He had limited soldiers, but if they’re heading to his main encampment, Catherine, he has an army there.”
She shook her head and backed away from him. “So we just give up? We let them take Bastian?”
“We regroup and we return with more,” he told her. “We don’t have a choice.”
As Tula went to speak with Kendi, Catherine stalked around the camp, hoping for any chance of feeling Bastian, needing to know he was alive and unharmed. Her steps took her to a metal cage near the edge of the camp and when she passed it, the scent of him filled her. She sank to her knees in the mud, glaring into the small space where she was sure he’d been kept.
“Bastian,” she whispered, her fingers slipping through the bars, needing to hold onto something, anything to keep her steady.
I will find you, my love, she called out, shoving hard against the darkness that sought to keep her away from him. I will find you and I will kill any who get in my way.
Catherine forced away the tears that threatened to fall, pushed herself to her feet, and made her way to Tula. As she went, the worry and fear of what would happen to her should she embrace the monster lurking inside of her fell away, until all that was left was the dire need to find the man who stole away her love.
And rip his head from his neck until she was covered in his blood.
The Master
Chapter 1
The late afternoon sun played against Antoinette’s hair as she stood at the altar inside the church, hands trembling in Bastian’s. She was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen and he wanted to tell her so badly, but it would interrupt the ceremony. The priest rambled on and on, but Bastian hardly heard a word. Before him stood the love of his young life and he simply wanted to pull her close and kiss her. This was the start of their new life together and it was going to be perfect.
A few moments later, the priest announced them as man and wife. Bastian grinned as he leaned close so that Antoinette’s lips could meet his. The kiss was briefer than he’d hoped for, but anything more would result in glares from their elders.
The newlyweds turned and hurried down the aisle of the church to the coach waiting outside to take them to the reception. Bastian tucked Antoinette’s long lace train up behind her then followed her inside, allowing the coachmen to close the door behind them. The couple waved from the windows, but the moment they had made their way down the cobblestone street away from the church, all the while laughing as if they were young lovers again, Bastian slid the curtains closed on both sides.
“Well now,” Antoinette said smiling brightly at him, “it is quite a ride from the church to your father’s home.”
“Whatever shall we do to pass the time, dear wife?” he asked with a raised brow and kissed the back of her hand. “I suppose we could simply rest. The evening will be long and filled with boring toasts and lectures from my father.”
She nodded, tugging her delicate veil from her hair. “Or we could pass the time doing something much more delicious,” she whispered, tugging at the hem of her dress and slowly dragging the fabric across her skin. When Bastian grunted, her smile turned sly and she let the dress lower again. “It is only a suggestion.”
Bastian moved from his seat to hers and pulled her against his body before her dress could reach the floor of the carriage. He moved it aside, his hand gliding up her stockinged legs, searching for the garter so he could release it and feel her soft skin. They had yet to fully embrace as a man and woman should and he wanted nothing more than to feel her right then, to take her now that they were finally wed. Her chest heaved against his, her breasts pushing up from her tight corset until he could stand it no longer. He lowered his lips to the soft flesh teasing him and she moaned, her head falling back at his touch.
“Bastian,” she whispered, running her hands through his hair. “I want it to be like this forever. Swear to me it will be.”
“I swear to you, my love,” he said breathlessly, holding her face in his hands gently. “I will never let any harm come to you and I will love you for the rest of my life.”
She kissed him fiercely. “I believe you, but I do not want to wait for tonight to show you the love I bear for you.”
Her hands fumbled at his breeches, the need and desire clear in both her touch and her eyes. At the same time Bastian helped her, freeing himself before reaching his hands beneath her skirts to tug aside her undergarments. When his fingers found her warmth, she moaned, and he was forced to struggle for control. Before long she straddled his lap and their first love making took place as they passed along the bumpy cobblestone streets of Paris, oblivious to the world around them. Bastian whispered he loved her, picturing their lives together, forever—
A blood-curdling scream erupted from Antoinette’s mouth and blood covered her front as Bastian held her. Two puncture wounds marked her neck and she stared at him, betrayal and fear in her eyes.
“Why?” she asked ragged. “Why would you do this to me? I loved you.”
Bastian shook his head. “No! I did not! I left you, I left to save you,” he whispered, moving his hand up to stop the blood flowing freely from her neck. “No! Stay with me, please stay with me. I don’t want to lose you!”
“You let them kill me,” she said as her eyes glassed over. “You left me alone, Bastian.”
“No! Antoinette!” he begged, but then the carriage fell away and he found them standing in a garden that he recognized as their home, the one they’d barely had a chance to live in before their honeymoon and Bastian’s departure. Antoinette stood before him in a black dress as if in mourning, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Bastian glanced around, feet stumbling over each other as he tried to understand how he could be here. H
e couldn’t be, not now. He would kill her. Hunger roared up within him and his throat burned more with each passing second, as he stood staring at his wife. He tried to run but his feet would not move. Instead he was forced to watch Antoinette as she walked around the garden, crying over the letter that was held firmly in her hands. Words slipped from her lips, but whatever it was that she said, he did not hear it. A weight settled over him suddenly and he swallowed hard, his chest tightening in fear.
“Antoinette, run!” But she did not hear him and sat down on a stone bench, her back to the garden entrance. “Antoinette please, for the love of God, run!”
Still she did not move and Bastian watched as a man entered the garden. His walking stick tapped the flagstones as he moved, his overcoat as dark as the shadows clinging to his body. But when he stepped closer, Bastian tensed sharply and a deep growl could be heard from within him. That man, that monster! He was the one who attacked them on the beach!
“My sweet child, why do you cry?” the Master asked Antoinette, stopping beside the bench.
“My husband,” she whispered, not looking up, “he died and I…I cannot stop grief from swallowing me whole. It’s my fault he has gone.”
“No, of course not,” the man told her gently. “I’m certain of it. You are young, beautiful, you must learn to move on and find another.”
Antoinette shook her head. “No, I cannot. I will not.” She revealed a dagger from beneath her skirts and held it towards her chest. Bastian yelled and made to rush towards her, but still he was trapped, unable to do anything but watch. “I will end it. Please don’t stop me, good sir. Please go.”
The man made no move to run for help or to stop her and simply leered as Antoinette pressed the dagger to her chest. “If you insist, my dear, then who am I to stop you.”
Antoinette pulled the dagger back and plunged it into her body. She screamed in pain and doubled over, but her body did not hit the ground. The man reached out and caught her in his arms, carrying her away as she bled to death in his arms. The hunger in his eyes was clear to see, as he passed by Bastian in the shadows, flashing his fangs towards Antoinette’s neck.
SV02-06. Slave to a Vampire Page 24