Captured: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Academy Bully Romance (Royals of Sanguine Vampire Academy Book 1)

by Sofia Daniel

  “Ugh!”

  Nausea continued to swirl through my insides, keeping me rooted to that toilet bowl. Those bastards had used me. They had known all along Micalla didn’t want me consorting with them, yet they had given me enough attention to rile her into striking out at me. No wonder Nero had been able to make a heroic rescue. He probably knew Micalla and her friends would try to kill me all along.

  “Parasites!”

  Maybe this was their revenge for burning through Raphael’s digestive tract. The bullying I had endured in response to scarring Dante’s face had been surprisingly mild. I spat the contents of my mouth into the toilet bowl and snarled. Would they hold Micalla’s murder against me? Probably. But if I got myself cleaned up and burned the evidence as they had suggested, no one would ever believe a mere frumosi would be strong or fast enough to stake a vampire.

  I peeled off my uniform and left it on my bathroom floor. Then I stepped into the shower and used every drop of shampoo and shower gel to wash off all traces of vomit and bile and Micalla’s ashes.

  Tears mingled with the lather, and despair washed through my soul. A trio of devious vampires had ensnared me in their web, and I’d been a pawn in a larger game. I could have fought harder against the blood oath or said something to circumvent the magic… if only I had paid attention in classes.

  Time passed, I didn’t know how much, but the water cooled, and a chill seeped into my bones. I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my hair and placed another around my body. Water streamed down from my makeshift turban, but my eyes were as dry and abrasive as sandpaper.

  The uniform I had left on the bathroom floor was gone.

  Bile rose to the back of my throat. What the fuck had happened to it? I stepped into the bedroom, only for Nero to rise from Zarah’s bed. The only one in the room that hadn’t suffered any pranks. His uniform was freshly pressed, and his blue-black dreadlocks pristine, as though he hadn’t caused the death of a fellow vampire.

  “Did you take my uniform?” I snarled.

  “You’ll understand why in a minute.”

  Spine stiffening, my gaze dropped to his hand, which held a smartphone. My lips parted, but no sound came out. Was there another report in the newspaper?

  “I wonder how much you truly hate vampires,” he mused.

  I curled my hands into fists. Water dripped from my turban into my eyes, but I blinked it away and clutched my towel around my body. What kind of game was he playing?

  He stepped forward, the corner of his mouth quirking into a smile. “You don’t hate Raph. Quite the contrary to what I heard last night.”

  My jaws clenched. “I can’t believe you would—”

  He placed a finger on my lips. “You don’t know what I’m going to demand of you.”

  “Get on with it,” I ground out.

  He sat on Zarah’s bed and pulled me down to his lap. I tried struggling, tried elbowing him in the ribs, but it had no effect. The arm around my waist was like a steel vise. When a hot, hard erection pressed into my ass, I stiffened.

  “I was enjoying that,” he purred. “A few more minutes of you writhing around, and I would have had a happy ending.”

  “You’re a pig.”

  “How does it feel…” He nibbled on the side of my neck. “To be owned by said pig?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking ab—”

  A video played on his smartphone. It showed me in profile, standing alone in the semi-dark chamber, holding a stake. In the clip, I clenched my teeth and plunged the pointed piece of wood into thin air. Embers appeared around the stake, and Micalla’s entire body materialized before the camera, complete with her shocked face.

  Then her pained gasp blared out of the speakers, and she hurled out a curse that included my name, while I stood in front of her, looking dumbstruck. I jerked my head away from the rest. Seeing it once was enough.

  Nero ran his tongue up my jugular vein. “Do you know why vampires appear in cameras and reflections at the moment of death?” Without pausing, he added, “It’s because their soul finally returns from its hiding place to rejoin its body.”

  “Y-you set me up.”

  “I did.”

  “Why?”

  “With that strange power, you’re dangerous, defiant, and utterly delicious. Raphael has tasted you twice, and he’s hooked. So are we. You’re going to be ours by any means necessary.”

  I squeezed my eyes shut and let out a harsh breath. Would Professor Proust help me if I asked him to look through my memory? Despair weighed on my shoulders and made them slump. Even with the evidence, who was likely to be punished for Micalla’s death, the sons of a Lord Stryx, or a disposable frumosi who had a track record of hurting vampires?

  The bastards had outmaneuvered me. I already knew the answer to my next question, but I had to ask, “Would you delete that clip if I slept with you now and let you do anything you wanted?”

  His low chuckle reverberated against my side. “It’s a start, but not enough.”

  “I won’t submit.”

  “What do you think Lady Mantis will say when the knockers present her with the remains of her precious daughter?”

  “But you said—”

  “She wouldn’t kill you right away. You’d be the broodmare for her Noble House or a blood whore before she condemned you to a slow, torturous death.”

  Tears clouded my vision, and the ache in my throat throbbed in synch with my racing pulse. I needed time to think. “A-alright. You’ve won. What do I do now?”

  “We’ll register you as our official concubine, and when the paperwork is approved, you’ll move into our suite.”

  I ground my teeth. “Concubine?”

  “It’s the official term we use to describe blood whores.” He threaded his hands through my wet hair. “We’re holding all the cards, Alicia. Remember that.”

  Angry breaths seethed from my nostrils. Not all the cards. I had one, and when the time was right, I would play it. “Fine.”

  “Very good.” Nero pulled my towel loose, and it fell to the sides, revealing my flushed, naked skin. His gaze roved over my body, and an appreciative growl reverberated in his throat. “Now kiss me as though you mean it.”

  “No,” I said through clenched teeth.

  “You think that Peridot girl’s treatment was bad with the Coven of Bitches?” His fingers circled my nipples, sending sparks of pleasure down to my core. “Disobey me, and yours will be worse, concubine.”

  I squirmed on his lap, clenching my fists, pressing my legs together to stave off the arousal. It was a futile effort, as the asshole made a show of flaring his nostrils. His smug grin and the cold triumph in his eyes told me he had scented my arousal. I shuddered at what he would say next. Nero was the bastard who had held me down and spanked me until tears had filled my eyes, then he had exposed my sopping, wet core to a room full of male vampires.

  He ran his nose down my neck, sending shivers down my spine. “That’s nothing compared to how Lady Mantis and her vassals will make you suffer. Obey me, you little murderer.”

  Twisting around on his lap, I slammed my lips on his, pouring every ounce of hatred into that kiss, and digging my fingernails into his biceps. Nero groaned, and the fingers rolling my nipples slipped between my legs. I tried to press my thighs together to keep him out, but he was too strong, too determined.

  Just as his fingers reached my pulsing clit, someone cleared their throat. Nero pulled away to reveal Zarah, flanked by Kat and Annette. Behind them stood Commander Shanks in full armor. My stomach dropped. Had they heard Nero call me a murderer?

  Kat stared at me with hard, judgmental eyes. “You were supposed to be at the entrance hall ten minutes ago for the exit ceremony.”

  Heat flushed my cheeks, and I twisted away to hide my nudity.

  “I haven’t finished with you yet, concubine.” Nero growled into my ear.

  Jumping off his lap, I yanked up the edges of my towel and refastened it around my body. As the b
astard rose, he pulled back his blazer and displayed the massive bulge in his pants. If the consequences for attacking a vampire who knew my deepest secret wasn’t so dire, I would have punched him right in the dick.

  Nero swaggered out of the room, making Kat, Annette, and Zarah stiffen as he passed them at the doorway.

  “Ten minutes, Stephens,” the commander snarled in a tone that implied I was at fault for being detained by a horny, blackmailing bastard.

  The door clicked shut, and Kat whirled on me. “What’s this, then?”

  “I’m not talking about it.” I hurried to the wardrobe and snatched clothes off the hanger.

  Kat placed her hands on her hips. “All this time, you’ve been playing hard to get, acting like you hate vampires when you were holding out for one of the Stryx Brothers?”

  I walked into the bathroom and slammed the door closed. Kat could judge me all she wanted. I wasn’t about to explain myself and have her betray me to gain favor with some other vampire. Through hot, angry breaths, I shoved on my clothes and slavered some concealer on my neck so I wouldn’t look like I’d just been strangled by an angry bloodsucker.

  Right now, I needed a plan. If I blurted that I had evidence of Pigtail’s murder, the boys would probably snatch the baggie of ashes from me and twist things around, so it looked like I killed her, too. I needed help, and only one person in this accursed academy was in the position to assist.

  “Three minutes!” Commander Shanks pounded on the door.

  I stepped out, hair mussed, cheeks heated, looking like I’d been nearly murdered, fucked, or both. The Commander’s gaze roved my uniform, his face etched with a combination of disapproval and lust. I gulped. This was the first time he’d seen me since the spanking incident. Hopefully, he wouldn’t give me any trouble while the boys were on Yule break.

  Only Zarah remained in the room, wringing her hands. “Did you see Micalla?

  My stomach hardened. “When?”

  “She asked me to talk to you about escaping, so she could rush ahead and catch you for a private word.”

  Her betrayal hit like a fist to the gut, and I flinched. I tried to keep my voice even and said, “She must have changed her mind. Did she tell you what she wanted?”

  It took a moment for Zarah to answer. “Um… no.”

  I walked out of our dorm room, past Commander Shanks, and down the stairs. A jumble of feelings, all related to betrayal, swirled in my mind. The Stryx Brothers had planned for me to murder Micalla from the start, and Zarah was so beyond help, she now set up fellow frumosi to be ambushed by murderous vampires.

  “You need to stop getting the boys attention like that,” Zarah said in a tone that was probably meant to be helpful. “Ignoring the Stryx brothers only makes them want you more. Next term, will you kiss Dante’s feet when he asks?”

  I grunted. Apparently, the vampires had screwed with her logic, too. If I didn’t work something out, I’d be kissing him and his brothers somewhere a lot more intimate than their feet.

  We reached the entrance hall, where frumosi lined both sides of the double doors like servants in a British period TV show. Miss Margolyes guided us to the space at the end and adjusted our postures, so we stood straight. For all that talk about our kind not being subservient to vampires, this little display was one more piece of evidence that we were their slaves.

  Professor Proust stood at the double doors, his long, thin arms outstretched. “A safe journey to you all. Farewell, fledglings and have a joyous Yule!”

  Young vampires, still wearing their academy uniforms, piled down from the staircases. Boys on the right, girls on the left, like they were on display for a beauty contest. Outside, a fleet of stretch limousines gleamed in the moonlight. I cast the forest beyond the courtyard a wistful look. How was Gates adjusting to life as a werewolf? I hoped he’d given up trying to run away and understood the danger he now posed to the human world.

  The first years streamed past, then the older years, until Raphael, Dante, and Nero stood at the top of the stairs like a trio of fallen angels. Despite myself, a breath caught in the back of my throat, and all around me, the frumosi girls sighed.

  Raphael was the first to descend, and he kissed my hand. “I can’t wait to see you again next term.”

  I glowered into his green eyes, looking for signs of smugness, but there were none. Did he even know about Nero’s plan to control me with that video clip? From his genuine smile, I would say he didn’t.

  Dante approached next, and my insides froze. Would he make me kiss his foot in front of all the other frumosi? The corners of his lips curved into a smirk, and he said, “Things will be different next term.”

  My gaze lingered on the scarred side of his face. Most of the damage had faded except for a few waxy patches where my fingers had made the most impact on his skin. He strode out of the double doors, and I pursed my lips, the beginnings of a plan forming in the back of my mind.

  Before my thoughts could coalesce into a course of action, Nero wrapped his arms around me in a parody of a hug. “I’ve filed the paperwork for becoming our concubine with Professor Proust.” His hand cupped my ass and squeezed. “Be a good girl and sign it.”

  The trio stepped into the darkness outside and into the last limousine. Nero wound down the window and winked.

  I clenched my teeth. Something told me he would be the biggest pain in my ass next term if I didn’t take measures to protect myself.

  Professor Proust closed the doors and let out a happy sigh. “Well done, boys and girls. Lunch will be served in the small hall.”

  After the events of the night, the thought of food made my stomach churn. I headed straight back to the tower where I would stay until it was time to enact my plan.

  At sunrise, I strode into the kitchens. The scent of onions and garlic and medicinal herbs filled the air, and only a few knockers stood by the stove, adding ingredients to a vast pan. Perhaps the others had been sent out on missions. There was no sign of the onion woman. I walked past the row of stainless steel work tables to the far end of the room and opened the first door. It was a drying cabinet for herbs. The next door led to the chamber containing the pigs.

  I braced myself to find the plastic pipes pumping out their blood, but the pigs lay in their pens without the horrific attachments. Knockers in white coats fed the pigs from buckets containing pitted apricots and oranges, broccoli and spinach, potatoes, tomatoes, and offal.

  There was something off about the pigs. I stepped forward, tilting my head to the side. Instead of standing, they knelt on limbs twice as long as expected, which ended in long trotters that were more primate than bovine. The lining of my stomach trembled, and I gulped hard. Their backs were turned to me, but none of the pigs seemed to have tails.

  “Back again,” said a voice.

  My heart jumped into my throat. “Are those—”

  “Human-pig hybrids?” asked the onion woman, her voice dry. “Yes.”

  I turned around. “But why?”

  “The vampires trying to survive in the modern world, and that means an end to feeding on humans. Stealing from blood banks isn’t the answer, so this is their solution.”

  I rubbed my temples, trying to make sense of everything, but Nero’s winking face pushed itself to the forefront of my mind. If I didn’t want to end up worse than Zarah had been with the Coven of Bitches, I needed to concentrate.

  “Are you a hunter?” I asked.

  She pursed her lips. “What did I tell you about asking quest—”

  “Because of your sunstone, I’ve attracted the attention of at least three dangerous vampires. They think I’m some kind of powerful frumosi and they have evidence against me that could mean a painful death unless I serve as their concubine.”

  Her eyes bulged, but she remained silent.

  I stepped toward her. “How long will it take before they demand to know how I injured them? A week, a day, ten minutes? They’ll mesmerize the information out of me, and I’ll be forced to
tell them about the female hunter lurking in the kitchens and plotting against the vampires.”

  “I’m not a hunter.” She glanced away. “I-I’m something else.”

  “A frumosi who unlocked her magic?”

  Her stiff nod was all the confirmation I needed. She said, “What do you want?”

  “Teach me everything you know. I have two weeks to learn how to protect myself from three horny, blackmailing vampires and their fangs.”

  END OF BOOK ONE

  READ BOOK TWO

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for reading Alicia’s story! I’ve planned the next book in the Royals of the Sanguine Vampire Academy series, but I need your help. The only way I can work out your level of interest in the next book is by getting feedback from you, the reader.

  Your reviews will determine which series I prioritize. If you want me to push Alicia’s next book up my writing schedule, please recommend Captured to your friends and take a moment to leave a review.

  No essays or book summaries are needed to write a review — Just a sentence saying whether you liked the book will make a huge difference.

  Sofia

  P.S. The final book of the Kings of Mercia Academy series is complete and with the editor. I’ll release that as soon as I get her feedback.

  P.P.S. Here’s where to leave your review!

  From Sofia Daniel

  Want teasers for upcoming books? Join my reader group, Sofia’s Study Group.

  Bully Romances By Sofia Daniel:

  Royals of Sanguine Vampire Academy

  Kings of Mercia Academy Series

  Bullies of Brittas Academy Series

  www.SofiaDaniel.com