by Kaia Bennett
I suppressed a shudder. Hadn’t I been willing to reveal covens a week ago? An imaginary noose tightened around my neck.
Evie’s smile, her giggle as she petted Stark’s giant wolf head in Allamuchy flashed behind my eyes.
“That’s… doubtful.” I feigned nonchalance as I flipped through the stack. “We’ve killed and sold so many of them. They hardly have anyone left to replenish their numbers, let alone generate the power to hide.”
I’d bought myself some time to break the curse of our mate bond, but what would happen now? My father and his infinite resources had caught the first breadcrumbs that could lead to a coven. A coven Evie and her family might one day be hidden within.
“That’s most likely the case. We’ll find out soon enough. With the results from their blood tests, we’re able to chart a pattern. Just a few months of surveillance and we have enough to start procuring.”
My father’s voice made me blink and fix him with a stare. He looked damn near boyish with that smug expression, as if he’d discovered V-Sep’s new use himself.
“The humans are integrating the test into every avenue of healthcare. Two years from now, ninety percent of the hospitals and clinics in my territory should be outfitted to find and isolate our product. With my funding, of course. Which means, the humans get to continue their research, and all the witch blood in North America gets exported through me. This could shift the scales of power in our favor for generations to come, Jesse. You stand to inherit that wealth. Our line could leverage that wealth to take over new territories.”
“Yeah? What happens when we isolate every witch?”
“We make more.”
I shut my eyes this time. “Breeding. You want to mass produce witch blood.”
“At the end of the year, your free run comes to an end, and your new position begins. This is the training ground, the way you prove your worth to me as my heir apparent. You’ll be in charge of gathering up these lost witches, and you’ll be in charge of replenishing the supply. We’ll have to meet the demand, but we have time to play before we dominate the market entirely.”
He smiled. The son-of-a-bitch actually smiled at me, like I’d ever given him any indication I wanted to be a witch stud farmer.
“This isn’t what I had in mind when I come back into the fold, Dad. I’m not interested in being overseer while we breed and sell witches.” At the clench of his jaw, I shrugged. “Where’s the fun in that? You have your pick of vampires who’d love to play babysitter while I learn how to rule. And, I sure as fuck don’t agree with V-Sep. The humans can’t be trusted. We’ve given them too much room to maneuver and they’ll use it against us.”
“Of course they’ll try. They’re the lowest form of vermin. Food that think they’re predators. They fancy themselves our equals. Trust me, there are plans in place to ensure they learn their true position in my food chain.” He pursed his lips and looked uncomfortable for a moment. “But, they outnumber us. They have the technology at their disposal and they have the drive to use it. You’ll never find a great vampire scientist cracking this code. We’re slaves to the bloodlust. So we’ll use humans to do the dirty work.”
I tapped my fingers against a page covered in surveillance photos. “I ran into several outbreaks during my free run this time, each one more potent than the last. Give them enough time, they’ll start thinking they can engineer a strain for us. What then? We can’t make a profit off anything if they’re poisoning us.”
He waved me off with his right hand. A thick gold ring set with rubies caught the light. “V-Sep can’t work on us. We’re true born. They stumbled onto a disease because they mistook the bloodlust and strength of turned vampires for the power of our species. They can be manipulated with false wealth and their lives are short. We’ll wait them out. We keep creating drugs that keep them distracted and they’ll continue working as our unwitting slaves.”
The elevator dinged. I’d been so distracted, I hadn’t heard an approaching visitor.
“You have nothing to worry about. I’ve ensured my heir will be well seated on his throne. By the time you’re my age, our bloodline could rule every territory. I was foolish and started late, but cornering the market on witch blood and V-Sep could change everything.”
Father straightened and smoothed his shirtfront. “But, first things first. You’ll need a son.”
My father reached for the portfolio, closed the black leather binder, and held the copies out for Cai to take. The glorified secretary took hold of the dossiers.
The elevator doors opened.
A vision in a strapless red dress stepped out of the doors. Her dark hair fell in a glistening braid over one shoulder. A naked male slave stumbled behind her with a collar around his throat. She tugged the leash and ignored Cai’s blatant stare at her lithe curves.
“Hello, Jesse.”
The queen from Asylum strode toward me, her heels clicking against the floor like nails in a coffin.
23
“You’ve met Altani already?”
My father motioned toward the approaching queen while giving me a quizzical stare.
The queen slid her hand inside my father’s and kissed the corner of his lips with all the sensuality she reserved for sucking Vaughn’s cock the night before.
“He has.”
Altani held my gaze as she approached me. She deposited her slave on the other side of my chair with an order. “Sit.”
The queen slid her ass into my lap and wrapped her arm around my shoulders.
“We met at Asylum. He was playing hard to get, but his mutt friend was much more fun.”
“Sundara’s letting vermin into her shows now?” My father seemed thoroughly put out by the idea.
“He’s a friend of mine. Sundara trusts my judgment.”
I stiffened in Altani’s arms. The subtle rotation of her ass against my cock made me chuckle.
“You wanna fuck right here, in front of my father?”
“The thought crossed my mind.” The queen looked between the two of us. “I’m feeling adventurous and I can’t say I’ve had a father and son inside me at the same time. That could be fun. I even brought a gift. “ She waved at the slave to my right. He kept his head down but terror radiated off him like perfume. “I gave him a sweetener, should kick in in a few minutes.”
Human blood mixed with narcotics tasted sweeter than usual, like a kind of synthetic witch blood. Not as good as the real thing, but good enough for a party. Nothing compared to the real witch blood.
Nothing compared to Evie.
I didn’t feel pity for the slaves. I didn’t feel pity for prey.
Then why can’t I stand to look at them right now?
I felt the beginnings of arousal, an arousal I’d indulged my whole life. Fucking and bleeding a human had been part of me since the first pubescent stirrings of my cock. I’d fucked prey alongside my father before. We’d never had the same woman at the same time, but so what? Bonding over food had been as natural as breathing all my life. Why should this be any different?.
Evie. I have to get to Evie. I have to get her away from here.
“What do you say, son?” My father quirked an eyebrow at me. “As long as you save some come for the breeding, you’re free to sample Altani. She’s an exquisite fuck.”
I didn’t deign to look his way, focusing on the sweep of red chiffon caressing the queen’s breasts, the silver choker circling her pale throat. “Couldn’t help yourself, huh?”
My cock flinched against Altani’s relentless gyration.
“I’m the ruler of this continent. I don’t have to wait for anything.”
The queen lifted my hand, nibbled my fingertips, and sucked blood from the superficial wounds. Jewelry capped her fore and pinkie fingers, like silver cat claws made for shredding and puncturing flesh. When she lifted her dress to slide my wet fingers between her legs, I pulled my hand away.
My body might’ve been able to respond, but I felt numb in the most unexp
ected places, and my urges flagged under the unfamiliar feeling.
“I had a big breakfast.” I grinned at Altani’s crestfallen face. “Besides, I have a free run to finish, as promised. I’ll have plenty of time to sample the mother of my child.”
Saying the words made me physically ill.
The mother of my child.
My territory.
I’m not ready for any of this.
“Yes, you will. Enjoy the hunt, but remember what we discussed. You can glut yourself through the new year, but I want you in this living room on January second, ready to roll.”
I nodded. Altani huffed with a roll of her eyes and stood. She grabbed the leash to her snack and wrenched his neck forward until he choked. “Come, slave. Lie on your back and get hard for me.”
The boy jerked his shaft before he rolled over. He winced as his spine connected with the hardwood. I winced as Altani looked over her shoulder, whipped her dress out of the way and lowered herself onto the slave with cruel force.
She didn’t take her eyes off me.
My father laughed at Altani’s pouty face. Her watchful gaze unnerved me. A million invisible spiders called fear tingled under my skin. I suppressed a shudder, feeling exposed as I stood and grabbed my jacket.
Altani knew what my father didn’t. She knew why I hadn’t fucked her at Asylum. A vampire is never truly full. Our bloodlust is what keeps us going. The beat in our hearts, the breath in our lungs, every strain of our muscles is a strain toward a fullness we never acquire. Even if I’d fed an hour ago, I’d still be able to devour another girl or boy. Only the need for sleep and discretion deters us from hunting non-stop. Civilization demands the illusion of restraint, but we’re not civilized. Our bodies simply demand rest. Beyond that, we’re finely tuned killing machines.
“See you in a month.” I tipped my head to the queen. “Altani. I look forward to sampling you later.”
The lie coated my tongue like dead blood, like the wet ash taste of the curse Evie’d cast on me. I spun away from the defiant stare of the queen and forced myself to take measured steps toward the elevator.
“Do you really look forward to breeding with me?” Altani called. “I’ve offered myself to you twice now, and twice you’ve refused me.”
My ears buzzed like warning sirens.
I couldn’t stop myself from whirling to meet her gaze.
The queen hissed. She braced her hands on the slave’s chest. Her nails pierced the skin while she bounced mercilessly on his cock. “That girl you were with must have you wrapped around her little finger.”
My heart thudded like prey. I could’ve recovered from the gut punch, made some biting quip to put her in her place. If only my lungs would push words past my lips I opened my mouth, but silence sat on my tongue and blocked my lies.
Shock. This is what shock feels like.
I forced a dead-eyed grin.
“Like I said before, I’m not hungry. Big breakfast. I’ll have to make you swallow your words, and my cock, another time.”
Altani lapped the blood from her victim’s chest and used bloody fingers to stroke her clit under her dress. I couldn’t tell if she sensed the inadvertent trap she’d sprung, or if she just liked seeing me sweat. Either way, she appeared thoroughly turned on by playing her hand.
“You forget, I saw you last night. I saw the way you devoured that girl, like you were in love. Your appetite is just fine. It’s me you don’t seem to be hungry for.”
“What. Girl?”
My father’s voice didn’t waver beyond regal nonchalance, but I knew better. I knew he heard my heart skip and then gallop like the horse that spirited away the woman in my dream.
Mother.
I’d never had a mother, but I called her name now. I sent up a silent prayer as the world came crashing down around me.
Altani tilted her head back and smiled fondly as if lost in the memory. “He didn’t tell you about his woman?”
The mewls of the slave below her turned into sharp hisses as the queen slammed her hips down on his, fucking him like a human pogo stick, with none of the humor.
“She’s very pretty. Eyes like coal, lips like pink roses. Smooth brown skin.” The queen giggled then, her red lips split into a wide, perfect grin. “She smelled delicious, better than any turned I’ve ever scented. She fucked like a queen, but she cried out for you like a pet, didn’t she, Jesse?”
Altani dug the ornate silver tips capping her fingers into the man’s chest and twisted beneath the skin. The slave screamed at the horrific pain, his eyes wide. Drugs had blown his pupils. Only a sliver of green iris cradled the shimmering black. A part of me wondered if we both stared at Altani with the same helplessness.
I tore my gaze away from the queen and watched Metis and Cai exchange a glance as Cai approached. My father’s lackey wrinkled his brow and folded his arms across his chest, but licked his lips and darted a glance at the queen. She’d begun to swirl her hips. Hard. The slave under her rocked into the glossy tiles of the floor. I heard him whimper as his bones ground against the unyielding surface, his human hips cracking from the strain of her inhuman thrusts.
“Your son will be disappointed if he expects a queen to beg, Metis. I hold the leash, not the other way ‘round. Isn’t that right, slave?”
“Owww… y-yes, M-mistress. Ahhh! It hurts!”
The human sobbed. Tears fell from the corners of his eyes, rolling into his brown hair and ears. Pain now, pain outpaced even the pleasure from his hard cock. The queen giggled, reveling in how helpless her captive had become. His erection couldn’t flag even in the face of her splintering his hip bones with each thrust. In the corner, my father’s slave didn’t move a muscle. Not a flicker of emotion crossed her features.
That’s our legacy. That’s what my kind does. That’s what will happen to Evie if I can’t get out of this.
“I watched him kill her, Metis.” Cai’s voice wavered with uncertainty. His shadow loomed at the window in my memory, but we both knew he hadn’t seen everything. He’d given me privacy, a strange moment of compassion. “He drowned her in the lake as I said—”
My father reached for his remote and pressed a red button at the bottom. A muted tone circulated through the penthouse. A moment later three guards appeared.
My father only embraced the illusion of invulnerability. Every one of his properties had security systems and guards. This was just the first time he’d used them on me.
“Come here, Jesse.”
I stared at each of the guards, all rippling with muscle and dressed in black. Two bracketed either side of the elevator. One stood behind the couch, within arm’s reach of my father. I could take him. I might get through one of the guards at the door and Cai. That left my father and one guard. I could run, but I wouldn’t get far. I wouldn’t be able to warn Vaughn or Evie. If I did escape, my father would have the whole city searching for us within the hour. Maybe we could find passage through Asylum.
But, then what?
Father leaned forward on the sofa, one hand propping up his chin, the other braced on his knee. I shoved my hands into my jeans pockets to cover their trembling and I stood before my father, in front of the coffee table, because Altani was fucking someone to death on the other side.
He met my stare. His eyes were so like my own. I saw his younger face, a witch kicking river water. A woman kissing a man who might’ve loved her, but who’d kill her to secure power.
I did my best to steady my breathing, to hold his gaze as one predator to another.
“Did you do what I asked, son? Or did you disobey me?”
“I obeyed you, father. I watched her take her last breath. So did Cai.”
Without breaking our staring contest, my father called to Altani. “I’m going to need a moment alone with my son, my dear. Please return to your apartment.”
Altani’s angled eyes seared my back with predatory curiosity. I looked over my shoulder in time to see her tear out her prey’s throat with a g
roan. She came with muted shivers, but cast a dark look my way. No longer the center of attention, and forced to hurry instead of relishing her kill, she huffed and stood with a flourish of her skirts and a swipe of her jaw.
She left the body bleeding out onto the floor and smacked her lips as she strolled past, pausing only to caress my lip with a bloody silver talon. The scent of come and conquest saturated the air, but even the beautiful queen leaving the penthouse couldn’t sway my mind. Evie dominated my thoughts. Evie’s shivers, my blood on her lips, the fragrance of her desire. Her dark hair laced with diamonds, like a sky full of stars. I’d left her alone.
I couldn’t let my father hurt her. There had to be a way to fix this.
“She’s quite the beauty, isn’t she?”
I blinked away images of the bond witch and returned my father’s glare. “She is.”
“Mongolian queens breed strong, fierce sons. They also don’t take kindly to insults. No queen does, but that one’s from a vicious strain of our breed. Which is why I told you to kill the witch. I won’t tolerate a single distraction. You will be utterly focused on bringing my plan to fruition, Jesse.”
His plans. His territory. How many casualties lay strewn at the feet of his plans? Would I be next?
“I did what you commanded.”
“Who was the girl with you at Asylum?”
I shrugged to hide my tremble. Slow breath in, slow breath out.
“A turned piece. Great fuck, very limber. I think maybe Altani was jealous and seeing things that weren’t there. I don’t blame her, though. Perhaps if I’d known you’d chosen a queen for me, I could’ve made her feel more at home, but, as for now, I’m still free to do and fuck what I like.”
My father smiled, a quick and fleeting thing. Like fingers around a fragile neck. First life, then death. He laced his fingers between his knees, vibrating with the finest thread of aggression.
“When you’re running a territory you’ll be the first to know everything. Assuming you survive the day, son.”
I swallowed deep, trying to figure out how to turn this conversation around.