The Black God (#2, Damian Eternal Series)

by Lizzy Ford

  Agreed there. They walked out onto a low porch, and she saw where everyone else was. Vamps were sparring all along a lakeside bank beneath the tall, slender trees. Golden leaves had begun to fall and pile at the base of the trees. It was cooler here than San Diego.

  “Where are we?” she asked again.

  “Outer Banks.”

  “Virginia?” She glanced behind her to see the quiet retreat, a series of single story buildings joined by wooden walkways and surrounding a central community center with a double A-frame roof. “Okay. So is my brother close?”

  “We don’t know where he is.”

  Her focus returned to the vamp. “Why aren’t you trying to find out?”

  “I don’t give a shit about your brother,” the vamp snapped. “I care about putting an end to Valon.”

  “If my brother is important, he’s probably located somewhere near this Valon guy, isn’t he?” she retorted.

  He paused near a group of vamps sparring with knives. “You know what your problem is?”

  “No clue.”

  “You don’t kill.”

  “I don’t see that as a problem,” she grumbled. “I can kill. I just don’t.”

  “When we send you out to face Valon’s vamps, you won’t have any of us to clean up after you.”

  Charles. She vaguely recalled hearing the vamp’s name. “What’re we doing here?” she asked instead. “We already know I can beat you before you raise your knife.”

  “You can,” he agreed, “until someone outsmarts you and you can no longer use your speed to your advantage.”

  “It hasn’t happened yet.”

  He tossed her two rubber knives. She snorted. Charles set down the Taser and took up a position opposite her, about four feet away.

  “Come on, Natural,” he said with as much distaste as he treated her breakfast.

  “You don’t want a weapon?”

  “You won’t get close.”

  Piece of cake. Ashley balanced herself on the balls of her feet, positioned her weapons and then launched at him.

  Her right leg was yanked out from under her, and she smashed to the ground before she was able to reach him. Startled, she lifted her head and the leg whose chain Charles held.

  “Again,” he said and motioned her to her feet.

  Ashley considered her hobbled leg briefly as she rose, mind racing with other scenarios whereby it wouldn’t be in her way.

  She tried again, and once more, he knocked her onto her back without touching her.

  “Dammit,” she muttered. This time, she got up faster. “Is this realistic? I mean what are the chances any of them gets close enough to chain up one leg.”

  “You’re missing the point,” the vamp snapped. “You need to think on your feet and not just rely on your gift.”

  She frowned. She’d never run into a challenge that required her to change what she did.

  The third time she charged him, he yanked harder and sent her sprawling onto her stomach. Anger stirred, and Ashley rose, this time pausing to evaluate how to close the short distance between them. She had speed, agility and athletic ability on her side, and the vamp had one hand in his pocket and didn’t look at all concerned about routing her.

  Think on your feet. She did when scaling a building with no noticeable toe and hand holds, when pure athletic ability required something more than strength to ensure she succeeded. Her gaze from the vamp to those crowding around to watch to the chain separating her from Charles.

  After a long pause, she tried again.

  This time, instead of diving for him, she dropped her knives, kicked up her right leg and snatched the chain. She yanked to pull him off guard …

  … and ended up on her belly.

  “Shit!” Ashley bounced up. “Again!”

  Charles didn’t even flinch. He pulled out his phone and began texting with one hand.

  The next time, she tried grabbing the chain and wrapping it around her hand only to cry out in pain when he yanked hard enough to sprain it.

  Ashley struggled for an hour to reach him before bending over, hands on her knees, to catch her breath. “What … am I doing … wrong?” she panted. “Are you going to tell me or just let me keep beating myself against the ground?”

  Charles replaced his phone, unfazed while she breathed hard. “Use the chain.”

  “I’ve been trying.”

  “Not the way you’ve been doing it.”

  She rolled her eyes and straightened.

  “You have athleticism on your side. Pull the chain tight. Use it and me as leverage. There’s more than one way to close the distance between us. You don’t need to be on your feet.”

  She frowned, calculating what he was saying with what she thought she could do.

  “I saw the surveillance footage of you scaling a wall with nothing more than your speed and strength,” Charles added.

  “You’ve been watching me?” She eyed him.

  “It always pays to know what you’re up against. Now, try again.”

  Not on my feet. She was a fantastic tumbler and light enough she didn’t need much space to generate speed.

  Doubting this plan would work either, she dropped the knives and pulled the chain taught. “Okay. Here I go,” she murmured to herself.

  She vaulted onto her hands and flipped over backwards, touching the ground for a split second before flipping again, this time with the chain in her hands. She landed almost on top of Charles and lashed out with the chain.

  He Tasered her.

  Ashley gasped and dropped as hot electricity paralyzed her temporarily. The pain slid away, and she lay on the ground.

  “Good,” Charles said. “Let’s try the next level.”

  Dazed by the shock, she didn’t fight him when he blindfolded her and hauled her to her feet. She wobbled and caught her balance, shaking out her arms and legs to rid herself of the shocks.

  “You can fight in the dark?” Charles asked.

  “Yeah,” she replied and keyed in her senses.

  “Show me.”

  “Why are we doing this?” she demanded. “You know I can fight.”

  “I know you can fight one way. If you’re going to help us against Valon, you need to adapt to how a vamp fights.”

  “I don’t want to fight Valon. I want to get my brother back!”

  “You can sit back here on your ass and hope we feel like rescuing him, or you can join the raiding teams and look for him yourself,” Charles answered. “Jonny asked me to assess you. If I don’t like how you fight or act, I can tell him to put you on ice.”

  Anxious to help her brother, fearful of what exactly Jonny had planned for her, Ashley didn’t object again and lowered herself into a fighting stance.

  “First round will be easy,” Charles said.

  He didn’t attack her. This much she sensed. He kept a hold of her chain, though, to limit her movement while three other vamps attacked. Ashley managed to fight them off despite her restriction.

  The second round, however, was a disaster. Charles intermittently yanked her off her feet mid-fight, and she ended up bruised and battered by the time the round was over.

  He let he catch her breath without taking off the mask. “Do you see the point I’m trying to make, Natural?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she replied. “I’m not flexible enough.”

  “You aren’t adaptable enough.”

  She rolled her eyes behind the blindfold. “Whatever. I know I can fight if I have the chance.”

  “And if you don’t?”

  Ashley growled, not liking where he was going with his lessons. “Fine. What’s next?”

  “Round three.”

  If ever she suspected she’d meet her match, it wouldn’t have been with a vamp who didn’t lift one finger to fight her. Round three was crushing, a combination of sheer number of attackers, Charles knocking her off her feet, and the occasional Taser.

  By the end, she stayed down for the first time in her life, to
o exhausted and rattled by bolts of hot electricity to move. Ashley pushed off the blindfold to stare at the swaying trees above, struggling to catch her breath.

  Charles crouched beside her. She didn’t bother trying to attack him this time.

  “Jonny is the opposite of you. He’s cautious and fights smart. He doesn’t have great skill or talent, and he’ll kick your ass every time.”

  “Is this supposed to be a pep talk?” she retorted.

  “It’s a warning. Xander taught you to use your instincts. You need to add to that some thought and strategy if you want to survive the vamps Valon has under him. They’re ruthless and have nothing to lose.”

  Ashley pushed herself into a sit. “What’re you going to tell Jonny?”

  “That you need training wheels.”

  “Omigod!”

  “If you fuck up the first time, you won’t be going back out.”

  “So I can go.”

  “For now.”

  Ashley almost sighed in relief. Nothing sounded worse than being left behind when she had a chance to help her brother.

  “Part two,” Charles said and stood. “You need to learn to fight with our vamps.”

  She lifted her eyebrows. “Now?”

  “Tired?”

  She nodded.

  “You ever watch the Dog Whisperer?”

  She shook her head.

  “The host always says the best time to train a dog is when he’s tired.”

  “I’m not a dog!” Ashley said, startled.

  “Might as well be, Natural.” Charles motioned her up.

  Offended, she bit back another response, not wanting to end up Tasered for pissing off Charles and climbed to her feet. “I don’t care if your vamps get killed out there,” she said.

  “You should. They’ll be guarding your back.”

  The three vamps on the other side of their practice area glanced at one another.

  “Yeah, they don’t share your teamwork ethic,” she said sarcastically.

  “Jonny gave orders. If anyone fails to do his part, he gets disciplined,” Charles was gazing at the three. “You don’t have to like it. You just have to obey.”

  The hesitation in their features vanished fast.

  “What does disciplined mean?” she asked quizzically.

  “It means he kills them.”

  She glanced towards the vamps once more and swallowed the question at the tip of her tongue. It was one thing to know Jonny was a vamp, another to know he killed. Not at all certain how to grapple with what he had become, she turned her focus to the vamps.

  “Pair up. Spar one another. The pair still on their feet at the end of this wins,” Charles instructed.

  “Come on, Natural,” one of the vamps called to her gruffly.

  Ashley went, troubled and tired.

  By the end of her day with the vamps, she was ravenous and exhausted. Charles led her by the chain back to her bedroom and locked her in. On the nightstand beside the bed was another bag of fast food. She tore into it and wolfed everything down before taking a quick shower. A gym bag of clothing sat on the bottom of the bed. It was hers, and she sifted through it for her favorite leggings and t-shirt to change into after bathing.

  Unable to recall the last time she’d been so worn down from a day of training, she braided her hair and sat down with a sigh. As with before, there was a knock at her door the moment she went still.

  Charles opened it. “You’re being summoned,” he said curtly.

  She didn’t have to ask who was ordering her around, but she was more leery than before after learning how much Jonny’s vamps feared disappointing him. She tugged on her shoes and watched in irritation as Charles picked up her chain again to lead her through the dorm where no one but her was staying.

  He escorted her into a neighboring building, this one with larger rooms and more vamps. He led her to a small suite and opened the door for her.

  Jonny had a mini-apartment with a living room area and kitchen. He also had a porch, and the open door caught her attention. She didn’t know how far away the nearest Guardians or a cell phone was, but if she had half a shot to run, she’d be able to escape.

  As if understanding her look, Charles chained her to the round bar table in the tiny dining room. She remained on her feet. He left, and she waited.

  Jonny’s claim she had something to trade for his blackmail scheme made her touch the bite scars at her neck. A day with Charles and the vamps was challenging and interesting.

  Being the Black God’s food source?

  She’d rather be Tasered a hundred times over than experience the helplessness when he incapacitated her and the piercing fire of his fangs.

  “Charles said you did well.” Jonny’s soft voice came from the direction of the porch.

  Unable to sense him, she wasn’t certain if he’d been there since she walked in or not. “Hmmm. That’s not exactly what he told me.”

  “He’s a critical teacher.” Jonny stepped into the room. “If he can teach me to fight, he can mold anyone.”

  Ashley didn’t feel up for small talk, not when she knew what was coming. Her heart was pounding faster than when she fought the vamps earlier and she was self-conscious of how Jonny was gazing at her – steadily, intently. Like the predator he was. She’d never really understood this about him before now. “How often do you kill your vamps?” she asked.

  “Only when they disobey. I have a couple of capitol offenses,” he replied, unfazed by the question.

  How did I ever think this was the same guy? She studied him. Quiet power radiated off him. He approached, and she found herself backing away for the first time since they’d met.

  “What are they?” she asked in the tense quiet, too aware of the warmth blooming in her cheeks.

  “My catch-and-release protocol. They can drink blood but never kill a human.”

  “Hmm. What about me?”

  “I had to make up a special rule for you.”

  She started to smile and stopped herself. “You’re going to let me try to find Brandon.”

  “I’m going to let you fight with my vamps against the rogues,” he replied.

  “And you’ll find Brandon.”

  “He’s not my first priority,” Jonny said, gazing down at her steadily. “But, yes, I will have a team work on finding him in exchange for you keeping your end of the bargain.”

  “Fair enough.” Not about to show weakness despite her weariness, she drew a deep breath. “Let’s get this over with.” Ashley tugged her braid over the side of her neck and turned her back to him. She waited, hating the suspense and apprehension roiling within her.

  “You understand your position, Ash?” His body heat grew nearer.

  Her heart raced. “You can’t let me go, so now I have to fight for you and feed you. As long as you find Brandon, I don’t care what you do to me, Jonny.”

  “You understand this arrangement doesn’t end when we find Brandon? That I can’t just pardon you when I’d kill any of my vamps for anything similar?”

  She didn’t answer for a long moment. She had purposely not been thinking about what happened when they found Brandon. She wanted him safe. What happened to her was of less concern. Although, she began to reconsider whether a normal life was so bad.

  “I think so,” she mumbled at last. “I think it means I’m stuck with you.”

  “Yeah. It does.”

  She swallowed hard.

  Rather than take her throat, Jonny lifted her wrist. “All my vamps bear this as a reminder and warning.” He touched his palm to hers lightly. A flash of fire went through her hand, and she jerked it back to see the fading glow of a brand on her palm. The symbol was simple, a half moon with a fang. “It’s permanent, until I release you from your service.”

  “You mean when you decide to kill off someone.”

  “Something like that. Are we on the same page?” he lifted her hand again to display the blackened outline of his mark.

  “Yeah,
” she replied unhappily. With Brandon in danger, she had no choice but to accept whatever it was Jonny wanted to do to her.

  He gripped her throat with one hand next. She gasped, not expecting the touch quite yet. His lean strength was at her back. She waited to feel the sense of losing control, of him forcing her muscles to obey his commands.

  Being helpless was the worst part, maybe even worse than the pain of his bite.

  “If you promise not to fight me, I won’t do it this time.”

  She didn’t feel him in her head and chalked it up to his godlike powers. She was accustomed to not always being alone mentally after so many years with Xander and Brandon. Still, she didn’t like knowing Jonny was able to access her thoughts. “You can read minds?”

  “Not all the time. Usually I have to be in physical contact,” he replied.

  I’m doing this for Brandon. Her fear was growing, along with the strange warmth that always invaded her body when he touched her. “I won’t fight you,” she said and tilted her head to expose her neck.

  Ashley squeezed her eyes closed and braced herself for the pain. When his fangs sank into her neck, she felt …

  Nothing. Not even a pinch. The tension within her started to release, and she realized he wasn’t trying to hurt her this time. The fire in her system wasn’t from pain, and the sensation of his warm lips against her neck reminded her of how it’d felt to kiss him the other day. She was quiet and still, unable to fathom spending her life doing this every night yet also unwilling to risk Brandon’s life by opposing Jonny’s plan. For now, she was trapped with him.

  He withdrew several minutes later and stepped away, releasing her. Ashley touched the scars on her neck. The intimate exchange was rendered even more awkward by the fact she sensed only she found it intimate. Jonny did this every night; she doubted he was able to tell the difference between one woman and another.

  “So.” She cleared her throat and turned. “About tomorrow. Charles said he’d talk to you?”

  “He did.” Jonny leaned against the kitchen counter, dark eyes on her.

  “And …” She prompted.

  “You can go.”

  Ashley rejoiced internally and nodded. They gazed at one another too long, and she shifted her weight between her feet. Had anything ever been so weird?