by Marcy Jacks
“No. I’m staying here. I live here.”
“No!” Lucian stopped himself. He clenched his fists, pressed one of them to his mouth.
He honestly looked as if he was about to pop. Sorin wished he knew what the man was thinking. None of it could be good.
“This is bullshit. You’re not going to convince me that you coming here and begging me to make love to you had nothing to do with how much you love me. Are you being hurt? We’re alone now, so if you need to tell me something, you can. I’ll get you out of here.”
Lucian reached out for Sorin’s hand, took it, and held it for maybe a second before Sorin remembered he wasn’t supposed to be letting the man touch him like that. He couldn’t give Lucian any ideas, so he yanked his hand away.
Sorin half turned from his mate. The pain in Lucian’s eyes was…unbearable. His heart physically hurt to be causing his mate this pain, and the worst part about it all was how he couldn’t stop it.
He couldn’t give Lucian any hint. He couldn’t let him know what was going on.
“I spared your life because we’re mated and I am physically and emotionally drawn to you. That ends as of right now.”
Lucian shook his head. “No.”
“My father has information that your friends are circling the perimeter of the house. They’re looking for a way inside, and I’d rather they didn’t break in here and destroy this place like you did to my last home.”
He glared at Lucian just then, but only because it seemed like the right thing to do. If he was going to be cold, then he had to sell it. Van was listening to this, after all.
Lucian reached out, pulling against the chain on his ankle so much that his back leg had to lift a little. He stood on one foot and gripped Sorin’s shoulders so tight that his claws punctured Sorin’s skin. It hurt, but Sorin barely allowed himself to wince. That was how removed he was letting himself be from the situation in front of him.
He was somewhere else. This wasn’t happening to him, and it was happening to someone else.
“You look me in the eyes right now and tell me you don’t love me.”
“I don’t love you.”
It shocked even Sorin with how easily the words left his mouth. Lucian’s eyes popped wide, and his mouth fell open.
He shook his head. “You don’t mean that.”
“I don’t love you,” Sorin said again, harder this time. “I never did.”
It was strange how easy it was to say those words, but then Sorin realized why it was so easy, and he was able to relax a little more into this uncaring character he’d allowed himself to become.
Lucian shook his head. “That’s……no, I don’t...”
With Van listening, every time Sorin said he didn’t love Lucian, it was so easy to say only because he did love the man. He loved Lucian with everything in his heart and soul, and saying these words would keep him alive.
Keeping Lucian alive, at the expense of hurting his feelings and hurting his own feelings, was a worthy price to pay. He would pay it a thousand times over to make Lucian a free man.
“I don’t love you.” I do love you. “I never loved you.” I always will. “And if you think for one second that you forcing a mating on me back when your dickhead friend yanked my fangs out has anything to do with love, then you’re more fucked up than I thought.”
“Dickhead friend?” Lucian spoke in such a low and dangerous tone that Sorin was briefly afraid. The dragon dug his claws deeper into Sorin’s shoulders. The pain magnified. “Van is not my friend! I was defending you from him! And now you’re trying to tell me you’re working with him? That he’s here helping your father? Are you out of your fucking mind?”
“He’s useful to my father for the moment, and that’s all I care about.”
Lucian shook him a little. “All you care about? You…you fucking little…”
Sorin had no idea what Lucian was planning to do until the man shoved him hard.
Sorin flew back, his back and head hitting the wall. Sorin stumbled, barely managing to keep himself on his feet as his legs trembled from the sudden way Lucian had thrown him across the tiny room.
It wasn’t a far distance to go, but when Lucian tried to grab him again, only to be stopped because the slack on his chains didn’t go that far, Sorin was glad.
It occurred to him that, with the things he was telling his mate, Lucian might accidentally hurt him in a rage if he could. Sorin was presenting himself as the enemy right now.
“You are so damned lucky. I would strangle you if I could right now.”
Sorin’s heart swelled, pounding painfully. He believed it. Lucian stared at him as if Sorin was a stranger.
“Of course you would. That’s what dragons do.”
Make him mad. If he were mad, then it was better than Lucian being sad. His anger would get him out of the house.
It definitely worked.
Red flew up Lucian’s neck and into his face. His expression twisted as his fangs came out, and he clenched his fists. “You fucking…you goddamned whore. You lying sack of—”
The door opened suddenly. Van appeared there, one hand in his pocket, smiling as he quickly glanced between the two men, as though he was only walking in on a minor argument. “Everything okay in here, boss?”
With a start, Sorin realized Van was talking to him, and he knew what this must look like to Lucian, who sneered at the both of them.
“You’re both disgusting. You make me sick. Van, you’re a disappointment and a traitor, but you…” Lucian stabbed the air with his clawed finger, pointing hard at Sorin. “You’re not even that. I should have known better than to trust a bloodsucker. I should’ve thrown you to the omegas and to Van when I had the fucking chance and let them finish ripping you apart.”
Okay, ouch, this was starting to get to Sorin. More than that. His mask was beyond cracked as his throat closed, and if he didn’t get out of here, he was going to crumble in front of Van and Lucian.
If he broke down in front of Van, then it would be obvious this was an act and Van wouldn’t let Lucian leave.
“I’m getting out of here. You handle this,” Sorin said. God, his voice was breaking. He had to go before Lucian noticed.
He seemed too enraged to notice, which was a good thing, in the end.
“Sorin, don’t you fucking dare leave! Sorin!”
Sorin left the room. He didn’t get far. Maybe ten steps. Definitely close enough for him to hear what was still going on in that room. He clutched at his aching heart, listening to Van as he goaded Lucian, and there was nothing Sorin could do about it.
“You need to get out of here. The sun will be up for another seven hours, and Seth and the others are taking their sweet time coming to get you, so it’s better if you go to them. I’ll cover you and make sure your way is clear.”
“You motherfucker. What did you do to him?”
“I didn’t do shit. You’re the one who forced a mating on him.”
“I did not!”
“Sure you didn’t. Anyway, I’m going to care for the omegas here until you and Seth can get off your asses to help them. I’ll even send a few of them out and see how many I can get to escape.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Uh, because I’m not the bad guy, you idiot.”
Sorin had a disagreement with that statement. Van was the worst person in the world as far as he was concerned. If it weren’t for Van, Sorin wouldn’t have had to take this so far.
Lucian hated him. He might hate Sorin as much as he hated Van.
Mission accomplished. Lucian hated Sorin and now he could go free, but it still hurt. It hurt so fucking much.
“Anyway, I’ll come down later to make sure you’re gone. There’s a series of tunnels down here. It takes the omegas out to an area in the back where they clean up and get their drinking water. You should leave through there. Just make sure you’re fast and turn right when you leave this room. There’s cameras along the fences.”
“Then make sure you do it. Christ, I’m just trying to help.”
“How the fuck am I supposed to get out of here? I’m chained to the damned bed!”
He’d get out when he calmed down enough to find the key on the floor Sorin had left behind when he’d taken his clothes off.
“I’m sure you’ll figure something out,” Van said, and as Lucian screamed and cursed after him, Van left the room, locking the door behind him, laughing.
He casually strolled toward Sorin, his expression mirthful, though Sorin said nothing as the man looped his arm around Sorin’s neck and held on tight.
“That was a pretty good act you put on there. Almost had me fooled.”
Sorin’s eyes still burned. His throat had long since closed, and he rubbed at his eyes.
“Are you crying?”
“No,” he croaked.
Van rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Whatever. This is for the best anyway. Much as I hate that stupid cunt, he’ll work better with the others when he’s out of here, and the omegas won’t have to worry about seeing your face around the house where you used to lord over them.”
Sorin never thought he used to lord over anyone, but maybe he did, and maybe this was a proper punishment.
“You swear that you’re helping Lucian to get out of here? You won’t do anything else to him after this?” Sorin demanded. If what he’d just done hadn’t been worth it, then he could lay down and die. It would destroy him.
Van clapped him on the shoulder. “Yeah, yeah, it’ll be good and worth it. I’m one of the good guys, remember? I just want Lucian to be able to go back home and protect the omegas from you and your ilk. While I’m here, I’ll make sure to take care of the omegas and help them get away.”
Much as Sorin didn’t think Van was one of the good guys, especially now, what he was trying to do seemed good.
There was just something that made Sorin frown, not understanding what Van’s plan was. “Aren’t you worried that without Lucian here you won’t be able to control me?” he asked. “When Lucian is safe, I can tell my father everything about you.”
“Yeah, I thought of that.”
Then Sorin realized where they were going. They didn’t head to the stairs that would take them out of the slave quarters and to the main floor. They’d moved down an entirely different corridor, a darker area where the cleaners and sex slaves didn’t tread.
This was where the slaves who were also guards slept, the alpha and beta men who were trained to keep the house safe, and before Sorin realized it, he was completely surrounded.
He looked back toward the way he’d come. Three bulky betas stepped in the way, blocking his view of the exit.
“I’ve had the chance to make some friends since I came here,” Van said. “They all want to escape, too. It gets a little tricky considering everything you know.”
Sorin’s eyes flew wide.
He tried to scream, but the hand around his mouth stopped him.
The force with which he was pushed down was shocking, and when his hands were grabbed and yanked hard behind his back, it was intense, but when the hand left his mouth and a bag was thrown over his head, his scream wasn’t enough to penetrate the leather.
Chapter Eight
Lucian found the key on the floor, shining innocently, several minutes after Sorin and that motherfucker Van had left the room he’d been locked into.
He must not have noticed it because of the way he’d been raging after Sorin left. When Van had left, Lucian nearly managed to break the chain, and the bed, after smashing his body and his fists into absolutely everything he could reach.
There were several fist-sized holes in the wall.
Now, now he was calm as he looked at the small key. There was no way in hell Van had left this for him, and he was reminded of when Sorin had put the key to Lucian’s chains in his pocket, when Lucian had still been kept down in the basement.
It must have fallen out when they’d made love.
Lucian growled. No, when they’d fucked. There had to be love involved for it to be called lovemaking.
Sorin had made that clear.
Lucian tested the key on the shackle around his ankle. He was honestly shocked when the latch popped open. In fact, he blinked down at it, not having expected it to do that when he tested it.
But it was off. His leg was free.
Holy shit.
He went to the door next, tested the key, and was again shocked when he heard the lock inside turning.
Lucian turned the knob, and the door opened.
He held his breath. Okay, so maybe there was a chance he could get out of this shithole.
And leave Sorin behind.
He frowned, pushing down the ache in his chest.
Fuck him if he didn’t want to be with Lucian. And fuck Sorin for putting him through this bullshit. Lucian didn’t need someone to pretend to be in love with him. Lucian had offered Sorin absolutely everything and…
It had all been fake. Sorin was a bloodsucker, just the same as all the other vampires in this damned house, and he was just looking for the easy way out. He’d pretended to be in love with Lucian until the time was right and he could bring Lucian here, torture him, and then throw him away.
Lucian couldn’t hear anything, and he thought about where Van had told him to go. He could get away. There would still be alphas and betas guarding the property, but all Lucian needed was enough space to spread his wings, and then he was good to go.
Sorin might not have needed to have Lucian inside him, but the sex had invigorated Lucian. He could fly right out of here and never come back.
Then, if he was able, he could work on breaking off the connection the mating had put between them. Lucian didn’t need it anymore.
He slipped out of his cell and started running. Van was a piece of shit, but for now, he was going to see if the area he told Lucian to run in had been correct. Lucian had known the man for years. He didn’t have a complete lack of integrity.
* * * *
Sorin struggled harder at the heat on his body, and he knew he’d been brought outside.
No. Outside in the middle of the day. He knew what they were going to do to him, and he wiggled and moved his body hard, desperate to get away as he felt the heat of the sun trying to kiss his skin beneath his clothes.
“Right here. Someone will have to keep watch.”
He was dropped suddenly. The air fled Sorin’s lungs, but then he was picked up and dragged back, his hands, which were already behind him, tied to a pike and his throat grabbed and pulled back. A rope wrapped tightly beneath his chin to keep his head up as it was tied around the pole behind him.
His father used places like this to get information from vampire families that did not cooperate with him.
The death was sometimes fast. Sometimes they burned. Sorin would die a slow, painful, burning death out here. His skin didn’t literally light on fire—he wasn’t that allergic to the sun—but it did burn, and eventually he would bleed to death like this.
“A couple of hours out here will do it.”
“Good,” Van said. “Actually, if anyone’s going to watch, make sure it’s from a distance. Varrick can’t know this was us. As far as he needs to know, the other dragons did this.”
“Yes, sir.”
The bag was yanked off Sorin’s head, and the bright sunlight on his face made him shut his eyes and cry out.
“There you go,” Van said, getting up and close, that smile still on his face as wisps of smoke trailed from Sorin’s skin. “Right, this is for all the omegas and humans you and your piece-of-shit father ever raped or killed.”
“I never raped or killed anyone,” Sorin said, the pain of the sun already making his body tremble as he looked up at the other betas, and even a few omegas, who had come up behind Van to watch the torture and death of their enemy.
Van answered him by punching him in the head.
S
orin tried not to pass out, he really did, but at least there was that relief.
If he were going to die the most painful death a vampire could have, then he wouldn’t be conscious to feel every minute of it.
He just wished Lucian were here with him so he wouldn’t be alone for it.
Sorin dreamed of his mate and hoped everything would be worth it in the end.
* * * *
The alarm sounded seconds after Lucian spread his wings and jumped into the air. He had to find a clearing to do even that, so it made sense he wouldn’t be able to fly under the radar for long enough.
He felt the whiz of bullets zipping by his ears as he flapped his wings, rushing to get his scales out so he could protect himself from their gunfire.
Sluggish. Still sluggish, even after being with Sorin.
A bullet caught his wing. Lucian yelped in midair. He glanced over. A small hole in the leathery flap, but the bone was intact and still fine.
He was good. He was still fine, and he could still make it out of here. He just had to find his friends. He had to get to Seth. If he just found him, then he could get his head straight and everything would be fine.
Even though he was leaving his mate behind.
Don’t think about that.
Lucian gritted his teeth, and he kept going. The farther away he got from that damned house, the less the thought of Sorin would pain him.
It didn’t seem to be working. The distance wasn’t helping.
The pain must have been coming from where he’d already been shot. That was it. That was where this burning sensation was coming from. That was it.
He could still hear the gunfire, but at least he wasn’t getting shot anymore. He was clearly too far away, and they didn’t have the kinds of weapons, or the skill, to get him at this distance.
Lucian’s entire body changed. He didn’t just bring his scales out. He let his form change. The rock dragon. The form would keep him safer on the off chance someone was aiming a sniper at his skull. The shots never came, and instead, Lucian heard the cry of his family, the other dragons.