Crimson Debt

by Evangeline Anderson

  “Yes, you will.” Corbin took me by both shoulders, moving too fast for me to step away. “Look at me, Addison,” he demanded. “I have told Roderick I can glamour you and he will expect to see me do just that.”

  “You also told him you could…could fuck me without breaking me,” I shot back. “And we saw how well that went last night when you nearly lost your cool.”

  “Were you harmed?” Corbin demanded. “Other than the tiny scratch on your throat, which I healed, did I hurt you in any way?”

  “Well…no,” I admitted grudgingly. “But I still don’t want you inside my head. Why can’t we just pretend to let you glamour me?”

  “Roderick has been on this Earth for over six centuries,” Corbin said grimly. “He will know if we attempt to deceive him. Addison…” He cupped my cheek in his hand and looked into my eyes. “Don’t make me force you, darling.”

  “You couldn’t even if you tried,” I said, trying to ignore the way his gentle touch made my heart drum faster in my chest.

  Corbin just looked at me.

  “Could you?” I asked, my voice faltering just a bit.

  “You have a strong shield around your mind but I could tear it down if I had to.” He caressed my cheek, his big hand warm and deceptively gentle. “I don’t want to do that. It would be very much like rape.”

  “You wouldn’t,” I whispered, feeling cold all over.

  “Do you know what will happen if we don’t put on a convincing display?” Corbin asked. “Roderick has the right to exact a tribute from every vampire whose territory he examines. I have prepared something for him that I think he will find irresistible but he could refuse it and name his own tribute instead. He could take your friend Taylor and give her back to Celeste or keep her for his own. Her torment would never end.”

  “You’re just trying to scare me,” I accused him, my voice coming out breathy and high. “You’re holding Taylor over my head so I’ll cooperate and you’ll be able to keep your own territory with no trouble.”

  “Do you really think so?” He shook his head. “I’ll admit I have no wish to lose my territory but I am strong—I could easily find another. However, no other territory that I could find would have you as its Auditor.” He let his hands drop and stepped away from me as his voice grew colder. “Also, it’s very tiresome to have to start from scratch. I don’t choose to do that, so you will let me glamour you, Addison.”

  “But why do you even have to?” I asked, still arguing. “I mean, what will it really achieve?”

  Corbin sighed. “It will help you do what needs to be done in a sincere and non-offensive way.”

  I put a hand on my hip. “And what exactly needs to be done?”

  “You’re going to have to apologize to Roderick for your behavior last night and for speaking insultingly to him.”

  “Like hell I will!” I said hotly. “He raped and tortured my best friend! He’s lucky I don’t put a bullet in his chest.”

  “Your precious gun won’t help you with a vampire Roderick’s age,” Corbin said grimly. “And no matter what he did, he is still the Inquisitor and I am still under his jurisdiction.” He took a deep breath. “Therefore I will glamour you just enough to enable you to speak politely to him, even though we both know you have no wish to.”

  “And that’s all you’ll do to me?” I demanded, narrowing my eyes at him.

  “That is all. After you speak your piece to Roderick, I will release you.” He looked at me sternly. “But—and I cannot stress this enough—even without my glamour on you, you are still acting as my consort. Your job is to strengthen my position and not jeopardize my standing with the Inquisitor. You will obey my every order without question or complaint while we are with Roderick. If you do not, there will be consequences. Do you understand?”

  “I understand,” I said bitterly. “I have to play the good little consort and make nice with Roderick or you’ll make me pay.”

  “I’m trying to save you—to save both of us.” He ran a hand through his hair in a very human gesture of frustration. “Why can’t you see that I have your best interests at heart, Addison?”

  “Because no vampire I’ve ever met has,” I said. “Other than Taylor, that is. And she never wanted to be one of your kind in the first place.”

  “And you think I did? You think I—” Corbin shook his head. “Never mind.”

  “I just have one more question, Corbin,” I said, still glaring at him. “If I’m such a bad risk that you have to glamour me to keep a civil tongue in my head, why choose me to play your consort? Why not pick someone else entirely—someone more manageable?”

  He looked into my eyes. “Because, Addison, I had hoped that one day reality would mirror this fantasy that we are playing out. And there is no one I would rather have by my side.”

  I wasn’t sure what to make of that. Did he really expect us to have some kind of long term relationship after this was over? Because that was ridiculous—an Auditor couldn’t date a vamp. And besides, I was furious with him and I was pretty sure he was fairly unhappy with me, too. We would be terrible together… wouldn’t we?

  Of course you would, don’t be silly. Why are you even thinking about this? I scolded myself angrily.

  “Roderick will be here shortly,” Corbin said, breaking into my inner debate. “Come, we need to go out and get ready to greet him.” He held out his arm for me and raised one eyebrow. After a long, cold silence, I took it and we walked out of his office.

  This was not going to be fun.

  Chapter Ten

  We stepped out into the main area of the club, which looked deserted without the steady flow of human patrons looking for glam-sex and bored looking vampires looking for blood. The lights were turned up, although the area was still pretty dim, and the raised dais in the center of the club where Corbin usually sat was empty.

  And then, suddenly, it wasn’t anymore.

  In the blink of an eye Roderick was standing on the dais looking down at us. I didn’t even hear the door open and shut—he was just there without warning. The display made my gut tighten—not even Corbin was that fast.

  I took a firmer grip on the strap of my purse, glad for my hidden Glock. No matter what Corbin had said about bullets being no use against a vamp as old as Roderick, I still preferred to be armed. And if push came to shove, we’d see how well a six-star vamp stood up to hollow points filled with silver nitrate. Since the bullets explode on impact and the silver eats into the vamp like acid, I was betting Roderick would have a little more trouble with being shot than everyone seemed to think.

  “Good evening, Corbin,” Roderick said coldly. He was wearing an old fashioned suit that looked like a costume from a historical drama set in the eighteen hundreds and his dark hair was carefully coifed in place.

  “Good evening, Inquisitor.” Corbin nodded his head in a kind of half-bow. “Where is Celeste?”

  “Here.” She strolled up in a much more leisurely manner, smiling as though she didn’t have a care in the world.

  Hmm, for someone on trial she doesn’t seem too terribly upset, I thought, giving her a blank look.

  Behind Celeste trailed two human women, a tall black Amazon looking girl with cheekbones sharp enough to cut glass and a tiny petite Asian with a curtain of long black hair that fell to her waist. Both of them were dressed like me—which was to say, as if they expected to be attending a semi-formal party. Neither looked up at all but kept their eyes trained respectfully on their designer shoes.

  I wondered if I was supposed to be acting the same way—respectfully averting my eyes, acting demure—but there was no way I was going to look down in such a dangerous situation. My eyes were trained on Roderick and Celeste, both of whom could tear me limb from limb in four seconds flat if I gave them half a chance.

  “Welcome to my establishment,” Corbin said formally, making a sweeping gesture with one hand. “I would offer you refreshment but it seems you brought your own.”

  “Indeed,
we did.” Roderick smiled and beckoned to the tiny Asian girl who came to him at once. “Celeste has been most accommodating in satiating my needs.”

  Thinking about how she had given him Taylor to “satiate his needs” made me grit my teeth. My fingers itched for my Glock but I had promised Corbin to be on my best behavior so I forced myself to say and do nothing.

  “Before we get on with the trial, why don’t we all have a little snack?” Celeste suggested.

  “A very good idea, my dear,” Roderick said. “These kinds of proceedings are always thirsty work.” He turned to the small Asian girl at his side and gave her a look. She seemed to understand his wordless command for she pulled her long black curtain of hair to one side and bared her throat for him. Roderick pounced at once, sinking his fangs deep in her neck and sucking savagely. The girl shuddered but made no complaint though it looked extremely painful.

  To one side, the tall black girl was also baring her throat for Celeste. However, there was no way the petite vampire could reach her human snack’s vein.

  “Kneel,” she snapped and the girl fell to her knees at once and looked fawningly up at Celeste.

  “Yes, Mistress.” Clearly she was in thrall to the vampire—I could tell by the tiny red pinprick in the center of each of her pupils. I reminded myself to look for the girl next time I inspected Celeste and write her a very expensive citation. She would also have to go to court and the girl could be taken away from her—maybe before it was too late, as it had been too late for Taylor.

  But before I could plan any more legal action, Corbin was taking my hand.

  He looked into my eyes. “I’m going to drink from you now, Addison,” he said quietly. “Prepare yourself.”

  “All right,” I murmured, my heart starting to hammer in my chest. I pushed my hair to one side, baring my neck, but he shook his head.

  “Remember what we spoke of earlier.”

  I felt a sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach. Oh, right—in order to prove his true dominance over me he had to drink from my thigh. Well, this was probably going to be about as much fun as a pelvic exam and about ten times more painful. Still, I had given my word to behave and do as he said so I nodded.

  “All right. But how—”

  “Like this.” Corbin sank gracefully to his knees before me and placed one hand on my thigh. “Hold on to me,” he instructed, just as he had while he was putting the shoes on my feet.

  I did as he asked, trying to keep my balance as he parted my legs and lifted my left thigh. I had a moment to be thankful I had worn my good black lace panties and then he was raising my dress and rubbing his rough cheek against the sensitive skin of my inner thigh.

  Suddenly my heart was beating even harder and the blood seemed to be rushing to all the most sensitive parts of my body at once. My nipples were tight and my pussy felt hot and swollen.

  Stop it, I told myself furiously. Stop it and get ready, he’s about to bite. I was certain that the moment those long, sharp fangs I saw peeking from beneath his sensual lips pierced my skin, every trace of excitement I felt would fly straight out the window. I was both dreading and anticipating the pain—not because I’m a masochist—I’m not. But because I didn’t want to feel this warm, tingling feeling that made my palms damp and my breath come short when Corbin touched me. Didn’t want to acknowledge the effect he had on me, even in a room full of dangerous vamps when my attention ought to be focused on survival, not sex.

  So I waited for him to sink his fangs into me but for some reason he wasn’t biting. Instead, I felt slow, hot kisses against the tender flesh of my inner thigh. He was getting closer and closer to my black lacey panties and I was beginning to wonder exactly how far up he intended to bite me. I squeezed my hands into fists and bit my lip as the excruciating pleasure continued. Was Corbin putting on a show for Roderick’s benefit? Or was he actively trying to drive me crazy just for the hell of it?

  “Corbin,” I whispered at last, looking down at him. “Please just…just bite me.”

  He looked up at me, his eyes dark with lust. “I will bite you when I am ready, Addison, and not before.”

  I wanted to come back with a smart remark but Celeste and Roderick had finished their respective “snacks” by now and they were watching the little show Corbin and I were putting on. I bit my tongue and stayed silent even though I felt like shouting with frustration. God, he was driving me crazy. Was this never going to end?

  At last Corbin reached the thin panel of black silk that covered my pussy. He had my legs spread so wide now that my inner folds were open and vulnerable beneath the flimsy little panties. God, did he know how wet I was getting? How hot he was making me? I didn’t want him to know—I didn’t want to know myself—but there was no denying the effect he had on my body. My breath caught in my throat as he looked up at me and then, very deliberately, laid a gentle, hot, open-mouthed kiss directly over my throbbing clit.

  The implication was clear—he wanted to do much more than just drink from me. Or maybe he was demonstrating his self-control, showing Roderick and Celeste that he could take me sexually without “breaking” me as Roderick had put it. But at that moment, the way he was kissing me and nuzzling my open pussy through the thin silk panties didn’t feel like a display for anyone watching. It felt intimate—deliberate. Hot.

  “Corbin…” I whispered, forgetting that I needed to keep my eyes on the other two vamps in the room. “God…” I was so wet and hot I felt molten from the waist down and I was sure he knew it. The way he rubbed and kissed the panel of silk that barely hid my spread folds made it obvious. I could feel his hot breath against my sensitive clit and the thought that only the thin panties separated me from his tongue was almost more than I could bear.

  “Darling,” he murmured, kissing me again. “Your scent is so sweet…so delicious. I’m going to drink from you now.”

  I understood that he was warning me he was about to bite and some of the heat I’d been feeling dissipated at once. Okay, this was going to hurt. Every experience I’d had with Taylor told me so and she had never bitten me in such an intimate and sensitive area. I tensed my body and gripped his shoulders hard, trying to get ready.

  It’s all right, I told myself. It will all be over soon. I hoped anyway.

  Corbin seemed to understand my fear because he kissed my inner thigh gently and murmured, “No pain, my darling. No pain.”

  What is he talking about? Of course there’s going to be pain! His fangs are much bigger than Taylor’s and he—

  But the thought fell right out of my head the minute he sank his fangs into my thigh. I felt a sudden shock but it wasn’t pain I experienced—it was pleasure. A pleasure so great and intense I could barely stand it.

  “Ah!” I gasped as a whipcrack orgasm rushed through me. My hands tightened into fists, wrinkling the immaculate fabric of his expensive suit and my legs nearly gave out. I would have fallen if Corbin hadn’t been holding me up. God, how did he do that? My nipples were suddenly painfully tight and my pussy was so wet I was sure my panties were soaked. And he had done nothing but bite me. Bite me and make me come in front of the enemy.

  I felt a rush of shame when I looked up and saw Roderick and Celeste smirking at us. Corbin should have warned me that sinking his fangs into my flesh would make me come! I was definitely going to talk to him about it when this was all over.

  “Very impressive, Corbin,” Roderick said. “Your self-control really is quite amazing, being able to bite your little human in such an area without feeling the need to fuck her to death.”

  “Yes, Corbin always was a show-off.” Celeste sounded bored. “I say why bother? Sex and blood and death go together—it is the natural order.”

  “Only if you’re a fucking psychopath,” I snapped, wishing I could wipe that self-satisfied look of superiority off her face with a gun.

  Corbin withdrew from my thigh and then lapped at my flesh to heal the wounds.

  “Now, Addison,” he said, frowning.r />
  I glared back. He’d said I had to be nice to Roderick and so far I was at least being civil. But Celeste, who had gotten Taylor into this mess in the first place, was fair game as far as I was concerned.

  “Your little pet needs to learn some manners,” Celeste said, giving me a nasty look.

  “I’m better at teaching manners than learning them.” I could feel the comforting weight of my Glock swinging by my side in the little black purse and I wanted to use it on her so badly I could taste it. Honestly, I’m not usually a psycho murdering bitch. There’s just something about being in the same room with people who have raped and tortured my best friend that brings out homicidal tendencies in me.

  “Why don’t we simply get on with the proceedings now that we’ve all quenched our thirst?” Corbin said, rising smoothly. “I believe we are here to put you on trial, Celeste, for taking and turning a human against her will.”

  “Indeed, we are.” Roderick turned to Celeste. “Celeste, have you knowingly and willingly turned un unwilling human to darkness?”

  She nodded, looking contrite. “I have. But in my defense, she seemed willing at the time.”

  “Only because you glamoured her within an inch of her life!” I exclaimed.

  “Corbin, control your consort.” Roderick glared at me. “She must learn not to speak in the presence of her betters.”

  “You—” I started but Corbin laid a restraining hand on my arm.

  “Addison,” he said warningly.

  “Fine.” I clamped my jaw shut and contented myself with staring daggers at Roderick.

  “Now,” the vampire Inquisitor went on. “If we can proceed without further interruption, Celeste, you are in violation of our new law and as such you must be punished.”

  “Yes, Inquisitor.” Celeste bowed her head submissively.

  Roderick puffed himself up, looking important. “I pronounced that you must pay a fine of one hundred dollars and swear to never do this again. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Inquisitor.” A small smile curled the corners of Celeste’s red-lipsticked mouth, making her look like a little blonde cat that had gotten into the cream.