by Meg Xuemei X
I hadn’t even been able to use my power to toss him away and burn him when he’d grabbed me on the stairs.
Lorcan regarded the doubt I knew was written over my face. “We’ll train you and bring out your latent power,” he said in an uncompromising tone. “We’ll start once you’re done with your brunch.”
The fucker didn’t even want to give me three meals. He combined breakfast and lunch and called it brunch.
And bringing out my power? My mother had spent all her life to prevent just that.
“Tell me, why should I give a fuck if the world burns?” I said, putting my foot on the arm of the chair near me in defiance.
While I had been left to rot in the cage, the world lived on. Men and women ate, drank, laughed, and fucked. I’d heard them, watched them, and envied them whenever I dream-visited them. I craved their lives, but all I had when I opened my eyelids were a barred iron cage, the cold walls, my panicked panting, and tears burning my puffed eyes.
Maybe it was their turn to suffer a little?
Lorcan and Reysalor traded a quick glance, like two conspirators in a dirty secret.
“I hope the fire reaches this realm and burns this place to ash,” I muttered.
It would leave no place for Jezebel to trap me again. If the vampires were afraid of the gods and could do nothing to stop their advance, then the gods’ fire could melt my cage to a lump of metal.
Perhaps I’d join the gods instead of letting Lorcan and Reysalor use me as a weapon to kill them, which was fucking suicide anyway.
I didn’t say it out aloud, but I was sure a cunning killing light flashed in my eyes, because the vampire lord’s bitch was about to charge me, even though Lorcan simply regarded me coolly with slight distaste.
I glanced at the food on the table, and I no longer had the appetite.
“When the world is all burned, you’ll have no place to stay, either,” Lorcan said. “And the gods won’t leave you alone, especially if they know who you are.”
My nose wrinkled. “Who am I?”
A dangerous light glinted in his eyes. The vampire had icy fire, but beneath it I read his uncertainty. He didn’t know either. But I had a hunch he’d interrogated Jezebel and her vampire king about my legacy and hadn’t gotten much out of it.
She would never reveal her parentage and who my father was to anyone. She’d only told me once that I was a bastard in blood. I knew what that meant. I was unwanted.
The High Lord of Night was frustrated.
Jezebel’s mind was a mess of threads, tainted by her madness. Her only good use was her blood. And she must have been a good fuck for King Dario to keep her around all this time.
I didn’t know how or why, but Jezebel was even more damaged than I.
“Why don’t you tell me who you are, Cass?” Lorcan taunted with a purr in his voice.
“Here’s what I am,” I said through gritted teeth. “I’m the wildest thing who never should have been caged. The mistake Jezebel made will be corrected. You can’t control me, so don’t even try. I’m ruthless and reckless. I won’t obey any laws or rules—not yours or anyone’s. I have no sense of morals, shame, or honor. It’ll be pointless to use those damn concepts to mold and manipulate me. I carry no bond but my own freedom. And I won’t allow anyone to use me as a weapon. Use me as a pawn, and I’ll kill the kings and queens on both sides.”
A lick of black fire twirled up my arms and into my tri-colored hair like a snake. It should have scared them, but both the vampire lord and panther stared at me, mesmerized.
“You’re a survivor, Cass,” Lorcan said.
“And my every survivor instinct tells me not to do your bidding,” I said. “When you tore open that cage, you thought you found the treasure—a weapon you could use. Unfortunately, you got me.”
You are the treasure, Reysalor said in my head.
I glanced at him. He looked sincere and gazed at me like I was the most precious thing to him. My heart fluttered, and I was turned on. I was so fucked.
“You’re exactly what I’ve been searching and waiting for, for an eon, Cass,” Lorcan said. “Even though we don’t know your true heritage yet.”
Hadn’t they heard my fierce statement?
“If you’re trying to mess with my head, it won’t work,” I said. “I’m not naïve.”
Why don’t we do this, Cass baby? Reysalor said, and Lorcan leaned forward. He could hear the beast talking to me. You’ll have the final say on whether you want to kill the gods or not. In the meantime, we’ll train you and make you stronger. We have eons of experience at your disposal. Use us. Take advantage of us. When you’re powerful enough, no one will ever put you away like your mother did or they’ll suffer your wrath, and ours.
That sounded fine. But too easy. The terms were all for my benefit. Reysalor might be on my side, but Lorcan didn’t strike me as someone who would put other people’s interests first.
My suspicious gaze traveled between the vampire and the beast.
“What do you have to lose, Cass?” Lorcan said. “Strike a deal with us. Lay down your conditions. Make your demands. I’ll meet them if they’re reasonable.”
Right, they needed me in the future, but I needed them now. As Reysalor had said, it was up to me in the end if I wanted to kill the gods or not. I’d watch out for myself every step of the way, so they couldn’t dictate my path.
“I don’t like the idea of brunch,” I ground out.
Lorcan arched an eyebrow.
“There must be three meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” I insisted.
“Fine,” Lorcan said.
“And in between, there’ll be snacks to my liking,” I said, deciding to push it further.
“That can be arranged as well,” Lorcan said on a sigh.
Our gazes locked. He looked at me as if I was his snack.
“No one’s fangs get near my neck,” I said. “If anyone thinks I’m the snack, they better be ready to have their teeth pulled out. I’ll never be a blood whore.”
Reysalor snarled. I’ll kill anyone before they can seek your blood. He glared at Lorcan in warning, and Lorcan returned the glare, albeit wearily.
Two conditions settled. I ventured for more.
“I’ll have a hot bath daily,” I said. “Sometimes two if I’m too hot and sweaty.”
“You’ll have your hot bath,” Lorcan said.
“I want my own, independent suite.”
“That’s pushing it, Cass,” Lorcan said. “You’ll stay in the secured room next to mine so the panther can guard you at daytime and I’ll guard you at night. One of us will always be with you. We can’t trust anyone here.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but his statement “we can’t trust anyone here” struck a chord in me.
“Fine,” I said. “I’ll compromise on that. You two really know how to drive a hard bargain.” I pursed my lips. “I think that’s it. I’ll amend my terms when I think of something else.”
“And I have my conditions as well,” Lorcan said.
I frowned at him.
“Can’t let you have all the fun,” he said, but there was nothing teasing about his tone. “You’ll not be lazy.”
I glared at him. “That’s an insult.”
“You’ll train as hard as you can,” he continued, holding my gaze coolly. “You won’t make an excuse to stay in bed. And I don’t want to hear constant whining, either.”
“I don’t whine!”
“And you’ll listen to our instructions instead of constantly defying us.” His list kept going.
“Our? Us? Please define who that consists of,” I cut in. “I’m not going to take everyone’s stupid instructions.”
“There are only two you need to listen for now: Reysalor and me,” Lorcan said. “And most important, you’ll promise not to run away before you come to full power.”
“When will that be?” I asked. That would be the day I would truly be free.
“It’ll depend on ho
w well you listen to us and practice as instructed,” Lorcan said, regarding me with a brooding and calculated look.
He made it sound like he was the star mentor everyone craved.
I snorted. My ass.
“Oh, one more thing,” I said slyly. “I pick my own clothing.”
“You have a closet full of them,” he said. “Pick whatever you want.”
“None of them are what I want,” I said, shuffling my skirt. “We’ll need to go shopping, and the sooner the better, so we can start the training.”
That was a ruse.
I had dream-visited the shopping malls. I desperately wanted to go there in the flesh, and maybe sneak into a theater with a large bucket of salty, buttered popcorn. That would be like heaven.
From now on, I wanted to live a little, even though they demanded I train to kill the gods.
“We can’t go to the mortal realm,” Lorcan said. “It’s not safe for you. As I said, we don’t want any spies to get the wind of you. Besides, half of the mortal realm was burned.”
That sounded depressing. What if the places that I’d wanted to go to had already been leveled? It seemed the gods were menaces. Maybe one day I would take them out if they pissed me off enough—that is, if I could.
“We’ll take you to a clothing store around here,” Lorcan sighed, as if he’d suffered enough of me. “And after that, you’ll train.”
“Deal,” I said with a smirk, running my fingers over Reysalor’s thick fur in victory. The motion brought a hungry, envious look to Lorcan’s eyes, as if he wanted to be the panther. I glanced at the beast, who winked at Lorcan.
I got up so fast that the chair screeched on the floor.
“Who’s going shopping with me then?” I grinned. But as Lorcan turned to glance at Jade, I shook my head and wiggled a finger. “No, no, no. I don’t want her. She’ll suck the joy out of everything.”
There was no way I was going to give the vampire bitch a chance to strike me first.
8
I shuddered as I stepped after Lorcan into a vast training center. The place echoed the cold emptiness of the underground cell I had spent my life in.
Jade and a handful of vampire guards stood at strategic points in the room.
“I don’t want to be watched while I practice,” I murmured to Lorcan.
“Get used to it. They’re loyal to me and will protect you with their lives.”
It became clear to me that Lorcan didn’t like bending his rules. For my own sake, I decided to suck up and not to fight him on a small inconvenience.
“Show us what else you got,” he said, and the panther paced around me, flicking his tail.
I’d shown him my air and fire power, and neither had impressed him.
I narrowed my eyes. “Only because you’re immune to my power, for some fucked-up reason.”
He darted a casual glance at Reysalor. “Try it on the beast, then.”
Reysalor growled at him, but when the panther turned to me, he was grinning.
“Do you mind?” I asked the panther.
Be my guest, Cass baby, he said, putting on a brave face.
“I’ll be gentle, at least in the beginning, I promise,” I said.
Without warning, I tossed a stream of icy air at him, but it didn’t move him even an inch. I pushed more power at him, and the air slammed into him. A desk layered with training weapons far behind the beast flew backwards and crashed against the wall, but the panther remained still. My air simply ruffled his fur in a gentle caress.
I blinked.
It was like a cold shower, Cass baby.
How about a little spark? I asked, and black fire rolled on his shiny back. It danced on his fur instead of burning him.
A nice, hot massage, babe. Reysalor grinned at me.
My power was useless. My crazy mother had locked me up for no reason. What a waste!
I clenched my fists in frustration. Jade and a vampire guard beside her snickered. I threw up a hand, and my air crushed into Jade and tossed her to the ceiling. While her companion’s jaw dropped, my dark fire crept up on him, melting his red tie, and incinerating half of his hair.
He screamed, and I withdrew my fire. The vampire restrained himself from cursing me, out of fear of his master, but hatred ignited his eyes.
“It seems my power can’t touch the two of you, but no one else is immune to it.” I turned back to glare at Lorcan and Reysalor. “Why the fuck is that?”
They shared a look, but both remained quiet.
There was a crash behind me as Jade dropped from the ceiling with an archetypal vampire hiss, and to my delight, Lorcan didn’t even look at her.
“Can your fire burn a house down?” Lorcan asked after a beat.
I grinned. “Which house do you want me to burn down? I can try it on the bloodsucker king and his queen’s chambers. Just say the word.”
Lorcan ignored my snide comments. “Your air and fire can kill mortals and immortals alike,” he said. “But they might not do much to the gods. All the Olympian gods have elemental power—like fire, water, lightning, and storm. Elemental power won’t bring them down. There should be something else in you, something more.”
He thought I had a killer power I was holding back.
I started to snort but my mind raced. If I had that kind of power, would I have been tossed into the cage? I’d have killed Jezebel for making my life hell. But how would I know if I had a power like that when I’d been in the cage since I was a toddler? And that cage had been made to repress my power.
I couldn’t let Lorcan know about my depth. He might have released me from that cage, might be training me, but that didn’t mean that I trusted him.
I couldn’t trust anyone. Not when everyone wanted a piece of me.
“You’re the wise instructor,” I said. “Why don’t you tell me?”
The vampire and the panther shared another glance, and I realized what they were doing.
They were communicating telepathically without me. I sent my mental power toward Reysalor, intent on eavesdropping, but he shut me out with ease. I tried to latch on to his mind again, but all I saw were mental walls all around. Damn it, the panther’s mental shield was fantastic. How could a beast have that kind of powerful magic?
His earlier words rang through my mind: I’m not merely a beast.
“Are you two just going to discuss me while I’m right here?” I asked, my hands braced on my hips. “That’s rude, don’t you think? And you guys are trying to teach me manners?”
“Last time you showed earth power out of blue,” Lorcan said. “Can you do it again?”
I clenched my jaw, my eyes trained on the floor in concentration. Come on, Earth, Cass here. Show me the cool power again.
Nothing happened.
“C’mon!” I closed my eyes, concentrating, and willing the power to flow to me. “It’s fucking show time!”
Nothing.
Take her outdoors. Maybe Cass needs to connect to the earth for the power to manifest, Reysalor said.
We moved out of the suffocating dome, and I stood in the exact spot I’d made the blossoms bloom, the wind twirl, and the snow fall.
This was the second night I’d been free. The sun had gone down, and the moon had risen. I stepped out of my sneakers, my toes sinking into the damp soil under the grass.
Potent magic ran deep beneath the land, singing a long-forgotten song.
Rise to me, I summoned it.
I felt a ripple under my feet, and then nothing.
Now you’re embarrassing me, I told the land. The vampire is going to think I’m a phony.
The magic slid away, traveling somewhere else. The grass didn’t welcome me like last time, and the ivy vines didn’t rise to defend me, either.
They refused to do my bidding.
“No dice,” I said, training my eyes darkly on Lorcan and Reysalor. “But I don’t think it’s me. It’s you dudes. Earth doesn’t like your kind, so it’s refusing to show me the tri
ck again.”
“It isn’t a trick,” Lorcan said. “Your power has been repressed for too long. I’m not surprised that it’s blocked after the initial spark. We’ll train again tomorrow.”
She might need a rite of passage, Reysalor said.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I did not like the sound of that. Anything involving a ritual couldn’t be good. Jezebel had used a ritual to keep me locked up.
I wouldn’t let it happen, I vowed, fear and anger bubbling inside me.
If I was stuck with them, I’d be screwed.
9
Lorcan refused to let me pick my own outfit for the court party tonight.
We both stood half-inside the walk-in closet, him on the left, hand on a hanger with a long, green gown draping from it. I shuffled through the new clothes I had selected earlier in the store.
“One of my conditions was that I pick out my own clothing,” I said. “And you agreed to it.”
“You will pick your daily outfit but not the attire for special occasions,” he said as patiently as he could, as if he knew better.
“What’s so special about tonight? It’s just a vampire party with a bunch of bloodsuckers milling around, talking stupid politics, and doing creepy things.” I gave a mock shudder. “I hope they don’t feed in front of me. I won’t be nice if they do.”
“You won’t call anyone ‘bloodsucker’ to their faces,” Lorcan said sternly. “Try not to offend everyone and put yourself in harm’s way. You’ll learn to be diplomatic under my guidance. You’ll learn how to interact properly with people.”
I wasn’t sure if vampires qualified as people, but I bit my tongue. I wasn’t in the mood for another long lecture from him.
“Tonight’s party will be serving that purpose,” he continued. “You’ll stay in a corner to observe. Be inconspicuous instead of standing out. In the end, you’ll gradually merge into the society.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Why would I merge into the society? What’s in it for me?”
“For your future survival.”
“Your way won’t work. I’m not a sheep. I’m not a follower. I don’t play by anyone’s rules. And I don’t care if I get along with anyone or not. Society can kiss my ass.” I spat. “Especially vampire society.”