“A lot worse than you might think,” he said. “Bring some weapons—especially shields. And keep an eye on the perimeter wall at all times. They’ve been lying in wait with wooden arrows.”
“Well, great,” said Ravi with a sigh. “Thanks for the warning.”
*****
“Vivian, come,” said Zach as he held out his hand to her. “I believe we might be able to observe the progress of your father’s men from the windows in the entertainment room if you want to see. Though, we cannot boldly stand in the picture window itself, or it just might change the targeting process of the Carpathians who are guarding the car.”
Vivian giggled as they continued through the hall. She couldn’t help herself. “Perhaps I should dance around in circles and make a few cat calls too.”
Zach laughed. “Woman, you are crazy. I’ve taken up with a crazy woman. No, my dove, you will need to behave yourself and watch through the smaller windows, I think.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” she complained sweetly.
“If you don’t be good, I’ll take you to bed instead, and then even if they do get your things, you won’t see them until tomorrow. Plus, that would also mean you’d miss your movie.”
“You’re a cruel man, Zachary Knight,” she grumbled. “I’ve taken up with a cruel man. Fine, no dancing in the window. But maybe we should bring somebody along for a midnight snack.”
“Are you getting hungry already, Vivian?” he asked with concern.
“Yes, though I can’t really say exactly if it’s for blood,” she said, frowning slightly. “I think I’m craving you, but then, at the same time, my belly feels a little uncomfortable. It almost feels nauseating, but that isn’t quite it either.”
“I wonder if we knocked you up so soon,” Zach commented speculatively. They had just reached the door they were looking for, and he opened it as he spoke.
Vivian froze and stared up at him. “Do you really think so?” she gasped. That thought had never entered her mind.
“Well, we have been getting plenty of practice in, haven’t we?” he pointed out.
“I never thought—” she admitted, blushing. “Just because I was a virgin doesn’t mean I should believe I had a grace period, though. I’m such a ninny.”
“Don’t you want to have my child?” asked Zach, beginning to frown.
“Of course I do, Zach,” she scoffed. “That isn’t it. I just thought we’d spend a bit of time alone first, that’s all.”
“News flash, woman,” he teased. “If I’ve only impregnated you this week, we’ll have nine months before you produce a baby. I think that will be plenty of alone time. Now, stop worrying. If we’re not already fighting tooth and nail, I’m pretty sure this match was not a mistake. Especially since it was forged by fate.”
“I wonder if that’s why we’ve already got a baby.”
“What, the fate thing?” he asked, kissing the top of her head as they strode over to a pair of tall, thin windows. “Could be.”
“I mean, if that’s even what’s wrong with me,” Vivian added ruefully. “It may just be a stomach flu or something.”
“A flu that makes you horny?” he teased. “Sign me up for that virus.”
“Okay, a stomach flu, and one really sexy mate.”
“A guy could get used to that kind of an accusation,” Zach chuckled. “Hey, there they are now. I see they each brought along a shield to block the arrows, thank goodness.”
“At your suggestion,” Vivian pointed out.
“I’m still getting used to people actually listening to what I say,” he admitted ruefully.
“You hold a position of command well, I think,” she told him.
Zach grinned. “Viv, you sure do like complimenting me.”
“It’s my newest hobby,” she smirked.
His arm snaked around her waist, and his lips descended. For a few moments, the two forgot all about the men and their mission in favor of their kissing. An arrow rattled through the window, passing right underneath their chins, closer to Zach than Vivian.
They threw each other to the floor, staring at the shaft sticking out of the sofa.
Fear gripped Vivian’s heart as she whispered, “Either somebody’s aim is off, or I don’t think that was for me, Zach.”
“No, sweetheart, you’re right,” he agreed. “That arrow was meant for me. Perhaps your arrival was not the only reason for these attacks after all.”
“Don’t tell my father that theory,” said Vivian.
“Well, I hate to say this, Viv, but I think we’d better save our movie night for another time,” said Zach. “This room is most definitely compromised.”
“I’m with you,” she agreed. “I think survival might be a little higher up on my list of priorities. Shall we crawl to the door?”
“Good idea,” Zach agreed as another arrow shot randomly through the picture window, spraying them with shattered glass.
They quickly put the plan into action, breathing heavily as they came out into the hall. One more arrow thunked an inch or two through the door as Zach pushed it closed.
“I’m beginning to think the rest of the boys must be having fun with those Carpathians outside the walls,” Zach pointed out. “That might be a better explanation for the sudden activity. Maybe I should head out there and join the fray. Vivian, perhaps you should go hide in the dungeon, just in case. I want you somewhere safe.”
“Don’t go out there,” she pleaded softly. “You’ve got a giant X-mark right on your face. You’re going to get yourself shot for sure.”
“Wow, I think I preferred the compliments,” he grumbled. “Don’t worry about me, sweetheart. If I can survive the war to regain the throne, I can certainly make it through a little skirmish like this. Now, go. Do as I say. I will come down to get you after we’ve won the day.”
Vivian frowned with worry, and she dragged Zach into her arms, hugging him for all she was worth. Then, she turned and walked away. As for Zach, he began to run up the hallway in the other direction, heading for the armory.
CHAPTER TEN
Although Vivian knew that there was a dungeon beneath the house, she had never actually gone down there in the two weeks she had been in residence. She and Zach had enjoyed meals involving his private stash of donors on about four occasions, but on each of those, the blood providers had either come up willingly or otherwise been brought to them in their rooms.
So she was a little nervous about mounting the stairs now. She had expected them to be similar to what one might find if they were heading down into a basement, but instead, they descended far deeper than she would have liked them to, and the narrow passageway into which they descended was very dark, even for vampire eyes.
At what was probably about a depth twice as deep as the house was tall, she heard a popping noise and spotted some blue sparks, and then a fluorescent light flickered to life. It also revealed a light panel on the wall that, with a flick of the switch, lit up the whole stairwell from the top down. She suspected there was a similar panel at the top as well, and she simply had not spotted the thing.
“Stupid me,” she grumbled, then turned the lights off again. She could see no reason to give an attacker a clear idea of where she might be hiding.
She now stood at one end of a long hallway with a door at the other end. Sighing in frustration, she decided that walking didn’t sound very fun. She hadn’t tried to do anything creative like sprout a pair of wings since she’d transformed, but she figured this might be the perfect opportunity to test her skills.
Wiggling her shoulders and rolling her neck, Vivian clapped her hands a couple of times, then rubbed them together. She could do it—she was completely confident in her abilities. And then, quick as a wink, she was able to change. At least, she changed partly. Just enough to sprout the wings, but not enough to make them fly.
“Why, oh why is this happening to me?” she complained, trudging along down the expanse of hallway, wings drooping, one of her n
ew t-shirts completely ruined in the process. And worse, she couldn’t even figure out how to retract the damned things again. That’s what she got for trying to learn a new power without asking for help. Not that Zach or any other vampire had the time to show her at the moment, in any case.
One of the blood providers, Seth, looked up in surprise when Vivian stepped in.
“Mistress? What are you doing down here?” he asked her curiously. “Are you hungry again already? The master has only to call down; you need not trouble yourself.”
“That’s not it,” she sighed. “The mansion is under attack. He sent me down here to hide—not that it would be much help if they overrun the place anyway. This dungeon was not overly difficult to find.”
“No, I don’t suppose it was originally placed here to be hidden, just difficult to leave once you were put inside,” he agreed.
“So why are you running around loose in here then?” Vivian asked curiously.
“Simply put, I have no desire to leave.”
She smiled and nodded. “Yes, I see. That makes a lot of sense. Do you hope to become a vampire yourself one day then?”
“I would neither welcome it, nor be repulsed by it,” he said, shrugging. “But out there—in the real world—I have no place. No home, no job, and no hope of finding a job because I don’t have the skills which are in demand. Here, I am fed, cared for, and allowed to do as I please in exchange for providing nourishment to only yourself and Zach. And I have some choices, too. If I wanted to, I could become something more. I could become a ghoul and live a very long time. I could one day beg Zach to end it all. Or, perhaps he may require me to become a vampire. And if ever he asked me to, I believe I would say yes without any reservations.”
“Of course, my own experience is a lot different than your own,” Vivian conceded. “I mean, I was born knowing I would be turned, and lived alongside vampires my whole life, and also—well, my whole life now centers on pleasure. But I can safely say that, ever since I became a vampire, I’ve never had any regrets. Well, except for this one: hiding in a dungeon, and not knowing how to put away these damned wings. I’ll admit this is not quite what I envisioned doing today.”
“Well, I sure hope this is as bad as it gets for you then,” said Seth, cringing. “It could get much worse if those Carpathians who are attacking the place get inside.”
“You’re not making me feel any better here, Seth,” Vivian pointed out.
“Considering the fact that some Carpathians have already arrived,” said a voice from behind them. The two of them turned and stared as four vampires stepped through the door and blocked the exit.
“Oh, hell!” Vivian groaned. Seth threw himself in front of her so fast it made her head spin.
“Please,” the man snorted. “A blood provider who has already been fed upon to capacity can hardly have the strength to stop four vampires from reaching their prey. What is it exactly you are hoping to gain?”
“You have to give him brownie points for bravery,” said one of the others, chuckling.
“Be quiet, Enzo,” the first complained.
“Sorry, Vlad,” he said contritely.
“Well, we’ve only come down here to have a look around while nobody seems to be home, but it appears we’ve found a worthy prize,” said Vlad, chuckling.
“Yeah, but how are we supposed to get back out of here again?” Enzo reminded him. “Just because the house was empty before, doesn’t mean somebody won’t come back in.”
“You mean to say you’re trapped?” asked Vivian, smirking.
“Trapped but with a very valuable hostage,” Vlad added, smiling. “And a very pretty one, too. I think we might be able to find something interesting to do with you.”
“I wouldn’t try it, if I were you,” said Vivian hotly. “Do you not realize that my father sent men here to protect me?”
“Don’t worry, princess, I believe we took all of them out first,” he snorted. “Arimatheans are easily disabled or killed, for the most part. We Carpathians are a much stronger breed.”
“You’re lying,” said Vivian. “You four have gone rogue and snuck in here, and you have no more idea about what’s happening up there than I do. I’m not going to let you get me down. Now, instead of being a total pain, why don’t you tell me how to put these wings away?”
“Greenhorn,” Enzo chuckled dryly. “Just envision yourself as you’d like to be. You’re stuck because you’re seeing yourself as you are. It never works that way.”
Taking his advice to heart, Vivian visualized herself wing free, and soon her thought was a reality.
“Thanks,” she said, sighing contentedly.
“You—blood boy—why don’t you tell us about this place,” said Vlad imperiously. “There must be another way to escape from here.”
“No, sir, there is not,” he told him. “You have just entered the only door. And, now that it’s closed, it can only be opened by those who know the exit code.”
“What?” he growled, turning to try the handle himself but with no success.
“Up until just now, you boys would have been able to go back up there and take your chances,” he said. “Now, you’ll have to sit here and wait for your doom.”
“If I go down, bloody, I’m taking you with me,” Vlad replied. “I’m feeling a bit peckish anyway.”
Vivian quickly moved in front of Seth. “No way, Carpathian. This meal belongs to me.”
“Why should you care what happens to him?” Vlad scoffed. “He is nothing but food.”
“That’s not true,” said Vivian. “He lives, and while that is so, he still has potential. All it would take is a bit of my own blood to make him a ghoul. You have no idea what he may or may not mean to anyone, fool. All you know is that you are trapped in here, and whatever decisions you make right now will have repercussions, because you won’t be able to get out until somebody opens that door.”
“Gloat all you like, woman, but don’t think that you are immune because of it,” he pointed out. “If I kill you now, you’re still going to be dead when the door opens, aren’t you?”
Vivian’s fangs slipped out as adrenaline surged through her. “As if I would let you.”
“You’re nothing but a fledgling,” he scoffed. “What do you think you could do?”
Wordlessly, Vivian stepped forward as she tugged something out of her pocket, then she plunged a needle into his arm and injected.
“What the hell?” he gasped. “What did you just do?”
“You’ve just received a concentrated dose of my father’s blood,” she answered smugly. “So now, even if you harm me, I have already irreparably harmed you. If you do not get medical attention soon, you are very likely to die. So, the question now becomes, are you going to want to inform my mate that you were willing to cooperate, or would you rather harm me and take your chances?”
“He will not help me,” said Vlad, gritting his teeth.
“Zach will listen to me,” she said, smiling. “If I tell him to rescue you instead of killing you, I’m sure he would comply.”
She was totally bluffing, of course, but she didn’t think this guy would know that. Also, the syringe she’d just given him wasn’t filled with her father’s blood either, but rather had been previously extracted from the very same blood provider who stood with them now. Zach had brought it to her the night before ‘just in case’ she needed a snack sometime this evening before they had time to have a meal sent up their way.
“Very well; we will do things your way,” he conceded. “Men, take a seat. It looks like, right now, we are here to stay.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
After an hour or two, the Carpathians had begun to grow restless, and Vlad remained unchanged. He would clearly have begun exhibiting symptoms if his blood was truly mixed with that of another vampire male, and so Vivian was certain that her little ruse would not last much longer. She was sitting in a small living room area, having claimed the easy chair while her unwanted guest
s were seated on the couches around her. Seth had returned to some other room.
“I am feeling—surprisingly well,” Vlad finally remarked dryly, his eyes growing red as he stared at her.
“Perhaps the age of the blood has rendered it slow in taking over,” she shrugged. “Still, it was pure vampiric essence, I can assure you.”
“I grow tired of humoring you, my lady,” he said, getting to his feet. “But I also do not wish to share you either. You lot stay where you are. I am taking her to another room. Any objections will be dealt with very harshly. Understood?”
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Vivian informed him angrily. “Stop touching me! Let me go!”
“Then you would rather give them a show?” he snarled.
“I would rather not go with you at all,” she replied. “You are not my mate, and you have no business with me. Obviously, you do not care about my feelings in the matter, so why ask about them in the first place?”
“Maddening woman, the question was rhetorical, as well you know.”
“Isn’t anger one of the beginning signs of the toxicity?” she asked sweetly. “Perhaps my father’s blood is beginning to work its effects on you at last.”
Vlad paused to consider this for only a moment before he said, “Oh no, my dear, I recognize this anger well enough. I’ve been married before. Now, move, woman.”
He grabbed Vivian by her arm and pushed her toward one of the inner doors but not the one that Seth had used to exit the room before. When she slowed down, he prodded her in the back to get her moving again.
“Ow!” she complained. “I hope you don’t think I’m going to lie on that back if you keep treating it that way!”
“You don’t seem to understand that I am in charge, and you are meant to do as I say,” he growled. “If I tell you to lie down, you will obey. Got it?”
“Clearly, you’re talking to the wrong woman,” said a voice from somewhere behind them. “If I know my Viv, she would never willingly obey. With her, one is better off to suggest than to demand, no matter what you are talking about.”
Keep It In The Blood: A Vampire Romance For Adults Page 6