by E. J. King
“None of this makes any sense,” I said with a shake of my head. I decided it was best to just ignore his last comment as I was sure I couldn’t process it anyway. “You came to see if I was okay and what? That was a year ago. You waited a year to intervene?”
He answered very deliberately. “When I found you, there was no immediate danger. I chose to wait a little longer so that you could continue to have a normal life for as long as possible. I did not abandon you during that time, but I did keep my distance.”
“So you just watched me from afar like a stalker? And then a year later you had me abducted and brought to your compound?” I could hear the indignation in my voice.
“It sounds pretty bad when you put it that way,” he agreed with a chagrined smile. “I promise that I only ever had your best interest in mind.”
“Is that so?” I was doubtful. “One thing you still haven’t explained is why I was in danger at all? Why would the Hunters care at all about me?”
He looked away. “Because they thought you knew about us. They thought you would be able to lead them here.”
“If that’s true, then my sister is still in danger.” My heart started to beat faster and I started to push myself to my feet. “I need to go back. She’s completely helpless.”
“Grace.” William’s hand closed over my bare arm, sending a volt of electricity through my body. “I have already sent someone to check on her. You cannot leave the Darkness.”
“Why not?” I demanded.
“Because now that you have been here, you will be an even bigger target for the Hunters. You are in more danger now than you ever were.”
I wanted to scream at him or punch him. How had my life gotten to this point? Just a few days ago I was thinking about Homecoming and physics exams. “If you knew this would put me at greater risk, why did you bring me here?”
“Because I can protect you here.” He didn’t sound at all apologetic. “You are safe with me, Grace.”
“It doesn’t feel that way. It feels like I’m being held hostage.” This time I yanked my arm away as I stood. “If you really thought it was so dangerous out there, why did you take me and not my sister?
“They don’t want your sister,” he said bluntly. “It isn’t just the knowledge of this place that they are seeking. They are trying to find you because you have something else they want.”
I could tell from the way he was looking at me that I wasn’t going to like the answer to my next question. “What else do I have?”
“When I had you compelled, there was something else I had you forget. It was about your mother. She was not an average Hunter.” William slowly stood. “Your mother was like us.”
“A Vampire?” I asked doubtfully.
“No, not a Vampire. But she had supernatural blood in her veins. She was a Siren.” He waited a few seconds for those words to sink in. “You have her blood in your veins, too.”
I nearly laughed. “That’s not possible. I am the child of two Hunters.”
“You are,” he agreed. “But your mother was a Siren long before she became a Hunter.”
Every part of me wanted to tell him that he was wrong. I didn’t want to believe it. But then again, what if he was right? Wouldn’t that explain why my parents had been so willing to work with him and the other inhabitants of the Darkness?
Wouldn’t that also explain why I had always suspected that there was something about me that was different? I had even felt different around Norah, who my parents had adopted when I was just a toddler after her Hunter parents were killed.
“Supernatural creatures can’t give birth to humans,” I said. It was the one thing that made sense in the supernatural world. Nature managed to keep some balance between human and monster.
“Your mother had a good friend who was a powerful witch. She used magic to suppress the supernatural impulses and keep them inactive. Your mother was more or less human when she conceived you, except that the Siren blood still remained dormant inside her, and therefore also inside you,” he said.
“What does that mean? I don’t feel any different than other humans.” That wasn’t entirely true. I had always suspected deep down that I might be different, but I had always assumed that was because of my Hunter heritage, not because I was part monster.
“Up until recently, you should not have noticed anything. The magic that was used on your mother was still active inside you. But it was never believed that the magic would be permanent. As you have aged, the magic has weakened.” He held out his hand, palm facing up. “Give me your hand, Grace.”
The pale moonlight illuminated his skin in a soft glow. I noticed that my hand was shaking as my fingers grazed over his open palm. When my entire hand was pressed against his, I suddenly understood everything.
The electric charge that raced through my body was undeniable. I had felt it every time we touched, but I had always explained it away.
“You feel it, don’t you?” William said, eyes searching mine. “Sirens can control humans and other supernatural creatures because they have this connection to them. Humans don’t notice it, especially because you are also part human, but I felt it the very first time I saw you.”
“But I can’t control anyone,” I protested. “If I could, do you think I would be trapped here in the Darkness?”
He flinched. “You haven’t embraced your power yet, Grace. As the magic continues to fade, you will become stronger. The Hunters knew this about you and they want your power. They will do whatever it takes to get to you.”
“Did my parents die protecting you or did they die protecting me?” I already suspected the answer.
“Both,” he replied without hesitation. “They were determined to keep your power a secret for as long as possible. I promised to help them do that. But as the magic faded, it was becoming harder to hide you. The Hunters were getting close to finding you.”
“That’s why you brought me here,” I finished for him. “Why would you even bother? You have to know that if the Hunters did find me, they would use me to control you and other Souls. You would be better off killing me.”
His head shook slowly. “I might be safer with you dead, but I would not be better off.”
Our hands were still touching and the electrical charge grew stronger. It felt as if our hands were melding into one. My body was drawn to him and I wanted more than just our hands to be touching. But another part of me wanted to push him away. I didn’t want to want him.
“I shall give you some time to process everything I have told you,” he said, almost as if he could sense my internal conflict. “I will be at the party if you would like to talk later.”
While William went back to the party, I walked further down the beach until it curved around a deep bend. The Blackwood Estate could no longer be seen in the distance. I didn’t know if that made me feel better or worse. When something rustled deep in the trees, I decided to head back. As much as I didn’t like being surrounded by Vampires, I did feel safer with William by my side.
The mansion on the water reappeared as I rounded the corner, illuminated from within. From the distance, it looked like it was floating on the surface of the water. I assumed that everyone was downstairs at the party, so I was surprised to see someone watching me from above. By my estimates, the person was standing in Drake’s wing of the Estate. A few more steps and I could see that the figure was a female. A second after that, I realized that I knew who she was.
“Norah!”
My cry was muffled by the crashing waves. Sand flew in every direction as I raced toward the mansion. I kept running until I was inside, darting to the right down what I hoped was the wing that would lead me to her.
I was only a few steps into the chambers when a figure stepped directly in front of me, catching me in its arms.
“I knew you would come running into my arms eventually,” Drake said.
I sucked in a sharp breath, my entire body tensing in his touch. He stared down at me with th
ose hungry eyes and his fangs protruded slightly over his lower lip.
“You shouldn’t have come in here, Grace,” he said. “Now I have to punish you.”
CHAPTER NINE
WILLIAM
I wanted to stay with Grace on the beach. I wanted to keep holding her hand and looking into her eyes. I wanted to tell her the real reason why I had brought her to the Darkness- that I had become captivated by her from the moment I first saw her.
But Grace needed to have some space to process the information I had just dumped on her and I needed to keep up pretenses of being a gracious host.
“Where’s your girlfriend?” Alexander asked, handing me a glass filled with thick red liquid. The champagne was for our human guests, but this was a vice for the Souls.
The blood was room temperature and extra potent. I could tell that it had recently been donated by one of our human residents, likely one of Alexander’s companions. “Grace went outside to get some fresh air.”
“Humans,” Alexander said with a shake of his head. “Can’t live with them, can’t live without their blood.”
“Nice,” I muttered, glad that Grace wasn’t around to hear his glib remark. Daniel was the only one of my brothers that I could trust not to behave like a complete animal around Grace. “Don’t you have a woman or several to seduce?”
“They will wait.” He smirked. “I was surprised to see that I was only gone for a few days and you managed to take on a companion in that short amount of time. I thought you were against human companionship.”
“Not against it, just not a proponent of Souls claiming humans as their property.” I had already explained this at least a dozen times to Alexander. “Grace is my companion because she chooses to be here, not because I have tricked or forced her into it.”
“I’m not sure I like what you are insinuating, brother,” he said. “My humans are perfectly happy with their situation.”
I knew this was an argument I wasn’t going to win. “I believe one of them may need your assistance right now. It appears she has had too much champagne.”
He turned to where I gestured, a young girl lying in a heap on the floor while giggling uncontrollably. “Wonderful,” Alexander muttered. “I hope yours is better behaved.”
I didn’t bother telling him that Grace was nothing like the girls he had brought to the Darkness. She was superior in every way. Her stunning beauty aside, she was smarter and more graceful than any woman in the room. She was too good for me, that was for sure.
Just as I got rid of one brother, I found another staring at me from across the room. I knew Daniel well enough to know that the look on his face meant that he wanted to speak in private. I nodded to let him know that I understood and then walked around the edge of the room until I found him.
“Everything okay?” I asked, placing my empty glass on a server’s tray.
“Did you tell her?” he asked, not answering my question. His eyes scanned the room.
“Yes.” Daniel was the only one I had told about Grace’s true identity. I knew that the others would never have agreed with my decision to bring a Siren into the Darkness. I also knew that they would have strong opinions on what we should do with her Siren abilities. Drake would want Grace to die, I was sure of that. “She knows everything now.”
Daniel’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Everything?”
I understood his implication. The truth was complicated, and there were things that had to be kept secret. For now.
“Not everything,” I corrected myself. “But she knows enough now to make the right decision.”
“And what is the right decision, Will?” Daniel’s eyes had narrowed into gold slits. “You?”
“Not me.” I was certain of that. “But not them either.”
I felt a strange sensation, like a pressure on my chest. It was like I was having trouble breathing, even though I didn’t need to breathe.
“What’s wrong?” Daniel demanded when I grabbed my chest.
“I am not sure.” I sucked in hurried breaths, frantically trying to understand what was happening to me. I closed my eyes and Grace’s voice echoed inside my head.
“Help!”
“Grace.” My eyes flew open. “Something has happened to her.”
Daniel looked confused. “Are you sure? How can you know that?”
“I just do.” I rushed forward, shoving people from my path. I knew it more certainly than I had known anything in my many decades of life. Grace was in danger.
I took the stairs two at a time, oblivious to the staring crowd. My chest had continued to tighten and my heart was racing. I didn’t have to think about where I might find her. My body seemed to know exactly where to go, turning down the hallway that led to Drake’s chambers.
Our family adhered to strict rules, the primary one being that we never entered other chambers unless we were invited. I had never broken that rule until now. Drake would probably be angry when he found out, but I didn’t care. I only cared about finding Grace.
As I entered the living quarters, I heard sounds of someone struggling. There, in the middle of the room, Grace was pinned to the ground. When I saw her attacker, the animal inside me took over and I launched myself at him. My hands went around his neck and I prepared to snap it with just a twist of my hands.
CHAPTER TEN
GRACE
I braced myself, preparing for Drake to sink his teeth into my neck. It was clear that I wasn’t going to escape unscathed. Drake’s fangs grazed over my neck, tickling the soft skin. I swallowed hard to keep from throwing up. He was like an animal playing with his prey.
“You don’t want to do this,” I said futilely. It was pretty clear that this as exactly what he wanted to do. “William will be angry if you hurt me.”
“I don’t plan to hurt you, Grace,” he said, the tip of his tongue tracing a line from my neck to my ear. “I’m going to give you pleasure.”
“Pass,” I said instantly.
He chuckled softly. “You are a brave girl. Most people in your position wouldn’t dare piss me off.”
“I’ve never been like other people,” I said. The words were even truer now that I knew the truth about my bloodline.
“That must be why my brother has been so taken by you,” Drake said. His fang nibbled at my ear and I fought back another wave of nausea. “Normally I wouldn’t be interested in William’s leftovers, but you are special.”
“Stop. Your flattery is embarrassing.” I was trying to sound calm as I frantically surveyed my options.
I had been born into a Hunter family, but I was raised by normal humans. I still had Hunter blood in my veins though, and that meant I was strong. The magic of the Darkness was suppressing that strength, but I was confident that I could still fight. I just needed to wait for an opening and then I would make my move.
Drake did something I didn’t expect. His right hand dropped away and he put it to his mouth, taking a big bite. I gasped and he pulled the arm away with blood running over his lips. Then, before I could do anything, he kissed me. I gagged as he passed the blood into my mouth. I knew that I shouldn’t swallow, but I was choking on the blood. As soon as it dripped down my throat, he grabbed my face and stared straight into my eyes.
“You don’t want to fight me, Grace. You want this. You are going to love everything I do to you.” Then he shoved me hard until I was on the floor.
I wanted to push myself up, but I couldn’t seem to make my body cooperate. Drake had compelled me not to fight and now I was his helpless victim. As I continued to struggle internally, I was finding it hard to breathe. Inside my head I screamed for help, but no sound escaped my lips.
“First thing we need to do is get you out of that dress,” Drake said, standing over me. “I don’t suppose you will do that for me?”
Since I couldn’t physically assault him, I gave him my fiercest glare. “Screw you.”
“That’s quite a mouth you have,” he sneered. He dropped down to his
knees, straddling me as he grabbed at the silk fabric on my torso. With a violent tug, he ripped open the dress. “This is going to happen, Grace. You might as well enjoy it.”
As he reached into the torn fabric, I summoned all of my will and freed one arm long enough to poke him in the eye. He screamed and slammed my head against the floor.
The world around me went black as my vision faded and I could hear Drake cursing above me. “You shouldn’t be able to do that!”
My ears were still ringing as my vision slowly came back. Drake was still above me, glaring at me with his one good eye. I struggled to free myself, not caring that it was making him even angrier. I didn’t care if he had compelled me, I wasn’t going to be a passive bystander in this attack. I was going to lose, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to try my best to fight him off.
It turned out that I didn’t need to fight. After a blur of movement that I struggled to follow in my hazy state, Drake was gone.
I sat up, dazed. William had his brother pinned against the wall, his hands around his throat. His face had transformed into fury and fangs. When I looked at him, it was almost impossible to see him as the William I had gotten to know. He looked like every other Dark Soul I had encountered in my life.
“William.” I very slowly got to my feet, wobbling on shaking legs. William flinched, but he kept his death grip in place. “Don’t William.”
When I put my hand on his arm, a wave of lucidity passed over his face.
“I cannot let him get away with what he did to you,” William said, his hands pressing deeper in Drake’s neck.
“He didn’t do anything to me, William. I’m okay.” I put a second hand on his arm. “Don’t do this. He’s your brother.”
William wait a few more seconds before loosening his grip. “We have rules in the Darkness. No Soul is allowed to harm a human. The punishment is death.”
“I don’t want you to kill him.” I pulled on his arm until he turned to face me. “You are better than that, William. You are better than him.”