Taken: The Vampire's Concubine: Part Five

by Desiree Broussard

  God help him. The thought filled him with more agony than he'd ever experienced in his lifetime. He'd taken her for granted one too many times, wasting his time questioning Nora when he should have been reassuring the woman he intended to mate of his intentions. Or had intended... if it wasn't too late.

  He was going to kill Zander, of that he had no doubt. The other vampire wouldn't survive the night. Kosmas dropped the other man on the floor as he raced off in the direction of Keely's room.

  Chapter 3

  Zander swept Keely up in his arms, quickly carrying her to her bed before placing her in the middle. He immediately followed, his lips taking hers in a passionate kiss. She couldn't think with his expert seduction, she couldn't breathe with the woodsy scent of his hot, heated body over hers. Zander had the ability to invoke her passion, whether or not she might want it.

  Suddenly, he stopped. He raised his head, his eyes locked on the side of her neck. Her own eyes widened at the savage expression on his face. Zander looked animalistic, his pupils enlarged, the skin of his face stretched tight. Her heartbeat increased as he inhaled deeply before groaning in sheer pleasure. “Your blood is like a rushing creek... and I feel like a dehydrated man that has just discovered an oasis.”

  For the first time in his presence, Keely felt genuine fear. Zander didn't seem to notice, or maybe he just didn't care. “I'm going to take your blood, Keely, and then you'll drink of me,” he continued, his voice confident and coldly arrogant. It was the voice of a stranger, a creature that was anything but human. “After that, nobody will ever take you from me.”

  “No, Zander,” Keely said in a panicked voice, beating against his shoulders and chest. It was the equivalent of beating a boulder. “Not like this.”

  He didn't seem to notice her actions, his face lowering to the curve of her neck as if in a trance. “So much blood,” he muttered distantly. “It's like the sweetest nectar.”

  The door to her bedroom exploded. To her dazed eyes, there was simply no other way to explain it. Wood flew everywhere, and in the midst of it stood Kosmas, but only for a split second. With his chest heaving with rage, he stared at them. And then he moved, faster than her eyes could see.

  The air rushed around her as Zander's weight was removed from her body. Kosmas threw him with enough force to send him crashing into the opposite wall, as the sounds of breaking glass filled the room. Keely gasped, rolling out of the bed to stand on the opposite side on shaky legs. Kosmas' eyes quickly raked over her body before turning to attack Zander again.

  Zander met him in the middle, completely recovered from the shock of Kosmas' arrival. They fought bitterly in the large room, a room not designed to ever be the backdrop for such a brutal fight, especially from two men that were preternaturally strong. Glass exploded as furniture and wood flew everywhere. Keely jerked away to avoid being impaled by the leg of a broken chair. It embedded itself in the wall behind her.

  “Stop,” she screamed, searching for some way to end the violence of their actions. It seemed impossible. The two vampires moved with a speed that she couldn't track. It was a fight to the death, of that she was sure. It wouldn't end until one of them was dead. Once again leaving her without a choice.

  “Do something,” she screamed at the guards that watched them, but none of them made any move to stop the fight. Instead, they exchanged uneasy looks with each other before outright ignoring her. It only made her angrier.

  “How dare you touch what belongs to me?” Kosmas yelled, his eyes completely black from his rage. His fangs were fully extended, and he looked exactly what he was... a dark and dangerous predator. He grappled with Zander before maneuvering his arm around his throat in a choke hold.

  “Whatever made you think she belonged to you?” Zander growled, reaching above his head to lock his fingers in Kosmas' hair. “She was mine long before she was yours, and she came to me willingly. Unlike you, I didn't have to manipulate my way into her bed. Admit it. I've already won her.”

  Zander pulled as hard as he could, his grip tight enough to temporarily dislodge Kosmas' hold. They came together again, their bodies twisting and rotating as each fought to be victorious over the other. As they worked their way to another wall, Kosmas shoved him hard, sending Zander right through the thick glass of a floor to ceiling window.

  Keely gasped in horror when Kosmas immediately followed him, both men disappearing from sight. The guards raced after them, having temporarily forgotten about Keely at the sight of two of the highest ranking members of Golden Harbor fighting like dogs. She stepped away from the bed, intending to follow, but what good would it have done?

  The events of the night pressed down on her, weighing heavily on her weary shoulders. Outside in the darkness she couldn't see them, but the sounds of their battle were loud and clear. Eventually, one of them would be victorious, but what did that mean for her? Either way, the future looked grim.

  Keely cared about both men, but she was in love with only one. Her feelings didn't matter to either one of them, though, and it wouldn't make a difference in the outcome of their fight. Regardless of who won, she'd be expected to do whatever was wanted of her... for the rest of her life.

  Pressing a trembling hand against her mouth to hold back her sob, Keely tiptoed around the carnage as she cautiously watched the opening where the window had once been. None of them noticed her departure. Once she reached the hallway, she took off at a dead run. Her destination was clear... if all went well, it was the last place anyone would think to look.

  Keely ran out of the palace, following the same path she'd taken with Kosmas. The town was surprisingly deserted, but most of them were likely at the ball. From what she'd seen, the celebration was a big deal for the vampires. She slowed her pace as a couple approached, averting her eyes when they passed each other by.

  Arriving at the entrance to the mountain, Keely was pleased to see it was lit up. Trembling from nerves and exertion she ran in, remembering the night Kosmas had shown it to her. At the glass, she pressed her palm against its smooth surface. It felt as if a lifetime had passed since the night she'd stood in that exact same spot, with Kosmas' hard, muscled body pleasuring her so well.

  Keely sank to her knees, still staring out at the world of Legionnaire. Eventually, she'd have to return to face the music, though she didn't want to. Just thinking about everything that had happened hurt. She'd given herself to two men, but all she'd done was open herself up to pain and agony as she realized that neither one of them truly loved her, not in the way she would have it.

  Zander was decent, but he was a vampire. He'd scared her with his attempt to mate her, but if she were really honest, it wasn't fear that had held her back. She hadn't been ready to accept him because secretly she still hoped that Kosmas would choose her.

  How pathetic was that? Common sense told her he wouldn't, and it had been foolish of her to delay Zander. Now, one of the vampires would be dead. It was a heavy burden to carry.

  The surface of the ground underneath her was hard and rocky, but Keely didn't notice. Not with the bleakness of her thoughts. If Zander won, he would mate her. Although she didn't doubt he would be good to her, deep within her heart she knew she didn't love him. He didn't deserve her, not when there was a woman out there that would love him in the way he needed to be loved. How many years could they be happy together before it wore thin? A relationship without true, passionate love was hard enough to maintain during the average human lifespan... doing it forever seemed impossible.

  And if Kosmas survived, where would that leave her? Besides the obvious, gut-wrenching guilt that would come from knowing she was responsible for Zander's death, she'd likely find herself as a concubine in the most basic form possible. No longer would Kosmas make the effort to win her. Why would he, when he was already mated? Instead, she'd exist for no other purpose than to ease his sexual needs, and she'd be expected to spread her legs whenever he desired it. The thought made her sick. Kosmas cared nothing for her. Had he cared, he
wouldn't have treated her as he had at Nora's arrival.

  His lack of disregard hurt her, more than she could have imagined. Standing beside him while he'd fawned all over another female had almost destroyed her. She hated him, but she still desired him. It was like a sickness. Keely felt disgusted with herself, but it meant nothing in the face of the pain she felt at his obvious rejection.

  “Now, this is an interesting spot to escape to,” a male voice said blandly, from behind her. Keely gasped as she came to her feet, staring at the man warily as he stopped several feet away. “I doubt anyone would think to look for you here, at least not for a few hours.”

  “What are you doing here?” she asked him, crossing her arms across her chest. Looking past him, she was relieved to see he was alone.

  He chuckled, much to her disbelief. “Aren't you curious as to who I am?”

  “I know who you are,” she replied, wondering what game he was playing at. “I've seen you before, but even if I hadn't, your obvious resemblance to Zander would give you away. You're his father. Did he send you after me?” Keely swallowed hard. If he had, it meant the fight was over... and Zander was victorious.

  “No, actually he didn't,” Kyle confessed. “In fact, the last time I saw Zander he was wallowing in the dirt with Kosmas like two pigs in a pen.” A big grin creased his face, as if he found the mental picture amusing.

  “Aren't you the least bit concerned about that? If you knew they were fighting, why didn't you try to break them up?”

  Kyle shrugged. “Why would I? I'm more than confidant of Zander's ability to hold his own and besides... Kosmas needs his ass kicked.”

  Keely sighed, some of her tension easing off of her. Clearly, Kyle wasn't intent on hurting her. If he had been he would have already done it. “Aren't you worried that one of them might get killed?”

  “Not if I know my son. I can't say the same about Kosmas, though.” His eyes narrowed as he stared at her, all amusement leaving his face. “You know that Kosmas arranged for Zander's abduction, don't you?”

  Keely nodded, but she didn't speak. “I thought you might,” Kyle continued, his lips twisting into a grimace. “If that doesn't give Zander the right to this fight, I don't know what does.”

  “But why are you here?” she asked him again, wanting to be alone.

  “Because I need to know what your intentions are when it comes to my son,” Kyle retorted, moving to stand next to her. In the artificial lighting, his expression was harsh and unyielding. “And I'm not liking what I'm seeing.”

  “You make it sound like I actually have a choice,” Keely spat out, infuriated at his judgmental words. “I don't, not anymore. And the one time I did, before I met Kosmas, your son refused me. He refused me. But now, I'm expected to jump with joy just because he's decided he might want me? It doesn't work like that. So don't stand there staring down so condescendingly at me. I didn't ask to come here, and I didn't ask to be placed in the middle of all of this. As to your question, my intentions are to survive because that's all that I'm able to do.”

  Kyle nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face as he contemplated her words. “What about love?” he finally asked her.

  “What about it?” she asked bitterly, pressing her forehead against the glass in exhaustion. “Would it really make a difference? I think not. Besides, I gave up on love a long time ago. And now that I'm here on Legionnaire, my heart really doesn't matter, does it? Here, I'm nothing more than an attractive body meant to ease a vampire's lust.”

  It was the only answer she was willing to give him. Tears ran down her cheeks, but she didn't make any attempt to wipe them away. Keely felt defeated, her spirit broken. Her captivity had finally caught up with her. Love had destroyed her.

  “After Zander was abducted, he managed to make it back to our home,” Kyle confessed, his voice softening as he stared out into the dark night. “but his entire focus was on you, Keely. He realized he made a mistake by letting you go, and he was determined to rectify it. If it weren't for you, I don't know that he would have ever escaped the Seiyadians. For that, I am grateful.”

  He turned to face her, his expression firm. In his eyes, though, Keely saw every bit of the love he had for Zander, and her heart ached. She'd often seen the same in her own father's eyes. “A vampire's life is long, as you've already come to learn,” he continued, his voice grave. “Which brings me to my reason for following you here. I don't want to see my son miserable, Keely. If there is any doubt in your heart that you can love him wholeheartedly, I beg of you to let him go... regardless of how this evening plays out.”

  Keely sighed heavily, turning her face away from him. “I-I need time to think,” she confessed softly, forcing herself to speak past the large lump in her throat. “But I can admit that your words have mirrored my own thoughts tonight. I have no desire to tie myself into a loveless union, much less anyone else.”

  To her surprise, Kyle took her cold hands in his. “If you discover that Zander is your destiny, don't let my words put you off of him. I can see you are a brave and considerate woman, one we'd be happy to welcome into our family. But if my instincts are right, which I suspect they are, your heart yearns for Kosmas. If that is the case, I'll be happy to pledge my fealty to you as our leader's mate. It's easy to recognize the survivor in you, Keely, but being a survivor comes at a price. Sometimes it makes it difficult to listen to your heart instead of your mind. When it comes to love, the heart is the only thing that should matter. Love isn't about logic or reason, and very rarely does it ever make sense.”

  Keely nodded. “Thank you,” she replied, her voice hoarse. When she'd run to the cavern, she hadn't expected to find comfort and acceptance from another person, but she'd found it anyhow. His words were wise and true.

  Kyle patted the top of her hand before releasing her, turning one more time to stare out into the dark night. “I'm going to return to the palace now. You should be reasonably safe here. Do you want me to send anyone after you?”

  “No,” Keely replied, wrapping her arms around her waist. “I'll return soon.” To what, though, she didn't know.

  Kyle left as quietly as he had arrived. Keely walked over to one of the rock walls before sitting down in front of it. She felt limp and drained from everything that had happened, and she was exhausted. As she leaned her head back to think over Kyle's words, she dozed off into a troubled sleep.

  Chapter 4

  “Coward,” Kosmas hissed, shoving Zander away from him. He fell against the base of a tree, breaking it immediately. “You thought you'd sneak in and mate her behind my back, but clearly you weren't successful. Tell me, how does failure taste?”

  Zander jumped to his feet, baring his fangs. “I wouldn't know,” he growled out, spitting blood onto the ground. “Because I haven't failed. I only had minutes, but it was enough to convince her. Had you not interrupted, she would have been mine by now, by blood and by our laws. But you,” he continued, curling his lip up into a sneer. “You've had weeks to mate her, and still Keely wouldn't have you. Why don't you run back to your concubines, Kosmas? They're too obsessed with their lives of leisure to ever do anything less than make you feel like a real man, even if the complete opposite is true.”

  “Jealous, much?” Kosmas taunted, his hands clenched into fists. His clothing was ripped, his body covered in bruises and blood. He barely noticed. “At least I can keep a harem full of women satisfied, something you'd never be able to accomplish. You couldn't even keep one in your bed, could you? You fucked her, then ran like a whipped dog with his tail between his legs. I could kill you for taking her virginity. I would have liked to of had her virgin's blood as my own.”

  It was a tantalizing thought. Unfortunately for Kosmas, though, it was one best forgotten. Her virginity had been wasted on the useless prick in front of him, and there was no going back. “But maybe you didn't know what to do with her,” he concluded, shooting a smirk at Zander. “Or maybe you simply don't have the size to keep a female satisfied, y
ou undersexed bastard. Now that Keely has had a real man in her bed, she'd never be happy with you, I can guarantee that.”

  “Your actions tell a different story,” Zander yelled back, crouching down as he prepared to launch himself at Kosmas. “If I'm not a threat, why did you arrange for the Seiyadians to take me, huh?”

  Some of the guards gasped. “Yeah, that's right,” he continued, his eyes narrowing on Kosmas. “Your leader condemned me to a life of slavery and abuse because he wasn't man enough to let the woman he wants choose for herself. But he couldn't keep me down. I would have died before ever submitting to them, and it was due to my determination to live that I'm still here now. You slighted my pride, my freedom, and my manhood, Kosmas. I will kill you for that.”