by K Loraine
One corner of his mouth twitched with the ghost of a smile. “We move so they can’t get ahead of us. If they knew where we were, they’d take us out one-by-one. They’d probably turn us as an extra form of torture.”
“Turn you?”
“Into one of them.”
“I know what that means. I just…I didn’t think about that. The Blackthornes were…well, they treated turned vampires like they were lesser beings.” I thought of Brenna, of what her life at the manor must’ve been. Cash regarded her as a mother, but Elias barely looked at her.
“I’m sure they feel that way too. Born, full-blooded vampires are rare. It’s one of the reasons Elias Blackthorne put aside his first wife. She couldn’t get pregnant. He knocked up Cashel’s mother before he had even told his wife he was done with her. But, your boyfriend’s mom was a full-blooded vamp, not a drop of human to her. She just didn’t have royal blood.”
I knew the story. Cashel had shared it with me one night after he found me playing the piano at the manor. “How do you know all this?”
He shrugged. “Know your enemy. Basic rules of war.”
“So then you know about sun sickness?”
His heavy sigh told me he didn’t want to continue this conversation. “Of course I do. We created it.”
“You did?”
“Well, the generations before us. Liv, your mom came from a long line of hunters who’d bargained with a coven of witches to acquire a defense against the vampires.”
“How would giving vampires the ability to walk in the sun be a good thing?”
“That’s not how it started.”
The conversation I’d had with Cashel during my first few days at the manor house replayed in my mind. Powerful magic. One drop could burn a vampire from the inside out. “So, what happened?”
“They were never able to make it stronger after the first spell. Many of the attempts to strengthen the magic resulted in death. They tried everything to use the gift their blood gave them.”
“And each time the blood of the sun died, their child was given the burden?” I asked.
“Exactly. But your mother ran after she watched what happened to your grandmother.”
My heart lurched at the mention of her. “What does that have to do with creating sun sickness?”
“When it became obvious that the magic had diluted and become a detriment, we took a sample and tainted it. Basically creating our own version of a virus specific to vampires. Then we sent it out into the world. I wish it worked better than it does.”
I felt sick. They were responsible for the horrible disease that killed Cashel’s mother. My blood was responsible. “And…you’re proud of this?”
He stopped walking and turned to face me. “What?”
“You’re proud that hunters are to blame for the virus working its way through the vampires in the world. Making them suffer horrible ends?”
His eyes closed and he took a slow breath. “These creatures aren’t good. They are vile and heartless.”
“Not all of them.” I thought of Brenna, of Callie, and even Lucas. They were kind to me. Even if Cashel had manipulated me, they didn’t have to treat me like I belonged there. “I don’t think you know your enemy as well as you believe.”
“All I know is I came home from football practice when I was sixteen and found a vampire feeding on my mother with my little sister’s broken body next to her. I killed my first vamp that night and never looked back. My mom is catatonic from the trauma. They took everything from me for no reason.”
A wave of sympathy flooded me. He’d lost someone too. I kept forgetting that. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. Just help us.”
I nodded, taking his hand and squeezing. But then he stopped in his tracks and his head snapped up, posture alert and tense. “What is it?”
“Vampires.”
5
Olivia
“Logan, watch out!” I shouted as two vampires rushed us in a blur of motion so fast I barely registered their speed. But they weren’t after him. One grabbed me, wrenching me from his arms even though I put up a hell of a fight. I screamed and kicked, thrashed and squirmed. Gone were the days of me letting fear immobilize me. Since Hector had used adrenaline to open my mind and show me the truth, I hadn’t been plagued by panic attacks I couldn’t control. Now, in this moment, I was incredibly thankful for him. The cold night air whipped my hair in my face, obscuring my view as the vampire holding me ran.
“Don’t make me hurt you.” The voice to my right was familiar. Low, husky, and feminine. It was not a voice I’d ever wanted to hear again. She set me on my feet under the cover of a nearly empty parking garage. Then, stepping into the yellow cast of an overhead light, she pulled the hood back from her head, and her nearly black waves cascaded down one shoulder. Terrible and beautiful.
“Sorcha,” I said as fear tightened in my gut.
“Long time, little bird,” she sneered.
My gut clenched. “Did…did Cashel send you?”
She snorted. “No. I’m sure he’s off with his newest conquest. Fickle heart, that one. Always has been.”
That sliced through my heart. I didn’t want it to, but there was nothing I could do to stop it. “Why are you here?”
“There’s been…a serious development. We’ve lost Cashel. He’s abandoned us. But we can still use your blood to stop the sun sickness. We have to stop it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“There’s a new queen in town. She wants nothing to do with our father’s children…except for Cashel. She’s got him on her side.”
“If you think I’m going with you, you’re insane.”
She shook her head. “I don’t need you. I need your blood. Just a sample. Something to take to Callie. She can’t get back into the manor to take a vial from our stores.”
This version of Sorcha was so strange. Desperate and defeated. She’d lost so much of her spark.
“Please, Olivia?” she asked, gently and with a sincerity I’d rarely heard from her.
I looked behind me, back toward the exit, searching for the street where I was sure Logan was fighting to find me. “Who was that with you?”
“Lucas. Don’t worry. He wouldn’t kill your new boy toy. He likes to play with them for a few weeks, taunt them first.”
“Logan might kill him.”
She laughed. “Unlikely.” Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a syringe. “Roll up your sleeve and let’s get on with this. I won’t bother you or your hideous hunter boyfriend again.”
I did as she instructed, shoving my sleeve up past my elbow. The needle stung going in, and I had a flashback of Cashel taking my blood this same way, though he somehow calmed and soothed me with barely a word. Mind control, I reminded myself. He had been playing with my mind.
“There. All done,” she said, taking her thumb and pressing it against one sharp fang before healing my wound with a drop of her blood. I didn’t miss her bringing that thumb back to her lips as she sucked the mixture of our blood off the tip.
“Can I go now?” I asked, tugging my sleeve back down to cover the reddish smear across the bend of my elbow.
“I gave you a promise. Of course you can.”
I started down the gray cement path that led to the street, feeling her gaze prickling the back of my neck with every step.
“Oh, Olivia?” she called.
I turned and stared at her. “If I found you, so will they. Just keep that in mind. You killed a very powerful vampire. I may not come for you, but someone will.”
With a curt nod, I forced myself to calm my racing heart and strode with false confidence until I reached the sidewalk.
I found Logan crumpled on a bench three blocks away. He was dazed but otherwise looked unharmed as he blinked a few times and frowned. “Liv, oh my God, you’re okay.”
He stood and pulled me into his arms, crushing me against him as he kept murmuring, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
&
nbsp; “It’s okay. I got away. Good thing you taught me how to fight.”
“That vamp didn’t try to bite me, he just hit me over the fucking head.”
“They didn’t want you.”
He reached for the pendant I hadn’t taken off since he gave to me. “So much for this.”
“My blood is stronger than we thought. I took care of her, though. She’s gone.”
“I’m a fucking asshole for not protecting you.”
I squeezed him tighter before looking up at his sharply angled jaw covered in dark stubble. Cupping his cheek with my palm, I shook my head and murmured, “You protected me by teaching me how to defend myself.”
Tenderness filled his eyes, and he dropped his head, pressing his lips to mine without warning. I thought of everything that had happened, everything Sorcha had said. Cashel had used me. He hadn’t really loved me. He’d already moved on and left me behind. Logan was here, warm and wonderful. He only wanted me for me. Why shouldn’t I be happy?
I leaned in and let him kiss me, recognizing the dull ache of desire as it made itself known between my thighs. I could have this. Him. Us. Something normal. Or as normal as things could be for me.
“Let’s get out of here,” Logan murmured against my lips.
I nodded and broke apart from him, tucking my hand into the crook of his elbow. “So much for normal.”
“One day, I promise, I’ll give you normal.”
I hoped he was right.
Cashel
I could still taste my latest donor’s blood even an hour after I nearly drained him dry. Rich and warm, but it lacked the taste of sunshine I craved. It lacked so much more than that. I needed a connection now. I needed Olivia. The itch in my veins to go after her had dulled after my feeding, but with that came the lack of control I’d worked so hard for. Every time I drained a donor, I lost a bit of myself to the monster inside.
“Have you finished with this one?” Anne’s voice was low and relaxed, not even a hint of concern for the man on the floor.
“He’s not dead, if that’s what you’re asking.”
A light laugh filled the air. “You’re like a naughty cat who loves leaving gifts at my feet. I like this side of you, Cashel. It’s good to see you embracing the creature you were meant to be.”
I wish I could read her thoughts, get inside her head and hear the truth she wouldn’t share with me.
“Oh, that wouldn’t be possible, and you know it. I’m far too strong for anyone to break through my barriers.” Her words made me stiffen. “You’ll have to be more careful with your own walls. Perhaps your siblings were easy on you, given your…disability.”
Anger built, a fire igniting in my chest and growing to an inferno with the speed of a match dropped on gasoline. “Disability?”
“Well, I’m sure they never made you feel that way. Precious Cashel. The King’s favorite. There couldn’t be anything wrong with you.” Her voice was pitched high, a taunting, teasing lilt.
“Our gifts are different.”
She cackled, tossing her head back and filling the room with the sound of her amusement. “Different? Who told you that? Vampires born without the ability to hear thoughts are stunted. Weak. Unworthy of the royal title they might mistakenly be given.”
“Weak. You think I am weak?” I strode across the room in calm, controlled steps, until I stood so close to her I could taste her perfume. “I killed my father, took what I wanted, and abandoned everything I knew to stop him and his corruption. I am not weak.”
“And yet, you ran. You killed him and ran away. If you were strong, you’d have stood your ground and claimed your crown.”
“I had to.”
“No! You chose to. You chose your pathetic little human over your crown. You left with her and let her destroy the Blackthorne legacy. Your entire family was weak. They let her wander free rather than imprisoning her. They let her think she was an equal, and once I find them, I’ll make them pay for their weakness.”
My skin crawled, but I didn’t let the barriers around my mind fall. “I thought you exiled them.”
“I did, they just don’t know it yet. And as soon as I find them, I’ll ensure they’re imprisoned. Or perhaps I’ll kill them.” She trailed her fingernail over my cheek. “Perhaps I’ll have you kill them. You should be honored to have the chance. They did nothing to protect you from yourself and your weakness for that human. They let you lose yourself to her.”
I knew what she wanted me to say. And part of me agreed with her. They did nothing to stop me from falling in love with Olivia. In fact, Lucas might have fallen a little right along with me. But was that a bad thing? I wasn’t convinced. “What does it matter now? She’s gone. You have the throne.”
“I do. And that brings me back to what I wanted to discuss with you. In one month, we’ll be hosting my coronation. I’ve sent the announcement to all the clans.”
“All of them?”
“Yes. The celebration of my return to my rightful place is something vampires the world over should be present for. Don’t you think?”
It was something my father would have done. A spectacle. A show of his power. “I suppose.”
“A few of them are…resistant. But I think if we appear as a united front, they’ll come around. After all, only a Blackthorne should be seated at the throne. If we can convince them of the Kingdom’s stability even after Elias was overthrown, we can assure there’ll be no treachery. Well, no more than what you’ve already doled out.”
“How else are we supposed to convince them? You pardoning me after my crimes isn’t proof enough of our alliance?”
“My spies have said there are whispers of weakness in the Blackthorne royal line. They’ll use this as a way to usurp me and throw you back into prison to await an execution.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at the woman. So small in stature, but terrifying in demeanor. A mad queen. But, that didn’t make her incorrect. I couldn’t risk the throne being taken by another clan. “Then why banish my siblings? We should bring them back to the manor. Let them throw their support behind us as well. Sorcha is smart, a powerful fighter. Callie has so much to offer when it comes to her studies on sun sickness and vampire genetics. Lucas…well, he’s strong and fast, and cares too much about living to be stubborn about loyalty to our father.”
“That idea has merit. But, like I said, I don’t know where they are.”
“I can find them. I’m sure of it.”
She nodded and tapped one long ebony lacquered nail on her lip. “With all the Blackthornes on my side, it’ll be nearly impossible for the leaders to doubt me. But there’s one more thing.”
“What do we need?”
She grinned. “Why, the blood of the sun, of course.”
My chest turned cold at the malice behind her tone. “I thought you didn’t care about her.”
“It’s simple, Cashel. She is an asset, whether I care about using her blood or not, she will give me an advantage.”
“And you want me to find her for you?”
Her small hand patted my cheek in a placating and demeaning way, sending a wave of rage through me. “Yes. Find her. Bring her to me. I don’t care what you do to her. Take your revenge for everything she’s done to you now that you’re freed of her influence. Fuck her, feed, break her. But bring her to me with a beating heart and untainted blood.”
I nodded. “Where is she?”
A wicked smirk twisted her lips. “Right now, she’s falling for that hunter you hate so much.”
Everything in me seized, but I kept control of my expression, carefully masked my thoughts. “Then it’ll be double the punishment for her to be taken from him. I’ll seduce her away, make her think I love her.”
Anne’s smile grew wider. “I like what I’m hearing.”
I continued, hating myself with every word. “When the Blackthorne bloodline has the blood of the sun at its disposal, no one will dare threaten us.”
“Oh, n
ot just the Blackthorne bloodline. We’ll sell her blood and body to the highest bidder as our prized mare. That’s the way to ensure loyalty from the clans. Give them a taste of the possibility of power.” She chuckled. “Maybe your father was on to something with his breeding plot. Just not in the way he thought.”
Gut churning, I fought back a retort, my body desperate to claim Olivia as mine. Instead I bit out words I never wanted to say. “Yes, my queen.”
“Well, what are you waiting for? Go find your siblings and return them to their home. Let them know their exile is over, as long as they offer their loyalty to me. Then you can collect your pet.”
I nodded, my body humming with the need to release the pent-up tension this conversation had caused.
“Don’t worry, Cashel. I’ll let you have your little bird all to yourself after I’ve had a taste. Then you can have the honor of creating the first hybrid. A Blackthorne heir with the power to walk in the sun. Unstoppable.”
6
Cashel
The mouth of the cave shone with condensation, a damp, earthy scent filling the air and adding the tang of minerals at the back of my throat from the simple act of inhaling. It’d been nearly a hundred years since I’d stood outside of this place. The last refuge of my family. The place my father had sent us to hide from sun sickness when it had run rampant and destroyed our mother.
I moved slowly, familiarizing myself with the path filled with craggy rocks and low hanging stalactites that seemed to drip from the ceiling. A deterrent forged by nature. The temperature dropped with every step I took that led me deeper into the mountain. I walked until I reached the end of the cave where a secret pool sat. It appeared nothing more than stagnant water, but I knew better. I dove in and swam under the rock in absolute darkness. No creature that relied on breath to survive would make this journey without meeting death.
I came out the other side five minutes later, my head breaking through the water’s surface and my gaze catching the glint of a silver blade. I darted away and out of the pool, meeting the shocked expression of Sorcha.