by Alicia Rades
All around me came a chorus of oohs and ahs.
“Did that count?” someone in the water asked.
“It totally counted,” someone else replied.
“Is that allowed?” another person responded.
I looked up to Ronark on the rock, beaming at him. It sounded like I’d completed the challenge.
He sighed, but there was a smile on his face. “I’ll give it to her.”
A few girls in the water cheered for me.
“What’s my challenge, Jenna?” Ronark asked.
She crossed her arms and smirked. “You know.”
He dropped his shoulders. “Seriously? Again?”
“If you didn’t want to do it, why’d you stand in front of me in line?” she challenged.
Ronark rolled his eyes and handed her his beer. “Fine. Hold my beer.”
“Famous last words,” she teased.
Ronark sighed and reached for the waistband of his swim trunks. Before I could look away, his trunks had fallen to his ankles and his package was out there in the open for everyone to see. He was seriously blessed in that department. People all around us whistled and hollered.
“Ronark the Magnificent, everyone!” Jenna announced, gesturing to him like he was a trophy prize.
“Yeah, yeah,” he said sarcastically, flipping her off. Then he sprinted to the edge of the rock, jumped to grab the rope, and flipped into the water. He broke the surface a second later, while people continued to cheer. After pushing wet hair out of his eyes, he held up two middle fingers to everyone. “You all can go screw yourselves!”
“With that image in my mind?” the guy closest to him joked. “No way!”
Ronark started swimming toward him, and the guy quickly made a beeline for the edge of the rock, where there was a slope leading back up to the top.
“Ew!” he cried. “Keep your dick away from me, man.”
Ronark climbed out of the water and started chasing after him. His bare butt was on full display. I couldn’t help but laugh. Even in the midst of everything that these people had gone through, they found a way to make the most of a bad situation.
Jenna took a swig of Ronark’s beer, then jumped for the rope and did a flip into the water. Once she broke the surface, she made her way over to where I was treading water.
“Having fun?” she asked.
“It’s the most fun I’ve had all week,” I replied, stating the obvious. The last time I’d gone swimming was at Genevieve’s lake house. The thought instantly made me think of Venn, and my heart sank. I missed him so much. I wished he was here right now—or rather, that I was with him.
“You okay?” Jenna asked.
I nodded to reassure her. “Yeah, I just miss my boyfriend.”
“Aww,” she said genuinely, like it was sweet. “Come on. We have work to do.”
“Work?” I asked.
“I didn’t drag you out here just to catch a glimpse of Ronark’s manhood.”
“Oh, but it was a fun show,” I joked.
“I know.” She smiled mischievously before leading me back to dry land.
Ronark returned from out of the trees, snatched up his swim trunks, and slipped them on. A guy in the water groaned in jest.
“Show’s over, Brad,” Ronark snapped playfully.
A few girls laughed and splashed Brad. He quickly retaliated.
Ronark grabbed his beer from off the rock and downed the rest of it, then made his way over to Jenna and me. “You drank my beer,” he accused her.
She shrugged. “You put it in my hand.”
“I should’ve known better,” he admitted. “I’m going to grab another one.”
“When you’re done, we need to talk,” Jenna said.
“Ooh,” a guy sang as he passed by. “Someone’s in the doghouse.”
“Shut up!” Ronark snapped back. “It’s not like that. You want one, Rae?”
“Nah, I’m good,” I replied.
“Jenna?” Ronark asked on his way to the cooler.
She shrugged. “Might as well.”
Ronark returned and handed Jenna a beer. She cocked her head, and we followed her into the woods. We walked until we were far enough away from the swimming hole that we could hardly hear the hoots and hollers anymore. Jenna sat on a fallen log and took a sip of beer. I sat beside her, while Ronark leaned against a tree.
“What’s up?” he asked casually.
Jenna got straight to the point. “We need your help.”
His eyebrows shot up. “I’m intrigued. Go on.”
“Out of everyone on this island, you’ve been here the longest. You know Valkas best. If we wanted to…” Jenna exchanged a quick glance with me. I didn’t like where this was going. “If we wanted to steal something valuable from him, you’d know where to find it.”
Ronark smirked and nodded. “You girls are entering dangerous territory.”
“He’s right, Jenna,” I said. “I don’t know about this.”
She kept her eyes on Ronark, ignoring my statement. “If it works, we all go free.”
His face lit up, but it quickly reverted to normal. “Nobody goes free on this island, sweet cheeks. There’s only one way off, and it ain’t pretty.”
“Unless you happened to have access to the one thing that could kill Valkas,” she replied.
Ronark pressed his lips together, looking skeptical. “And what might that be?”
I could tell he didn’t believe her. As far as anyone else knew, Valkas couldn’t be killed. Jenna glanced to me. Even though I could tell she trusted Ronark, she was deliberately vague.
“That’s for us to know and you to find out,” she said.
Ronark laughed and tipped his bottle to his lips.
“It’s true,” Jenna snapped.
He went completely still and slowly lowered the bottle. “You can really kill him?”
She nodded. “He has a dagger that can be used to stop him. Do you know what he would’ve done with it? Hidden it? Destroyed it?”
“Destroyed it, maybe…” Ronark said in thought. He began pacing back and forth in front of us. “But how do you destroy a dagger? You could break it, but the shards could still kill you. Or melt it down, but where would he find the means on this island? Besides, if it’s infused with magic, it might not be able to be destroyed. He might send it off the island, but… no, I think I know exactly what he’d do with it.”
He stopped pacing and turned to look at us, a bright expression on his face.
“Well…?” Jenna pressed.
“It’s not going to be easy to get,” Ronark said. “Nearly impossible, even.”
It was like he could read my mind.
“Just tell us,” Jenna insisted.
He sighed. “He’s got it on him.”
“Of course,” I muttered.
It sounded so much like him. Keep your friends close but your enemies closer kind of thing. Valkas wouldn’t trust that weapon anywhere else but where he could keep a constant eye on it.
I turned to Jenna. “Look, this party was fun, but that’s it. At some point, I have to accept that I’m a blood slave now and I’m never going to see my friends again. This plan is never going to work.”
“You don’t know that,” she countered. “The least we can do is try.”
“Our odds are next to none,” I pointed out.
“I thought the same thing about seeing you again, Rachel. I never thought I would.” Jenna’s eyes pleaded with me.
“Yeah, but this…” I shook my head.
“What’s the worst that could happen?” she argued.
She had a point. I could die trying, but what did that matter? Valkas had to be planning worse for me anyway. Might as well go out with a bang.
“I… I guess it’s worth a shot,” I admitted. “As long as you realize it probably won’t work.”
“Don’t say that,” Jenna insisted sternly. “If Ronark’s right, all you have to do is get him alone.”
I pressed my lips together
in thought. “I guess that’s pretty easy if he decides to feed on me again.”
Ronark scoffed. “Not unless you want to get yourself killed. Where do you think he’s keeping it? On his belt? In his boot? On a sheath strapped to his thigh? You only get one guess, sweet cheeks—”
“Don’t call me that.”
“And if you don’t guess correctly, it’s game over,” he concluded.
Jenna glanced between the two of us nervously. Her plan was already starting to crumble. “So, what do we do?”
Ronark turned and gazed off into the forest, taking another sip of beer. “Wait for the end?”
“Oh, don’t even with me!” Jenna shot to her feet and stomped over to Ronark. She grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him to turn around and look at her. “You have not given up.”
“What makes you say that?” he challenged. “I’ve been here eight years, snatched during my first shift before anyone even knew what shifters were! I never got to finish college. I don’t even know what the outside world is like now, except what I’ve heard from the rest of you. What’s there to go back to?”
“Come on, Ronark,” Jenna pleaded. “I know you don’t truly feel that way.”
“Oh, yeah? And how come you think you know me so well?”
Jenna stared him in the eyes and softened her tone. “Because we wouldn’t be having this conversation if you thought that. You’re always telling me there’s more than this.”
“Those are just hopes and dreams,” he said.
“Exactly,” Jenna replied. “You’re the one who told me I get to choose how I react. This is it. This is my decision.”
Ronark’s shoulders fell. “When’d you become the smart one, Collins?”
She smiled. “The day I met you, Eli.”
“Oh, come on,” he complained. “You know I hate it when you call me that.”
“Okay, okay.” She held her hand up in surrender. “I’ll drop the pet name for good, but you have to help us.”
Ronark pressed his lips together. “You two really think you can do this?”
“No.” Jenna looked to me. “I know we can.”
Her confidence in me was astounding.
Slowly, a grin spread across Ronark’s face. “Now that’s the kind of attitude I’m talking about. But you’re going to need at least four or five shifters to take him on.”
“Why?” I asked. I couldn’t believe we were actually going to go through with this.
Ronark shrugged. “Conservative estimate. He’s strong. A good shifter or two might be able to take him on, but you need more than just a distraction. You need to immobilize him.”
“So we gather a team and sneak in during the day while everyone’s asleep?” I guessed.
“No, no.” Ronark quickly shot my idea down. “Too risky. There are guards stationed in every hallway.”
I furrowed my brow. “Not the last time I was in there.”
“When was that?” Ronark cocked an eyebrow.
“Um… the day of the incident, the one where that guy died.”
Ronark scoffed. “You got lucky. Valkas corralled his guards to deal with that security issue. On any given day, you’d run into at least four guards before you hit Valkas’s room.”
“So we create a distraction,” Jenna offered.
“No. I think I might know something that could work better.” Ronark sat on the log beside me, and Jenna joined him on his other side. We both leaned in close while he whispered, “Valkas’s Awakening Ball is coming up in just under a week.”
“Awakening Ball?” I asked.
“It’s a celebration he holds every year to honor himself,” Ronark explained. “Dumb, really, but the Soulless eat it right up. It’s the anniversary of the day he escaped the island.”
“How’s that going to help us get close to him?” Jenna asked.
“Each year, he puts on this grand march ceremony where blood slaves carry him into the ballroom on one of those big carriage-like things with the poles. You know what I’m talking about, right?”
Jenna nodded. “It’s called a litter.”
“Right. I just so happen to know the vampire who coordinates the whole thing.” By the way he said it, it sounded like he was her blood slave. “I can make sure we’re on that list to carry him in.”
Jenna smiled mischievously. “And we strike before he ever makes his grand entrance.”
“Bingo,” Ronark confirmed.
“Are you sure that’s going to work, though?” I questioned. “That he’ll actually be alone?”
“Darling, I’ve been watching these things go down for years. Valkas is so vain he wants everyone to witness his grand entrance. I assure you we can get him alone beforehand.”
“What about me?” I asked. “Valkas knows I’m a threat. He’s not going to let me alone with him without his witch bodyguard present to play puppet on me.”
“Good point,” Jenna agreed. “And Rachel has to be there. She has to be the one to do it.”
Ronark didn’t ask why, like he trusted Jenna without question. “We could disguise her…”
“Too obvious,” Jenna said.
Ronark turned to me. “Then I guess, princess, you’re going to have to find a way into that litter on your own.”
I didn’t like what he was suggesting. Not one bit. But if I was going along with this, I had to make some sacrifices.
It was time I made my first one.
13
My opportunity came that night when I was summoned to the chateau. Anton came to my cabin to collect me and led me to a fancy dining room I hadn’t seen before. There was a long mahogany table set for twelve, with a big chandelier hanging over it and a fireplace beside it. The red drapes had been pulled back so that moonlight spilled through the tall windows.
“You must wear this,” Anton said, gesturing to a dress that hung from a sconce on the wall.
I eyed the silky black evening dress and matching high heels. “I’m comfortable in this, thanks.”
“No choice. Lord Valkas requires it.”
I pressed my lips together. If I wanted to have a civil conversation with Valkas, I might as well do as I’m told.
“Fine,” I agreed, “but I’d like some privacy.”
Anton nodded and turned out of the dining room, leaving me alone. I glanced toward each of the doors leading out of the room in various directions while I pulled my pants and shirt off and slipped into the dress. It was a perfect fit, but the neckline plunged so far that the girls were practically playing peek-a-boo with each other. At the base of my cleavage was a feathery beaded brooch that I might’ve liked if it wasn’t just there to draw Valkas’s nasty eyes.
Just as I was pulling on the shoes, the door farthest from me opened. I kicked my clothes and boots under the decorative table in the corner and straightened.
Valkas entered with a smile on his face. He wore a black suit with a red tie, looking like some sort of stockbroker or something. “Rachel,” he greeted, like we were old friends.
“Valkas,” I said coolly as my spine stiffened.
He stopped at the head of the table opposite me. “What is it, darling? You don’t like the dress? I thought it would suit you quite well.”
“It does,” I lied. “I just didn’t know you knew my name.”
He waved his hand nonchalantly. “Darling, nothing stays secret for long on this island. Especially from me.” He leveled me with a challenging glare that sent a shiver down my spine. “Please, take a seat.”
I sat where he gestured at the opposite end of the table from him. The long table was like a football field between us, which I suppose was a good thing, but it also felt highly impersonal.
Valkas sat, then rang a bell that was set next to his glass.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” I asked, placing my napkin in my lap—only because that felt like the proper thing to do.
Just then, a line of servants came through a swinging door, which I presumed led to the kitchen.
What does a vamp need a kitchen for? I thought briefly.
The woman in front pushed a cart to my end of the table and set a plate of steaming food in front of me. The scent of garlic, onions, and a mix of spices filled my nose. My mouth watered at the sight of a juicy steak and roasted potatoes. I reached for my fork immediately, but I slowed when I remembered who was serving it to me.
The woman leaned over and filled my glass with water without a word. Across the table, another servant poured a thick red liquid into Valkas’s glass. Between us, a different woman threw another log of wood in the fire, then they all turned in unison and headed back to the kitchens.
Valkas took a sip of blood, then smacked his lips before responding to my question. “I just thought we could have a nice dinner together.”
“You must forgive my caution,” I said flatly.
“Go ahead, Rachel,” Valkas insisted. “It’s not poisoned. If I wanted to poison you, I would’ve done it in the dining hall in the slave quarters. Actually, I wouldn’t have even waited that long.”
That was very true. I lifted my knife and cut into the steak. Its savory flavor filled my taste buds with so much pleasure that I might’ve stayed on this island just for the food.
“Delicious, isn’t it?” Valkas said with a smile. “It will give your blood a nice… juicy flavor.”
I immediately slowed my chewing and set my knife down. “Is that why you brought me here? To feed on me again?”
“Oh, no.” Valkas spoke slowly and took another sip of his drink. “That is merely a perk of the meeting.”
“What am I here for?” I suddenly remembered how much Valkas hated questions. He didn’t seem to notice this time, though.
“I want to make you a proposition.”
I poked a potato with my fork and glanced up at Valkas across the table. The look in his eyes told me he was serious. I contemplated how to phrase my next question without asking directly, ‘And what makes you think I’d agree to that?’
“A girl like me doesn’t often negotiate,” I said before popping the potato in my mouth.
“That’s because a girl like you doesn’t know what she wants.” A shadow passed across Valkas’s silver eyes, making them look even darker.
He was wrong. I knew exactly what I wanted. Safety. Safety for my family. For my friends. For the world. And that was never going to happen as long as there were vampires alive. I didn’t care what the government thought about their rights. Vamps thrived off evil tendencies and didn’t care who they hurt in the process.