by Kim Loraine
Her gaze darted to Cashel, jealousy flashing across her beautiful features. “She’s had your blood. Are you planning on breeding her, then?”
Logan’s jaw tensed, a muscle on the side ticking with his frustration. “I want her,” he said.
“You can’t have her, hunter. She’s not yours to claim.” Cashel put himself in front of me, practically vibrating with the pent-up urge to fight. “El, it was stupid of you to bring him here. He’s not even fully turned, and there are humans in the room. It’s like bringing a feral animal into a cage and letting it free.”
“I can control him,” she said.
“Can you?”
Logan’s gaze was locked on me, his eyes dark and deadly. “She’s mine. Give her to me.”
Eliana giggled and stepped aside just as Logan lunged, reaching for Cashel. My keeper came up against him with little effort, swiping Logan aside like a bothersome fly. I knew the score, the transitioning vampire was weak in comparison to a fully turned or born vampire. Logan was crazed and fighting his soul’s need to depart and his body’s desire to live. His body would win. It would force him to do things he’d never have done as a human. And it would ruin him.
“If you want to keep him, I suggest you get him out of Cashel’s way.” Sorcha had Logan up against the wall, one knee pressed into his groin while her hand was wrapped around his throat. He fought, but she was powerful.
“You’re no fun,” Eliana said, pouting.
“Don’t test me.” Cashel’s reply was a low growl.
I felt Anne behind us before I turned. Her presence was strong and unsettling. There was more to her than the fact that she was likely centuries old. My blood prickled with pins and needles any time she put her focus on me. “Children, are we disturbing the peace?”
“Eliana brought a transitioning male to our gathering,” Sorcha said. “I’m keeping him at bay.”
“Of course she did. I told her to.”
My stomach turned. This wasn’t good.
“Why? With so many humans here…we’re putting them at risk. Some of them are mated to the clan members,” Cashel said in a hushed tone.
“Well, we’ll just have to feed him, now won’t we?” Anne jutted her chin toward Sorcha. “Let him go, Sorcha.” Then she held out her hand, long, blood red, talon-like nails making them appear more like claws. “Come here, Logan,” she said. “Come take your first step into eternity with me.”
I could see Logan fighting with himself, the light of who he was and the darkness of who he’d have to become flashing across his face. Cashel put me behind him again as Logan passed, but I saw my friend, my confidant, the man I’d let inside my heart, trembling with each step he took. “This will break him,” I whispered to Cashel.
“He’s already broken. There’s nothing we can do.”
Anne took Logan’s hand, and the two of them began walking toward the gilt throne on the raised dais at the back of the room. The crowd parted for them in one smooth motion. Then she turned her head and said, “All of you. Join us. This is not something to be missed.”
The doors closed and locked before we could escape, and two vampire guards stood in front of them, arms crossed, expressions stern.
The one on the right smirked, his eyes glittering with amusement. “You’re not going anywhere.”
15
Cashel
I gripped Olivia’s hand hard enough I was worried I might hurt her. We were all in danger, locked in this ballroom with a mad queen and, from my assessment earlier, at least fifteen newly turned vampires who were serving as her guards. They lacked the control they needed, and as soon as human blood was spilled, they’d turn this into a massacre.
I caught sight of Mattias and his mate, Elaine, as we passed. He couldn’t put her at risk and aside from the slight shake of my head, I had no other way of conveying that this was not a safe situation. But his blue gaze widened and he gave a tight nod, pulling his mate close and murmuring in her ear.
“Cashel,” Olivia whispered, her voice shaky. “What is happening?”
Anne took her place at the throne, a smile on her lips. “Children, join me. Take your places at my side while we usher in a new era in the Blackthorne legacy.”
Sorcha and Lucas looked to me, their expressions wary, but I clenched my teeth and took a step forward, pulling Olivia with me.
“Ah, not her, Cashel. I’m afraid your pet will have to watch with the rest. Until we have need of her.”
Everything in me screamed that this couldn’t happen. Olivia was a sitting duck if I wasn’t there to protect her. But a firm hand landed on my shoulder, making me snarl in defense until I saw it was Mattias.
“I’ll guard your mate.”
Anne laughed. “Look, already the Blackthorne family has support from Stockholm. Thank you, Mattias. Your assistance is appreciated. However, I have something else in mind for our pet.”
My heart stuttered when two guards approached and grabbed Olivia. Instinct took over, and blind rage controlled my limbs. I would kill them for touching her. She was mine. No one would hurt her. I rushed them with fury burning in my blood, but was stopped by agonizing, searing pain around my chest and arms.
“That’s enough, Cashel. You’re making a scene.” Anne stepped forward and a woman in a long red gown followed, hand raised and gaze trained on me. “Now, look what you’ve made me do. I never employ Thea’s power in public.”
Dread coiled in my gut. So, she not only had an army, she had a witch. “Olivia is mine,” I forced through gritted teeth.
Whispers in the ballroom swirled around us. Unease tainted the air. But Anne waved them off. “Our poor prince has recently fed from the human. His instincts are tied to her fear.” The guards brought Olivia to Anne and she grabbed my little bird by the diamond leash. “Now, join me, children. I won’t say it again.”
Thea’s magical hold on me disappeared, and the three of us walked up to Anne’s side, taking the places we’d normally had when our father had been alive. It felt wrong, but more than that, I was terrified of what Olivia would have to endure because of me.
“Witness this, all of you,” she said, gesturing toward Olivia. “I have the loyalty of the Blackthorne heirs and, thanks to Cashel, the blood of the sun is in our grasp once again. But unlike my selfish husband, I will share her powers.” The door opened and servants filed in, each carrying a tray loaded with cordial glasses containing a blood cocktail. “Each of these glasses contains a single drop of our pet’s blood. The magic contained within will allow you one day of immunity from the sun. It is my gift to all who swear allegiance.”
“And if we refuse?” Killian McGregor called out, his thick Scots accent coming out as more of a growl than anything.
“Then you burn at sunrise,” she said with the sweetest smile on her lips.
Hushed murmurings filled the room, but one by one, the clan leaders dropped to a knee. She stepped forward and brought Olivia with her. My little bird was trembling ,and I could hear her heart thrumming on the verge of a panic attack.
“Did Cashel give you his blood? Is that what I smell on you?” Anne asked, licking a line up Olivia’s throat. “It won’t keep me out of your head, you know.”
Everything stopped when I heard those words. “Why do you insist on toying with her?” I asked.
“Because she’s not one of us. She’s a human. Humans are pets, not mates. The only thing she can give us is her blood. We could give her eternal life if we so chose.” Anne’s attention turned to Logan, held in place by a guard, hungry gaze locked on Olivia. “For example, see what a pathetic creature we have here. A hunter, brought low by the very creatures he would kill. Now, you’ll become a lesser vampire, beholden to me if you want to survive. Are you hungry, young one?”
Logan whimpered and struggled, sweat beading on his forehead, eyes red with the strain the turn took on his body. “Yes.”
“Come, sate your desire. She’ll be like nothing you’ve ever tasted.”
; “No!” I shouted, but the word was choked off as Thea used her power on me once again. I couldn’t move. I had to watch as Anne held Olivia in place while Logan struggled to walk to her. He was on the brink of his human body rejecting the change. Hope lit in my chest. He might die before he fed. It would be a blessing.
Anne laughed. “Oh, Cashel, I’m only toying with him. I’m not going to feed our special pet to him. But I am going to make her watch as he loses every ounce of humanity he had left.”
A guard came in from a doorway to the left of the throne, pulling the hunter Olivia had called Knight behind him. Knight struggled, stumbling over his own feet twice before the guard tugged him hard enough to bring him to his knees.
A feral growl rumbled from Logan’s throat, and he pounced, grabbing Knight and holding him against his chest as he mauled the man right in front of us. He fed deeply, Knight’s body going lax in his arms too quickly. Olivia shuddered, tears running down her cheeks.
“That’s enough, Logan.” Anne’s command didn’t stop him, but Thea did. She released me from my restraints and, with a few murmured words, blasted him off Knight, whose body was limp and pale.
Anne pouted and released Olivia from her hold as she glided across the floor toward the two men. She crouched and tore open her wrist, placing the slowly bleeding wound to Knight’s mouth. More hunters for her army.
A blur in the corner of my eye had me turning too late to stop the female vampire who ran for us. She tackled Olivia, tearing into her throat before any of us could defend her. Olivia screamed and fought as I rushed to pull the vampire from her. The woman wouldn’t budge, but with my hands on either side of her head and a hard twist, I managed to snap her neck. Then I shoved my hand inside her chest and ripped out her heart, crumbling it to dust before the eyes of the entire court. I’d pay for that, but they needed to know that messing with Olivia meant death.
My little bird crumpled to the floor, panting, eyes closed, blood trickling down her chest from the raw wound on her throat. I was there in an instant, pulling her into my lap and pricking my finger with my fang to heal her. The wound closed quickly, but she didn’t open her eyes. Her pulse was steady though. She’d be all right.
Slow claps echoed off the walls, the only sound in a tomb-quiet space. “Well, well, that was certainly unexpected. And, Logan. I didn’t realize you had it in you to keep him alive your first time out.” Amusement colored Anne’s tone.
It shouldn’t have happened. I’d taken steps to protect Olivia from the influence of others.
I see your displeasure as clear as if you’d painted a picture, Cashel. School your expression. Anne’s voice echoed in my head. It doesn’t look good. And if you want her to continue living in your chambers rather than the dungeon, you’ll pull yourself together.
I stood with Olivia cradled in my hold, staring at Logan with a mixture of hatred and pity. He lay on the floor, writhing slowly, moaning. His transition was going to be a hard one. He was kept from feeding for far too long.
“Her head was filled with a multitude of thoughts, Cashel. Care to know what she was thinking of as she watched Logan feed?”
“I do not.” I stared hard at Anne, wishing with everything in me I had a stake handy.
“Hm, that’s too bad. I’d want to know if my paramour was harboring deep feelings for another. It seems she’s in love with two men. How ever will she choose?”
Olivia
“Liv?” Logan’s voice was unexpected. Calm and cool, no trace of the warmth I was used to coming from him. “Are you awake?”
My neck throbbed, pulses of pain with each of my heartbeats. I blinked a few times and narrowed my eyes in the dark room. Terror gripped me, running through my veins in cold tendrils. Logan had killed Knight right in front of me. He tore out his friend’s throat without a second thought. What would he do to me?
“S—stay away from me,” I stammered, sitting up and working to control the rising panic.
“Let me have you. You want me. I know you do.” The bed dipped, but I couldn’t see him. His hand gripped my shoulder, and I screamed.
“Olivia, it’s okay.”
I screamed again, kicking out and connecting with his nose. There was a satisfying crunch and a pained groan from the man on the bed. I scrambled away, turning on a light as soon as I reached the switch. Instead of a feral vampire, I found Cashel, holding a bloody nose and scowling.
“What the fuck was that about?” he asked, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiping away the blood.
“Oh, God, I’m so sorry. I thought you were…him.”
Jealousy flashed in his eyes. He crumpled up the cloth and tossed it into the garbage bin near the door. “Him? You thought Logan would be in your bed when you woke?”
“No. I…it was a nightmare. I thought he’d come to kill me.”
Cashel was at my side, hands gripping my shoulders before I could blink. I watched as the dark bruises under his eyes from his broken nose faded within a few moments. He was back to his chiseled perfection, and my heart raced at what I’d just witnessed. It was amazing and terrifying.
He slid his palms up my neck and cradled my face. “He won’t touch you. No one will touch you.”
“What happened to the woman who attacked me?”
“She’s dead. A lesson to all of them.”
“You killed her?”
He clenched his teeth and pressed his forehead to mine, closing his eyes and taking a long breath. “I ripped her heart out and crushed it while she watched. I don’t regret it. I’d do it all over again.”
Those striking eyes opened, and the intensity in his gaze stole my breath. “Thank you,” I said. “For stopping her. She was going to kill me.”
“I know. And Anne was going to do nothing about it. Which leads me to believe it was set up. A trap for both of us. She knows now. There’s not a doubt in my mind that she’s aware of how deep my feelings run for you. She’ll use you as a bargaining chip as long as she can.”
I stepped back and put my hands on my hips. “We have to stop her. She’s more of a tyrant than Elias was. I heard what she said about forcing those who didn’t kneel at her feet. It was a ‘join me or die’ moment.”
He nodded. “It was. My father never had to do that. But he wouldn’t hesitate to kill anyone who was disloyal to the crown either.”
“But she needs my blood. Why would it be a good thing to let someone drain me?”
“I have a sinking feeling she doesn’t want to cure sun sickness. She wants to sell your blood like the drug it can be. Your body too. But I don’t think she feels like she truly needs you anymore.”
My stomach churned, a cold pit building in the center. “She wants me to be a blood slave?”
“More than that. She wants to let them breed you with their human pets and make more of your bloodline.”
I swallowed past the lump in my throat and held back a shudder. “How is that different from what your father wanted?”
“My father wanted me to breed you. He wanted to find a cure and make our bloodline more powerful.”
“And you? What do you want?”
“I want you to be mine more than anything, but I also want you to choose me.”
Frustration rolled through me. “You’ve kidnapped me twice, but I still let you inside my body. I think it’s safe to say I’ve chosen you.”
“You still want him.”
The emotion in his voice caught me off guard. “What makes you think that?”
“Anne is strong. She broke through the barriers in your mind and read your thoughts while…you were being attacked.” He stared into my eyes, looking deep into my soul. “She said you loved us both. I know she wasn’t lying.”
“I…” I couldn’t finish. I didn’t know what to say.
“I can’t share your heart. I won’t. If you don’t want me, I’ll step aside and give you what you need to be happy. But first, I need you to come see Callie and help her find the cure.”
&nbs
p; “How do you know what I need to be happy?”
He took a lock of my hair between his fingertips and twisted it back and forth. “You need freedom. You need me to bond with you and ruin your blood. Those are the things I can give you.”
“If you bond with me, won’t it be hard to be apart?”
“For me, it will be torture. For you…I’m not sure.”
Deep inside, I knew the answer. Being apart from him was terrible the first time. I didn’t think I could stand it if I knew I’d never see him again. “I don’t want that.”
“You don’t want to bond with me?”
“I don’t want to be free of you.”
Dark brows pulled together. “Are you…choosing?”
Was I? After everything Logan had revealed, after the time I’d spent away from Cashel and all the doubts I had…could I trust him again? But the simple truth was this man held a part of me no one ever had before. I couldn’t imagine a life without him.
“I want you.”
His fingers trailed across my shoulder, sending electricity racing across my arm. “I want you. All of you. But I can’t abandon my home, my family’s legacy. I have to take back my crown.”
“And I know how to fight. I just need the right weapons.”
“No. I’ve put you at risk too many times already.”
“Cash—”
“I just want to help.”
“You will. You are. Knowing you’re safe is the most important thing to me. I can’t focus on anything else when you’re in danger.”
“I learned how to fight off vampires while I was with the hunters.”
“And it did you no good earlier.” There was pure warning in his tone.
“I was wearing a fucking collar and leash. Not to mention, I was unarmed.”
“Exactly my point. If you have to be armed to fight, you’re in danger.”
He was right. In a world filled with monsters who had preternatural strength, my humanness made me vulnerable. “Fine. But don’t expect me to sit locked in a tower and wait for you. I’ll be arming myself and preparing for confrontation. They won’t catch me unaware again.”