by Sofia Daniel
A voice in the back of my head told me I was suffering from Stockholm syndrome, and I didn’t argue with it. Why else didn’t I object to servicing their dicks on a near-daily basis?
“Mr. Striga,” the doctor snapped. “I’ve practiced medicine for nearly three hundred years—”
“Which is why we won’t let you damage our whore,” said Dante. “We need her fully functional to handle three vampires.”
With a sharp nod, Nero folded his arms across his chest. His dark eyes lingered between my legs, and a breath heaved from his broad chest. I gave my head a sad shake. For some stupid reason, I thought Nero had tried to protect me. But he only cared about feeding.
“Very well.” The doctor pulled out the swab from its casing and took a sample of my menstrual blood. He disappeared around the curtain, presumably to perform some tests on it, while Nero drew it shut.
Raphael stroked my bare thighs. “When you’ve been given the all-clear, we’ll take you back and make you comfortable.”
Nero grinned. “Comfortable on your back with your legs spread.”
The prickly heat of shame seared my cheeks. “Shhh! Everyone can hear you.”
“What of it?” Dante glowered down at me, his eyes hardening, and his lips thinning with a look of such disdain, I wanted to slap it off his face. “You belong to us, and we’ll speak to you as we see fit.”
The curtains opened, and the doctor stepped into our private space, his cheeks suspiciously rosy. “I can confirm that Miss Stephens’ blood is currently safe for vampire consumption, although I heartily recommend that you obtain her permission before drawing from her veins.”
“What about her pussy?” asked Nero.
His thin lips curved into a smile, and he waved a gloved hand. “No permission required for that. Multiple orgasms should create the uterine contractions necessary to increase blood flow.”
Every ounce of blood drained from my face as I pictured the boys verbally commanding one climax after another until I’d bled myself dry. Then once they’d gotten used to the taste of my blood, they’d use every underhanded tactic to coerce me into letting them bite me.
Nero turned to me, his eyes dark and feral. Raphael’s hands traveled down my thighs, skimming the edges of my folds, while Dante’s cold eyes blazed with hunger.
“Thank you, Doctor.” The excitement in Nero’s voice promised unending torments. My traitorous nipples tingled in anticipation.
“Try not to get overexcited, boys,” said the doctor. “If Miss Stephens faints from blood loss during the process, return her to the infirmary for first aid.”
All the fine hairs on the back of my head rose on end, and I jerked within my restraints. Dr. Grannus fully expected the brothers to extract an invitation out of me and drink my blood.
Before I could utter a futile scream for help, the boys unbuckled my legs. At top speed, Nero transported me out of the infirmary, through the hallways, and back into their suite. Raphael opened the door to the bathroom, Nero laid me spread-eagled on the bathroom bench, and Dante tore off my thin dress.
Warm, humid air swirled around my naked form, and I clenched my teeth. This was it. The moment that would change my fate and turn me into a real blood whore.
The three brothers knelt between my spread legs, each staring at my exposed and bleeding sex.
Despite the humidity, my throat went dry. “Listen, guys—”
“No more excuses.” Nero positioned my left leg, spreading me open even further.
Dante licked his full lips and cocked out my right leg. “You and your blood belong to us.”
I couldn’t even see Raphael, but I was pretty sure he was giving my genitals an encouraging smile. “We’ll make you feel good.”
“No!” I shook my head. “I’m not—”
“Silence, whore,” Dante snapped.
Anger raced through my veins and poured vitriol into my gut. It simmered and boiled until it became hot and bitter and burned the back of my throat. The Stryx brothers weren’t listening to me. They never did unless I said something they took as a punish-worthy offense.
My nostrils flared, and breaths of fury billowed in and out of my lungs.
I could take the blackmail. I could take the insults. I could even take the sexual humiliation, but what I couldn’t take was to be fed upon like a blood bag.
Dante’s blond head dipped between my legs, and he ran his tongue along some of the blood that had spilled on my inner thigh.
An angry shriek tore from my lips. With a jerk, I reached down and grabbed hold of his hair. Flames sparked from my palms and spread across his scalp.
Dante screamed and sped into the pool with a huge splash. Raphael skittered back, eyes wide, and Nero jumped to his feet.
“What the fuck?” Nero shot a glance in the direction of the pool, then turned his anger to me. “What did you do?”
I scrambled to my feet and backed against the nearest wall. It worked. I’d finally set something alight with my magic.
“Alicia,” said Raphael. “Did you burn Dante again like you did with that slap?”
“I told you not to touch me,” I snarled, holding out my palms.
“We own you.” Nero stalked toward me, his eyes hard.
Dante swam to the edge of the pool. A bald patch had already formed on his scalp. “You’ll pay for this.”
The cool, marble wall at my back was the only thing keeping me from collapsing like a broken marionette. I’d hurt Dante—again. Even though it had been in self-defense, I couldn’t see either of the brothers seeing the situation from my point of view. They truly believed I was their property to abuse and feed upon as they wished.
I held out my palms, ready to attack if one of them rushed at me. “St-stay back unless you want more.”
In the blink of an eye, Nero rushed forward and spun me around, so my face pressed against the wall. He secured my hands behind my back with a towel.
A breath caught in the back of my throat. I was entirely at the mercy of two enraged vampires and one who didn’t give a shit.
“Not this time, whore,” Nero growled into my ear. “Today, you will learn the danger of crossing those of the Noble House of Stryx.”
Dante appeared at my side and wrapped a large, wet hand around my throat. “When you’ve finished healing me, we’ll teach you what it means to be our blood whore.”
My eyes squeezed shut, and ragged breaths wheezed in and out of my lungs. If I didn’t act now, I’d end up worse than Zarah. Worse than Miss Margolyes in her slave girl costume.
Nero ground his erection against my ass. “No more comfortable dog bed. From now on, you’ll serve each of us every night, feed us, and do everything we want until we drain you to a dry husk.”
“Starting now,” snarled Dante.
“Stop fighting them, Alicia,” said Raphael. “The sooner you learn your place, the less they’ll hurt you.”
Ignoring their hard words and their rough hands, I forced my breaths to slow. The dark patches above each boy appeared in my mind’s eye as shadows. Dante in the front, Nero at my back, and Raphael a few paces to my right.
My heart skipped a beat. This was just like the time I’d looked at the door with my third eye and found the opening that Gates had used all those times to escape.
“Get on the bench,” Dante whispered in my ear in a voice as sharp as an icepick. “Spread your legs and beg me to feed on your blood and nectar.”
I clenched my teeth, focused on the shadows, and pushed all my rage into those dark patches. Yellow balls of fire appeared on their chests and spread across their bodies in a network of arteries that reached every part of their forms.
Screams filled the air. Their rough hands released my neck and wrists, and each boy staggered back, and their burning shadows fell to the ground.
Cold relief swept through my naked body. I opened my eyes to find the Stryx brothers writhing naked on the bathroom floor.
“Alicia,” Raphael screamed. “Stop it. You�
�re killing us!”
My stomach dropped, and my mouth fell open. Words dried in the back of my throat. The onion woman only taught me how to burn paper, not how to stop it!
Nero and Dante’s screams turned my blood to ice. If I didn’t stop this, they would burn from the inside-out, just like Micalla. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to remember how I had doused the illusionary flames I’d created most nights in my crate. Hadn’t I pulled the energy back into my heart? It had been such a subconscious movement that I’d barely registered doing it.
The boys’ screams echoed against the bathroom walls, picking up in volume.
With all the concentration I could muster, I held onto the power streaming into the shadows and pulled it back into my heart.
The boys’ cries reduced to gasps and whimpers. Opening my eyes, I found them still moving, still breathing, alive, and unburned. All the air escaped my lungs in a single relieved breath, and I braced myself against the wall.
Nobody spoke for several moments. Their groans and pained breaths filled the silence, and guilt twanged at my heart. Even though I’d lashed out in self-defense, I hadn’t meant to hurt them so badly. This was like last term all over again, except this time, I was officially their possession.
My throat dried. I was theirs to discard and turn into a knocker.
Dante raised his head. “Alright, you’ve made your point.”
I tilted my head to the side. What?
“You were right, Nero,” he said to his fallen brother. “She’s special.”
I held my breath. Last term, they had used me to kill their nemesis and blackmailed me into becoming their concubine. I had thought it was in revenge for having hurt Dante and Raphael. What if they needed me for more?
Dante raised himself onto his hands and knees. He crawled toward me, his aquamarine eyes pleading, but I held out my hand, making him flinch.
“Don’t come any closer unless you want me to burn you again,” I said. “If you have something to say, you can do so from there.”
“Tell her,” said Nero with a groan.
Dante swallowed hard. “Alicia, I’d like to propose a truce.”
Chapter 12
My breath quickened, and my heart flipped like a crepe. I leaned against the bathroom’s marble-tiled wall, still using it to keep my frame upright. Had Dante really called me by my name, and had he really offered me a truce?
I stared down at the blond-haired vampire, who remained on his hands and knees. A mixture of hope and humility shone in his aquamarine eyes, and tremors ran through his body as though he was still suffering the aftershocks of my attack.
There was more to my captivity than I’d initially thought. Maybe I had more power in this farce of a relationship than the boys had indicated. My gaze wandered to the brother lying on his right.
Nero propped himself on his trembling forearms. The muscles under his dark skin twitched and flexed, creating a tantalizing if not disturbing sight. He stared up at me through a curtain of dreadlocks, his ebony eyes etched with pain, but he still managed to force his full lips into a trembling half-smile.
“What do you say?” he asked.
My gaze skipped over Raphael, who didn’t speak or raise his head. His copper hair fanned out on the marble floor, and his shoulders rose and fell with rapid breaths. A sneer curled my lip. Let him speak to me like I was a pet one more time, and I’d zap him again.
The hope in Dante’s eyes dimmed. “Alicia?”
I folded my arms under my chest. “Why do you want a truce?”
Dante licked his lips. “Wouldn’t you prefer to get along with us?”
“As equals,” added Nero.
My brows rose, and I surveyed the two brothers groveling at my feet. Most bullies were cowards who flinched when their victims stood up to them, but I hadn’t imagined that the Stryx brothers would decide to treat me better the moment I fought back.
I raised my chin. “You’re just biding your time until you can work out a way to neutralize my attack.”
Nero shook his head. “It’s not like that.”
“Oh?” I stepped over the boys’ prone bodies and strode to the edge of the pool, leaving behind drops of blood. When I turned around, all three of their gazes fixed on the blood, but none of them moved to touch it. More importantly, none tried to seize me from behind. “Tell me why you decided to enslave me, and maybe I’ll consider your truce.”
Nero turned to Dante, who scowled. Raphael raised his head off the floor and gave his brother a pleading look. Dante shook his head.
My eyes narrowed, and I wondered if the boys’ reasons for enslaving me were related to the hold Micalla had over Dante.
“I want to speak to Dante alone,” I said.
“What?” asked Nero.
“Raphael, you go to your room.” I turned a cold gaze to Nero. “And you get into the dog bed.”
Nero’s nostrils flared. “If you think—”
“Just do it,” said Dante with a sigh. “She won’t work with us otherwise.”
It took several moments for the two boys to scramble to their feet, as their muscles didn’t seem to want to cooperate with their bones. I made a mental note to ask the onion woman how the attack worked and whether it would cause them permanent damage.
Eventually, the others ambled out of the bathroom, leaving me alone with the eldest of the Stryx brothers.
Dante pulled himself up to sit on his heels, his hands resting on his muscled thighs. “Nero’s in the cage. I’ve just heard him close the door. And Raphael’s in his room.”
With a nod, I walked to the bench at the back of the bathroom, sat, and crossed one leg over the other.
“What did you do to us?” Dante rasped.
“It’s a frumosi secret.”
He blinked. “Why do you have powers that the other girls don’t?”
I pointed at the spot between his eyes, making him flinch. “It’s me who has you at her mercy, not the other way around. I’ll ask the questions.”
He gave me one of those not-quite nods that looked like he was bowing his head. “What do you want to know?”
“What did Micalla hold over you?”
His hands bunched into fists. “I can’t tell you.”
“Then the truce is over.” I stood, walked around the pool, and headed to the door. “You three brats have kept me as your all-purpose sex toy for weeks, and I haven’t lifted a finger to sabotage you—”
“What do you call burning us from the inside out?” he snarled.
“Self-defense!” I whirled around to find him struggling to his feet. “It was bad enough that you blackmailed me into becoming your slave, bad enough that you insulted and degraded me every day, bad enough that I had to suck and jerk you off, and you never returned the favor, but I draw the line at becoming your food.”
“Fine,” he growled. “We won’t taste your blood, even when you’re flaunting it and letting it spill everywhere. But you’re going to work with us—”
“Why,” my voice turned high and screechy. “When all you’ve done is use and humiliate me?”
“Lord Stryx has a policy of culling any sons that don’t fall in line with his standards.”
I hardened my heart and tried to listen to the rest of his explanation. Having a murderous parent didn’t give the boys an excuse to use me as their pawn and plaything.
“There’s a legend of a community of vampires living in Brazil. Three of Dracula’s grandsons formed a pact with a great-great-great-granddaughter of Radu, the very first frumosi.”
My eyes bulged, and I focused every ounce of attention on Dante’s story. How many people had mentioned my ancestor, Dracula’s brother? I’d lost count.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Their union returned the brothers’ souls, allowing them to walk in the sun, but it also gave them the power to protect themselves from their enemies.”
“And you want to do that with me?”
“It was Nero’s idea.” D
ante shrugged. “He said you were different from the others. Raphael already liked you, Nero found you attractive, and I…”
“You what?” I remembered the cold stares, and all the names he’d called me over the months.
“There’s more to you than beauty, I suppose. You’re nice to have around, and you’ve grown on me somewhat.”
“Thanks for the flattery,” I muttered. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this when I joined you? Why the dog bed and all the other shit?”
“We needed to see if you were strong enough.”
“You want to join forces with me to kill your father?”
He grimaced. “No. But we’d like to be able to protect ourselves if he ever comes after us.”
“Why would he do that?”
Dante didn’t reply.
“It’s related to Micalla,” I said. “You and she did something, and she blackmailed—”
“No,” he said. “Camilla, her older sister, is one of my father’s consorts. She…” He glanced away.
I leaned forward on the bench. “What happened?”
“She’s not much older than us, but she seduced me one summer, and she’s been blackmailing me ever since to gather information on my father to pass onto Lady Mantis.”
My brows drew together. “And Micalla used that information against you.”
Dante nodded. “She controlled me with that knowledge and demanded that I marry her so she could move to my father’s kingdom and be with her sister.”
I blew out a breath. Micalla had told me she wanted to go to Stryx. It was the reason why she had threatened my family’s life and forced me to offer myself up to Lord Lilin in her place.
“Why do you want to join forces with me?”
Dante shrugged. “The truth will come out eventually, and Lord Stryx will want my head. Raphael and Nero agreed to help because they both grew up in my mansion after our father executed their mothers.”
My heart sank. I had imagined the boys as spoiled brats living in luxury, but a murderous father wasn’t anything I’d wish on even Micalla.