My restraints creaked as I strained against them, though it was more for sound effects than revulsion when the length of his body pressed against mine. He didn’t immediately begin to act out what Szilagyi and everyone else thought he was here to do. Instead, with a quick glance over his shoulder, he held his hips away from mine and then hugged me as much as my many manacles would allow.
“Don’t worry,” he whispered. “I’ll give you what you need.”
Then he began to mime what the single piece of tape prevented him from actually doing. Awkwardness washed over me, yet it wasn’t as extreme as last time. The survivalist in me was already running through the list of all the ways this could be worse. Besides, Maximus was stuck faking this because it would look odd if he said he wasn’t in the mood after he’d gotten the green light from Szilagyi, and with the open door, anyone could peep in to make sure that he was here for his stated intentions.
He did what he could to make it easier on me, though. Like keeping his hands on my hips or shoulders instead of letting them roam as he had the last time when we’d been filmed. In the strangest way, it reminded me of months ago, when Vlad and I were broken up and I’d checked Maximus for incriminating essence trails under the guise of making out with him. Then, like now, his touch didn’t elicit any desire like Vlad’s always did, but his light grip on my shoulders was almost soothing, a reminder that we were in this together. I didn’t want to be with him like this and I was sure he’d rather be anywhere else than fake-raping me, but everything Maximus was doing was a testament to his loyalty and bravery. Amidst my brutal, dangerous circumstances, having a friend like him was a godsend.
Maximus paused in his movements, glancing over his shoulder once again to assure himself that no one was peeking in. Then he pulled the tape off my mouth and his lips covered mine.
I stiffened in confusion. No one was watching us, so why was he doing this? I really tensed when his mouth opened and slanted to form a seal, but right as I was wondering what the hell he was thinking, warm liquid rushed into my throat.
It was blood. Sweet, glorious blood. Relief made me sag in my restraints. He had found a way to get it to me, even when he’d been forced to strip to the skin!
Then hunger took over and I swallowed that crimson ambrosia so fast, I would’ve choked if I still breathed. The tiny part of me that was still human found the nature-tested method of him feeding me disgusting, but the starved vampire in me bulldozed over that. I hadn’t realized how deep my deprivation ran until the blood caused my whole body to burn the way it had the first week I’d been changed over. Without conscious thought, I ground my mouth against Maximus’s, desperate to get more of that pain-killing ambrosia. When another stream of blood filled me, feeding frenzy took over and nothing else mattered.
I didn’t care that the naked man pressed next to me wasn’t my husband. Had no concerns over how I strained against my restraints to get closer to him, and the very last thing on my mind was how I’d explain any of this to Vlad if I ever saw him again.
After it was over and Maximus had left, my emotions were in such turmoil that I was glad he’d arranged for his “visit” close to dawn so I couldn’t attempt to link to Vlad until the next dusk. On one hand, I was beyond grateful to Maximus. If he’d gotten caught sneaking me blood, let alone caught in the act of not raping me, he’d be killed. He knew that and so did I, yet he continued to help me even though if I was successful and Vlad managed to rescue me, the first thing he’d do was kill Maximus. I probably wouldn’t even have time to tell Vlad that the video had been a fake before he toasted him to kingdom come. Besides, even if Vlad knew that the tape wasn’t real, he might kill Maximus anyway. He’d killed the Joker for far, far less than what Maximus had done to me.
On the other hand, after what had happened during my feeding frenzy, I was so disgusted with myself that I almost wished I’d gotten skinned again instead. Due to the roughly three pints of blood that Maximus had managed to sneak into me, my mind felt clear, my body felt rejuvenated, and my focus was back. No wonder starvation was second only to silver poisoning as the most effective way to keep a vampire captive weak and docile. However, that also meant that I had a crystal clear recollection of everything I’d done while gripped by that insatiable, conscienceless hunger. If Vlad ever found out . . . Maximus might not be the only one he killed.
Despite my guilt and misgivings, as soon as I awoke the next evening, I channeled all of my new energy into my attempt to link to Vlad. He never needed to know what had happened with me and Maximus earlier, and after what I’d done to get that blood, I wasn’t about to waste it. When over half the night went by but nothing happened, my frustration grew. Why could I reach him in my sleep while starved and weak, yet not be able to connect to him while I was awake and stronger?
Because you didn’t link to him before, it was only a dream! my inner voice taunted me.
My jaw clenched. I don’t care if it officially made me a schizophrenic; one day I was going to kill that bitch.
I forced back my anger to concentrate again, searching for those internal essence traces that had to be there. More time went by, and all that happened was I overheard Szilagyi telling Maximus that he needed to accompany him on a “scouting” mission over the next few days. That fueled my desperation. No Maximus meant no more blood, plus I figured the only reason the guards hadn’t taken advantage of my unconscious state each morning was because they knew that Maximus would kill them if they tried anything. If he wasn’t there and they didn’t think Szilagyi would mind . . .
As the minutes continued to slip by without any progress, I began to despair that my inner voice had been right. Maybe it really had been a dream last time. Otherwise, I was doing something in my sleep that I wasn’t doing now, and for the life of me, I couldn’t imagine what. I couldn’t be more focused on finding the link, whereas when I was asleep, I wasn’t even looking for it. All I did was miss Vlad with a ferocity I didn’t allow myself to dwell on when I was awake—
He strode through a dense forest with Mencheres at his side. Sunlight peeked through the trees, reflecting off of a piece of metal about a hundred yards ahead.
“Why the bloody hell did you bring him here?” an English voice demanded, then a dark-haired man stepped out from behind a tree, his silver knife still glinting in the sun.
“Because you’re not the only vampire he values as family,” Vlad replied, his tone equally harsh. “I don’t have time for our usual insults, Bones, so take me to Cat. Now.”
The image dissolved, leaving me staring at my stone prison with a mixture of shock, excitement and determination. That hadn’t been a dream, so my abilities were back! At once, I tried to reestablish the link, but almost an hour later, I was still running up against a metaphysical wall.
Frustration made me want to scream. I was doing exactly what I’d done before, yet it wasn’t working! My psychic abilities were there, so why couldn’t I control them? Or were they unreliable now, like a cell phone with a bad signal?
Vlad. Even that small glimpse made me bang my head against the wall to combat the stronger ache inside. He hadn’t been dressed in filthy clothes, but his expression had held the same wildness as when he’d burned down the remains of his castle—
“I lost days searching the ruins of my house until I realized that Leila wasn’t buried beneath the rubble. Then you cost me more time because you couldn’t be bothered to check your messages,” Vlad was saying in a blistering tone as he, Bones, and Mencheres walked out of the woods. “If you’d returned Mencheres’s calls immediately, I might have been able to prevent the worst of my wife’s suffering.”
“Your wife?” Bones asked in surprise.
Vlad shot him a look. “I’ll explain when I see Cat.”
The vision slipped away and a strangled sob escaped me as I finally realized what I’d been doing wrong. All this time, I’d been focusing on finding my link to Vlad, not on Vlad himself. I’d had it backward. Vlad was my link, not some hidde
n essence trail within me. That’s why I’d been able to reach him in my dreams, both recently and back when I’d been hiding from him months ago. Once free of my willpower, my subconscious had zeroed in on him, forming its own link.
I closed my eyes and dropped the emotional shields I’d erected to protect myself from the pain of thinking about him. At once, memories began to rip through me. His scent, like cinnamon mixed with wood smoke. The emerald rings around his copper-colored eyes. How thick his hair felt in my hands. The heat that radiated from his skin, and the stubble on his jaw that gently rasped me every time we kissed . . .
Dark gray walls fell away, revealing the panorama of a deep blue sky. I let the vision take me, until I wasn’t in the dank, depressing cell anymore.
I stood like an invisible shadow next to Vlad. He, Mencheres, Bones, and Cat were in front of a large, luxurious-looking farmhouse. Trees surrounded it on three sides, and I didn’t see any other houses along the long gravel road that disappeared over the hill behind it.
“Tell the child to come out, I already know she’s in there,” Vlad was saying to the beautiful redheaded vampire.
Cat swung an accusing glare at Mencheres. “You told him?”
Bones also glowered at him, but Mencheres lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I didn’t.”
Now that I felt centered in the vision, I started yelling at Vlad with my thoughts, but he didn’t appear to hear me.
“As if he needed to,” Vlad replied curtly. “You forget that I know several of your secrets, Cat, such as your being best friends with a demon-branded shapeshifter. As soon as I heard you’d secluded yourself in grief after the Law Guardians ‘killed’ your daughter, I knew what had really happened.”
“Then you also know we’d do anything to protect our child from those who’d harm her if they knew she was still alive,” Bones said, recovering from his surprise quicker than Cat.
Vlad smiled for the first time. “Oh, I’m counting on it.”
“What do you want?” Cat asked in a low voice.
“To call in every favor you owe me,” Vlad responded bluntly. “Since I don’t expect that to be enough, I’m also offering your daughter honorary status in my line. I know why you hid her survival from me and you were correct. Under extreme circumstances, I would choose my people over her despite our friendship, but if she’s an honorary part of my line, you don’t have to worry about that anymore. When she wearies of hiding herself away—and that day will come—you’ll have yet another powerful ally in your fight to keep her alive.”
Wondering why people would want to kill a little girl made me pause in my mental attempts to get Vlad’s attention. Then I redoubled my efforts. I had a solid link to him. All I had to do was make him hear me.
“In exchange for what?” Bones asked, his tone steely.
“Grave power,” Vlad stated, and from their reactions, they knew what that meant even if I didn’t.
“No,” Bones said at once.
Vlad ignored him, staring at Cat. She glanced back at the house twice before she replied.
“I’m sorry, Vlad. To do that, I’d have to leave with you for who knows how long, plus that could expose me to the same people we’re hiding from. I know you’re at war, but—”
“Have you ever seen an animal skinned?” Vlad interrupted, his voice icily pleasant. “It’s a bloody, brutal business under normal circumstances, but imagine if the animal were alive and screaming. Then imagine that it wasn’t an animal, but the person you loved being repeatedly slashed and hacked so that their skin could be ripped away faster than it could heal.”
Cat gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. Vlad seized her by the shoulders, his tone sharpening into razor wire.
“That’s the first tape Szilagyi sent me to prove that he had captured Leila during his attack on my home. The second showed my oldest friend raping her while she was manacled to a wall. Now, ask yourself if you’d rather have my undying gratitude and promised support for helping me save my wife from further suffering, or if you’d rather have me as the merciless enemy I will become if you refuse.”
Cat didn’t take her eyes off Vlad as she held out a hand to Bones, whom Mencheres had needed to restrain as soon as Vlad grabbed Cat. Then her gaze started to shine with green.
“I didn’t know that Leila had been taken captive. I’m so sorry, but what you want me to do . . . it’s too risky to do more than once, so you need to decide if you want it for her, or for the vampire responsible for everything that’s happened to her.”
Vlad’s mouth twisted. “Do you really need to ask?”
Cat smiled back with equal coldness. “Good choice.”
Vlad let her go and she turned toward the house, raising her voice. “It’s okay, Tate and Mom, you can put the guns down now. Katie, come on out and meet your Uncle Vlad—”
“Sleeping already?” Szilagyi asked, crashing into my vision like an unwelcome visitor. My eyes snapped open and I released my link. Szilagyi was in front of me, his head cocked as he stared at me. I’d been so deep in the vision, I hadn’t felt him come in. What if he could tell that I’d been linking to Vlad?
“I can only play I Spy With My Little Eye so many times before it gets boring,” I replied, attempting to throw him off. “Or maybe I was ignoring you because I really, really hate you.”
Szilagyi smiled, letting his gaze slide over me in a way that made my skin ripple as if it were trying to scoot away. I listened for Maximus, but I didn’t hear him anymore. Please, don’t let him have left already, I found myself thinking.
“I never would have expected it, but you are very similar to Vlad,” Szilagyi said at last. “When he was young, nothing I did to him broke him, and I’ve done quite a bit to you, but you still stare at me with the same defiance in your eyes.”
“Why did you hate him so much back then?” I asked, trying to keep him talking instead of looking. “I know why he hated you, but what made you single him out even when he was human?”
Szilagyi’s scoff was instant. “I had helped build Hungary to unprecedented greatness, I had fought in just as many wars, yet when the Church needed a defender against Mehmed’s army, they chose Vlad. Later, when our sire turned him into a vampire, Tenoch gave Vlad the remains of his power legacy instead of me.”
Jealousy, I realized with amazement. Back then, Vlad had hated Szilagyi for good reasons, like imprisoning him, costing him his throne, and murdering his son, not to mention what he didn’t know—that Szilagyi had killed his first wife, too. Yet the other man’s resentment stemmed from something as simple as feeling slighted. It would have been laughable if the repercussions hadn’t resulted in rivers of spilled blood.
“Yet in the end, it only matters who wins,” Szilagyi said, his tone turning silky as he trailed a hand down my stomach. “I had my doubts, but I’m starting to believe that Maximus was right. You’re what I need to finally bring Vlad down. Seems he destroyed what was left of his home in a fit of rage the other day. I wonder what made him do that, hmm?”
Szilagyi’s taunting smile caused my right hand to tingle as if it was about to spark. It was gloved, but I still didn’t dare glance at it out of hope that it was refilling with electricity. If so, then I couldn’t draw Szilagyi’s attention. He’d only rip my arm off again.
“Maybe Vlad just wanted the insurance money so he could offer up a fat reward for your corpse,” I replied instead.
Szilagyi let his hand dip below my navel and held it there to emphasize that there was nothing I could do to stop him.
“If there’s one thing I can count on after the tapes I’ve sent him, it’s Vlad wanting to murder me himself,” he said, moving his hand away at last. Then he smiled, chilling and anticipatory. “What you should hope is that I don’t get more creative with new tapes of you in the meantime to madden him into making a reckless mistake that will deliver him right into my hands.”
Chapter 15
I waited as long as I dared after Szilagyi left, worried that he’d
come back and somehow sense that I was linking to Vlad. With dawn now only minutes away, I had to try again or wait another twelve hours, and I couldn’t do that. Szilagyi would be off with Maximus on his “scouting” mission, but what if he’d arranged for another round of torture in his absence? I couldn’t risk losing the scant three pints of blood I’d imbibed, especially now that I didn’t know when I’d get my next meal.
So I closed my eyes and let myself feel all the longing, regret, and heartache that came with thinking about Vlad. I loved him more than anything and I wanted to believe we’d get through this, but the dark part of me whispered that it was hopeless. After all, our track record was grim. If I insisted on helping him search for his enemies, I ended up captured and tortured. Agree not to help and stay in his stone fortress instead? Get captured and tortured. I’d have been blown up, too, if I’d obeyed Vlad’s wishes and not left the lowest level of the dungeon. If I were an outsider, I’d say that fate was giving me a big head’s up that this wasn’t going to work—
“Don’t sit there.”
Cat pivoted, lowering herself into the chair across from Vlad instead of the one next to him. In Romanian, the pilots announced that they were taking off. Moments later, the sleek Learjet tilted as it became airborne.
“Sorry,” Cat murmured. “Didn’t mean to invade your space.”
Vlad glanced at the ivory seat to his left, his mouth tightening. “It’s not that. This is where Leila normally sits so that I can keep hold of her hand . . .”
He muttered a foul curse and stopped speaking. Cat stared at him, her features creased with empathy.
“She’s strong,” she said quietly. “She’ll get through this.”
Vlad’s laugh was harsh. “And then what? She’ll brace for the next assault? I can’t even keep her safe in our own home. Even if I kill Szilagyi and everyone else who hates me, in time I’ll make new enemies, all of whom will know that the most effective way to get to me is through her. If I truly wanted to keep her safe, I would never have married her.”