Of course, she’d also been the one to nearly kill his brother.
“Lucas?”
“For now, we wait.”
If the vampire betrayed him, he’d make absolutely certain it was the last thing she ever did.
Maya was taken through the entrance gates, led across a courtyard, and escorted up to the main entrance of the fortress. As she walked across the cobbled courtyard, she could feel eyes on her, dozens of them, watching her every move.
When she stepped inside the main building, the stench of death flooded her nostrils.
Humans had died here. The stench was old, as if the bodies had long since decayed and turned to dust. But she also caught the smell of fresh kills. Sweet blood.
“We’ll put him with the others,” the vampire in front of her said, glancing over his slightly stooped shoulder.
The others. Yeah, she’d expected that Nassor had a backup power supply. “No. He doesn’t leave my sight.” Like she’d trust any of the hungry bastards around a dragon’s blood.
The vampire’s face tightened. “He goes with the others.”
They were in a long hallway now. One lit with faint, fluorescent lighting.
Where was Nassor?
She heard the moans then, the whimpers.
Prey.
The Born Master had to be close.
Maya kept her gaze on the vamp leading her. “He is a very special gift. One I’m taking straight to the Master.” She didn’t know how much time they’d have before the wolves attacked. The closer she could get to Nassor, the better.
The vampire grunted. “You don’t wanna be facing him yet.”
Ah, but he was exactly the one she wanted to face.
Slick, time to rise and shine.
She felt the sudden alertness of his body.
This was gonna hurt. Not her so much, but—
“Shit! Something’s wrong, the bastard’s awake!” She threw Adam against the heavy stone wall.
The vampire spun around, terror on his face and in his black eyes. “What? No, he—”
Maya already had her gun ready. She grabbed the vamp and pressed the barrel right against his heart. “Don’t so much as breathe hard,” she said, “or you’ll see what it feels like to be burned from the inside out.”
He stilled instantly. “Y-you’re bluffing.”
“I don’t bluff.” She smiled, a hard barring of her teeth. “Holy water bullets. The kind just right for cooking vamps.”
He swallowed hard.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Adam rise to his feet. “You all right?”
A muscle flexed along his jaw. “A warning would have been appreciated.”
Yeah, but a warning would have tipped off the vampire.
She glanced around the hall. She’d tried to time her attack for the moment when they had maximum cover. She didn’t think anyone had seen them, but just in case, it was time to cut to the chase.
“Look, asshole, either take me to Nassor, or I’ll kill you.” Simple. Straightforward.
“If I take you to him, I’m dead.” His black eyes were beady, full of hate and fear.
The guy just didn’t get it. “If you don’t start moving your ass, you’ll be dead in the next five seconds.”
“At least you’ll make it fast.” The vampire shook his head. “Nassor won’t.”
“You—”
Adam grabbed the vamp, his fingers locking around the back of his neck and spinning him around. “I won’t make your death easy,” he said, his voice a hard rumble. “I’ll slice your flesh away, then make you beg for my fire.”
Maya’s brows rose. Okay. She hadn’t quite been expecting that.
The vampire began to shake. He hadn’t thought she’d torture him, but obviously, he had no doubt that Adam would carry out his threat.
And neither did she.
“I-I’ll sh-show you j-just—”
Maya caught the stench in the air then. Too-familiar. “Adam—”
A thunder of footsteps.
Adam swore, slammed the vamp against the wall, and lunged in front of her.
Too late.
The vamps surrounded them, a mass of claws and teeth that came from both sides, trapping them in the middle of the hallway.
So much for the sneak attack.
Laughter. Mocking male laughter that made the hair on her nape rise. She knew which asshole was having himself a good old time even before Torrence pushed his way through the army of vamps.
Adam leapt forward.
“No!”
The vampires grabbed him, six of them taking him down and pounding him into the floor.
Shit.
Maya swallowed back the fear that rose in her throat. Adam couldn’t take the vamps in his human form. What the hell had he been thinking?
She forced her gaze to lift and to lock on Torrence’s. “If they kill him, Nassor’s going to be pissed.”
Torrence lifted his right hand.
The attack on Adam immediately ceased. Torrence smiled at her. “Ah, come now, we both know a dragon can take a hell of a lot more punishment.”
Yeah, but she didn’t want to see him suffer.
Torrence’s gaze shifted from her to Adam.
Maya’s whole body tensed.
She could so do with a distraction about then. Where were those damn wolves?
“Dragons are wild, unpredictable beasts.” His mouth frowned with distaste as he stared at Adam. “So hard to control.”
“You’re fucking dead!” Adam yelled, the words rumbling from within his chest. The air around them grew thick and a deep, menacing growl filled the hall.
Torrence stepped toward Maya.
She still had her gun in her hands. Ready to fire. No way could she take them all out, but she could hit Torrence straight in the heart.
But then the other vamps would rip her apart before she could get to Nassor.
What would happen to Adam? To Cammie?
“He was protecting you, wasn’t he?” Torrence asked.
Maya didn’t answer.
“I saw him. He put his body before yours—and he attacked.” Torrence tilted his head to the side. “Got a pet, do you, bitch?”
She bared her teeth at him.
He lifted his hand, ignored her gun, and pressed the tip of his claws against her cheek.
Maya felt the warmth of blood on her face.
“Get away from her!” Adam wrestled free from two of the vamps, broke the neck of a third—not something that would kill the guy, but it would definitely take him out of commission for a bit.
Her eyes closed. No, Adam, don’t—
The claws dropped to her throat. “Move and I’ll cut her head off.”
Her lashes lifted and she met Adam’s desperate stare.
Dragons—so fierce. So emotional. Damn, but the guy made her heart ache.
Torrence circled behind her. “Drop the gun.” He whispered the command into her ear.
The gun hit the floor with a clatter. Maya was hoping a bullet would shoot out at the impact and kill one of the goons. No such luck.
Adam wasn’t moving. The vamps had him pinned to the ground. His head was tilted up, and he stared straight at her.
“You’ve got a weakness, don’t you, dragon?” Torrence taunted. “And it’s this bitch.”
Adam didn’t speak.
“Let me tell you what’s going to happen.” His claws dug into her neck. “You’re going to do what I say, when I say it, or the woman’s going to find herself without a head.”
“Adam…” If he shifted into the dragon, he could take the vamps surrounding him, she knew he could.
But she also knew the shift wasn’t fast. He’d need precious minutes to fully transform—and she’d be dead before the dragon could fight.
At least he’d survive.
“Don’t worry about me,” she said, her voice firm as she gazed down at him.
“Fuck that!” He made no move to fight his captors—or to trans
form.
“I’ve always known there was something special about a female vampire’s pussy,” Torrence murmured and she felt his tongue lick down her face, tasting the blood that fell from her cheek. “It’s all that drinking and fucking—makes men into slaves.”
The scent of smoke teased her nostrils.
The dragon was close.
Change, Adam. Change. Forget about me—you have to stop them so Cammie will be safe.
She didn’t know if he heard her mental plea, but she drove the words as hard as she could through their blood bond.
“Get him up.”
The vampires dragged Adam to his feet. His eyes never left Torrence’s face.
“Nassor wants them—and we don’t want to keep the Born Master waiting.”
Where were those damn wolves?
The vampires yanked Adam down the hallway.
“You shot me, bitch.” Torrence grabbed her hair, jerked her head back.
She ignored the pain and said, “And I’m going to kill you.”
He laughed at that—right in her face. “When Nassor’s done with you, we’re going to play.” His mouth pressed against her throat. Licked away the blood. “If there’s anything left of you.”
Then he shoved her down the long hallway, and the rest of the vampires swarmed in behind her.
“Lucas?” Daniel’s voice was tense.
He put the binoculars down. Fifteen minutes. Maya and the dragon had been inside for fifteen minutes.
There was barely any activity outside the fortress.
Doubt nagged at him. Was it a trap?
Or could he trust her? Was there even a choice?
Fuck it.
Time to hunt.
He threw back his head and howled.
Chapter 17
Torrence took her downstairs. Not just to the basement, but down a good three levels. They entered a room lit with torches. A room with a dirt floor and a golden throne. A room with an opened sarcophagus that waited, half in the earth.
Blood stained the dirt. Human bodies—at least seven—littered the floor.
And the Born Master waited.
He turned at their approach, moved his body in a slow glide like a snake.
His skin was golden, his hair black and loose around his shoulders. His face wasn’t handsome—it was absolutely perfect. Sensual lips, sculpted cheekbones, strong nose—the guy could have been some kind of cover model—
If he weren’t the leader of the dead.
Time had frozen him young. He barely looked twenty years old, but his glittering black eyes reflected the centuries he’d lived—and the evil he’d wrought.
He smiled when he saw her, lips curving back to show his white fangs. “Ah, my little cop.” His voice held no accent, but was a deep, echoing rumble. “I’ve been waiting for you, dreaming of you, for so many years.”
She’d didn’t want this guy so much as thinking about her. He lifted his hand to her cheek, touched her—not with claws but with soft fingers.
She expected to be repulsed by his touch. Instead, her heart began to race and a strange hunger swept through her.
What the hell?
Thrall. The answer whispered through her mind. Nassor was an ancient. He’d be able to control her, make her feel anything he wanted.
Oh, shit.
His nostrils flared as he stared down at her. Then his eyes lifted to Torrence. “You tasted her.”
He sounded seriously pissed.
Torrence gave a jerky nod.
Nassor smiled. Maya let her gaze drift over him, helpless against the draw she felt for the Master. There was a red line circling his neck. Puckered skin. A scar—but vampires didn’t scar.
Not usually.
The guy had almost gotten his head chopped off. The wound had nearly killed him, and, judging by that scar, he still hadn’t fully healed.
Or the scar would be gone.
Nassor was dressed in a pair of dark, flowing pants. His chest was bare, completely hairless, and Maya saw the second scar that lined his chest. Right over his heart.
Because he’d been staked.
Staked and nearly beheaded—and he’d still lived.
Killing him was going to be damn hard.
“We have something for you,” Torrence said, bowing his head slightly.
Nassor’s lips locked in a snarl.
Oh, yeah, seriously pissed.
“Bring him in!” Torrence ordered, and she glanced back, watching as the vamps forced Adam into the room. “As you wanted, we’ve brought you a dragon.”
Nassor’s long tongue swirled out, licked across his lips—as if he were already tasting Adam. “A pure-blood?”
Torrence hesitated.
“Is he a pure-blood?”
“Yeah,” Adam snarled, “I am. Now get the hell away from my woman!”
Nassor’s teeth snapped together. His stare drifted back to Maya. “Yours?” He shook his head. “Sorry, my Wyvern, but the little cop has been mine for five years.” He leaned in close to her, his nostrils widening as he caught her scent. “Picked just for me—and only me.”
Her nipples tightened. He was creeping into her mind, planting images, fantasies. She tried to resist his sensual pull, hating the power of his thrall.
“I’ve handpicked every member of my family,” he said. “Every. Single. One. All chosen because I wanted the strongest, the most powerful, and the deadliest for my clan.”
A warning whispered through her mind. A foreboding. She didn’t want to hear what he was—
“The minute I saw you, patrolling in that filthy park, then fighting with every breath in your being, I knew you were for me.” He lifted her hand. Brought her palm to his lips. Kissed her.
Then sank his teeth into her flesh.
Adam snarled.
Maya stiffened her body, fighting the need snaking its way through her.
His head lifted. Her blood stained his lips. “I could feel the darkness in you. Just waiting to come out.” He smiled at her. “A killer, waiting to be set free.”
No.
“You’re just like me,” he whispered. “I know it. The darkness in us—we’re the same.”
Screw that.
“When your mother died—”
How the hell did he know about that?
“Weren’t you happy? Didn’t you enjoy the feel of her blood on you?”
Cold water iced her veins. She fought his thrall, tried to gather her strength. She wasn’t like this sick bastard. Not one bit.
“I loved the taste of my mother’s blood,” he told her. “I cut her throat when I was a boy and I laughed as she bled.”
Maya swallowed.
He turned away from her and began to pace alongside the torches that lined the far wall. “I sent Tyrus to you. Ordered him to change you. So few females can survive the change—their bodies are too fragile—but I knew you’d make it.” He paused, glanced back at her with admiration on his face. “You killed him, even as you drew your first new breath of life.”
Her hands tightened into fists. Fragile, her ass. Weapon. Where was—
“I know you’ve been quite the bad girl while I’ve been away.” He shook his head and glanced toward Torrence. “Killing more of your own kind. Your own family.”
Her family—her mother—was dead. This SOB was not part of her family.
“I’m going to give you a choice, love.”
She wasn’t his love. She was the vampire who was going to make certain he went to hell.
“You can die. I’ll let every vampire in this room drink you dry until only a shell remains of you.”
Not the option she’d like. “Or?” Her voice came out husky.
“Or you can give me your allegiance. Join me, be the mate I’ve waited for, wanted all these years.”
Yeah, and after he screwed her, Nassor would still probably kill her.
Choices, choices. Maya spared a quick glance for Adam. He was surrounded. If he had a hope of changing,
she’d have to get those vampires away from him.
And she knew just what she had to do.
She wished she could risk sending him a mental call through their blood link, but Nassor was so strong, he might pick up on it and she couldn’t risk tipping off the bastard. Maya stared into Adam’s eyes. “Sorry, Slick. Guess it’s the end of the road.” She tried to keep shields up in her mind, not wanting Nassor to know what she planned.
His lips tightened.
“Pity I never got to see if you looked like my tat.” It was all she could say, but she hoped he got her message.
She sauntered across the room. The torches blazed on either side of Nassor’s perfect head.
She stopped in front of him, bared her neck. “I’ll choose to live.”
The Born Master had his hands on her.
Adam watched, fury burning through him as Nassor pulled Maya close and sank his teeth into her throat.
No!
The vamps around him loosened their hold as they watched Nassor feed. They were obviously anticipating a damn good show, and by the way Nassor’s hands were caressing Maya’s body, they’d get one.
The edge of her shirt rose as Nassor’s fingers trailed up her back.
The dragon tattoo stared back at him.
Pity I never got to see if you looked like my tat.
Well, she was about to find out exactly what he looked like, if the vamps didn’t kill him before he changed.
Nassor gulped down her blood, sucking strongly and swallowing thickly.
Adam’s claws shot out and he wanted so badly to rip the bastard apart.
The Born Master lifted his head.
Maya swayed before him, putting her small hands on his chest for balance.
All eyes were on her.
Adam began to call the dragon.
Maya slid her body around Nassor’s. Rubbing, teasing. Blood dripped down her neck.
She stood behind the master now. Her hands slid up his chest. Her claws scratched his skin.
She stood on her toes, staring at Adam over Nassor’s shoulder. Her eyes were black but bright with the flames that surrounded her.
And her face was hard with anger—rage.
He knew her next move even before he saw her fingers rise.
Maya! The scream blasted in his mind.
Her hand closed over the nearest torch, jerked the metal post up, and slammed the fire into Nassor’s back, then his head, his pants—