My uncle sighed impatiently and stood. “You should never have gotten involved with the renegades. They are dangerous. They have these insane ideals that…”
“That my father had,” I finished for him.
“Your father started a war. Luckily, it ended with his death. There could have been so many more casualties,” he spat.
I stood abruptly, and the room started to spin. I stumbled backwards and looked at my uncle, confused. There was something wrong, but he didn’t seem surprised. Then I remembered the drink. “You drugged me,” I said, struggling for breath.
“I’m sorry, but I see you going down the same path as your father. I cannot let that happen,” he said softly.
I turned to run, but the room was spinning. I made it to the door, but I couldn’t focus enough to find the handle. I fell to my knees and attempted to steady myself, but the darkness quickly overtook me.
Chapter 17
I woke up slowly. I shifted and winced. My arms were tied behind me. They weren’t just cuffed; my shoulders were pulled back because my arms were tied so tightly. It was so dimly lit I had to blink a couple times. My legs were bound as well. I was basically hogtied, just sitting up. The room I was in was windowless and barren. It had to be a dungeon or basement of some kind. I tried to wiggle out of my bindings, but it was pointless.
“You aren’t going to get out of them,” Justin said, from beside me.
I hadn’t noticed him before, but he was sitting next to me. He was restrained next to me. He was beaten and bloody again. Obviously they had caught up with him. “Why are you here?” I asked, feeling a little out of it.
He looked at me, then looked away. “Betraying my position. What do you think?” he growled.
“I’m sorry,” I said softly. I couldn’t help but feel a little responsible.
He scoffed. “You have your own problems. Word on the street is your uncle turned you over to the council,” he said, amused.
I sighed as the memory of what had happened in my uncle’s office came back to me. “Where are we?” I asked quietly.
He coughed and winced as if he was in pain. “The council’s headquarters.”
I looked over at him. He had a silver steak sticking through his chest. It wouldn’t kill him, but it would sicken him and make him weak. I shifted and scooted toward him. “What are you doing?” he asked quietly.
“I am going to get the stake out. Maybe you can regain your strength and get free,” I said quietly.
He smiled. “How are you going to manage that when you are tied up?”
“I will figure it out,” I said, as I wiggled towards him. He made a noise when I moved up onto his lap. I moved a little more and he groaned. “You know, if the circumstances were different, I might ask you out,” he said, amused.
I smiled and shook my head. “You are ridiculous. I suggest you get ready for this.”
“Ready,” he said through gritted teeth.
I wrapped my hands around the stake and threw myself forward. He groaned in pain as the stake came free. I cussed as I fell forward off him. I landed on my face, then rolled so I was looking up at the ceiling. I was trying to catch my breath.
“This doesn’t really feel much better. I am just bleeding out,” he muttered.
I looked over at him. I didn’t really want to offer, but I needed him to get his strength back. He was the only chance I had to get away. “Bite me,” I said quietly.
He opened his eyes and looked at me. He looked like he wanted to take my offer, but he hesitated. “I don’t have very much control. I might like it too much.”
“This is our only chance, unless you are okay with dying here,” I said softly.
He smiled. “Just admit you are into me, and I might consider giving you what you want,” he said.
I rolled my eyes and sighed. He was going to make things difficult. “Whatever; I was just trying to help,” I muttered
He pushed himself forward and rolled so he was on his stomach over me. I looked at him. He was inches from my face. “You smell really good,” he said playfully.
I rolled my eyes. “Stop making this difficult. Just get it over with so we can get out of here,” I said as I looked away, exposing my neck.
He didn’t speak, he just buried his face in my neck. I gritted my teeth as he sank his fangs into my neck. He groaned as my blood filled his mouth. Time seemed to slow down, and I felt my mind start to cloud. I started to feel weak. He was taking a lot of blood. He finally rolled away from me, and laid still with his eyes closed.
“Hey, you are supposed to be better,” I said, trying to get used to the room spinning.
He gave me a lazy smile. I saw him flex his muscles, and the ropes binding him broke. He got his legs free and came to me. He untied the ropes binding me. I stretched my arms while he untied my legs. He knelt next to me and smiled. “Can you walk?” he asked, as he brushed my hair aside.
His touch was a little too intimate for me. “I’m fine,” I muttered, as I quickly sat up, climbing to my feet. I used the wall to steady myself when the room began to spin again.
He placed his hands on my hips to steady me. “Here, take my blood,” he said quietly. He bit his wrist and offered it to me.
I didn’t really want to take his blood, but I needed my strength. It was going to be one hell of a fight to get free. I pressed his wrist to my mouth and drank slowly. When I felt my strength return I released his arm. “Where are we, exactly?” I asked, as I walked toward the door.
“My guess is the dungeon below the council’s headquarters. We are actually not far from where you live,” he said, as he came to stand next to me.
“Well, we might as well see how far we can get. I don’t see any guards,” I said softly, as I slowly opened the door.
“They were so arrogant they didn’t consider we might work together,” Justin said, as he followed me out the door and up a flight of stairs.
“That’s good for us, I suppose,” I said, as I put my hand on the next door handle.
He touched my hand to stop me. He pressed his finger to his lips. I remained in place and waited. He started moving again. He opened the door, and we stepped into a hallway. He took the lead, and I followed. He was moving quickly, but remained being quiet and cautious.
The sound of voices around the corner made Justin freeze. He pushed me into a nearby closet, then followed me in. He closed the door behind us. The closet was so small our bodies were pressed together. I was extremely uncomfortable, but he seemed to be enjoying it.
“This isn’t funny,” I whispered.
“It is actually quite amusing,” he said, grinning.
I rolled my eyes and attempted to look away, but it was difficult with him so close to me. I could hear the voices just outside the door. I was trying to focus on them, but I was still a little disoriented, and Justin’s presence was distracting.
“What does he plan to do with them?” a male voice said from the other side.
“He is going to turn the hunter, and kill Justin. Justin killed another marshal. There are rumors he is attempting to lead the marshals against the council,” a female voice responded.
The man scoffed. “You cannot turn a hunter. All Cornelius is going to do is start more of a war. He will give the hunters more reason to fight.”
“It has been done before. Hopefully she will just die, and it will be over with,” the woman snapped, and walked away. I could hear her high heels on the stone floor as she retreated. The male obviously followed.
Justin opened the door and peeked out. When it was clear, he stepped out. I followed, and we made our way down the hall again.
“Going somewhere?” a male voice said from behind us.
Justin spun around and quickly stepped in front of me. “We are leaving. We don’t want any problems,” Justin said firmly.
The vampire smiled. He didn’t seem to be threatened at all. Justin let out a cry of agony and collapsed to his knees. He was holding his he
ad in his hands. The vampire was hurting him somehow. “Stop!” I yelled, as I ran at the vampire.
He moved with blurring speed and pinned me to the wall by my throat. Justin quit screaming, but he was still on the ground. The vampire looked me over, then met my angry gaze. “I have to say, you are everything you were made out to be,” he said, smiling.
“Who the hell are you?” I managed to choke out from under his iron grip. He was an incredibly gorgeous man. His turquoise eyes reminded me of Aubrey. He looked eerily similar to Aubrey. His hair was a little darker, but not much.
“My name is Cornelius, and you have been killing my marshals,” he growled.
I looked at him, confused, as I attempted to loosen his grip. “Are you the head of the council?”
His smile widened. “I am the council, my dear, and you, like your father, are standing in my way.”
“In the way of what?” I growled, as I tried to struggle against him. I noticed Justin was slowly getting to his feet. I had to keep this guy distracted. It would give Justin time to attack.
“In the way of my rule. You are giving the hunters, werewolves, and vampires ideas. Ideas that will cause them to revolt against me. I do not take kindly to this,” he hissed, as he shoved me back again, jarring me.
Justin moved to attack, but Cornelius was faster. He looked at Justin, and Justin went flying back into the wall. He collapsed, unconscious. I was on my own now. I recoiled and caught Cornelius with a punch to the jaw. He stumbled back. He looked genuinely startled that I’d even attempted to hit him. He lunged at me, and I dodged him.
He rushed me again, and I caught him in the stomach with a kick. He doubled over, then lunged at me again. He was too quick for me this time. He pinned me to the wall. He went for my throat and I was helpless.
“Cornelius, wait.” Aubrey’s voice rang out from behind us.
Cornelius quickly turned, releasing me. I slid to the floor, trying to catch my breath. “Brother, there you are,” Cornelius said smiling, as he walked toward Aubrey.
“It has been a long time,” Aubrey said softly, remaining a gentleman.
I sat still, watching their interaction. I wasn’t really too sure what I should do. Aubrey glanced at me, and it was enough to catch Cornelius’s interest. Cornelius’s expression darkened, and he was back on me in an instant. He pinned me to the wall by my throat and glared at Aubrey. “This is the reason you are here? A hunter!” he yelled, glaring at Aubrey.
I couldn’t breathe. I looked at Aubrey, terrified. “Don’t hurt her,” Aubrey pleaded, as he stepped forward.
“I should break her neck,” Cornelius growled, as he pressed against my throat. It felt like he was going to crush my delicate bones.
“What is it you want?” Aubrey asked as he hesitated, obviously fearing Cornelius would follow through.
Cornelius smiled. “I want you to prove that you are faithful to me. Kill him.” Cornelius said, as he nodded toward Justin.
I protested and struggled, and Cornelius tightened his grip. “She can only go without oxygen for so long. The clock is ticking.”
I looked at Aubrey, terrified. I didn’t want him to kill Justin, but I didn’t want to die, either. “This is between you and me, Cornelius. Leave the others out of this,” Aubrey snapped.
Cornelius thought about it for a minute, then released me. I gasped as I slid to the floor. “Fine. Whoever wins gets the hunter,” Cornelius said, amused.
Aubrey looked at me, unsure, then looked back at Cornelius and nodded. “Agreed. If I lose, you get to do what you want with her. I won’t question it.”
“I am not yours to give away,” I said angrily, as I climbed to my feet. I couldn’t believe he was agreeing to something like that. Either he had a grand plan, or he was sure he couldn’t lose.
“Hush, darling. You have a slight chance of making it out alive with my dear brother. A very slight chance,” Cornelius said, amused. Before Aubrey could speak, Cornelius attacked. Cornelius was fast, but Aubrey was able to gain his footing and fend him off. Someone grabbed my arm, startling me a little.
“We need to go,” Justin said, sounding like he was still in a slight amount of pain.
“We can’t leave. He is going to hurt Aubrey,” I said, as I looked back at the fight raging not far from us.
“Look, we don’t want to be a part of this. Cornelius is fast and mean. He will kill Aubrey, then you. We need to leave now,” he growled impatiently.
I pulled my arm out of his grasp. “If you want to run I won’t fault you, but I am going to stay with Aubrey,” I said softly.
He looked like he wanted to protest, but only made an annoyed noise before hurrying down the hallway. I looked back at Cornelius and Aubrey fighting. I had to do something, I just wasn’t sure what. Cornelius suddenly pinned Aubrey and produced a silver dagger out of nowhere. My heart went to my throat when I saw Cornelius raise his arm to strike.
Without thinking, I ran at him. I hit Cornelius full force from behind. We went rolling across the floor into the opposite wall. The dagger slid across the stone floor, and Cornelius was momentarily dazed. I took the opportunity and lunged for the dagger. As my fingers grasped the hilt, he slammed into my back. I groaned in pain when he sank his fangs into my shoulder. He wasn’t being nice about it, either. It felt like an animal bite.
I shoved my elbow backwards into his stomach and knocked him off me. I positioned myself over him and tightened my grip on the dagger. His eyes widened as I brought it down on him. Suddenly, I was knocked sideways. The dagger left my grasp, and my side ached where someone kicked me.
I looked up from where I lay. Aubrey was standing over Cornelius, but he didn’t have a weapon. He was the one that had knocked me off Cornelius. I felt the anger hit me as I watched him just stand there.
Cornelius started laughing as he climbed to his feet. “You saved me from your hunter princess? Isn’t that sweet,” he chimed.
“No more fighting, Cornelius. By any standard I have won. Let us walk out of here, and you won’t have any more problems,” Aubrey said softly.
I wanted to protest, but I had a feeling it would be useless. Cornelius looked at me, and he didn’t look like he wanted to comply. “No. I don’t understand how it is you are letting a hunter run your territory. You must have quite a weak spot for her. The Aubrey I knew would have had his fun, then dropped her off a bridge somewhere.”
“My relationship with Lillian is none of your concern. Stay out of my territory. Keep your marshals away, and we won’t have a problem,” Aubrey said softly, then walked toward me.
He had to know I was angry. He didn’t speak, he just took my hand and pulled me against him. There was a sudden rush, and the world started to spin. I was sure I was going to pass out or be sick, maybe even both.
***
I woke up slowly. I was lying on my stomach, a little disoriented. I sat up quickly as the memories of the night came rushing back.
“Relax.” Aubrey’s silky voice filled my ear as his hands gently pressed my lower back to keep me in place. I was naked except for a sheet he had pulled up around my waist.
“What the hell happened? Where am I?” I asked, trying to remember everything that had happened.
“You are safe, in my bed. I am trying to clean your wound,” he said softly.
I relaxed a little, but not much. He still kept me from killing his evil brother even though Cornelius wouldn’t have had an issue killing him. “Why did you stop me? I had him,” I said softly, trying to keep the annoyance out of my tone.
“Cornelius may be an ass, but he is still my brother. It would be like me attempting to kill Luca. Even if it was self-defense, you would step in,” he said softly, as he continued what he was doing.
“Have you heard from Justin?” I asked softly. I couldn’t help but hope he made it out alive. I wasn’t really sure what his part was in this whole thing, but he seemed like one of the good guys.
“I gave him a room here. How is it you are
so fond of him when he is a marshal? Isn’t it the renegade’s motto to kill all marshals?” I could hear a hint of jealousy in his voice, but he was trying to hide it.
I smiled, a little relieved that he was jealous. I wanted him to be jealous. That meant he cared about me. I rolled to my side and looked up at him. “I am not the standard renegade. Justin doesn’t want to fight me, he wants to fight the council.”
He smiled and moved closer to me. “I think he wants to do whatever you want to do.”
I laughed. “Justin and I are acquaintances, that’s all. So, was Cornelius telling the truth about being the council?” I asked, as I settled back on my stomach and closed my eyes.
“You mean that he is the council? Yes, he took over quite a few years ago. How is it two other vampires have bitten you tonight, and I haven’t once?” he asked, as he brushed his lips along my shoulder blades.
I smiled. “Well, you haven’t attempted to kill me, and that is why I have one bite. The other bite is from attempting to save myself.”
“Mmm, what if I attempt to please you? Can I bite you then?” he asked, as he continued to lay gentle kisses over my back.
I giggled and rolled onto my back as I looked up at him. He pressed his lips to mine and kissed me gently. “You can bite me on one condition,” I whispered against his lips.
He smiled obviously enjoying the game. “Oh, I love conditions. Tell me.”
I smiled and gently bit his lower lip before speaking. “You have to bite me where no one else can.”
His expression darkened with lust and he leaned into me. His mouth covered mine, and his kiss was aggressive and needy. “My love, there are several places to choose from. That isn’t much of a condition,” he whispered, as he brushed his lips against mine.
I giggled as his lips tickled my already sensitive skin. “Do I need to spell it out for you, or can you use your imagination?” I asked.
He grinned at me, and for the first time I realized I didn’t care that he was a vampire. “I have a very good imagination,” he teased. “I could bite you here,” he whispered then bit my breast gently, just enough to draw blood and make me gasp. “Or here,” he whispered as he bit my other breast. He continued lower biting me in various places on my belly. I felt his soft lips on the heated skin between my thighs and I felt like I was going to explode with excitement. His fingers gently started to massage my clit as he covered me in kisses. I was trying to catch my breath as I gripped the bed sheets. He was driving me insane. “My favorite spot would be here,” he whispered, then slowly sank his fangs into the crease of my thigh.