“I know. He enjoyed spilling the whole story of events to me.”
So that’s why Damien wasn’t here gloating, I finally surmised. He’d already done it.
“What happened then?”
“He attacked me again, drinking until I was on the verge of death but alive just enough to watch helplessly when he went to drink from you.” I saw his mouth clench, the muscles along his jaw ticking restlessly, and when he turned to look at me his eyes were flaming. “All I could do was lay there, watching him while he touched you and tasted you.”
The way he said those words made my skin crawl, and suddenly I felt filthy and violated. “What do you mean he touched me? Do you mean ….” I swallowed with a slight gag, suddenly losing my appetite completely.
He shook his head. “No. I never saw anything like that, thank goodness, or I probably would’ve died of a heart attack on the spot. As it was, just my internal struggle almost consumed me.” He stared intently into his bowl. “But he didn’t mind telling me all the things he would like to do you once I was out of the picture. That was brutal. And watching him drink from you …,” he paused, grinding his teeth roughly together. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” He picked up his spoon and started eating again.
“Did he kill you after that?” I asked, feeling so sick to my stomach.
“Yes ... for the first time anyway,” he said before taking another bite, and I felt my heart break into a million pieces for him.
“The first time,” I choked out.
“He would feed me your blood to revive me, testing all of his little theories on regeneration.”
“But how did he know you would come back that first time?” I asked lifting a hand to my suddenly dizzy head.
“He didn’t,” he stated matter-of-factly.
“And he did it anyway?” I cried out in anger.
Vance said nothing.
I placed my food and items back on the tray before sliding off the bed.
“What are you doing?” he asked me with a perplexed look.
“Figuring out how I’m going to destroy Damien,” I replied without hesitation.
“Portia.” Vance left the bed and came to join me. “Listen to me, baby. You’ve got to let this go.”
“Let it go? I don’t think so! He’s going to pay ... severely!” My body starting to shake violently as rage billowed through me.
Vance grabbed me by both arms and shook me slightly. “He will pay, Portia, but not right now, and I need you to listen to me so that you don’t aggravate the situation.”
“What are you talking about?”
Vance shook his head. “I don’t know, but he’s alluded to some sort of plan he has for us. Our getting to be together is contingent on not rocking the boat. If he feels we’re a threat together, then he’ll separate us. I don’t want to give him any reason to keep us apart. Do you understand? He wants us to give him a reason to toy with us. It’s all part of the game.”
I wondered how Vance, with all of his demon attributes in full possession of him, could remain so calm and aloof about this situation. I was positively fuming with anger. Had I been a demon in this moment I would’ve been demolishing something.
“No! I can’t let this go. He killed you, without knowing what would happen, and he has to pay!”
“I’m asking you to stop dwelling on what might’ve happened and realize what actually did. It’s okay. His theory was right, and I’m here with you now.”
My head felt like it was going to explode, my breaths coming rapidly. “I can’t.” I tried to pull out of his grasp so I could step away from him and what he was asking me to do.
You don’t have to let it go completely,” he said, still holding a firm grip on my arms. “I’m just asking you to be smart about it and wait until later. We’ll make a plan and face this together, okay?”
I actually snorted as some sort of obscene laughter threatened to bubble from inside of me. Since when had Vance become the sensible one who stepped back to make a plan? He was the guy who usually rushed headlong into everything.
“Why are you acting this way?” I asked him, feeling a hint of terror running through my veins.
“Because he convinced me he was in control, and I see now that it’s futile to fight him while we are like this,” he said flatly.
“He threatened you, didn’t he?” I searched his eyes, and when he didn’t respond I knew the answer. “What did he say?”
“It’s not important.”
“It is important!” I yelled. “I need to know what’s ….”
He cut me off effectively when he crushed his mouth to mine, drawing me into an over powering embrace, and I knew then—by that reaction—what the threat had been.
Chapter 4
Vance held onto me so tightly I could hardly breathe, his mouth plundering mine in a ravishing kiss that threatened to overwhelm me. I found myself reaching up to wrap my arms around his neck.
I leaned into him, feeling his desperation mix with my own, and I pushed up on my tiptoes trying to get better access.
He stumbled backward a step, taking me with him, before uttering a growl-like sound. He moved with purpose, dragging me toward the bed.
His hands slipped around my waist and lifted me with ease, tossing me onto the surface before he climbed up to join me. His eyes were burning red, and I could see the telltale lines of black beginning to creep through his veins, warning me his demon traits were in control now. He was the predator once again, and I knew he was hungry.
I willingly embraced him as he stretched his length out against me, bringing his head toward me, so his lips could find mine once again.
His kiss was rough, hard, and bruising as he thrust his tongue into my mouth with wild abandon. He slipped one of his hands down my silk covered body until he reached where the hem of the garment rested against my bare leg. He didn’t move his hand any further, instead stroking my skin with his thumb while trailing kisses down around my neck.
I knew what was coming even as I arched up against him and turned my head to the side to give better access.
His teeth elongated against my flesh, and I felt his fangs sink into me. I gasped out loud, not from pain, but from the mental connection that was established in that second. I could feel everything from him, the raging desire that flooded his system, and the intense anger laced with something even stronger. Fear, I realized. He was terrified.
Unbidden images began flashing into my mind, snippets of conversation he’d had with his father—pictures of Damien stroking my arms and legs as I lay blissfully unconscious before him, biting into me with relish, feasting on the blood of my body while he cradled me like a lover in his arms.
The rage I felt from Vance intensified at this image, and he bit harder into my neck with a strangled sound. I realized just how badly he’d been affected by this. He was trying to put his mark back on me, reclaim something which he thought had been stolen from him. I could feel his tears as they fell against my skin, hot and searing.
I couldn’t take this anymore, and I weakly pushed against him. “Stop!” I called, but he only dug harder into my neck. I cried out in pain and pushed against him again. “Vance, stop!” I tried again to no avail.
I desperately started searching for those mental barriers Hex had taught me, trying to build a wall against him in my mind to stop the images that were consuming him and raping my own in the process.
“Please, Vance,” I sobbed, feeling my strength leaving.
And then suddenly he was out of my head and off my body.
He leaned over me, panting, braced up by both of his arms on either side of me. Full demon features contorted his face, and he stared down at me with those blazing red eyes, tears still falling silently over the edges to splash down and soak into the silk top I wore.
“You are mine,” he ground out with so much fierceness, his nostrils flared with the breaths he was dragging in through them as he watched me intently.
I
lifted my hand, placing it gently on his chest, knowing instinctively he needed some type of reassurance.
“Yes. Only yours.” My fingers trembled slightly against his muscles as I fought to control my own emotions. “I’ll only ever be yours,” I added, trying to comfort him—my demon lover—so strong, so powerful and yet so broken.
He didn’t move, didn’t flinch at all, continuing to study me. The mental wall was firmly in place between us now. His doing, not mine, and I wondered if my words were reaching him.
“Vance,” I whispered, meeting his stare. “Please kiss me.” I needed to connect with him somehow, to let him know things were okay.
Something flickered in his expression. “Why?” he asked roughly.
“Because, I love you, and I want you to.”
He closed his eyes, and I heard him drag a ragged breath in. He collapsed, wrapping his arms around me, rolling over to his side, cradling me against him and he buried his face into my hair.
“I’m so sorry, Portia,” he whispered against my head before placing a kiss there. “Please forgive me. I never intended for you to see those images. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just lost control and I wanted … I wanted to ….” He sighed deeply. “I don’t deserve you.”
“Yes, you do,” I said, trying to snuggle deeper against him. “You deserve happiness more than anyone else I know in this world. Besides, I can’t live without you.” I turned so I could look at him. “Will you kiss me now?”
A very small smile played at the corners of his mouth. “No. Not this time,” he said lifting his chin to settle it against the top of my head.
“Why not?”
“Because you’re tired, and I’ve already been too selfish with you. Now you’re going to go to sleep, and I’m just going to lie here, enjoying having you safe in my arms for this moment.”
“Oh,” I said, not sure what to say to that. I didn’t want to argue with him though. I was tired from his feeding, and it was difficult to deal with his flip flopping emotions. I tried to relax, closing my eyes and letting myself drift off into peaceful slumber.
I awoke to the sound of voices murmuring in quick, low, phrases. I opened my eyes to see Vance standing several feet from the bed talking to Damien. I could feel the tension in the air immediately, and I watched as Vance took a threatening step toward Damien before getting up into his face, jabbing a finger into Damien’s chest while he spoke.
I couldn’t understand the hushed whispers he was rambling, but I could see his body tense even more right before he reached out to shove Damien with both hands, causing him to fall backward several steps.
Damien rushed at Vance after a moment of surprise, and I threw the covers back, jumping from the bed.
“Stop!” I yelled out forcefully, and surprisingly it worked, my intrusion catching them both off guard, halting them as they turned to look at me.
I hurried across the cold floor until I was standing in between both of them. Vance’s face was set in a scowl, and I could feel the heat rolling off of him. Damien’s was surprisingly cool, almost amused looking, while he watched me.
“What’s going on here?” I asked, looking back and forth.
Vance clenched his jaw even harder, refusing to speak.
I spun toward Damien. “What’s the problem?” I asked point blank.
He grinned widely. “I have no problem at all,” he replied with a shake of his head, lifting his hands with a shrug as if he couldn’t possibly imagine what I was even referring to. He glanced pointedly over to Vance, effectively throwing the ball into his court.
“Vance?” I said turning back to him.
He stared hotly at me for a second before turning away from me in a huff. “Just forget it, Portia,” he grumbled, and he walked to the bed. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.” He looked over at me. “Why don’t you come get some more rest? You’ve been through a lot lately.” He glared intensely at Damien.
I glanced over my shoulder toward Damien, who was watching with an entertained expression.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Not until someone tells me what’s going on.”
There was a moment of silence, and the hostility in the room fairly crackled.
“Fine!” Vance stalked over and grabbed my arm to thrust me behind him, farther away from Damien. “You want to know what is going on, Portia?” he said, making no effort what-so-ever to contain his voice now. “I woke up this morning to find him sitting on the edge of our bed stroking your hair!”
“What?” My eyes widened in surprise, and I stepped in front of Vance to look at Damien, feeling shivers of repugnance crawling over every inch of my body.
He lifted a finger to reach out and lightly brush against my chin. “Just admiring the view, love. No harm done,” he replied, flicking his gaze down over me appreciatively before returning to my face, and I saw little red streaks beginning to form in his eyes.
Suddenly there was a roar from behind me, and I was knocked roughly to the side as Vance charged into Damien, shouldering him in the chest before both went sprawling on the floor together.
Damien’s head bounced with a sickening thud against the stone, and I found myself hoping instantly Vance had done some serious damage to him. That was when I noticed the blood beginning to seep across the floor from underneath him.
Vance straddled his dad and began pummeling his face with a fierceness I’d never seen from him. This was pure, raw, animal instinct taking over, and I didn’t even move a muscle to try and stop him.
It was hard to not look away from the gore that sprayed from Damien’s mouth and nose while Vance knocked him about—the images reminding me of some type of bad fight club match gone horribly awry.
“Enough!” I heard Damien finally gurgle, and Vance was propelled across the room by a sudden force of magic, hitting the ground several feet away before rolling over to end up in a crouch, waiting to pounce.
Damien sat up abruptly, and the Awakening worked quickly to repair the damage Vance had caused, until there was no sign he’d even been there.
“You stay away from her!” Vance snarled, straightening up to his full height as he stared Damien down.
“I’m the one who will be giving the orders around here.” Damien jumped lithely to his feet. “Not you, son, so you better get used to it.”
“When it comes to Portia, nothing you say will supersede my word,” Vance said angrily. “She’s belongs to me, Dad, and you’ll not touch her! She’s mine, bound by magic and by God, and you will not interfere!”
Damien laughed, a low wicked sound rumbling up from his chest. “Do you honestly think there’s a God out there that cares anything about you now?” he said derisively. “Look at yourself!” he added with a wave of his hand over Vance’s form. “You’re evil incarnate! Born and bred to serve a higher power than any kind of so-called god. Stick with me, and I will teach you how to become a deity like this world has never seen, but don’t waste your time on vain religious fluff, son. It’s beneath you.”
“How dare you!” I said, stepping in between the two of them and turning to face Damien. “Since when have you become so all-knowing as to pass judgment on another? Just because you’re a sick, depraved individual doesn’t mean he has to be as well! How dare you ridicule the bonds of our relationship. I love him and only him! I don’t know what game you’re playing at or what you’re hoping to accomplish by it, but just stop! Do you hear me?” I yelled at him. “Stop it now! I’ll never leave him so quit with your delusions! I wouldn’t love you if you were the last man on this planet!”
Damien’s eyes glittered hard like ice, and he abruptly reached out, snatching me up against him. “Love has nothing to do with it!” he snarled before smashing his lips roughly against mine.
Another roar of anger came from behind me and I knew Vance was charging toward us. I braced myself for impact while I struggled in Damien’s calloused embrace. He shot a hand out toward Vance, and I heard the sound of him being thrown across the room a
gain.
Using this distraction, I was able to pull my face from Damien’s, shoving my hands at his chest, and tried to push away.
Damien let go abruptly, and moved with a lightning speed over toward Vance, who was still climbing to his feet.
Vance shot out an arc of fire, but Damien easily advanced upon him without even breaking his stride. All the magic Vance threw at him he easily absorbed and maniacal laughter erupted from him.
He grabbed Vance around the throat and lifted him up into the air, pressing him against the stone wall.
Vance clutched with one hand at his neck before swinging his other fist and punching Damien in the face.
He staggered, losing his grip, and Vance slid to the floor gasping for air. But Damien wasn’t finished yet—he picked Vance up forcefully, contorting into his demon features. He ripped into Vance’s neck with his fangs, tearing a chunk of Vance’s artery out and spitting it onto the floor.
“No!” I screamed, running to jump onto Damien as I pounded my fists into his back.
He flung me off, dropping Vance to the floor. He turned to seize me, and I felt him freeze my body with his powers.
“You will do what I say, you little witch,” he said menacingly, Vance’s blood running from his mouth as he spoke, spraying me with little bits of spittle. “I hold all the cards here, not you.”
“I’ll never help you!” I spat out vilely, thankful he left me armed with my voice.
“Oh, I think you will,” he sneered, and he turned me away to face the other direction. Waving his arm in an arc, a section of the stone wall slid away from my sight, revealing a shirtless man with bite marks and blood trails all over his body, manacled with magical restraints to an iron chair. “You’ll do everything I say,” Damien’s heated breath snapped into my ear, “or I will kill your father!”
Chapter 5
“Dad!” I cried out, a strangled sob tearing from me as I looked at the horrifying sight.
“He can’t hear you,” Damien growled waving his arm once again, and instantly the cave wall reappeared.