Lure (2 page)

Chapter 2

Marko

Silence was quickly becoming my worst enemy. The lack of sound…the lack of hearing my slave’s thoughts. Tessa was completely gone from me and I couldn’t stand it. Had I thought myself alone before she came? It didn’t even compare to the hollowness festering within me now. Even in my worst episodes of surging, when I was oblivious to how horribly I was treating her, she’d still been there. Now…nothing. It drove me crazy. I missed having Tessa’s presence dwell within. It left me fuller, heavier, than the empty shell I was now.

How was she? Was the change hard for her? Was she alive? Some people didn’t make it through the transition. What if she hadn’t? Because of how powerful we knew she’d be, we all just assumed she’d make it just fine, but what if we were wrong? What if Tessa really was dead?

A roar poured from my mouth and I projected my power out in an explosion of pure blistering heat. An aura of orange glistened across the shield, warping the invisible force in a wave of translucence. The blowback pushed my sitting body back into the rattling wall, once again knocking the air from my lungs. The ground shook for a few seconds before finally becoming still again. Each expulsion of power left me more tired than the next, but for only one reason: I was getting stronger. Every release shook me harder and I couldn’t stop the excitement as I watched the wall weaken before me. But I wouldn’t be able to carry on much longer. I was mentally and physically exhausted. Sleep beckoned and I wanted nothing more than to forget about the last two days. They’d been was the worst of my life.

Had my slave really been lost to me? Had she really betrayed me by fucking that human, Hunter? By choosing him? God, she had. So why did I still love her? Why did I still want her? I hated it. Hated that she’d wrapped me around her finger as if she were the Master and I was the slave.

“Tessa!”

Rawness stung my throat and I let my head fall back against the wall as my elbow shot back to slam into the cement cell holding me prisoner. How long would Julius keep me here? If the goal was just long enough to allow me to cool off, it would be weeks. Months. Fuck, I’d never let this go. Tessa deceiving me was bad enough, but Sayer was going to pay the ultimate price. It was his fault that this had happened to begin with. Had he not slipped Tessa his blood, she would have never formed a conscience. She would have remained trapped under my rule for as long as I permitted. With the rate I had been going, I would have bled myself dry trying to poison her with my blood to make her love me. It was all I wanted, and now she’d never feel that way again. Not when she’d be bonded to Sayer and
his
concubine.

“God dammit. Tessa!”

She may not love me, but I’d always love her. Just like the tattoo that had oozed from the skin on her neck when she began changing…I’d love her to death.
Love you to death. Love you to death.
The French lettering appeared in my mind. I could still see it embedded right below her pulse point. There, next to where my fangs had slid in so beautifully. Just the thought brought them down and burning singed the length of my throat. I had to get out of here. I wanted to taste her again. Taste my Tessa. Taste the new her. What would vampire ma minette taste like? Better? Not as good? I was dying to find out.

Another explosion of power burst from my body and I put everything I had into letting the force reveal the worsening of my rage. The brutal wave that crashed over me from the blowback sent my head cracking into the wall. I winced, blindly falling over to the side. Images raced before my eyes. Of her smile. Of how happy she’d been the one time I took her above ground. Before Hunter had nearly killed her with that fucking stake. Why hadn’t I paid more attention to our surroundings? Why hadn’t I killed him when I’d had the chance?

The good and bad between us played out as the hours flew by. I let it. I drifted between sleep and consciousness, never wanting to wake up until this stage was over with. Until I was set free. What happened then? I couldn’t think about that now. I’d torture myself even more. All I knew was they were going to pay and pay dearly. Marie, that fucking bitch. She had something to do with Hunter and Tessa coming together, I just knew it. The way she’d guarded that human when he challenged me in the heart of the city…I wouldn’t overlook that.

“Time to feed.”

Julius’s voice brought my lids open and I snapped my eyes right to his. I jumped to my feet and rushed in his direction. I wanted to see. Had to know what was happening. At the turn of his head, I growled at the missing connection. There was no telling whether I could force my way into his mind, but I was desperate to try.

“How is she?” I gripped the bars as he reached for the brunette supplier standing at his side with her head down.

“She lives,” he said, nudging her toward the bars. “Now, get back. I’m going to open this door. If you try anything, you’ll remain here for a lot longer than originally planned.”

My jaw clenched as I obeyed. “Tell me more. Show me.” I licked my lips, pacing the length of the room as he practically forced the human woman past the door. It was for a good cause—she wouldn’t make it out of this room alive and she knew it.

“There’s nothing to tell. She lives. She feeds, albeit, rather harshly. She’s a newborn. Nothing sets her apart. Well…” he paused, “nothing but her eyes, which alone speak volumes.” A smile broadened across his face and I felt myself step closer.

“What about her eyes?”

Still, I tried to connect with his stare, but he kept me closed off.

“They’re black.”

I sighed, shaking my head. “All newborns’ eyes are. What about hers are different?”

A quiet laugh shook his chest and he glanced up. “You misunderstand. All of it is black. The entire eye.”

My lips separated as Bufar’s memory came back to me. In the cave he rested in, the vampire who was stalking him had pure black eyes, too. But he’d been beyond powerful. So old, he had to have been around since Time itself. And he’d seen me watching him. Even through the memory.

“How?” My question came out winded, almost silent from my shock.

“I don’t know. Sayer and I were both surprised, but it speaks of things to come, I’m sure. Tessalyn Antoinette will be quite the Mistress and leader. We’ll see when we start putting her through the tests. The Black Prince wants to begin as soon as possible, so I’m sure we’ll get to witness it after we feed.

“Tests? What sort of tests?”

A whimper sounded from the side of the cell and I threw a glance toward the girl curled into herself against the wall. When I turned back to Julius, he was already shutting the door and stepping back.

“Just tests. See you tomorrow.”

I rushed toward the bars, gripping them with every ounce of impatience and anger I harbored. “Set me free. I want to watch. I can help. I—”

“You will remain here.”

“I won’t kill Hunter, dammit. You have my word. Set me free.”

Julius didn’t pause as he continued to walk away. It left me pulling at the bars in aggravation.

“Julius! Wait!” I shuffled my feet to the far corner closest to him as he disappeared. The crying behind me became heavier and I growled, spinning around and baring my fangs. “You humans are always so weak. Do you not face your death with honor for who you serve?” I stomped in her direction, lunging and locking my arm around her waist as she tried to run around me. Dark hair swung as I jerked her to fit against my body, slamming my fangs into her neck. Thrashing was followed by screams, filling the space with exactly what I wanted to hear: utter terror. I sucked hard, relentless in my feeding. The deep draws brought me the closest I’d been to home in the last few hours and although her blood held no appeal, the beat of her heart did. I soaked in the fast rhythm, letting it soothe the monster within. Not just my vampire—the once bonded male. God, how I missed Tessa’s presence of being mine. Of my blood racing through her veins, feeding me her thoughts and emotions.

As minutes went by and the speed of the woman’s pulse slowed, I didn’t stop. Only when I knew death beckoned, did I pull back, snapping her neck and letting her limp body fall to the cement. The dark hair fanned across the floor and I stared at it, fascinated. For seconds, I couldn’t move. Could think past the wavering reality of it being
her
.

So much like my Tessa’s hair: beautiful, long, and dark. Entranced, I lowered until I was lying next to her. From behind, I could almost imagine Tessa was asleep and we were back in my room. So clearly could I see her.

“We’ll be together again, ma minette. I promise. And this time, you’ll love me for real. You’ll want me more than you ever have.” I ran my fingers down the long length, picking up the end to twist around my finger. The smell wasn’t right. There was no lavender or jasmine. No traces of strawberries. But I didn’t need it. My memories mixed with delirium and I conjured what I wanted, letting it tempt me back to sleep. Back to her. Visions returned, but not for long. 

“Help me.”

My eyes snapped opened as I bolted to a sitting position. I reached up, pressing my palm against my racing heart. Had I been dreaming? My eyes darted toward the empty cells on both sides of me and then down to the dead girl I’d been curled around. She wasn’t breathing. At the only possibility left, I felt myself stand. “
Ma minette?”

Silence.

“Ma minette,”
I called out in my mind, more forcefully.
“If that was you, you better answer me right this minute.”
I paused, swallowing hard.
“Please. God, please, tell me that was you. I miss you. I fucking love you. Talk to me. Answer me! Are you hurt? Why do you need help?”

Back and forth, my footsteps ate up the length of the cell. It had to have been Tessa. No one would have been able to communicate with me that way. Did she still have some of my blood in her? Was it possibly strong enough to stand a chance against Sayer’s? For minutes, I contemplated.

“Fuck…me,” I gasped.
“Tessa! Come on, mon amour. You can do this. Feel with the pit of your stomach. Use your power to force our connection. Feel my blood. Feed it. Focus on it. Give it power and let it take you over.”
 

My mind was racing. If by some miracle she still held some of me inside of her after all this time, she might always have it. But what did that mean? I’d never heard of it happening, but it didn’t mean it couldn’t happen. If that were the case…

Chapter 3

Tessa

The hammering of multiple hearts surrounded me, beating against my skin and pulling at my ears while the three males stared at me from across the room. Two were like me...different.
Vampire.
But one wasn’t. He smelled good. It was killing me not to be able to get to him.
Human
. My mind told me what he was, but I couldn’t decipher why he stood out when the others didn’t. Nothing made sense in my mind; it all mingled together into a realization just too big for me to grasp yet.

My fangs lowered as I kept my attention on the rise and fall of the human’s chest. Nothing mattered but what was flowing through his body. I wanted him—to taste what he was made of. I was angry that at being denied. Who were they to keep me trapped here?

“Hunter, I do believe she has eyes for only you.”

The human watched me, shifting on the chair not feet away while the other walked in slow strides before him. I saw the way the vampire in black looked at what belonged to me. He wanted him and I didn’t like it.

“That’s because Tessa knows who I am. She recognizes me.”

Laughter filled the space and the blond stopped, glancing in my direction. “Yeah. As food.” He turned toward me, walking closer. Instinctively, I lunged, hissing at the threat he presented. There was something about him I didn’t like. Something…no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t unlock what kept wanting to come. Pain shot through my head and my lids lowered in agony.

“Are you hungry, Tessalyn? I know you’re pretty much going to stay in that state, but this time, we’re going to make meal time a little fun. What do you say? Want to play a game?”

A game. What did he think of me as? A child? I forced my eyes open, watching his facial features pull tight as he smiled.

“Hunter, go stand in the corner. I’m going to let her loose for a minute.”

“Are you fucking crazy? She’s going to try to kill me.”

The blond laughed, again. “I thought she knew you. Surely, if she was aware of who you were, she wouldn’t do that, would she?”

The human threw me an indecipherable look, but turned his aggression on the blond. “
She
knows who I am. It’s the vampire who wants to eat me for lunch.”

“Better get going or else I might not be able to get to her fast enough.”

Movement had my stare jerking to the human as he stood from the chair and quickly moved further away. Panicked, I shifted on my feet. He couldn’t leave. Couldn’t run from me. I wanted him. He was mine. Somehow, I knew that. But for what was clouded with confusion. He spoke of me knowing him and although I didn’t know what that meant, I felt it was important.

Air pushed against my skin in a small gush and while the need to burst into a sprint was there, I waited. Watching. What did this vampire expect me to do? What was he hoping to see?

Slowly, I moved in the opposite direction, pausing as the quiet vampire in the chair by the door stood. His long dark hair fell over his shoulder while he covered the distance between the blond.

Help me. Help me. Help me.
What did I do? The words repeated even though I was confused as to why I needed someone to save me.

“Ma minette?”

I froze, feeling my eyes go wide at the voice that came through. My head jerked toward the sound and I scanned the room, turning in a full circle. Where was it coming from? Who had that been? His voice…sparked something. It made my skin hot. Made me…

“
If that was you, you better answer me right this minute. Please. God, please, tell me that was you. I miss you. I fucking love you. Talk to me. Answer me! Are you hurt? Why do you need help?”

“What is she doing?”

The human had me spinning with such force, I couldn’t think past the need to have him. I flew forward with speed that made me feel weightless. Growling broke through my throat and all I could think of was sinking my teeth into his neck. I could hear his heart. It drew me to him. Begged for me to experience how it would feel against my fangs.

“Good girl!” The blond’s arms shot out, wrapping around my waist. I snapped my teeth in his direction, screaming as I began to thrash in his hold. “Did you see that, Julius? Fuck, she moves faster than I thought she would. Come on, Princess. Let’s see what you’re made of.”

Julius opened the door and the one in black rushed down the tunnel, taking us deeper into the darkness. Another door opened and I was thrown in a large open area full of more people like me. More…vampires.

Lithe movements had them prowling around the room and their attention was on only one thing. The smell had my eyes shooting toward the ceiling. Hanging above was a cage with a human man trapped inside. Scared sounds poured from his mouth as he stared down at us, gripping tightly to the bars of his prison. Instantly, I knew I had to have him. But they wanted him, too, just not as badly. At least, that’s what my mind told me. I was above them. What I wanted would supersede anyone else’s needs.
I
was all that mattered.
Me.

One by one, their attention changed. They turned to me, cocking their heads as their attention focused on my chest and then my face. I felt their threat. They wanted my blood. They wanted me as their meal. But they weren’t going to get it. I’d kill them. I’d kill them all.

Eight.
The number registered before I even thought to count how many there were. Dark eyes flickered and one of the vampire’s lips peeled back as he snarled.

“Come on, Princess. What are you going to do? You better think quickly. You’re running out of time.” The voice echoed around the room, sounding like it came from some faraway place. The word
speaker
registered in my mind, but I didn’t quite know what it meant. I brought my attention to the right. To a glass wall. A light flickered in the closed-off space, giving me a view of Sayer, Julius, and my human, Hunter. But I didn’t get to look long.

Growls broke my focus and I stepped back, closer to the wall behind me.
Eight. Eight. Eight.

“Tessa! Come on, mon amour. You can do this. Feel with the pit of your stomach. Use your power to force our connection. Feel my blood. Feed it. Focus on it. Give it power and let it take you over.”
 

The voice sent me screaming and grabbing at my head again. Even though hearing the words set off pain, it didn’t stop me from noticing the odd pull I had in my core.
In the pit of my stomach.
My eyes cut up as I watched two vampires move closer toward me. Thoughts vanished and the room faded out as I focused on the warmth swirling around. Power…yes. I had power. And I would not be afraid. I was someone. Someone important. Someone with status.

Lights above me flickered, but I barely noticed. Heat was growing, spreading, as threats came closer. A black mist began to creep along the walls and ceiling, rolling toward me. It ate the light as it thickened and began swallowing the interior of the room. The connection it had with my vampire was immediate. I called it closer, coaxing it to my will, even though I wasn’t sure exactly what it was or what it was doing. Instinct took over and a deep sound came from my throat. The lights above began to strobe, giving flashes to the black fog suddenly pouring from my mouth.

“Phenomenal, Princess. More!”

Sayer’s voice pushed my rage to a boiling point. Claws shot out from my fingertips and I pushed to the balls of my feet, slicing through one of the vampire’s necks, spinning and slashing the other across the face. Blood perfumed around me and an inferno took over my mouth and throat. I screamed, racing across the room in my bloodlust and sinking my fangs into a female vampire’s throat. The skin shredded as I bit down and ripped my teeth free. Flickering left everything in slow motion, calming me. Yes…I needed black. Nothingness.

Just as I reached the next, darkness took over completely, feeding my adrenaline and the need to kill even more. Here, I was home…where I was supposed to be.

Each heartbeat tickled my skin like a beacon. It led me forward, slicing through flesh and snapping bones as I fought off two who rushed at me. Blood spilled over my lips and I screamed in impatience as the warmth soaked through the white nightgown I’d been given to wear. This bad blood wasn’t enough. I wanted something more. Something richer. I wanted my prize hanging above.

A high pitch wail echoed around the room with my last attack and I snarled in fury as claws raked down my side, cutting deep. The pain sent my arms straight to the vampire’s hair. I dug in deep, twisting and shredding until I felt the creature’s head tear from its neck. I let the head fall to the floor and pushed from the balls of my feet, jumping high and catching the end of the cage. The swinging didn’t stop the inevitable. The newly formed muscles in my arms easily lifted me and I reached for the bars of the door, ripping it clean from the hinges.

Murmuring in the background registered, but I ignored it as I launched myself toward the sweet smell of the heavily muscled human cowering against the side. Screams broke from his throat as I dove forward and sank my fangs just below his pulse point. The cries vibrated my entire body, sending prickling sensations along my skin. The sudden arousal was so unexpected, I almost broke away at the odd thickness that left my fangs aching. The venom pushed into the man and the hands that had a death grip on my hips eased the smallest amount…until he was pulling me in and pushing his hard cock against what didn’t belong to him. Who did he think he was? Didn’t he know who I was?
Who was I?
I didn’t know, but I was someone. Someone who wasn’t be touched unless she gave permission.

I sucked harder, crushing the bones in one of his hands. The sob was followed by the fingers of his good hand digging into my back. I jerked free of his neck and hissed as I sent my fist right through his throat. The act just came. Not from thought or even want. Instinct. It ruled me.

“Bravo! Excellent first test. Way to make me proud.”

I spun around at the voice, noticing the light had returned through the dark haze I’d created. I didn’t hesitate to jump down and stalk toward the glass. Although I wanted to shatter it, I didn’t. My stare connected with the blond, who I now recognized as my maker, and I raised one of my blood soaked hands, fitting my palm against the glass.

“Je ne fais pas cela pour vous. Je le fais pour moi.”
I don't do this for you. I do this for me.

The smile melted and a hardness took over his face. He shook his head, keeping eye contact with me.

“Did she just speak French?” Julius looked over at Sayer nervously. “You can speak French, can’t you, Sayer?”

“No,” he said lowly. “I cannot.”