Lure (9 page)

I stood from the bottom of the bed, blinking past what I was seeing. My head shook furiously as I ripped my gaze to Marko.

“You are
not
letting her go out like that.” The little red dress barely held in her cleavage. If she bent over, the whole city would be exposed to her ass and lord knew what else. Was she even wearing panties?

“Tessa picked it out. It’s what she feels she needs to wear. I’m letting her take the lead. We’ll be following.”

“This is bullshit,” I snapped. “Tessa wouldn’t want this, Marko.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “This is Tessa and I assure you, this is what she wants.”

I took in the flawlessness of her pale skin and pouty, crimson lips. The hue of pink tinted her cheeks and I chanced a peek at her eyes. A laugh fell free and I pointed. “How is she going to disguise those? Anyone who takes one look at her will know she’s not human. Her eyes are black, or have you not noticed? She looks like a demon. She’s going to scare off anyone who looks her way and when she can’t feed, she’ll turn into even more of a…vampire.” I had almost said monster, but caught myself. I knew Marko didn’t miss my meaning.

Slowly, the side of his mouth pulled back and he turned to Tessa, easing her to face him. “Look into my eyes, ma minette. Deep, deep into my eyes. As your leader, I’m going to draw you out. Your instincts will flare, but in a good way. You’ll be more in control.” Softer, his voice became, and she didn’t hesitate to meet his gaze.
Such trust.
I couldn’t stand it.

Marko leaned closer, moving in until their lips were but a fraction of an inch apart. French words were whispered between them and the air changed entirely as her body softened, gravitating more into his. Her lips separated and she licked them, reaching to grab onto the jacket of his suit. At Marko’s hand rising and his fingers weaving into her long hair, I barely registered the angry sound that left me.

“You’re an excellent student,” he said, cupping her face. “I could teach you so much, if you’ll let me.”

Although Marko had switched to English, Tessa replied in French.

“Will you teach me everything? Will you…?” She bit her bottom lip, letting it pull against her teeth as she began to smile.

“Perfect,” he said huskily. “You’ll do great.”

A smile appeared on both of their faces and hers stayed in place as she turned to me. The pale green of her eyes had me gasping and for the first time, I could almost see the old Tessa. It left me speechless as she swayed her hips and headed in my direction. Each step had her personality transitioning. She was a goddess—the definition of seduction. Worry began to pull at her features and it wrapped around my heart. My brain locked and thoughts disappeared. The need to rush toward her and do something…provide assistance, brought my hand up. I could feel the lack of control on my thoughts. It was her. She captivated me.

“Can you…help me?” Her lip trembled and tears clouded her eyes. “I’m…lost. I’m not from here. Can you help me?”

What the fuck?

I brought my widened eyes to Marko only long enough to catch his laugh. Fingertips traced down my face and she looked so scared, yet alluring, that it threw me, leaving my mind racing on what I should do. The emotions I felt from her were real. So genuine.

“I’m…lost. Please.” A few seconds went by when a laugh exploded from her mouth and she patted my cheek, turning back to him. “Good? Yes?”

“Fucking excellent. Come to me. I’ll walk you out. When we reach above ground, you’ll appear on your own. But I’ll be there every step of the way. Do as I told you here,” he said, bringing his finger to her temple. “And you must remember the rules. I’m your leader. You have to obey. If you break any of them, no more going out for you for a very long time. This is for fun. Don’t ruin it by losing control.”

Tessa headed back toward him while I stayed rooted to the floor. As her arm looped in his and they headed for the door, it was like I suddenly didn’t exist. I was no one to them. It took all I had to make myself follow. Two killers were before me and they were headed to the world I’d spent over a decade protecting. The realization tore at everything I represented—of what I stood for. Sickness swarmed in my stomach and only worsened as we headed down the tunnels and made it through a manhole placing us in downtown. Darkness engulfed us and I climbed up, glancing at the broken light from the pole looming above.
How convenient.

Marko moved the lid back over easily and reached for Tessa, pulling her close. Her chest rose in heavy pants and she shifted nonstop in his grasp.

“Slow your breathing and pulse, ma minette. You’re too excited. Calm, remember? Slow. Do everything in a leisurely pace. Tempt them. Use your beauty to lure them to where you want them. It’s the name of the game. Seduce. Charm. Act lost if you must, like before with Hunter. Whatever it is that you feel from them. And you will. You’re going to be able to read them like a book. Keep eye contact. You don’t have to use your powers. What lies within you will be enough to have them helplessly following.”

His hand lowered to press flat against her stomach. “You feel that,” he said, pushing in enough to make her inhale deeply. There was lust written between them as he leaned in closer. “That heavy pull tells you who you are.
What
you are. What does it tell you?”

Tessa licked her lips, never breaking their stare. “I am…somebody. I rule. Nobody else.”

Marko’s eyes flickered with something, but he nodded. “You are of worth. You always have been. Now, use that. You can have anyone you want. Anyone. You are Tessalyn Antoinette, the Black Princess. You
will
rule. Right at my side. Together, this city is ours. Happy hunting. I’ll be watching.” He lowered, barely brushing his lips against hers. I couldn’t stop my hand from thrusting forward to grip his bicep. He had to stop this. I couldn’t watch what my deepest fears told me. Even now, after everything I’d gone through, had to witness…she wouldn’t be mine. It didn’t matter whether I wanted her or not, it was the principle.

A growl exploded and Tessa was on me, slamming me to the ground before I saw her move. Her small body straddled mine while she applied pressure to my neck, baring her fangs inches away as she secured me.

“Shh,” Marko said, lowering to the side of her face. “It’s okay. He can’t hurt me.”

The grip loosened, filling me with oxygen, but the anger never left her eyes.

“Why does she protect you like that?” More, she let go, and I pushed her hard to the side, getting her off me as I came to stand.

“I’m her leader. She carries my blood. You reacting as you did is equivalent to doing it to her. She knows who she belongs to, Hunter. This will never change. She may remember the past someday and become angry at the things that have happened between her and me, but Tessa’s love for me will never die. We were bonded once. Deep down, we always will be.”

“God, I fucking hate you.” I wiped the dirt from my pants and shirt, glancing over at Tessa doing the same with her dress. Still, she watched me threateningly. Wasn’t I supposed to be the person for her? Wasn’t she supposed to love me, too?

Marko seemed to read my mind. “You worry for naught. Watch.” His hand reared back as if to hit me and I was jerked toward Tessa, who quickly put herself in front of me. She didn’t attack him…but she did protect me.

“Like I said,” he rushed out, “she loves us both. Only difference,” he said, beginning to smile, “she’d kill you for me. I can’t say she’d do the same for you.”

Before I could talk, he motioned his head to her. “Go. We’ll be here.”

Anxiously, she looked between us, giving both of us aggravated looks before she turned and headed for the light. The closer she got, the more her hips swayed. Marko began to follow and I stayed by his side. The silence between us wasn’t uncomfortable. My mind began to wander again and I hated where it always took me. I glanced in his direction, only to turn and take in Tessa.

“Sayer…raped me. A lot.” Where the statement came from, I wasn’t sure. I couldn’t look over as we continued.

“I know,” he said lowly. “I saw through Tessa’s eyes. She aches for what he did to you. She may not be aware of it now, but it’ll come back. When it does, she’s going to…” He glanced over. “She sincerely cares for you. She really does. You know this, yes?”

“Yes.”

Sweat began breaking out over my skin and I pulled at the collar of my shirt as we neared the clubs. “The things he did to Tessa…I’d sacrifice myself for her again. A million times.”

Marko glanced over at me. “I won’t forget what you’ve done. I may not like you, but I
love
her. You need not worry or fear anymore. Sayer will pay. You have my word.”

“Do I? Why didn’t you kill him when you had your chance?” Anger took over my words and he came to a stop on the sidewalk, keeping his focus on Tessa ahead.

“It’s not that easy, Hunter. Our race is just as political as yours. Sayer holds position. The timing is key. Julius’s killing, I could get away with. Being locked away as I was, I was not in the right state of mind. Axis will see that. They’ll accept that. Besides, it was my time to rule. They’ll know this, too. Sayer…” he turned to me, looking right in my eyes. “Sayer must meet his fate by unfortunate circumstances.”

Flashes of different scenarios projected into my head and the one man who held my fate in his hands caused them. From me, to Tessa, to Marko actually committing the murder, but using one of us as an excuse. Any of us could commit the act, but it would have to be justifiable. I was human, I was the exception. Tessa was a newborn, she was an exception. Marko was not. He was free of restraint and leader of a community now.

“I see,” I whispered. And I did. I knew exactly what I had to do. Marko may have not been able to walk up and try to kill Sayer, but one thing I did learn through his energy was that if I did, Marko wouldn’t let me die. He’d be by my side, protecting me. He’d help me kill the Black Prince.

Chapter 14

Marko

To watch Tessa in action left my heart pounding and my blood racing. Hunter’s concerns may have been focused around Sayer, but I couldn’t think about that anymore. We’d deal with the bastard when the time came. As of right now, all I wanted was to watch the woman I loved unleash the predator within—one I knew was just as vicious as mine. Right now, we were the same. She was like me, thirsting and craving blood. But where she needed to experience the hunt, I longed to hunt her. To taste this new vampire version of my Tessa.
Prey.
Yes…what fun we could have.

Dark waves moved back and forth around her hips as she scanned the groups of people walking along the sidewalks. The vast energy radiating from her had my feet moving faster. My cock was getting hard from just feeling her aura. Her power was growing by the day. I almost couldn’t believe how strong she was for being so young. I was hungry for her. Just as much as I ever was. No…more. Fuck yes, so much more.

“White shirt.”

“What?” I glanced over at Hunter, annoyed that he’d disrupted my thoughts.

“She’s eying the man in the white shirt standing across the street. See,” he said, pointing to a line outside of a club.

My eyes narrowed and I brought my attention back to Tessa. Just as quickly, her head snapped further down the line. Wind blew her hair back and she looked between the two, turning her head from left to right. The decision was final at her clenching her fist. I knew it. Felt the air change as she shifted her feet in the other direction.

“But…he’s not human,” I said lowly. “What in the hell?

Tessa broke to the right, jogging across the street in her stilettos. A bad feeling began to creep into me as I followed. Faster, I went, ignoring the curses leaving Hunter’s mouth.

“She’s going to fucking kill him right here on the street. Goddammit!” Hunter broke out into a sprint and I followed, just as fast. Aaron, one of Boyd’s friends, turned, feeling her energy. The moment his stare stopped on her, his arms drew in and he burst free of the crowd, taking off at lightning speed. But Tessa was already on his heels, heading for a dark alley not a half block away.

“She knows. She saw.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” We burst through a large group just in time to see both of them disappear past the dark entrance. “He killed my friends and I had every intention of finding him. I think she knows that.”

Darkness swallowed us up as we burst into the alley. Male growls rang out in the distance and my eyes quickly adjusted to see them at the end. Tessa shoes were off while she lowered, swaying in a stance, baring her fangs. Slowly, she began to circle around as he held his ground.

“Aaron.” My voice echoed through the space, a warning to the creature within him. His eyes jerked up and Tessa lunged, tackling him down. Like a blur, her face dove forward. “Fuck,” I ground out, moving at my true speed and leaving Hunter behind.

Within seconds, I had my arm locking around her waist. I pulled back, exposing the vampire’s shredded face and neck. Blood was everywhere, even soaking into the sleeve of my jacket from the deep wound across Tessa’s chest. The sounds of his feet kicking wildly were followed by his hands clawing at the massacre left of his throat. The front was completely gone, hanging loosely to the side. Anger swept through me and I brought my foot down, right over the massive hole, grinding until his head was severed. A flashlight clicked on and I watched the blood drain from Hunter’s face.

“Turn it off.” My voice was deep, almost unrecognizable as I let Tessa down, spinning her around to face me. Blood was smeared across her face and cheeks. Black eyes once again stared at me. “What the fuck did I tell you when we left? I said no deaths. That means vampires, too. You’re in so much trouble. You’re…” My teeth snapped shut as I tried to breathe through the anger. I was leader and one of my vampires had just died at the hands of a woman I was responsible for. Love or not, my mind wasn’t letting me dismiss that.

I dropped my hands and Tessa surged forward. Hunter’s body slammed into the ground and the smell of blood masked the air. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. As a newborn, she should have instinctually known better than to react when her leader was in the middle of reprimanding her. She should have waited for my command. It came natural to all of us, but Tessa wasn’t like other newborns and I was quickly realizing what I’d missed during lockdown.

I grasped her hair, holding tightly as I lurched her to her feet. The puncture wounds were evident on Hunter’s neck, but it was his side that was bleeding out.

“Fuck,” Hunter gasped, holding to the slashes tightly. “I fucking told you this was a bad idea. Shit, she got me good.” A ragged breath left him and I internally used my pull to summon Marie and Bufar. Sweat collected on my skin at the chaos Tessa was causing. She wasn’t ready to be exposed to humans. Not even close. How had I thought her to be? Hunter loved her, but he’d been afraid for good reason. She was more vampire than anything. Her thirst for violence had my biggest fear creeping in and I prayed it wasn’t true. Sayer may have ruined her. He may have…

I lowered, pushing Tessa to the ground on her stomach while I pinned her fighting form down with my knee.

“Lift your shirt, let me see.”

A groan left Hunter’s throat and he shook his head.

“Do it,” I demanded. “You said it was bad. I can smell how strongly you’re bleeding. You have to show me. You may need blood to heal.”

“Fuck you,” he ground out. “Never. I think I’d rather die before I let you save me that way.”

“Stubborn fool.” I reached forward, ripping the material of his shirt. The skin was cut open, but not to the point of being fatal—at least, not yet. If he continued losing blood at the same rate, things would go downhill fast.

Tessa’s nails scraped against the asphalt as she continued trying to get to Hunter. I knew these spells for her wouldn’t last long. She’s was in the process of forgetting again. An hour, maybe a little more, she’d come to. It was the newborn process and one that could range in time. But if Sayer had ruined her, she’d only get worse with her increasing strength. And this need she had would never go away.

“I’m having Marie come for you. When she gets here, I’m leaving to subdue Tessa. She’ll take care of you.”

“Marie?” Hunter took a few deep breaths, letting his head fall to rest on the ground.

“Yes. You trust her, don’t you?”

“No,” he said, letting his head roll to the side. “But she’ll do. Why are you being nice to me? I don’t understand? I hate you, you hate me. That’s how we work. You’ve been nothing but—”

I pushed into one of the slashes, evoking a loud grunt from Hunter. “There, feel better?”

“Fucking asshole. Goddammit. What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I’m being mean. Now, stop talking, you’re making yourself bleed out even more.” Tessa tried twisting herself back and forth, only making me push against her harder. “Besides,” I went on, “I have my reasons, Hunter. If you think I’m starting to like you, you’re wrong. I still want Tessa.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t like me, too. And I think you’re starting to. I think in another life, we could have possibly been friends.”

My head shook and I couldn’t stop the sarcastic laugh from leaving me. “Are you sure you didn’t hit your head when she tackled you down? You’re talking nonsense. We would have tried to kill each other then, too. If you want me to prove just how much I don’t like you, I’ll gladly finish you off right now and rid myself of one less problem.”

Hunter took a deep breath and pushed to position himself on his elbow. “You could have done that a million times already. But you haven’t. Why?”

I didn’t have time for this. I didn’t like Hunter, yet…I didn’t hate him either.

“You live because I want Tessa to love me more than she already does. She can’t possibly do that with me killing her best friend, can she?”

“I suppose not.” Another grunt left his mouth as he tried to stand. His weight hit the ground hard as his strength gave out and I shook my head.

“Fuck, sometimes I think dying would be so much easier than living this nightmare.”

A soft cry left Tessa and I stood, bringing her up with me. I could feel Marie and Bufar close. “Embrace this beautiful nightmare. For when it ends, so will your life. This is all you have left, Hunter. You chose this path, now you have to face the consequences. Giving up is for cowards. You are not a coward. I can at least say that about you.”

“You’re wrong.” Hunter met my eyes for only a moment before he looked back down at his wound. “I’m only strong because I have to be. For Tessa, for those soldiers. What happens when I don’t have anyone left to save?”

My lips parted and even though I felt the need to speak, I wasn’t sure what to say. This man was opening up to me, laying himself open and my vampire couldn’t stomach it. But me…the man I used to be, felt jolted to the core. He wouldn’t have Tessa forever, she’d be mine. Then, what really would happen to him? How would Tessa take that? Would she deny what I knew to be her true feelings to keep this human emotionally afloat? I couldn’t see her vampire being able to, but she’d have humanity, too.

Two shadows moved through the darkness toward us and I held Tessa tighter as she squirmed in my arms. “You’ll be fine. You’ll adjust to whatever Tessa chooses.” I couldn’t continue to be near him. I lifted Tessa’s feet from the ground as I headed to Marie and Bufar at a fast pace. Only once did I glance back at Hunter. Thoughts swirled, colliding with different possibilities. Only one coalesced. One I didn’t even want to consider.

Serious faces met me as my number two and new number ten awaited my orders. I glanced at Marie, feeling her loyalty through and through. This was all she’d ever wanted—to be a member. Dead slaves were a distant memory of her past and I knew she was already on the hunt for more. She was thriving, still growing stronger from her grief. Something I knew she now thanked me for.

“Aaron is dead. Have the body disposed of.” I swallowed hard, staring over my shoulder as Hunter once again tried to stand. “Tessa hurt him pretty badly. Give him your blood for healing. Start the process. The two of you bond.”

Red lips separated as her gaze jerked to Hunter and then Tessa. “She’ll kill me when she remembers her past. I…can’t do that.”

“Yes, you can. I’m your leader and you’ll obey. Don’t worry about Tessa. This is for the best. She’ll come to see that. She’ll see everything.”