Vampire Apocalypse #2 Cataylst (2 page)

After a moment, Will broke the gaze and
looked down at his chest. “If that’s what you need, I will.” He
released her arms and started to peel off his coat. As his fingers
worked the buttons on the front of his shirt, Kahli couldn’t look
away. She didn’t know what he was doing. It was freezing, even with
the fire right next to them.

“You saw the runes on my chest once before.
Do you remember?” His fingers undid another button and his shirt
began to fall open.

Now that he said it, Kahli thought she
remembered something, but the recollection was fuzzy and faded,
like an old photograph left in the sun, bleached white with all the
details missing.

Brow pinching together, she nodded,
“Vaguely.”

Will pulled his arms out of the shirt,
revealing his bare chest. His body was all muscle and smooth skin.
Kahli stared, wanting to touch him, to feel the rise and fall of
those muscles beneath her fingers. The thought shocked her. She
tried to bury it, but Will smiled softly, like he’d already heard
her. He took her hand in his and pressed the pads of her fingers to
his chest.

Kahli couldn’t breathe. She didn’t know what
he was doing, but she didn’t pull away. “What are you—?”

He cut her off, “Look. Read them. I know you
can.”

When Kahli looked down at his bare skin she
saw a string of runes appear under her fingers. Will lifted his
hands from hers knowing that she wouldn’t pull away. As she slid
her hand across his chest, rune after rune appeared. Some of them
didn’t make sense. They seemed to be more like symbols than words,
but as her fingers grazed across his chest and down his side, Kahli
recognized a rune. She slipped her fingers over his skin slowly,
tracing a line down his side. As she touched him, blood-red runes
seemed to burn under his skin, throbbing bright crimson, until her
fingers passed over them and they faded back to the color of his
skin. When her hand trailed down to Will’s waist she stopped.

Swallowing hard, she looked up at him. Will
was watching her, his lips parted slightly. “It’s your name,” she
said, shocked. Will nodded slowly.

The moment felt surreal, like time bent and
stopped. The two stared at each other. Kahli didn’t know how much
time passed before she spoke again. Will’s blue eyes were locked on
hers, holding her in place. They were so close, but when she
dropped her hand neither of them touched. The runes faded, hiding
his real name—the one the vampires could use against him.

Kahli moved her palm to his side again,
hovering her hand over his warm skin. She wanted to touch him
again, she wanted to feel the runes burn under her palm. Instead
she hesitated, holding her hand less than an inch from his side.
Her heart was pounding violently. Her mind couldn’t make sense of
it, of what it meant.

She pressed her lips together and tried to
step away, but Will took her hand. “Say it,” he commanded. “Say my
name.”

Kahli was wide-eyed. She shook her head. The
name wouldn’t tumble from her mouth. “No. It’s enough to see it. I
trust you. I believe you.” It was what she needed, something of
equal value—something equally damning—to be trusted with. She still
couldn’t believe he showed her.

“Then, why are you shaking?”

Kahli looked at her hand, her fingers next to
Will’s. He was so strong and her blood made him stronger. Blood.
The thought jarred her. “Those are blood runes. They aren’t the
same as mine.”

Will nodded, his thumb rubbing the back of
her hand, tracing small circles on her smooth skin. “You’re right.
They aren’t. They’re more powerful, more binding. Marriage runes
connect you to another person. They’re a promise. I assume you have
another rune with his family’s crest?” Will turned over Kahli’s
wrist, the wrist that had the Section 8 brand, and examined it.
“Maybe it was here? Under this one?”

“Maybe,” she confessed, her lips slowly
pulling into a smile. That was exactly where it was. Her wrist rune
could only be evoked by her betrothed’s blood. Until then, it would
remain hidden. These were things that would have been part of the
marriage ceremony, part of a life that was gone.

Will smoothed his hand over her wrist, and
returned her smile. “I always liked that ritual. It was romantic,
professing love like that, being bound to another
person—willingly.” When he said the last word, Kahli’s insides
twisted. They were not willing linked. Continuing, he said, “Mine
are different. They’re blood runes. There’s nothing willing about
them. I guess that makes me more vamp, than human.” He smiled
sadly. It was a difference between them, clearly marking that they
were different.

Kahli nodded, “I suppose so,” she said
softly, staring at his smooth skin. Looking into his eyes, she
asked, “How come I can see them? I mean, runes don’t just pop up
like that.”

“Because vampires mark runes in blood, and my
blood is inside of you. You can evoke my runes and read them. They
respond to you, treating you like an extension of me.” Will raised
his hand to her cheek, and touched her soft skin gently with his
thumb. The way he looked at her made Kahli’s heart pound harder. He
smiled at her and dropped his hand to his side.

Kahli’s voice shook slightly as she spoke,
“What are these?” She pointed to the pale flesh on his upper chest,
sliding her finger over the spot and awakening the runes. They
burned under her touch. “These don’t look like any runes I’ve
seen.” Will shivered as the runes appeared under Kahli’s finger,
flashing bright orange, like flames.

He smiled sadly at her, “Property runes. They
identify who I belong to, which vampire clan I serve.”

Kahli could feel the weight of something,
some decision he made long ago, crushing him. As he looked into her
eyes, she wished she could fix it and remove that pain, but she
didn’t know what caused it.

“Who do you belong to?” Their gazes met and
held. She could feel longing burst through his body, but nothing
else. No name. No sign that said THIS GUY BELONGS TO with a name
tacked on the end.

Will shook his head, “Can’t say. It’s
forbidden.”

She nodded slowly, wondering who owned him.
Her guesses included the king, queen, and Reggie, but she wasn’t
sure. “How can you be marked by more than one owner?”

He smiled at her, “They can’t see the runes.
As long as their wills don’t conflict, I can be branded by the
entire Regent.” He cringed thinking about it. “Thankfully, I wasn’t
that stupid, to let them all brand me. Not that I had much of a
choice.” He saw the question in her eyes. Will sighed and pushed
his hand through his hair and responded, “Stupid mistakes. I made
too many of them. That’s all I can say, Kahli. I’d tell you, if I
were able. Being able to talk to someone about it would be
freeing.”

Her throat tightened as she listened to him
speak. He was a slave. For some reason, Kahli didn’t see it before,
but she did now. Kahli knew what it felt like to be trapped. The
vampires held her captive for a few weeks, but Will, he was
enslaved for years.

The way Will gazed at her made Kahli notice
it, the sensation snaking through her stomach. It wasn’t hers. It
was Will’s. When he looked at her, he saw hope. It filled him up
and made him stronger. What hope could she possibly bring him?
There was nothing she could do to save him. She couldn’t even save
herself. If Will hadn’t followed her from the palace, she would
have bled to death.

Looking into his eyes, Kahli knew she’d fight
for him, free him if she could figure out how. The way he looked at
her made her uneasy. It was like Will wanted to kiss her—or more.
The thing that scared her most wasn’t knowing that he was drawn to
her, it was no longer being repulsed by his attraction. She had
feelings for him. She felt it. Will was everything she would have
wanted in a mate, but he was a vampire. His blood separated them.
It always would.

Looking down, Kahli stepped back. Will didn’t
object. He turned to grab his shirt, pulling it onto his strong
shoulders, followed by his coat.

“So.” Kahli’s voice was firm. She looked up
at Will, understanding him a little better, wishing she knew him
more. “How much of this assassination have you planned?”

CHAPTER 3

Cassie paced nervously as she watched the
three empty beds in her room. Each fluffy white bedspread sat
untouched with every pillow still perfectly in place. Moonlight cut
through the tall window panes, casting a soft glow on the vacant
beds. Cassie’s fingers drifted across Kahli’s bedspread as she
passed it.

No one had returned, yet. They should have
all been back. How long was dinner? In her dealings with the King,
he was only after one thing, and when he got it, he tossed her out.
She cringed and pushed away the memory
. It’s just nerves
,
she told herself. There was no explanation for it, but Cassie felt
like she was going to wretch. From the time they came in and
summoned Kahli, something didn’t feel right. The last time she felt
this way, something hideous happened. When the King was involved,
they were always at risk. Add in this feeling and she was a nervous
wreck, pacing and jumpy.

Before it was too late to leave the maiden’s
quarters, Cassie pushed through the doors. She managed to find
Cole. He was wandering the hallways like he usually did. Cassie
once asked him why he did it, but she didn’t get much of an answer.
Cole appeared to have an agenda, but she didn’t really understand
why. They were both trapped, bred to be in this place. Maybe acting
like a spy made him feel like he had some control over his life.
Besides, it was easier to pretend that he was Cassie’s sentry,
always nearby waiting to help.

“Hey,” Cole said, when he looked up and saw
his sister walking toward him. He was still dressed in his dinner
suit. The dark blue fabric was supple. It was perfectly tailored to
his body, accentuating his broad shoulders and narrow waist. The
Queen must have called for him. He only wore that suit when he was
summoned by her. Guards were stationed at either end of the hall,
getting ready to usher them back to their chambers for the evening.
The Queen liked everything to be orderly, and being confined to
quarters at night made certain that they weren’t doing anything
naughty. Not that Cassie had anyone that she wanted to do anything
naughty with.

Hurrying, Cassie walked so fast that she was
nearly running by the time she reached Cole. A guard snapped, “Slow
down!”

Panting, Cassie slowed just as she reached
Cole. His expression pinched into concern as she raced toward him.
Taking her by the elbow, he scolded, “We can’t draw attention to
ourselves. Kahli’s already done enough of that. Ever since the
Purging, the vamps won’t leave me alone.” They had found out he was
stronger than they thought. Cole’s guise was ripped away, and it
was Kahli’s fault. Before he had a chance to say more, Cassie cut
him off.

“The King took, Kahli. She’s been gone all
night.” Eyes wide, she looked up at Cole hoping he’d know what to
do. Normally, she didn’t panic like this, but something didn’t feel
right. Cassie was more than worried about Kahli. Her stomach
churned like she had eaten glass.

Cole turned sharply and they started to walk
back toward the maiden’s rooms. Leaning close to her ear, he
whispered, “When? I’ve been with the Queen and haven’t heard
anything. What happened?”

“Hours ago, before sunset. It’s dark now,
Cole. She shouldn’t have been there that long. He invited Kahli to
dinner and told her to dress up. She was nervous when she left.
Something felt wrong, but she had to go. It’s the King. It’s not
like we can say
no thanks
.”

Cole held onto Cassie’s elbow and he walked
silently as she filled him in. Cole didn’t say much, just nodding
at the right times. He rarely spoke, because they were always being
watched. Eyes and ears where everywhere. Cole didn’t survive this
long by acting like they weren’t under constant surveillance, and
while he didn’t like how Kahli handled herself, he didn’t wish harm
upon her, either.

Taking a deep breath, he ran his fingers
through his hair. It was the end of the day. Everyone should be
exhausted, but Cole was not. He feigned his fatigue, slowing his
pace to match his sister’s. Finally, he said, “Don’t worry about it
for tonight. I’ll tell you what I know in the morning. If she comes
back, send a message. Remember what they taught us?”

Cassie bobbed her head, knowing exactly what
he was referring to. Hands twisting, she looked up at him. “Yes,
but that was before we came here.”

Cole shook his head, “It doesn’t matter. It’s
still true. Don’t assume anything until there’s blood. With our
kind, with our anemia, there is always blood and lots of it when
something goes wrong. Don’t freak out until then. It won’t help you
and it won’t help Kahli. All right?”

Nothing was all right, but what was she
supposed to say? They turned a corner and walked down a hallway
with floor to ceiling windows. All the drapes were pulled shut to
seal in the heat. Even so, Cassie could still feel the frozen air
wafting in and spilling under the thick curtains.

Something Cole said came back to her. She
didn’t know what he meant. Cole always spoke using as few words as
possible. She glanced up at him, “What do you mean, they’re
watching you?”

Cole’s gaze cut to hers. He slipped his hands
into his pockets, continuing to walk like nothing was wrong even
though everything was falling apart. “Exactly that.”

Cassie sighed, frustrated with him. For once,
she wished he would just talk to her the way he used to. Coming to
the palace was exciting at first. It meant a better life, but Cole
never acted like that. Instead he seemed to shut down and was
constantly anxious, like he was going to be attacked at any moment.
There were more rules in the palace, more protection
. But that
didn’t help Kahli
, she thought sadly
. Maybe Cole’s been
right all this time
. Cassie rubbed her face and looked up at
him. “Gonna tell me anything else about it?”