Vampire Enslavement (Lords of Bondage)

VAMPIRE ENSLAVEMENT

(Lords of Bondage Series #5)

CORINNE BALFOUR

FIRST EDITION: SEPTEMBER 2013

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are the products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously.

COPYRIGHT 2013 BY CORINNE BALFOUR

Brindamour Media

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.

Vampire Enslavement

Two females, one human and one blood hybrid, discover a shared destiny:

The captor has become the captive.

Cassia Maximus had been the overseer responsible for the milking of the “cows” in her stepmother’s barn. One she had wanted for herself. She hadn’t been able to deny her attraction for the hybrid vamp chained in a barn stall. Now the captives are free and Cassia has become the slave. She must make a choice: submit to her captor or attempt to escape.

Keira Devine is living a secret double life. She pretends to be a well-mannered and perfectly behaved lady-in-waiting to the princess, but at night, she becomes someone else. She has an addiction to feed—that of blood drinking, and she is willing to do whatever it takes to acquire what she wants. And what she wants is a taste of royalty, a taste of the silver eyed hybrid. But he is too far above her in status and rank, completely unapproachable. So she does what she must. She will take him by force...in complete anonymity.

OTHER BOOKS BY CORINNE BALFOUR

Lords of Bondage Series

#1 - Deceptive Lord

#2 - Dark Lord

#3 - Vampire Slave Trade

#4 - A Neglected Lord

Chapter 1

“I need a drink.” The weakness was upon her again. Kiera couldn’t let it show.

“You will
not
waste this opportunity, Kiera. You will conduct yourself like the lady I know you to be,” Druscilla said.

“Don’t I always?” Kiera ignored Druscilla’s snort and scanned her new surroundings. She had never been outside of Asstrumnia and she had certainly never expected to find herself in Rome. Her people were at war with the Romans. “I’m dying of thirst here, Druscilla.”

Druscilla’s gasp conveyed irritation. “I’m sure they’ll have something to offer us when we get inside. Some wine, perhaps.”

Wine wouldn’t cut it. “I need blood.”

“Why?” Druscilla’s face was full of confusion and she looked at Kiera like she had three heads. “I haven’t had blood since…I don’t know when.”

Kiera was saved from answering when shouts from outside alerted them to the presence of intruders.

Druscilla hissed and bared her fangs. “Romans. I thought they had all been exterminated like vermin.”

Kiera knew she was too weak to protect herself. She stood in the darkened corner of the room while her friend dispatched the human soldiers that had somehow made it past their hybrid warriors. Kiera crouched on the cold stone floor and crawled to one of the fallen bodies. The man was making gurgling sounds and blood was pouring from the gaping hole in his throat that Druscilla had made. Freaking roadkill, that was what he was, and she was about to dine on him like some kind of vulture. How pathetic was that? Pretty damn pathetic, she told herself, but she had no choice. She was desperate to fuel her depleted energy reserves. She was sick and no one could know how bad off she was or she’d be sent home. She tentatively took a sip, but the taste was unbelievably bitter and made her choke. Freaking fuckball! She spit out the noxious substance and started to cough. She lifted herself to her knees and backed away from the dying soldier while she tried to stop herself from vomiting on the floor. She ended up dry heaving and clutching her stomach while the battle continued around her. At least she hadn’t ingested much of the disgusting stuff. No way was she going to try human again. She felt lightheaded and disoriented as hybrids and Romans clashed swords just a few feet away from her.

“What’s wrong with you, Kiera? Fight these assholes.” Druscilla dodged a sword aimed at her head and kneed the Roman in the balls. She ripped into the man’s throat and held him imprisoned in her gaping jaw. His legs dangled helplessly in the air while she jerked her head like a lioness with her prey. She released him to dispatch an approaching human who came at her with a battle axe. Some of their hybrid warriors rushed inside to assist, but Druscilla didn’t need much help. She was a killing machine like many of their blood hybrid females.

Kiera pushed herself to her feet, intending to do her part as well. But she felt dizzy, like she was about to pass out. She needed blood and not that disgusting Roman shit. She turned her head as a human came toward her with his metal sword swinging. She was mesmerized by the sight of his crimson blood dripping from his chest. It pooled onto the floor, making the human male seem like a walking fountain of tastiness. But she knew this one would taste much like the last one, and that one had made her vomit. She needed a drink as much as she needed to breathe, but it had to be high quality shit. Someone filled with the delicious blood of a powerful hybrid warrior from her native Asstrumnia would suit her just fine, and there was a villa full of them right now. One of them would be her next feast, willing or not. Most likely not.

A hand grasped the soldier by his throat and Kiera heard the sound of bones snapping. The hybrid warrior threw the soldier onto the floor and lifted her body to cradle it against his chest. She clung to his impossibly broad shoulders, knowing he represented safety. But she changed her mind about that when she looked into his chilling eyes. Her rescuer was one of their most esteemed lords, Modez Halloran. And he wasn’t impressed by her at all.

“What the fuck am I supposed to do with you? If I set you down somewhere, you’ll probably not survive ten minutes.”

“I can defend myself from humans. Any hybrid can do that much.”

Modez grunted. “Apparently you cannot. I’ve never seen a more pathetic female.”

Kiera pushed her hands against his chest. “Put me down.”

“Gladly.” Modez opened a closet and shoved her inside, slamming it shut. “Stay there and maybe you will live.”

Kiera glared at Modez through the wood slats. The male had called her pathetic and had locked her in a closet like one would do a child. In that moment she hated him. And she would make him pay for disrespecting her.

* * *

They had come. Cassia heard the sounds of battle outside her room and knew the Roman soldiers had come for her. Someone must have alerted the authorities that the villa had been taken by hybrid vampires and they were attempting a rescue. She couldn’t tell which side was winning, but the screams were getting closer now and the sound of metal striking metal made her ears ache. Cassia wrapped the sheet more tightly around her and waited helplessly in her room. It wasn’t long before someone broke the lock and barged inside. She gasped in relief when she recognized the middle-aged man garbed in the uniform of the Centurion. Claudius Brutus was a friend of the family and was especially close to her stepbrother, Lucius Maximus. “You’ve come for me.” She was pleased to see Claudius, but she worried about Cabrian, her hybrid captor. She didn’t wish any harm to come to him.

Claudius grasped her by her shoulders and gave her a hug. “Cassia, my God. What has become of you?”

Claudius was highly decorated in silvered armor and his helmet was plumed with peacock feathers. Cassia wore only a bed sheet. Her friend was shocked to see that she had been kept naked. He would fear the worst. “It is alright. I am okay.”

“You’re not wearing any clothes. Those beasts! I wish I could have protected you.”

“How did you know we needed help?”

“We came across an escaped slave. He told us the villa was under assault.” Claudius took a deep breath and said, “We didn’t know what we’d be facing or we would have sent for reinforcements. We’re only one centuria and there’s not enough of us. I fear we will fail you.”

Cassia placed her hand lightly on his arm. “You are here. That is all that matters.”

Claudius wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. “We were returning from a skirmish on the border. It didn’t go well for us there and we had lost a lot of men. When we ran into that slave, we knew we couldn’t delay. I sent a man to inform Lucius that something horrible had happened and that he should return home at once. I thought maybe some of the slaves had revolted.” He jerked his head to the side as the shouting and sounds of clashing weapons grew louder. “I didn’t conceive of this.”

She tightened her grip on his arm, wanting to console him and knowing she could do little to comfort him. “How could you have known, Claudius? Do not torture yourself.”

“Where’s the lady of the villa? You are the first human we’ve seen since our arrival.”

“The hybrids killed nearly everyone.” No surprise there since the hybrid vampires were both beautiful and deadly. “Lucine’s not here. She left before the hybrids arrived. Janus and Flavian are both dead. Calpurnia and Lavinia were taken captive, but they’re not being held here. They’ve an awful plan for the two of them.”

Myriad emotions were etched onto Claudius’ face. Guilt, agony, and despair were among them. “I’m so sorry. None of you deserved this.”

She couldn’t think of the ones lost to her. So many were dead, and if she was not careful, she would be one of them. “You must warn Lucine. They’re hunting her. I don’t think she knows the villa has been taken by hybrids. If she returns home, they’ll torture her in the most horrific manner before they kill her.”

“I’ve seen them in action. What they can do with their fangs, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen nearly everything.” Claudius trembled so hard that his sword shook in his hand. “These aren’t ordinary hybrids. They’re blood hybrids. Vampires. I’m not sure we can win this fight.”

“You must escape. Warn Lucine of the danger and ensure the safety of the Maximus family.”

“You must come with me.” Claudius’ eyes were questioning as they locked on hers. “Do you think to remain here?”

Cassia didn’t know how to respond. She couldn’t possibly stay at the villa when her friends had risked their lives to rescue her from captivity. But how could she leave Cabrian? They had gotten close. He had promised to make her his mate. But she knew it wasn’t wise to trust someone who was her enemy. Even if he wished to keep her, the other hybrids wanted her dead. The wisest course was to leave with Claudius. And she had to warn her family of the danger. “I don’t want you to die trying to get me out.”

“I cannot leave you here to be ravished by those creatures. Our only hope is to escape this place. Stay behind me and I’ll get you out of here.”

Claudius gripped Cassia’s arm and pulled her out of the room. Part of her wanted to break free from his hold and flee to her bedchamber. Cabrian would be angry to find her missing. He had done much to spare her life and leaving seemed wrong. She had conflicting feelings about it, but in the end she allowed Claudius to take her away. He tried to evade the fighting, but it was impossible. It wasn’t long before they were surrounded by hybrids. She looked around her and realized most of the Roman soldiers lay dead on the floor. They weren’t getting out of this.

“What do we have here, a fleeing slave?” Shane McDonald stared daggers at Cassia.

Claudius raised his sword into the air and tried to block Cassia with his body. “This is Cassia Maximus and she’s no slave.”

“One of our warriors did claim her as such. Lay down your weapon. It is over.”

Cassia knew that Claudius was probably dead either way. She wasn’t sure about her fate. She scanned the room, looking for Cabrian. He would intervene on her behalf, at least she hoped. She searched for his handsome face in the crowd, but she couldn’t find him. Some of the hybrids tackled Claudius to the floor and his sword fell several feet away. Cassia clutched the sheet more tightly to her body and implored the hybrids to show mercy, although she knew full well it wouldn’t do any good. Past experience had taught her the futility of begging. “Please don’t kill him!”

“He’s a Roman. He deserves to die.” Shane grabbed her by her hair and slung her to the stone floor. “But he will not die just yet.”

Cassia saw a line of Roman soldiers in the open space. They kneeled on the floor with their hands tied behind their backs. She knew that Diermont would execute them all and was probably delaying it so he could torture them first. Tears streamed down her face as she watched the hybrids bind Claudius. They beat him with their fists and stomped him with their feet.