Chapter Five
Lucian
She is feistier than I had anticipated, putting up more of a fight than I thought she would. She’s no match for my supernatural strength, but it’s amusing to hear and feel her struggles to get free. It’s a waste of her energy, but if letting her tire herself out keeps her from running then I’ll bite. No one has ever been freed from my realm, and I’m not about to start with her.
Her soul is going to be mine, but unlike the others I’ve claimed over the years, I’m interested in more than that. Her blood tastes unlike anything I’ve ever tasted before, so I’m going to take my time to savor this one. Before the night is out, I’ll have her begging for my mercy.
There’s something inside of this mysteriously alluring mortal, something more than the fear she’s displaying so vividly, and I intend to draw it—and her blood—out of her. Her short nails catch on my skin, and I pause to grab her wrists and stop her from clawing me.
“For someone so desperate to escape, you’re doing a terrible job of it,” I tease, inhaling her scent and groaning.
“Fuck you!” she snarls, still thrashing in my grip.
“Don’t tempt me,” I threaten, and her eyes go as wide as saucers. “I’ve already had a little taste. Maybe I should have another.”
She shakes her head. “Where am I? Who are you?!”
I shrug. “I am Lucian, Where you are; is the realm between worlds, beyond the ethereal veil, purgatory, hell, take your pick. There’s no escaping either way.”
She closes her eyes and shakes her head from side to side and rocks. “No, no, no. This is just another one of my nightmares. I’m going to wake up soon”
When she opens them, a sheen of tears coating her eyes makes her pretty blue irises glimmer in the flickering light from the torches.
“I just—I don’t understand.”
My expression softens slightly. “Don’t try to understand, just accept it. This is your home now.”
“I can’t go back?”
I consider her question for a moment, and truthfully, I probably could take her back. But now she’s here she would be at risk from other beings like myself, potentially ones with less control than I have. Besides, I have no intention of giving her up, not now that I've tasted the nectar flowing through her veins.
I tilt my head thoughtfully and simply look at her for a moment. “There’s no escape, no way out of here. You can’t go back.”
“Please, let me go,” she whispers.
“If I did that, then you would die. Here you will be safe.” Probably not safe , but safer , I think.
“Safe? With you?” she scoffs and wrenches her way out of my grip. “I’ll take my chances out there.”
Her voice lacks conviction, no doubt from the uncertainty of what lies beyond the doors of my home. It’s a combination of hellscape and wasteland, home to monsters more deadly to her than I am.
“Tell me your name.”
“What?” she asks in a surprised tone. Meeting my gaze with defiance, she bites out, “Why should I tell you that when you’re holding me prisoner?”
“Tell me,” I repeat, more firmly, this time exerting a small amount of my will over her, to get her to comply. I could pluck it from my thoughts if I chose, but I’m enjoying her fiery spirit.
“Um, Kyrie,” she mumbles, looking confused by her own admittance.
Kyrie frowns, glancing at me with suspicion and accusation in her eyes. I smirk and shrug, and she scowls, realizing that I must have done something to her.
“Stop that!” she snaps, breaking eye contact with me as though it will protect her thoughts and will from my control—it won’t, but I’ll let her think that.
I grab her before she runs again, pulling her back and pinning her against the wall.
“Stop fighting this,” I growl, lowering my face until I’m level with hers, and grabbing her by the shoulders.
Her reticence is both appealing and infuriating, and with her sweet scent clouding my senses, it’s all I can do not to feast upon her right now, in every way possible. I’m damned anyway, and nothing will keep me from staking my claim. Her soul is up for grabs, but I want the rest of her, too.
I search her eyes, trying to delve into the depths of them to discover her deepest thoughts, fears, and desires. A tear slips free, trailing down her face and leaving a little track from her eye to her jaw. A deep ache builds within me, and the temptation to lick away her tears overtakes me, so I indulge. Her skin is warm beneath my tongue, yet the tear is cold and salty on her soft skin, a perfect contrast to her otherwise sweet taste.