Chapter 11 #3
She hated lying, but it was for good reason.
To find out if Lucien was truly who he claimed—or had he been playing the villain all along?
When she remembered what they had done only a few hours prior, desire stirred in her belly.
He had kissed her like he wanted to consume her, spoken to her like he wanted his demands etched into the fabric of her being.
His dominance had been a surprise at first, but when she thought of how he always took such care of her, she understood that those demands would seep into other areas.
After she had found pleasure on his lap, he had whispered such soft words of praise in her ear, making her forget all about her doubt.
Cyrus was quiet beside her, staring out at the city, his cheek resting on his hand, forehead pressed against the glass like a puppy.
The city whirled by in an expanse of high-rises. She took a smaller, less-traveled road that ran by the ocean, concrete barriers set between, staring out at the water as it consumed the Stars speckled above in the near cloudless night. Neither car nor person was in sight.
The bracelet Cyrus had gifted her glittered on her wrist as she turned off the street and onto the highway, the large sign posted by a copse of trees reading, NOW LEAVING SOLAR CITY.
It would have been completely normal, if not for the warning sign posted beside it. Caution. Leaving Solar City can result in death. Be wary. Drive smart. We hope to see you again soon.
"That’s not scary at all," Cyrus mumbled, rubbing his eyes and sinking into the seat.
Her phone beeped in warning, where it rested in the center console. Rin reached for it, one eye on the road.
Cyrus plucked it out of her hands, tsking. "Don’t text and drive, Ves."
The wheel groaned under Rin’s hands. "What does it say?"
He fumbled with her phone, nearly dropping it as he tried to silence it.
When he succeeded, the sudden quiet made her neck prickle as the road veered away from the sea into dark woods and rough asphalt.
"Detecting new location. Hunters do not operate outside Solar City. The Hunter’s Hotline will not work.
Find nearby emergency hotline numbers?" Cyrus read aloud.
She told him to ignore it, and he set her phone on his lap.
"Ves, this feels dangerous. Should we be doing this?" Cyrus hedged.
No, she wanted to say, instead she sighed. "You don’t have to come. I can turn around and take you back to the dorms. You’ll have to be careful because of Xara, but it could work."
"No. I’m not letting you do this alone," Cyrus vowed.
Rin nodded. "Okay. The only stop between here and Lunar City is Edenville, about an hour outside the Lunar City boundary. We can stop there for gas." She turned to look at him, giving him her full attention. "You will stay in the back seat, hidden. This isn’t one of your games, Cyrus."
His purple eyes grew dark. "Understood, doll." She thought that was it, until he purred, "If you ever want to use that bossy tone in the bedroom, I’m game."
Rin reached for the radio and turned up the volume, the low, moody beat not doing anything to distract her from the flushing of her cheeks and stirring of want in her core.
Fog curled over cracked pavement, the tires crunching as Rin pulled into a small gas station in the middle of nowhere. A lone light flickered in a lamp post.
They had passed the rusted sign for Edenville a mile ago. A simple, Welcome to Edenville. Population 96.
In the distance, the Lunar City skyline glittered—dark silhouettes of skyscrapers, pierced by steady beams of light.
Lunar City had no curfew like Solar City; instead, automated lights flicked on at dusk, specially made lights sweeping slow mechanical arcs through the night.
Like light would help when a Rogue’s teeth tore into you.
But whatever helped the night-prowlers rest easy, she supposed.
Rin stopped by a gas pump, keeping the locks engaged. She grabbed her Echogun from the glove box, tucking it in the back of her jeans. "Stay here," she told Cyrus. "Get in the back seat. And keep your head down. There are cameras."
Cyrus followed her pointed stare to the cracked camera perched at the corner of the roof. He arched a brow. "I doubt that thing’s been working for years."
He was probably right, but she widened her eyes to get him to stay, unlocking only the driver’s side door as she exited the car.
The night was still. Quiet.
Hand on her waistband, poised to grab her gun if needed, she popped the gas latch on the car and fit the nozzle inside, numbers ticking on the dusty screen of the pump.
Her cold hands fumbled with her credit card, and it fell to the cracked concrete underneath the car.
"Shit," she cursed, bending to pick it up.
"Look at that ass!" a masculine voice called.
Rin stiffened, forgetting all about her credit card as she pulled her Echogun from the back of her pants, aiming at wherever the voice had come from.
It was night, and they were but an hour from Lunar City. Everyone here would be armed.
Two men leaned near the gas station doors, scraggly beards and cigarettes dangling, half-shrouded in shadows.
"Pretty lady. You look lonely. Why don’t you put the gun away and come here?"
"I don’t want any trouble," Rin called. Damn it. She had to get to her card. They would need it. But she couldn’t look away from these two.
The taller man, wearing an oil-stained shirt, nudged his friend. "I call dibs. The ones who think they can fight are always more fun."
Rin raised her gun. "I’m giving you one chance to walk away."
They smirked and advanced, cornering her.
Trapped with one on either side, Rin couldn’t reach her card, couldn’t move away.
Narrowing her eyes, she unclicked the safety, leveling them with a cold look, her spine bumping into the car door behind her. She hoped Cyrus had stayed hidden in the back seat like they had discussed.
The one on her left, with honest-to-god crumbs stuck in his beard, reached down to adjust himself. "You’re a little pale for my liking, but I’ll take what I can. The pretty ones sure are fucking rare around here. They get used up real quick."
These men were huge—beer-bellies and six feet of padded muscle. She was slight and nimble, better at combat in open quarters, where she could dance around her attackers. Not cornered like prey.
The bigger man barked a laugh, the sudden sound distracting her from the cold scrape of a switchblade pressed against her neck.
Behind her, a younger man crouched on the roof of the car, dull brown eyes raking over her frame. "You look lost, little girl."
Rin dropped like dead weight, the blade scraping like fire along her neck as she fell to the side and rolled.
The man on her left shouted as she sprang up and threw a powerful hook to his gut, making him double over.
Then, she balanced her body on her left leg, her right coming out in perfect form, toes pointed in her boots, and slammed her leg into his side, making him stumble.
Shoving her hair out of her face, she turned, muzzle of her gun roving between the three now that she wasn’t trapped. "One last chance to leave," she spat.
The man she had kicked charged, fist raised.
She ducked, his fist slamming into the side of her mouth.
Blood sprayed from her split lip, pain lancing across her jaw.
She whimpered, and just as she raised her gun, hand trembling—she had never shot a person before—all three men started to seize, whites of their eyes showing as blood ran from their noses and mouths, leaking from their ears.
A car door slammed.
Cyrus appeared, red glittering in the air around him as he held her, his eyes wild with rage.
"They hurt you, Ves." He kissed her temple, finger skimming the shallow cut on her throat. "Now, I’ll hurt them."
Cyrus turned to the three men, all writhing on the ground. He walked to the younger one, who had held the knife to Vesperin’s throat, and kicked him in the side.
"She’s mine," Cyrus hissed, their emotions sinking into his very being, giving him enough strength for a week. "Your lust tastes rotten, but your fear"—he let himself smile, let the red in the air grow deeper—"tastes like honey."
His power crackled as he yanked the very life away from the three men. They turned to hollow shells, blood dripping from their eyes—until nothing was left.
Cyrus tipped his head back, relishing the quiet, feeling like he could run for hours.
A soft, shocked sound tore his attention to Vesperin, and he hurried over to her, wrapping her in his arms.
Her bottom lip was split, jaw already darkening with a bruise. The cut on her neck was shallow, blood smeared from his touch. His head fell to her shoulder as he embraced her.
"I’m sorry. I’m so sorry they hurt you." Cyrus pulled away until he could see her face, her eyes wide. "Do you like your present?"
"W-what did you do to them?" she stuttered.
Cyrus petted the top of her hair. "Withering. A little incubi trick that not many know about."
He rarely used it. The last time had been three hundred years ago, when he had rescued her from the ones who bought her as a slave.
He grabbed her chin, tilting it to the light.
"I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner. I got in the back seat like you told me.
" He’d thrown one of the blankets over himself, hunkering as far as he could.
When he heard the unmistakable sound of violence, he leapt to her aid, just in time to see a man throw a punch at her jaw.
"You were magnificent, doll," he praised, eyes drifting back to the withered husks of the men. "I want to make them suffer again."
Vesperin’s fingers tangled in the front of his black hoodie. She peered up at him, lips shining with blood like rubies. "No, they’ve suffered enough. Thank you, Cyrus, you saved me."