Thirty
Avalon
She stood in front of the locked dungeon door, focusing all her senses on the silver burning into her hands. The mouthwatering scent of Troy’s blood already seeped through the cracks, but she could control herself better now. She’d lost track of how many times she’d come down the stairs, but with each trip she was able to withstand her urges longer. It was just seconds more, but she tried to remind herself that even the smallest steps were still a move in the right direction.
She gave Marcus a quick nod, who opened the door and stepped in first. He was Troy’s shield, protecting him from her monstrous instincts. Of course, Marcus only did it because it was what she wanted. He’d happily sit back and watch her rip Troy to pieces.
With Lysander and Varos behind her, she stepped into the room and took in Troy, whose sunken eyes stared back at her. His cockiness was nowhere to be seen, nor was he the good-looking man she once knew. He was nothing but bone, skin, and fear.
His heart pumped fast and with his skin practically hanging off his bones, his veins popped even more. Her fangs pricked her lower lips, and she let her own blood fill her mouth. She kept the necklace tightly wrapped in her fist as she looked down on Troy, slowly counting to see how long she would be able to hold back.
Not even Lysander’s blood compared to that sweet smell. It made her wonder exactly how he would taste. She wanted to know what it felt like to sink her fangs into his flesh and his blood gush down her throat. Then she saw past her blood lust and cringed. She didn’t want to touch him, didn’t want to gift him her presence. She turned on her heel, stomach tightening, preparing to throw up.
It was only when the door closed behind her that she realised what she’d done. She smiled wide, looking around at her three men. They were just as proud of her as she was of herself.
“That was amazing,” Marcus cheered, sweeping her into a bone-crushing hug.
“It feels good. All I had to think about is how disgusting I think he is. I don’t want to be close to him.”
Lysander closed in behind her and kissed her cheek. “You did fantastic.”
“Now you can go lay down and rest,” she told him. “You have a long night ahead of you.”
Varos leaned in and kissed her too before she took Lysander’s hand and pulled him up the stairs. Lysander didn’t fight her when she pushed him onto his bed. Once he was comfortable, she curled up next to him and closed her eyes, focusing on his heartbeat. She felt him easily slip into a deep sleep, his hand falling from her back where he’d been drawing circles.
Ava only opened her eyes when Varos stepped into the room. “It’s time, isn’t it?”
“He still has an hour, but I thought he might want some time to prepare.”
She lifted her head and leaned over to kiss Lysander’s cheek. “Time to rise and shine, sleeping beauty.”
He grunted, pulled her close, and rolled on top of her. A few weeks ago, his weight would have suffocated her, but now it felt good. She pushed her hands under his shirt, letting his weight blur everything else.
“Ah, this is new,” Marcus chuckled from somewhere beyond Lysander’s mass. “What do you call this position?”
“Crushing soulmate?” Varos suggested.
Lysander laughed, making Ava’s body vibrate. “Why don’t you two fuck off?”
“We would love to but unfortunately you’re not the only one tied up to the beautiful woman you’ve tried to hide underneath your ugliness.”
“She does call me a beauty so not sure what that makes you?” Lysander countered.
Marcus mimed flipping his hair over his shoulder. “So gorgeous I seem out of the world.”
Varos and Lysander doubled over in laughter. She joined in, enjoying their banter. They had a horrible night ahead and this took the heavy feeling from her soul. She pushed herself up, reached for Lysander, and claimed his mouth. Her fingers roamed through his hair, knowing in less than an hour he’d be a shadow of the gorgeous man he was now.
“I would like for you to stay with me again.” Lysander shushed against her lips, taking in a deep breath.
“I’ll be there all night,” she promised.
“As if anything or any one could keep her from you,” Marcus chuckled, leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest.
She pulled Lysander’s head further down and kissed his forehead. “Marcus is right. Though you are the only one that could stop me from being there.”
“Never.”
They slowly made their way down to the dungeon, where Varos and Marcus had been sure to whisk Troy away to some unknown location Ava didn’t care to find. His scent still lingered, which was why she had the silver necklace laced through her fingers again. She watched as Lysander knelt on the floor with Varos by his side reassuring him they would never let the lycan free.
When his body shook and his bones broke, Lysander looked up at her. She rushed to his side and cupped his cheek with her palm, feeling his jaw elongate under her touch.
“I’ll stay with you,” she promised just as before.
She felt fur tickle her palm, his body growing larger and stronger. The second he fell victim to the lycan, the beast roared under the burn of the silver. While Marcus restrained his limbs, she tightened her grip around the beast’s jaw and forced her fangs into his flesh. Venom filled his system, and she drained him to unconsciousness.
Once he hung limp in the chains, Varos and Marcus stepped back, giving her space with him. She sat in his lap like before, her hands roaming through the hard fur of the lycan’s neck. She alternated between comforting him and draining him, with Marcus and Varos never leaving her side. She wanted him to know—to feel —that he wasn’t alone. They were watching over him.
Varos once again stepped up and told her to see if Lysander could regain control. The next time the lycan stirred, Ava stepped back. He was raging, her ears ringing from his screams as he rustled the chains to break free. A tantalising moment later his bones cracked and his body shrunk until Lysander hung in the chains.
She held him while Marcus and Varos freed him from the silver. Just like the month before, she swept him into her arms. Careful not to hurt him even more, she carried him upstairs and to his bed. She cooled his hot skin by wiping him down with a wet cloth before she got him comfortable. She curled up next to him and it wasn’t long before he pulled her onto his chest.
“You feel good,” he sighed, his voice rough.
She took advantage of her frigid skin, slipping her hands beneath his shirt to soothe his aching body. “You did so well,” she praised, feeling his hair prickle under her palm.
She only left his side to gather food for him, otherwise sitting by quietly while he rested the day away.
As the days went on, she couldn’t help but feel claustrophobic. The house was big, but with nothing else to do, she quickly grew tired of it. She was doing well in her training by exposing herself to Troy and yes, she enjoyed her uninterrupted time with her men, but it was becoming mundane.
Ever since she found out about the Alaskan property, she’d spent her time researching. Lysander had said they would fly a private jet to Fairbanks, then take a helicopter further north. Zooming in on the digital map before her, the property was in the middle of nowhere. Nothing around but wilderness.
The thought of being able to leave the house, unafraid of killing anyone, felt freeing. But it was also terrifying. How were they supposed to survive out there? Lysander needed food, and she would need blood.
“What just happened?”
She looked up to see Marcus standing in the doorframe and crooked a brow.
“Your face went from glowing to frowning.”
“I was looking at the house in Alaska.”
“If you don’t like it, we have many others to choose from.”
“I like it. I’m just afraid of how isolated it is. How is Lysander going to eat? ”
“The house is stocked with everything one could need for a few months. Freezers and canning make everything possible these days.”
She sighed, looking back at her phone. And what about us?”
“Hunting. Animal blood is just as good as donated blood, but we will take some reserves with us.”
She gaped, lips forming an O as she looked up at him. “Hunting?”
“Yes. It’s quite fun.”
She had never even thought about hunting. Yet, going into the wild without falling victim to the elements felt… exciting. That was something she’d learned over the past few weeks. Weather didn’t bother her anymore, not rain, not heat. She’d slowly gotten used to the idea of being indestructible. It had started when Marcus made love to her under water. Then the thorns of her roses had been unable to prick her skin, as were the scissors that had slipped while she was cutting twigs.
“Lysander is getting ready for bed. Would you like to go downstairs again before cuddling up for the night?”
She nodded, pushing herself out of the armchair. Varos and Lysander met her in the living room and followed her downstairs. The past few days, she’d felt safe enough for them to give her space while stepping into the dungeon. She unlocked the door and found Troy’s skeleton-like body. They were feeding him, but only enough to keep him alive. She was sure that Marcus had let her slip a few times just so Troy knew that she would kill him without hesitating. He wouldn’t hold out much longer, mentally cracking more with each of her visits.
She took a slow step towards him, which made him crawl back against the wall, as if it would swallow him whole and save him from his misery. Slowly, she moved closer. Once she was only inches away, she crouched down and reached for him. She hadn’t yet gotten close enough to touch him, but the urge of feeding on his blood was dampened by the plan she had for him.
She cut his shirt with her claw, letting it fall open and exposed his chest. He used to be bulky and muscular, but now he was nothing more than skin and bones. He didn’t dare move as she dragged her finger over his chest, her nail slicing through the skin like a hot knife through butter. His blood was intense, the scent of it creeping up her nose and seeping into her mind. Yet, what she had in mind for him was far more important.
As she cut into his skin and the blood rippled down his chest, he was barely breathing. Just as he’d done to her, she carved over and over. She wanted him to feel what she had, to know what it was like to be marked and branded. When she went over it a third, then a fourth time, his body shook and tears ran down his cheeks. She had no remorse, dragging over a fifth time before rising to her feet.
Her first instinct was to lick her finger clean of his blood, but then she held it out. Marcus was more than happy to offer himself as a volunteer. Standing beside her, he closed his lips around her finger and sucked it clean. She didn’t hold back the sound of pleasure as his tongue pressed against her before releasing her. He turned her hand and kissed her knuckles as a thank-you, like the gentleman he was.
Staring down at Troy she could see how he was struggling to stay conscious. He would faint the second he saw his chest.
As if he could read her mind, Varos handed her a small hand mirror. Crouching down before Troy, she held it up so he could see.
DEAD