Chapter Seven
Kyson
“What do you mean he’s unavailable?”
I stared Malachi in…right below his eyes. I always knew when to push and when to let common sense take over. He might’ve been the one to rescue me, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t turn on me, especially when it came to Dane.
“He’s resting.”
The coldness of his voice told me everything I needed to know as he stood there, blocking access to Dane’s room like a lethal bodyguard daring you to try your luck.
I wasn’t feeling lucky.
“You blame me for earlier, don’t you?”
I narrowed my eyes at his cheekbones. “It was your vampire who attacked him. Besides, it wasn’t even—”
As pissed as I was, I wouldn’t tell on Dane, that the slippery-sock-slide disaster had been the result of his hatched plan.
I’d known it had been a bad idea at the time, but peer pressure was a son of a bitch.
Plus, I’d had fun until I fell… and the vampire attacked… and Giovanni had gone all feral… and Malachi had scared a decade off my life.
So maybe it hadn’t been fun, but I still wasn’t giving up Dane. We were the only humans in the castle, and we had to stick by each other, have each other’s backs, and never tell the big guy what we’d been up to.
“You don’t have to cover for him, Kyson. Dane told me it was his idea.”
So much for keeping our mouths shut. I just never expected Dane to rat on himself. I should’ve seen it coming though. Why hadn’t I seen it coming?
Because Giovanni scrambled your brain cells and made you forget how to spell your own name.
He’d wanted to come with me to check on Dane, but I’d needed time to myself after the emotional roller coaster I’d just been through with him not twenty minutes ago. Still, I wasn’t an idiot. I knew he was lurking somewhere close by.
I could practically feel his eyes staring laser beams into my back.
“Fine,”
I huffed, glaring at Malachi’s cheekbones. They were actually pretty nice. “Can you tell him I came by to check on him?”
My tone softened. “Did he really break his hand?”
Although none of this could be pinned on me, I still cared about Dane. It hadn’t been his fault a vampire had been lying in wait, ready to pounce.
There was only so much to do around this place before you started having arguments with yourself and coming up with harebrained ideas to alleviate the boredom.
“Sprained,”
Malachi answered, still blocking Dane’s door as if I would try to get past him. But at least his tone had defrosted some.
Bracing myself, I looked him in the eyes and saw the worry he was trying hard to hide. Malachi Winterhaven never showed any kind of weakness. Except at the police station, which still blew my mind.
I’d honestly thought his heart was encased in a block of ice, buried under two feet of snow, and locked away in some deep cavern, but that was before Dane had come along. The prince’s tender moments were…nonexistent, except when he’d rescued me, and that had been eons ago.
A stark reminder of just how alone I’d been.
I turned to leave, but Malachi’s voice stopped me. “I’ll let him know you stopped by, Kyson.”
He paused, though I hadn’t turned around. “Thank you for your concern.”
One moment of gratitude didn’t erase the years of being a shitty friend. I simply tossed up my hand to indicate I’d heard him before walking to the kitchen.
Dick wasn’t the type to cheer someone up. He took his duties seriously and I’d never seen him crack a smile, but I still liked hanging out with him.
Even if he refused to tell me what he was.
I scowled when I felt Giovanni stalking me. My head still spun when I thought of his declaration of love. I’d never been so terrified and excited in the same breath.
He’d made me feel desired, something I never thought I would ever feel again. My skin still tingled from his touch, and I could smell his dark, smoky scent lingering on my skin.
As intense as things had been between us, I was glad I’d decided not to tell him he was my first. I hadn’t wanted things to become even more strained or have him refusing to sleep with me.
Though that hadn’t been my first blowjob, it had been, hands-down, the freaking best. I’d had to fight tooth and nail not to come the moment his lips touched my cock.
As soon as I entered the kitchen, my brows furrowed. The room was dimly lit, the moon bathing it in a soft glow. “Dick?”
Weird. I could’ve sworn he lived in here. If I yanked open a cupboard and found a tiny cot crammed inside, I wouldn’t have batted an eye.
My gaze landed on the refrigerator, and I was suddenly starving. While I was here, I might as well grab a bite. After all, Giovanni knew how to work up a guy’s appetite. I’d used muscles I’d forgotten I’d had during that “rigorous”
workout, and my body still ached in the best way.
Opening the refrigerator door, I glanced inside. Then I grinned, gathering everything I would need for a boss-ass turkey sandwich. The only thing that would make it even better was if Dick had stocked some chips in the pantry.
Lettuce. Check. Pickles, cheese, and sliced tomatoes, thank you very much. I froze, my hand lingering on the mustard bottle. The feeling of being watching had returned, only… I heard someone trying hard to suppress a gag. I squeezed my eyes shut, my breaths growing raspy.
It wasn’t Giovanni or Dick since neither had ever reacted negatively to my scent, which was one of the reasons I hung out with Dick so often.
Giovanni was a whole other issue I would think about if I made it out of the kitchen.
But aside from Baron—who’d been laser-focused on Dane—no vampire had ever voluntarily remained in my presence for more than five seconds.
This was not good if he was lingering behind me, willingly breathing in my offensive odor.
With my arms filled with food, I slowly straightened then turned. No one was there, yet the weight of something unseen pressed against me.
The stillness stretched inside the kitchen, so absolute that even breathing felt like an intrusion.
Someone was in the room with me. The hairs on my arms recoiled, bristling like they wanted to crawl off my skin and escape.
Stepping to the island in the center of the room, I set everything down, ready to bolt if necessary.
How much more “necessary”
do you need when you clearly hear someone holding back a gag, moron?
My inner voice was rude but had a point. No vampire hiding in the shadows was waiting to jump out and yell, “Surprise!”
Unless they derived a sick thrill out of surprising their meal.
Will you shut the hell up and get out of here? And don’t forget to play it cool. Act nonchalant. Do not panic and maybe you’ll walk out of here alive.
I gave a relaxed shrug and turned back around like I was brushing off my suspicions. But inwardly, I was cursing at how fast my heart was beating. Whoever was spying on me would be able to hear the sound.
Screw subtlety. I’d already been tortured once, possessed twice, and wasn’t trying for a fourth encounter. But I couldn’t move, knowing as soon as I ran, the real terror would begin. It was one thing knowing someone was watching, another to have a deadly predator actively pursuing me.
I drew in slow, shallow breaths, a bead of sweat sliding down from my temple.
Run!
But I couldn’t bring myself to shatter the illusion of being safe as long as I didn’t move a muscle.
I thought of Giovanni, how he’d looked at me, not with repulsion but with reverence. How he’d kissed my scars and, for a fleeting moment, made me feel whole.
Desired. Cherished.
“I love you. Does that scare you?”
Those three words had made me feel wanted for the first time in my life, like I wasn’t so easily discarded.
Like I finally mattered to at least one person in my lonely existence.
I’d wanted desperately to tell him that I loved him too, that I’d been in love with him since the night we’d met, but the words had become tangled in fear.
What if I said them and then Giovanni lost interest in me, becoming yet another person who’d found it easy to simply walk out of my life?
Giovanni abandoning me would cut me deeper than any blade Osiris had pressed against my skin. It would hurt more than all my scars combined.
“Whoever you are, know that I will fight you. Not because I don’t want to die but because I finally have a chance to live.”
A soft, quick exhale pushed from my lungs, a cathartic release after burying my feelings for Giovanni for so long.
“And how many more have to die?”
a disembodied voice replied, hatred sharpening with every word.
Damn. I’d been hoping like crazy I was just being paranoid and no one was actually in the room with me.
Also, I had no idea what he was talking about. Quietly swallowing, my gaze flicked toward the kitchen door. Could I make it out before he caught me?
Not a chance in hell.
Vampires were extremely fast. The guy would tackle me before I made it to the door. I had to think of a way out of this situation. Immortal didn’t equal invincible. I could still die, but I didn’t want it to be tonight.
Now I wished I hadn’t told Giovanni I needed some time to myself. In hindsight, that might’ve been a little insensitive considering we’d shared something profound together.
And not just the mind-blowing sex, though I was eager— Will you stop thinking about his large dick and focus, dumbass? You won’t get a repeat if you’re dead.
“Humans couldn’t possibly understand how it feels to live for so long. Your kind is all about instant gratification.”
There was a rhythm to his voice, like the slow ticking of a clock counting down to something inevitable.
I had no clue what I’d done to piss off the guy, but for some reason, he loathed me. “So, your gripe is with humans as a whole, or are you directing something specifically at me?”
You really need to learn when to keep your mouth shut.
I was having way too many conversations with myself tonight, but I couldn’t help it. I was scared shitless. Not only was he a vampire but there was so much animosity in his tone, I genuinely feared for my life.
Or what he might do to me before he ended it.
My scars began to throb with a dull ache as images of Osiris’s malicious smile surfaced in my mind. The pure, unadulterated joy he’d derived from inflicting pain and hearing me scream still caused nightmares.
They didn’t come as frequently as they once had, but there were some nights I woke in a pool of my own sweat. Most of the time when it happened, I yanked my pillow and blanket under the bed with me, telling myself the monsters couldn’t reach me under there.
Now I had one in the same room with me, and I had no idea what to do.
I could really use your badassery right now, Giovanni. Malachi had made me stronger, but I didn’t stand a chance against a vampire with a grudge. I’d never stood a chance with any of them, to be honest. That was the sole reason the prince had made my blood smell so revolting.
It would’ve been sweet if I’d had the ability to move as fast as them. Or, at the very least, instantly heal. Now that I thought about it, Malachi had been pretty stingy with his damn powers.
Which made me wonder if he’d made Dane immortal. I’d have to ask if I was ever allowed back over for a play date.
Or survived this situation.
“What’s wrong, petit oiseau ? Where are you?”
“Ack!”
I slapped a hand over my mouth, my eyes bulging. Oh fuck. I was hearing things, finally losing my goddamn mind. But why it had waited this long to finally crack was beyond me.
But… his voice had sounded so real, like it had spoken through a set of headphones. Jesus Christ. My mind could’ve waited until tomorrow to unravel. I needed to keep my wits about me.
My head snapped to my right at the quiet sound of something scraping. My jaw clenched as my heartbeat thrashed in my ears. Time itself seemed to have stopped as I stood there frozen, waiting to see what nightmare would reveal itself.
A stranger slowly emerged from around the corner, his fingernails scraping along the wall, heading toward me at a tauntingly slow pace.
Wait. I recognized him, though I didn’t know his name. Like all the vampires who lived at Winterhaven, the guy stayed to himself.
Except the dozen or so times the prick had run across me in the hallways. He would lick his fangs slowly, a clear promise in his glowing red eyes. Then a malicious smile would appear before my stench forced him to retreat.
Every time I saw him, my nightmares would intensify. His sinister expressions and behavior mirrored those of Osiris perfectly. It was like seeing my tormentor in someone else’s body. But no matter who was behind those eyes, the fear and dread still remained the same.
He took a step closer, his hands tucked behind him.
I took a step back, trembling so badly my legs threatened to give out.
It was as if this vampire had been trained by Osiris himself, even down to the way he tilted his head in a hauntingly familiar manner.
Giovanni killed Osiris. I kept repeating those words as the side of the vampire’s mouth curled into a mocking smile.
“Where are you, Kyson?”
Whether the voice was real or not, I latched onto it so hard my fingers ached. “ In the kitchen. He has me cornered. What do I do?”
“Hold on, baby. I’m coming for you. Just remain calm and don’t agitate him.”
The endearment was lost on me as I stared into cold, flat eyes. The guy had shown up agitated. The voice in my head needed to give better advice.
It dawned on me that it hadn’t been Giovanni following me through the castle. Oh god, I was going to be sick. I’d unknowingly isolated myself. Where in the hell was Dick? I would’ve shouted his name, but my terror had a stranglehold on me.
“You humans are quite skilled at causing chaos.”
He glanced up at the ceiling for a moment, idly twirling his finger. “Another of my kind slaughtered because of your worthless asses. Tell me, Kyson…”
He walked his fingers across the countertop as he continued to slowly advance toward me. “When did the lives of cattle suddenly obtain any value? Hmm ?”
He wiggled a finger at me, a smug smile creeping across his face. “The prince was quite clever to pollute your scent.”
His voice dropped to a seductive whisper. “Imagine my shock, and, frankly, my rage, when I went in for the kill, only to recoil from your stench.”
He slammed his hand down on the counter, the loud clap causing me to startle.
The room warped around me, as if I was peering through a fisheye lens. My mouth was dry from breathing too fast, and I wondered what was in the refrigerator to drink.
Dick usually kept it well stocked. I liked it when he bought the gallons of blue juice. What was it called? Anyway, it always made my tongue and teeth turn the color of those little things. Smurfs, that was it!
Without a television for five years, that was the only blue reference that came to mind. I was woefully behind the times.
Strangely enough, though, cell phones worked perfectly inside the castle but not televisions. Why was that? I couldn’t even watch a movie or video on my phone.
Kyson, concentrate and focus your thoughts. You’re disassociating, leaving yourself wide open for his attack. Snap out of it!
Returning to the present wasn’t as simple as blinking to clear the fog. It took a lot of effort and determination to come back. My mind wanted to stay in the comforting haze rather than confront the embodiment of my nightmares.
When I finally focused, I wished I had stayed in the haze. He was standing right in front of me, his features twisted into a puzzled expression.
“Where did you go just now?”
His tone was filled with curiosity, his head tilted like Osiris’s. Slightly off-centered and just a little lower than a normal head tilt. “I’ve never seen someone detach themselves before. It was…fascinating.”
He moved closer, and I withdrew, until my back was pressed against the wall, trapping me in the corner. As he leaned in, the light caught on his razor-sharp fangs. His nose wrinkled slightly, a clear indication my scent still disgusted him.
“I’m heading to you, little bird.”
“It’s too late.”
“No! Run, hide, fight, Kyson!”
A hot tear rolled down my cheek as I realized the truth. Even though my smell revolted the vampire, it wasn’t enough to save me.
When his fangs pierced my skin, I let out a blood-curdling scream. I fought back with everything I had in me, punching and slapping at him while trying to claw at his face.
But I couldn’t break free from his hold. I was rendered helpless as he ruthlessly took what I desperately fought not to give. My arms dropped limply by my sides as a coldness swept through me. He was taking too much.
As the room began to fade, I could have sworn I heard whistling, but it didn’t matter anymore, as darkness enveloped me completely.