Chapter 4
Chapter
Four
LYRA
My whole body thrummed with unease as Mirabella led me up the stairs to her chamber — a windowless stone room at the very end of the corridor.
Fine tapestries depicting gothic forest scenes covered the walls, and an enormous four-poster bed hung with burgundy drapes stood at the center of the chamber.
A vanity and mirror were pressed against one wall, and at the other end, a rose velvet settee and two wingback chairs formed a sitting area in front of the fire.
My eyes combed the room for an exit I knew did not exist, and I struggled to rein in my panic.
“Well?” I demanded, my voice wavering despite my resolve.
I’d told myself I was taking a small but manageable risk to get what we needed. But now that I was alone with a hungry vampire, I was beginning to second-guess my decision.
“Are you in such a hurry?” Mirabella asked, perching on the edge of the settee and patting the seat beside her. “Come sit.”
Grinding my back molars together, I shuffled over to the fire and plopped down as far from Mirabella as I could manage.
Undeterred, she reached out and captured my wrist, bringing the inside to her nose. Her eyes fluttered closed as she inhaled, her brow smoothing in ecstasy.
“Amazing,” she breathed, opening her mouth enough to reveal two glistening fangs. “Such a unique scent you have. I have always been partial to hunters’ blood, but I have never smelled anyone quite like you.”
She pulled back and peered up at me, her gaze hooded and languid.
“Let’s just get this over with,” I said tightly.
“I can make it good for you,” she crooned in a singsong voice, undeterred by my revulsion.
She leaned in to brush a strand of hair behind my ear, and it took all my willpower not to grab her arm and break her wrist.
“Intimacy can enhance the effects of the venom,” she purred, and I squeezed my eyes shut so I wouldn’t have to look at her. “Kaden seemed to enjoy it.”
Jealous rage, hot and acidic, spilled into my gut. Judging by the slight lilt to her voice when she’d said his name, Mirabella knew exactly what she was doing.
She chuckled. “Don’t be bitter. It’s an unattractive quality. There are plenty of males who enjoy being at the mercy of a powerful female. Though I expect he wouldn’t admit it to you . . .”
My chest heated with rage at the insinuation that I was weak, and my eyes flew open.
Mirabella was sprawled beside me on the settee, a coy smile curving her lips. She’d loosened the ribbon that cinched her neckline, and when she shifted, her nightdress parted to reveal her peaked breasts.
I shuddered as she leaned in, those full lips ghosting across my temple. I clenched my jaw, hand moving toward the stake at my thigh as she planted a featherlight kiss on my lips.
A curtain of auburn hair fell forward, the silken strands brushing my shoulder.
“Close your eyes, Lyra. Try to relax. We could have so much fun together.”
Her voice was soft, her touch gentle as she dropped a trail of kisses along my jaw and down the column of my throat. I sucked in a breath, my body going stiff, and I felt the telltale pinch of fangs sinking into my flesh.
My limbs jerked from the pain as I cried out, arching off the settee. The wooden back dug into my shoulders as I fumbled for the stake, but then an inexplicable heat began to spread beneath my skin.
Comfort. Pleasure. All my rage and panic ebbed away, and for a moment, I forgot where I was. Forgot the purpose of the hard piece of wood strapped to my thigh and why I might need to use it.
I was floating in a sea of warmth. Mirabella’s mouth was as soft as a butterfly’s wings, and I couldn’t find it in me to protest as she cupped my face and traced my lips with her thumb.
My eyes fluttered shut, and a soft sigh escaped me as her hand drifted lower to squeeze my breast through my gown.
Waves of pleasure coursed through my body, her touch compounded by the tingling sensation spreading through my veins. My muscles relaxed, my body growing heavy. And as I surrendered to that warm, drifting feeling, I forgot why I’d fought so hard to resist.
The pressure of Mirabella’s lips against my neck intensified, and a desperate sucking sound sharpened my addled mind.
With great effort, I opened my eyes to find Mirabella straddling my hips. Her nightdress had ridden up, revealing her pale, naked thighs, and she held a fistful of my hair.
Icy fingers dug into my scalp, her grip tightening as she fed. My head spun as my gaze drifted around the room, snagging on details I hadn’t noticed before.
The iron manacles bolted to the bed frame.
The hooks mounted to a discreet nook on the other side of the fireplace, from which hung all manner of ropes and chains.
A chill kissed down my spine, even as my veins warmed from the venom.
Mirabella’s pets might have enjoyed their high, but once they submitted to her, they were not free to leave.
Panic clawed its way up my throat, dousing the pleasurable tingling in my chest. Bracing my hands on Mirabella’s shoulders, I gave a hard push. But beneath the soft lips and sensuous curves, her body was as solid as stone.
A jolt of terror hit me as I remembered why it was crucial never to allow oneself to be pinned by a vampire.
I shoved again, harder this time, but Mirabella’s grip slid to my neck, her hand pressing into my windpipe and making it impossible to breathe.
I thrashed against her hold, bucking my hips, but I could feel my strength failing me. A vampire’s venom wasn’t just a sedative; it also weakened its victims.
Desperate, I reached under my skirts, groping for the stake sheathed at my thigh.
In one fluid motion, Mirabella captured both my wrists, pinning them to the hard wooden frame of the settee.
A moan of pain lodged in my chest. With one hand still holding me down, her other found my windpipe again.
I couldn’t breathe, let alone make a sound.
Terror and fury overrode my senses. I didn’t think — just drew back my head and whipped it forward, ramming into Mirabella’s skull.
Pain lanced through my neck as she shrieked, and the vampire recoiled long enough for me to glimpse the monster beneath the mask.
Mirabella’s doe eyes gleamed scarlet, flashing with a predatory greed. Her fangs were out, glinting in the low light as thick rivulets of my blood dribbled down her chin.
“You’ve had your taste,” I rasped, my throat burning with every word. “Now let — me — go.”
Mirabella’s eyes flashed with something like delight, and dread pooled in my gut. “Oh, darling. We’ve only just begun.”
But I was already moving.
Years of training kicked in on the heels of my panic. Countless nights staking vamps in the Quarter had filled me with enough fight to override the weakness in my limbs and the fuzziness clouding my mind.
Summoning every ounce of my hunter speed and strength, I bucked her off me and rolled. We both hit the floor in a tangle of limbs, Mirabella’s infuriating nightdress winding around my legs.
I surged to my feet, but she grabbed my ankle, wrenching my legs out from under me.
In a split second, our roles were reversed — Mirabella straddling my hips as her auburn hair fluttered around us.
Unsheathing my stake, I plunged it toward her chest, but she captured my wrist and wrenched it from my grasp. My heart sank as it clattered across the room and Mirabella’s thighs clamped around me.
“Spirited little huntress,” she purred, rolling her hips into my pelvis. “But that’s not all you are, is it?”
A fresh pang of horror rattled through me as she swept a finger through the dribble of blood on her chin and brought it to her mouth.
“Is that witch blood I detect?” She licked her lips, her gaze growing hooded as she stared down at me. “Delicious little thing you are. I think I’ll have you all to myself.”
My insides heaved as Mirabella pounced, using her full vampire strength to pin me to the floor.
This time, she made no attempt to be gentle. Sharp fangs ripped through my flesh, and suddenly, I was back in that filthy alley from five years before. Helpless. Alone. At the mercy of some bloodsucker whose thirst would never be sated.
I thought I’d escaped this — thought I’d grown stronger. But I’d walked right into Mirabella’s trap and allowed myself to become prey once more.
My vision blurred as I thrashed beneath her. With my hands pinned, I couldn’t reach my other stake. I was supposed to be rescuing Kaden, and instead I was bleeding out on Mirabella’s godsdamned floor.
A clamor outside the bedchamber drew my attention, but I could feel myself drifting away. My head swam from the venom and blood loss, and my muscles felt heavy and useless.
Then Mirabella gave a jolt, and I heard a sickening gurgle.
Peeling my eyes open, I blinked up at the vampire straddling me, the front of her gown stained with my blood. She was staring in disbelief at the tip of a stake protruding from her breastbone.
Slowly, I lifted my gaze to find Adriel glowering down at us.
“Party’s over,” he grumbled, gripping Mirabella under the armpits and tossing her off me. “We need to go.”
Bracing a hand on the floor, I tried to push myself into a seated position, but my head swam dangerously.
The royal guard crouched in front of me, studying my face with uncharacteristic concern. “Fuck. She really did a number on you.”
He wasn’t angry — at least not at me. I moaned as strong arms hauled me to my feet and dragged me toward the door.
“A little help here!” came Sorsha’s panicked voice, echoing down the corridor.
A low growl rumbled up Adriel’s chest as he dragged me down the hallway.
The princess stood at the top of the stairs, hiking up her voluminous skirts to access a holster just like mine.
Her limbs became a blur as she slashed and stabbed, tarry black blood flying as she drove a long hickory stake through a vampire’s breastbone, only to withdraw it with a wet squelch and skewer another.