Chapter 10 Danni
Danni
Knox’s words hung in the air long after he left.
Despite his bravado, worry flickered across his face for a split second when he mentioned someone would kill me if they found out I was his mate.
I won’t be able to avenge anyone if I’m dead.
So I decided to take his advice. I will give him what he wants and play the brain-dead Familiar he needs me to be.
Nothing and no one will stand in the way of me finding my mother’s killer and exposing every single vampire here for the monsters they are. I’m in full undercover slayer mode now.
The skirt of my oversized emerald green dress brushes both walls on each side of me, the taffeta fabric soft against my skin.
I walk quickly through the hotel corridor, alone, searching for the dining room.
Of course, Knox didn’t tell me where it actually was.
Probably another tactic to piss me off. He likes games—which honestly thrills me more than troubles me.
I wander on and on through the dimly lit halls. Each time I round a corner, I’m met with the same hallway I had just walked down. It’s not until the third time I pass the painting of a haughty-looking woman that I actually realize I’m not getting anywhere.
I try not to let my frustrations rule me as I stop and lean against the wall opposite of the painting. I take a few deep breaths in the stillness. When I open my eyes, a door appears in the same spot as the painting.
I turn the handle and push a little harder than I intended. It ricochets off the wall behind it, the thud piercing the silence.
“I love a dramatic entrance as much as the next person, but try not to leave a path of destruction in your wake.” Knox’s deep voice vibrates through me, sending goosebumps up my arms.
“I thought this was a group welcome dinner. Where is everyone else?” I ask, closing the door slowly.
“I postponed it until tomorrow. After our conversation earlier, I thought we should get to know each other better first.”
I nod and try not to look disappointed.
The dining room is smaller than I imagined, almost intimate. A fireplace with a great, roaring fire is embedded into the exposed brick wall in the center of the room. The soft amber glow illuminates the left side of his face, making his bone structure fiercer and more prominent.
He is quite beautiful in this light. Everything about him lures me in.
The perfect predator.
His lips quirks to the side in a devastating half-smile while his eyes devour every inch of me.
My body ignites at his lustful leering.
“Sit.”
The chair closest to him moves out from beneath the table, which I notice is only set for one. I guess I’m about to find out exactly what he eats.
The thought brings a new fear swimming to the surface as I remember how I got here in the first place. Kidnapped by vampires, held against my will in some unknown realm. And yet, the bond between us hums in delight. As if I’m meant to be here. I attempt to ignore it, failing miserably.
“I’m not a dog,” I bite back, staying rooted to the spot.
He tilts his head to the side. The tension between us simmers delightfully.
“No, you’re right. Mongrels have better manners than you.” He sighs, a bored expression stealing away his amusement. “If you won’t sit, then I’ll make you. I usually don’t make a habit of compelling people, but for you, I’ll gladly make an exception.”
Compelling people? My brows knit together right before his eyes swirl into a whirlpool of deep, shimmering red.
“Sit.”
His voice echoes in my head, a soft caress against my skull as the rest of my body eagerly responds.
My feet move, but I don’t tell them to. I remind myself that despite the fact Knox is utterly gorgeous, I need to put a thousand miles between us, if only I could break free.
He doesn’t release his hold on my mind until my ass is planted firmly in the ornate wooden chair.
I slump forward, bracing my arms against the table while I wait for a lingering wave of nausea to disappear.
“I thought you’d have more control over your mind, given how stubborn you are. Quite disappointing.”
I focus on the fancy plate in front of me, bone white with shiny golden rims. It looks brand new, like it’s never been used.
“What was that?” I ask, a little breathless.
“I compelled you to fulfill my desire. I did warn you.” I hear him click his fingers and the door opens instantly.
“You had no right,” I mutter, my body still suffering through the aftereffects.
“Sit up, unless you want to end up with hair in your soup.”
I do as I’m told. I never want to experience being compelled again.
A bowl is placed in front of me, filled to the brim with mouth-watering tomato soup. It’s the best I’ve ever smelled. I greedily inhale as my stomach growls. I’ll bet everything I own that it tastes even better. I don’t remember the last time I ate, since time has no meaning in this place.
I lift my eyes to him to find he’s already watching me.
“It’s not poisoned. Eat.”
He doesn’t have to tell me twice. I’m so hungry that I’d probably eat it even if it was poisoned.
My taste buds explode with the first spoonful.
It takes all of my willpower not to pick up the bowl and drink it all in one go.
He watches me with intent fascination, but weirdly enough, I don’t feel uneasy or awkward eating in front of him.
It feels natural. Like something we’ve done thousands of times before.
He waits until I’m finished before speaking.
“You must have a million questions,” he says, bringing a glass of red wine to his lips.
“Yes.” It comes out a little too eager.
“I’ll allow you three.”
I roll my eyes.
He continues, “And three more tomorrow at dinner.”
Of course there’s a catch.
“Why do you insist on having dinner with me when you don’t actually eat anything?”
He grins widely at me as he leans back into his chair, swirling the wine in a counterclockwise motion. “That was your first one.”
Infuriating man.
I open my mouth to retort, but I don’t trust myself not to let another question slip out, so I clamp it closed again.
“I insist on dining with you because I want to make sure you’re taken care of.” He glances away from me as if he’s embarrassed by the admission.
The bond between us hums at a different timbre. I’ve never been taken care of before. I’ve lived alone since I was sixteen.
A vision of the future flashes before my eyes, one I never knew I wanted. Knox and I are sitting together on my couch in my cozy apartment, laughing, watching movies. Being happy together.
I give myself a mental shake. This must be the bond playing tricks on me.
“And I am eating.” His teeth flash as he raises the glass to his lips and takes a big gulp.
The soup instantly threatens to come back up again.
I look at anything but him, trying to sort through all of my emotions so I’ll actually ask a question of substance.
I have to be clever about this. Nothing too vague or I won’t get the answer I need.
That’s if he even tells me the truth. This could be a bunch of bullshit for all I know.
My questions must be direct, so he doesn’t answer in riddles.
“What is a Familiar, exactly?”
His brows knit together in contemplation. I brace myself for the human blood bag part…
“A Familiar is a companion of sorts. You serve me and do my bidding without complaint, and in return, I grant you a sliver of power. This is done through a very long and boring bonding ceremony, but the important part is that both parties must give consent to it, or else the spell won’t work.”
For the first time in a long time, I’m speechless.
Why does he need me to become a Familiar? And what does it have to do with me being his mate?
“What happens if I don’t consent? Will I be free of all of this?” I ask and realize I’ve used up my final question.
“You’re already magically bound to complete the training.
If you don’t consent to me, then you’ll just go to another member of The Five.
The magic won’t have it any other way. You’ll die if you don’t do it.
” He waves a hand in dismissal, like my life means nothing.
As if he doesn’t care either way what I choose.
“What do you mean I’m bound to complete the training? That’s not consensual at all! I didn’t agree—”
He holds up a hand to silence me.
“Your soul agreed the moment you stepped through that curtain back in the circus. You’ve asked four questions. I won’t answer any more.” His eyes turn a shade darker as he takes another sip from the glass, but I’m not afraid of him.
“So, I either have to complete the training or I die? I have to keep the fact I’m your mate a secret or I die?”
He sighs and rises from his seat. “There’s no other way out of the inbetween than to go through the training. If the other vampires find out you’re my mate, you’re dead. What part of that do you not understand? You have to do this if you want to survive.”
He’s right. I don’t have a choice.
“Then I guess this dinner is over. Thank you for the soup. I’ll head back to my room now.” I need space to think. I get up from my seat, avoiding his eyes as I make my way to the door.
“Wait,” he calls after me. “Don’t you mean our room?”
I narrow my eyes in response. He closes the gap between us, holding out a hand for me to take as he searches my face for a reaction.
I guess I don’t have a choice in this, either.
He was right about the bond not liking for us to be apart for too long.
Without a reply, I stride past him and out the door into the hallway.
I let him walk ahead, guiding me for a much shorter distance than I’d come. Seems like the hotel doesn’t want to play tricks on me now. When Knox and I reach my room, we stand awkwardly side by side, staring at the door in silence.
Maybe he’s as conflicted as I am?
One moment he’s flirty, then the next he’s sneering and rude. Being around him feels like having whiplash. I never know which side of him I’m getting. The one who held my face tightly and acted as if I was his possession, or the one who is indifferent about whether I live or die.
Knox finally pushes the door open. My cozy bedroom is replaced with a large sitting room, with two doors on either side.
The vast desert is still visible through a floor to ceiling glass wall.
In the center is a large chaise longue and a small coffee table flanked by marble pillars adorned by bouquets of flowers.
A painting of a lake that looks vaguely familiar adorns the nearby wall.
We walk in together, both studying the space and ignoring the current between us.
He opens the door on the left, revealing my room from before.
“I’ll be in here, if the pain gets too much.” He gestures back to the sitting room, then fists his hands into his pockets.
“It won’t be.” I don’t sound convincing.
Before I can make more of an idiot of myself, I stomp past him into my bedroom and slam the door behind me.
Hopefully, it lets him know I hate this arrangement just as much as he does.