Chapter 32
Thirty-Two
RONAN
ELLNESARI, PRESENT DAY
T he air is thick with the musty smell of damp stone and the sound of rats scurrying in the corners. The walls are rough and cold, just like the metal cuffs around my wrists, chaining me to the wall. Rotting straw sours the air, spiked with the ammonia sting of decades-old piss.
By my calculations, three days have gone by since Cheryl and I were captured.
Three days without seeing her face or hearing her voice, and it feels like centuries have passed.
This is worse torture than being locked away in this rotten cell.
To not be near her or be able to protect her from the assholes keeping us captive is eating me alive.
My only solace is that our bond remains strong.
Through our connection, I can sense that she’s not in imminent danger.
Her emotions flicker between anxiety and anger, laced with an unhealthy dose of frustration.
I also know she yearns to see me as much as I yearn to see her.
After I refused to drink from Lady Nisha, my accommodations changed drastically.
The guards moved me to the dungeon located in the bowels of the compound.
It’s on the same level as the pit, but the panic that hangs in the air whenever a shadowbeast is near isn’t present.
It’s possible I’ve killed the only one they had in captivity.
No one has come to see me since I was brought here, and it’d be impossible to tell the passage of time if it weren’t for Cheryl and her mood changes.
Whenever she feels peaceful, I deduce that she’s sleeping.
And when her emotions are in turmoil, I know she’s awake again. The cycle has repeated three times.
Three days might not be long, but when you’re deprived of fresh air and food, it can feel like an eternity.
The hunger is beginning to bother me, and if I’m not careful, I might enter bloodlust. If I were in the human world, there would also be the danger of going into hibernation.
Here, surrounded by Nightingale magic, that’s one problem off my plate.
But I can’t go on much longer without sustenance.
I need all my strength for when the opportunity to escape this hellhole presents itself.
Approaching footsteps fall heavily and decidedly over rough stone, and my spine becomes rigid.
I expand my senses and pick up three distinct patterns.
Each footfall echoes more loudly as the party draws near.
My entire body prepares to fight even though I’m chained to the wall and there isn’t much I can do.
They stop in front of my cell, and the light they carry filters through the cracks in the wooden door, followed by the key scraping through metal with a low grind that sets my teeth on edge.
The door opens inward, and the decrepit Nightingale who seems to be in charge of this place fills the frame. He’s flanked by two guards.
“Vampire warrior, it pities me to see you in such a state.”
“It’s all thanks to your daughter.”
The male remains by the door with his hands clasped behind his back. I can’t see his face well in the shadows.
“You refused to feed from her.”
“She wanted more than to give me her blood, but you know that.”
He cocks his head. “I’ve never met a vampire who’d go hungry in order to remain chaste.”
“What do you know of my kind? You’re only interested in using us as guard dogs.”
“It matters not to me. You will feed one way or another. I won’t let you go to waste, warrior.” He steps back, moving out of the way so his guards can come in.
It’s the same duo that brought me to the pit. One is stocky with short legs and reeks of fish and some sort of fermented beverage. The other is tall with long legs and appears to be higher ranked.
I expect to receive an ass whooping from the duo, so I strike first, kicking the short one in the shin. He screams, hopping on his good leg.
“Filthy savage.” The second one grabs my chains, restraining me. “He was only trying to help you get on your feet.”
“If you want to help, release me.”
The Nightingale I kicked grabs a fistful of my hair and pulls my head back, exposing my neck. A moment later, his accomplice puts a choker collar on me. It clasps shut with a resounding metallic clank. “Try that stunt again, savage. I dare you.”
I lunge for him, but I don’t get far. An electric current zaps from the collar, rendering me useless. Pain like I’ve never known rattles my bones, and my muscles spasm. The horrible sensation seems to go on forever, and when it stops, blood fills my mouth from biting my own tongue.
“I really wish it didn’t have to come to his,” the old creep says before he walks away.
The stocky Nightingale kicks me in the leg—a retaliation for getting him first, no doubt. “Get up. We don’t have all day.”
I try to, but my legs won’t cooperate. I could push through, but I’d rather let the two idiots believe I’m putty in their hands. “I… I can’t, jackass.”
“Boils!” the short one says.
They lift me off the floor and drag me out of the cell.
I’m sandwiched between the duo, and I let them carry most of my weight.
The feeling in my legs has returned, but with them distracted with keeping me upright, they aren’t paying attention to my hands.
I lift the ring of keys from the tall guard and shove it into my pocket.
I bet the key to this damn collar is on there.
They bring me to the upper level, and it’s a relief to know I’m no longer in the bowels of this place.
The bond to Cheryl feels stronger, meaning I’m moving closer to her.
My heartbeat goes from zero to a hundred in point-two seconds.
But my exhilaration is short-lived, for when we enter one of the grand rooms in the manor, I find Cheryl on her knees with her hands tied behind her back.
She wears the same choker collar as me. Lord Valkor is behind her, and his daughter and another Nightingale I haven’t met are at his sides.
“Cheryl!” I try to move forward, forgetting the guards holding me.
They push me to my knees. “Where do you think you’re going?” one of them barks.
“Let her go!” I shout even though I know it’s futile.
“You will let my daughter nourish you, vampire warrior, or your beloved wolf pays the price,” Lord Valkor says. “What is it going to be?”
Cheryl shakes her head. I know she doesn’t want to witness me drinking from another female, but her heart is conflicted. She can see I need blood.
“He can have my vein,” Cheryl interjects. “He doesn’t need Nightingale blood.”
“Silence, savage!” Lady Nisha commands.
Cheryl turns to her. “Drop dead, skank.”
The collar is activated, and Cheryl cries out. Her body convulses violently, making her collapse on the floor.
“No!” I try to get up, but the guards push me down, pressing my face to the floor and holding my arms tight behind my back. I’m not in chains because of the damn collar around my neck.
“Pull him up,” Lady Nisha commands.
They grab me by my hair, yanking hard to cause maximum pain. My lower lip stings from when I hit the floor, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s cut.
“You’re in bad shape, vampire warrior,” she says in a seductive way. “But it’s nothing compared to what your pet will look like when we’re done with her.”
To make her point, she uses the collar against Cheryl again, making her cry out once more. My nostrils flare, and my fangs are aching to tear this vile female’s throat open, and not to drink her blood.
A servant carrying a tray with a goblet and a dagger approaches her.
Maybe guessing I will do some serious damage if she offers me her vein, Lady Nisha takes the dagger and cuts her palm, then lets the blood drip into the glass.
My gums ache as the scent of her spilled blood enters my system.
My hunger comes to the forefront of my mind, and all I can think about now is feeding.
Once the cup is filled, she presses it against my lips. I don’t want to drink her blood. I don’t want any part of this female inside me. But I can’t let her torture Cheryl again, so I surrender to the hunger and accept the offer.
The moment her blood hits my tongue, magic takes over my senses.
At first, I believe it’s just the Nightingale magic that I taste, but after a moment, my thoughts become muddled, and my skin feels like it’s being pulled tight.
My cock hardens, and a lust fog takes over me.
I meet Lady Nisha’s gaze and see the victory in her silver eyes. I’m lusting for her against my wishes.
“Ronan…” Cheryl calls my name, clearing my head for a moment.
Lady Nisha must have done something to her blood to make me crave her. I shake my head, fighting the magic trying to bend my will. I focus on my bond to Cheryl, using that as a lifeline. When the female tries to kiss me, I turn my face away. “No!”
Her eyes widen as she steps back. “No? You dare to refuse me?”
Damn it. She’s going to retaliate against Cheryl. I have to stop her.
The wail of a newborn reaches us from somewhere in the manor. Lord Valkor and the dark-skinned Nightingale trade a glance, then both walk away, heading toward the noise.
Unfortunately, Lord Valkor’s sadistic daughter remains. “You’re going to pay for what you’ve done, vampire.”
She strides toward Cheryl still holding the dagger. I don’t need to read minds to know what she intends to do. I drank her blood; I know what’s in her heart. She hates Cheryl because of what she means to me, and she intends to make her suffer while I watch.
I prepare to shake the guards holding me and attack, but a feeling of uncontrollable dread hits me. The guards release their hold on me, and I sense their fear. My gaze collides with Cheryl’s. Her round eyes and ragged breathing tell me she’s realized the same thing I did.
Shadowbeasts are coming.