BOOK 5
I woke with a start. Darkness surrounded me, causing my heart to pound with dread. Never had I been unable to see in the dark, thanks to my combined vampire and shifter heritage. The nighttime was my friend. I pulled the soft comforter up with shaking hands, listening to the quietness of the room.
“It was just a dream,” I whispered, but it had seemed too real.
Flicking the lamp on, I shrieked as a tall, imposing figure jumped on top of me. “Hush, little girl. We don’t want to wake the entire castle now, do we?” Black eyes flashed red. The raspy tone of his voice sent a shiver of fear down my spine.
“What do you want? How did you get in here?” My father was the Vampire King, and I knew without a doubt he didn’t let this being into our home.
A snake-like tongue came out of the being’s mouth.
I froze, hoping he didn’t plan to touch me with it.
“If you come with me and don’t say a word or make a sound, I will make sure nothing happens to your precious family.
However, if you put up a fight, I’ll become worse than the beast under your bed you’ve always feared,” he hissed.
I tried to control my alarm at the knowledge he had of me and my family, and even more of my dreams—or more aptly, nightmares. “Where are you taking me?”
Fingers tipped with blade-like talons gripped around my throat, cutting off my oxygen and slicing into my skin at the same time. “Master wants you. I was sent to bring you to him. By the way,” he paused. “This might hurt a little.”
Pain exploded through every fiber of me, from my head to my toes.
Fire burned through my veins like lava flowing out of a recently erupted volcano.
Before I could wish for death—which I’d never thought I’d do—darkness consumed me once again.
My last images before losing consciousness were of my parents and twin brothers Damien and Lucas.
How I wished I could hold them one last time.
If I could have reached out to them, I knew they’d have saved me.
The mental block the demon had surrounded me with kept me from all those I loved.
Now, with my life flashing before my eyes, I hoped they knew how much I loved them and that they were safe.
The next time I woke, I was sure I was dead. Only the oppressive heat couldn’t be where my next life would begin. I wasn’t meant to go to hell. Sitting up, the room spun as my stomach lurched.
“Oh god, I’m going to be sick,” I groaned.
“I wouldn’t advise that. Master doesn’t like his chosen to be flawed.”
Hearing the grating voice let me know I wasn’t dead. That at least gave me hope. I blinked my eyes open, taking in the surroundings, and wished I hadn’t. Red rock walls with black furniture were everywhere. Sweat poured down my face and body, soaking my nightgown to my skin.
Oh, shit. I glanced down, gripping the tiny slip of satin I’d worn to sleep. My heart kicked hard with a cold sinking certainty that he was going to kill me or make me wish I were dead.
The beast who stole me from my bed raised his brows. “You’ll be wearing a lot less when Master gets here.”
“Why?” Hating the quiver in my voice, I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“He has plans for you.” His red gaze looked me up and down. “I’ve no clue why. You look too human for my tastes.”
And I hated the way he made his words sound like a snake was hissing. Thank fuck I looked too human for his tastes. The black horns on top of his head, along with the green tint to his skin, made my skin crawl. Again, I caught the hatred in his gaze and thought he was reading my mind.
My brothers had tried to ingrain in me the need to keep my mind protected from intrusions, but I’d never had a reason to be so on guard.
Now I pushed him out with ease, making sure nothing and no one could read what I didn’t want them to.
After my mind was secure, I moderated my body temperature, instantly cooling my overheated flesh.
Instinctively, I reached out on the familial path, trying to reach my father or my brothers, but found my ability blocked.
I fell onto my knees with a sickening crunch onto the black ground.
Crimson blood oozed out of my nose from the agony of trying, dripping in a steady stream down the front of my chest. Dry heaves wracked my frame.
“I told you not to make a sound or try to reach out to your family. Did I not?”
Black talons lifted my chin. “You didn’t say I couldn’t once we were here,” I gasped.
On my hands and knees, I was sure the monster squatting down to my level was getting a hell of a show through the gap at the top of my gown, but I couldn’t gather the energy to pull myself up.
He shook his head. The horns grew straight instead of curving.
“Nobody disobeys me.” He pinched my chin between his fingers so hard I feared he’d crush the bone.
I tried not to flinch at the new pain shooting through me.
Didn’t he say his Master didn’t want me damaged?
“Please let me go. I won’t tell a soul.” The scent of my fear and blood flooded my senses.
He released my chin, but before I could sigh in relief, the bastard grabbed me by the throat.
I wrapped my hands around the thick wrist as he lifted me with seeming ease.
Panic flooded my system. Tears clouded my vision.
It took me precious seconds to moderate my internal organs, reminding myself I could survive for long moments without air. I wasn’t a useless, weak female.
My vision cleared in time to watch the disgusting creature pull his fist back, a snarl rattling up from his chest. “The only souls to tell, don’t care.”
A door opened. The sound should’ve scared me, but nothing registered except the sight of the male’s meaty fist heading toward me.
I closed my eyes, preparing for pain. My captor grunted, then released me as if I burned him.
If not for my fast reflexes, I’d have slammed into the unforgiving ground underneath me.
“Yo, Yomy, what you got there?”
The new male’s voice made me still. “None of your business, Creed. Leave before Master gets here.”
Creed. I tried to see who owned the delicious voice. I rolled the name around in my head as my wolf raised its head and wanted to howl. I felt my canines drop and wanted to push the being named Yomy out of my way to get to the newcomer. What kind of name is that anyway? Yo and my put together.
“You, silly boy. Why don’t you run along like the good puppy you are, and leave this morsel for me to handle?”
The deep baritone suggested he was more than happy to make Yomy do as he said.
“My job is not complete.” The demon stood in front of me, blocking my view.
A tall, dark-haired man came into view. His black slacks and top made him look like a debonair businessman. He had to be at least six and a half feet tall. Surely, he couldn’t be human, especially since I was sure we were no longer on Earth. My wolf didn’t care what he was, the hussy.
I stood on my bare feet, trying to control my inner beast.
Creed flicked his fingers. “Go now, and I will not hurt you. Much,” he growled. Oh, yeah, my wolf liked the sound of his voice.
“Just because you’re the Master’s bastard son doesn’t give you any right to order me around.”
Shit. I ordered my wolf to calm down. No way in hell was I wanting a deranged kidnapper’s son.
“Yomy, Yomy. Do you never learn? I am more than just his bastard. I am the bastard.”
One minute, the demon who’d stolen me away was in front of me, the next, he was flying across the room. I jumped back until the scorching wall held me up, staying as far away from the battling duo as possible.
Fuck! I’d watched my brothers and my father’s elite soldiers fight from afar, but nothing had prepared me for the battle in front of me. Neither male cared that I watched them try to kill each other. I had no doubt that was exactly what they were trying to do.
Right before my eyes, the man named Creed grew even larger.
His smooth tan skin became a startling red.
Horns similar to the ones on top of Yomy’s head grew from his own, only larger and sharper looking.
The black things gleamed in the overhead light as he became what I’d envisioned the devil himself would look like, only he still appeared a beautiful man. My wolf still wanted him.
Black, oily-looking blood splattered the walls from the many gashes on Yomy. Creed smiled like he was having fun. He appeared to be playing with the other demon.
I eased toward the door I’d seen, hoping I’d find a way out while they were busy.
If I got away from Yomy and his blocks, I might be able to contact my dad or brothers.
I didn’t think I’d survive whatever Master—or the one named Creed—planned for me.
Scratch that, I knew I wouldn’t survive. That was probably their intention.
The door opened to a dark hall. The stench of decaying flesh hit me when I stepped out. Quietly, I shut the door and looked at the three tunnels. Each one was pitch-black, but with my enhanced vision, I could see beings lurking within them.
With no other recourse, I opened my mind, praying I could connect with my family. A sense of loss threatened to swamp me until I felt a light touch on the familial path. I’d feared they’d severed my ability to connect with my family until that moment.
“Who is this?” Tears blinded me for a moment at the deep baritone of my father, his anger seeping through to me. “I asked who this was. If you don’t answer me, I will make you wish you hadn’t disturbed my family and me.”
The authority in his demand made me blink. Did they not know I was missing? Couldn’t he tell it was me?
“This is Raina, Daddy.” Proud I didn’t come across as breathless as I felt, I waited for him to respond.
“Bullshit. Who the fuck is this?” An image of my father, with his flashing black eyes, popped into my mind. Anger burned into my brain along with the pain of his invasion.
“Stop it,” I cried out, my hands reaching blindly for the walls.
I was a hybrid and didn’t need blood regularly, but the loss of my own blood was making me weak.
From the new assault delivered into my head, I felt more of my precious life’s blood pouring out of my nose and ears.
Damn, maybe I shouldn’t have shored up my walls so tightly.
“Raina? It truly is you,” he said, worry etched into every syllable.
Strong arms wrapped around me. “Where do you think you are going, princess?”
I turned my head, meeting the black eyes of the monster I’d run from. He’d shrunk back to the devastating image of the man named Creed.
“Please, just leave me alone. I want my mom,” I whimpered.
“Who is with you? Look at them. Let me see through your eyes.”
“I can’t. So tired,” I whispered.
I wanted to do as my father ordered. I tried to look at the devastating man, but then I gasped. He held me like I was precious, cradling me against his massive chest. I raised one hand. “You’re not covered in blood and gore,” I said.
My father’s voice continued yelling within my mind, demanding I do as he said, rising until I was sure he’d pierce my eardrum. I wanted to obey him. Goddess, I hated upsetting my father.
“Tell him I can’t. Too tired.”