Chapter 53
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My one-on-one time with Sam made me feel a little better. I made sure to cum on the nice bedspread and may have smeared it on the lampshade, the carpet, and a picture of someone from before color film was invented. I was all about leaving a legacy behind.
Sam’s distress was near constant, though, and it was affecting me more than I was okay with. The tethering was great when we were touching each other and things were going well. In this instance, it was hell.
Every fiber of my being was telling me to make sure she was okay, but I couldn’t. I’d already tried turning to smoke and finding a way out, but something was making this place airtight. Even the front door had some sort of invisible barrier. I assumed it was Vas’ ability that wrapped the building in a magical condom, and it infuriated me.
Since I had nothing better to do, I decided to be a pest. Davi, for one, struck me as the type of person that hated when things were out of order. I spent some time rearranging the cabinets in the main rooms. Many of the items had found new homes across the building. A few may have been stuffed deep in the septic system. There was a particularly large catfish in the air vents. They’d notice that pretty soon, considering I turned up the heat to ninety.
Without anything else to occupy me, I headed back into the kitchen and laid eyes on the people in the glass cells. When I smiled, one of them started praying and another let out a strangled sob that was so wet, it was revolting. I might just snap that one’s neck or choke them with their tongue.
The glass was plenty strong enough to withstand anything the humans could do to it and those that lived here must’ve been trusted not to fuck with it. It took two solid kicks for one of the walls to shatter. A man immediately darted past me, making me chuckle darkly.
“Stay,” I told the other two.
Appearing in front of him before he reached the door, I flicked him in the forehead. He touched the spot with a cry and stumbled backward. I kicked him in the groin, then grabbed him by the hair and dragged him to the island. There was a ripping sound before the strands tore free and I smelled blood.
“Oh my god,” he wailed. “Please stop.”
“You should not have been so pig-ignorant.”
Grabbing the front of his shirt, I deposited him on the island so that he was lying on his back.
“Pay attention,” I called to the others. “You’re going to learn why you don’t vex a being greater than you. When I tell you I have ideas…” Trailing off, I shivered at the idea of hearing this man scream.
Tapping my chin, I glanced around the room. With a pep in my step, I moved two small appliances to the island and plugged them in. He whimpered when he looked at them.
“Which should we use first?” I asked.
“Just kill me.”
“Wrong answer, you boring twat. Death is an art. Have fun with it.”
Someone from the cell made a break for it and I dropped my head back with a groan. Catching her at the door, I slammed her against the wall and dove into her neck. The blood was like jet fuel after going almost a full day without it. I hadn’t found any more human workers, so I assumed they were trying to make me work for it.
Dropping the limp body, I returned to my prey. He had enough sense to remain where he was.
“Sit up.”
He stared in horror at my blood-soaked face but obliged.
“Are you right or left-handed?”
“R-right.”
Taking his right hand, I held it over the blender jar. He was trembling and there was snot coming from his nose. If that got mixed in with his blood, I was going to be irate.
“Man up,” I drawled. “Wait, sorry. My fiancé would probably say that was some sort of toxic masculinity. Uh, woman up. Is that better or worse?”
He didn’t answer, so I shrugged and pushed his hand inside the glass container. His fingertips touched the blades and he tried to pull back. Holding him by the elbow, I kept it in place and flicked the switch.
The whir of the machine and his screams blended together in what was actually a nice chorus. It was too loud to my ears, but if I could record it, I might be able to fall asleep to it.
It made quick work of his fingers, slicing them off in what I would call a botched amputation. Meat was dangling from his stubs, becoming more mangled by the second. I was impressed when it managed to disconnect the bones and decided I’d have to buy one of these. Blood smoothies sounded like a great addition to my morning routine.
“What the fuck are you doing?” a monotone voice asked. Vas didn’t sound horrified, more like annoyed.
“Smoothies are good for the body,” I replied over the sound of the motor.
He unplugged it, then looked at my victim. The man was barely hanging onto consciousness. His body was swaying and his eyes were rolling back.
“Talk to me, Vas. What’s on your mind? How’s the wife? Still a bitch, I presume.”
“I don’t have a wife.”
“Oh, scandalous. You’ve defiled her out of wedlock. What would the church say?”
“The church can burn. What are you doing, Hemlock?”
“Experimenting.”
Removing the man’s arm, I put the lid on the blender and plugged it back in. While that finished up, I made a slice in his wrist and held it over the tank of the espresso machine. When I had enough, I set up the portafilter and set it to brew, watching as the thick liquid dripped with excruciating slowness. With an exasperated huff, Vas ripped the cord from the blender entirely and raised his brows.
“God, you’re boring,” I grumbled. “What does that bitch see in you?”
“She sees nothing in me, so kindly refrain from saying inappropriate things about it.”
“I will ‘kindly refrain’ from nothing. What I will do is finish what I started. If you wish to speak while I do so, be my guest.”
“Fine. First, though, I need to know that you can keep up your defenses against her mind infiltration.”
Humming thoughtfully, I poured the blood smoothie into a glass and tasted it. It could use more blending and would be better if the bones hadn’t fallen in. There was potential, though.
“Sibon’s brain rape doesn’t bother me much. She tries to play on my emotions, but that’s one of many places I reign supreme. And to think, my father thought it was a weakness. Look at me now, papa.”
“You cannot let her catch onto anything I’m about to tell you.”
“Then why tell me at all?”
Glancing at both doors, he moved his fingers at his sides. After turning off the lights, he returned to my side.
“Blocking the sound,” he explained.
“Weird. Creepy, maybe. You’re not going to take advantage of me in the dark, are you?”
“Of course not.”
“It was a joke. You take those as poorly as a woman must take your miniscule dick.”
“Sam is coming here.”
I paused halfway through pouring my blood-espresso shot into a mug. Collecting myself, I tipped the other two in, then added some milk. After stirring it, I leaned back against the island and tapped my finger on the ceramic cup.
“Why?” I asked finally.
“To make a deal.”
“No.”
“Clearly, it’s not up to you.”
“Then, kill me. No deals will be made on my account. She is not to put herself in danger.”
“You cannot convince me. I’m the one who posed the idea to both Sam and Sibon.”
“Forgive me if I’m being dense, Vas, but what the hell do you need from me?”
“It’s a trap.”
My grip tightened on the mug. “You’re bringing her into a trap?”
“No. Well, yes, but not for her. She thinks she’s coming here to give herself up and offer to join us. Sibon has agreed because losing Erla and Seraphim will take a toll on our operations.”
“Why the fuck would Sam agree to this?”
“She wants to keep everybody alive. For all of her darker attributes, she’s quite noble.”
“Unfortunately. It gets in the way often.”
“Perhaps your mate bond was meant to create balance.”
“You’re too obsessed with my bond and it makes me uncomfortable. I assure you, neither of us are open to a sharing situation.”
“Don’t worry. Your kind does not appeal to me.”
“My kind? Do you take issue with Italians?”
He blew out an aggressive breath through his nose. “Vampires. Let’s get back to the issue at hand before Davi comes snooping around again, yeah?”
“Sure.” I sipped on the espresso, then pursed my lips as I tried to decide how I felt about it. The bitterness of the coffee was strange combined with the blood, but I didn’t think it was terrible. I imagined cinnamon would pair well with it.
“I spoke with Ser and he will attempt to rally your coven with the help of someone named Mark. Do you trust him?”
“With my life. Certainly more than Ser-Raf-Helm.”
“What?”
I waved a dismissive hand as I finished my coffee. After setting it on the counter, I gripped the edge tightly.
“This will be an ambush,” I mused.
“Essentially, but it has to be smarter than that. They have to get through my barrier first.”
“Logically, one would assume you can let them in.”
“It would give me away.”
With a dry laugh, I shook my head. “You don’t choose sides.”
“Before your mate, you would have sacrificed everyone, even those closest to you, to live another day. If it earned you more power, you’d have killed every last one of your progenies without a second’s hesitation. Don’t pretend we’re any different in that regard.”
“I’m not faulting you for it, except that it makes things more difficult. How do they get through?”
“Ser will take care of that. If they succeed, your job is to leave with him and Sam.”
“That makes no sense. We should go for Sibon.”
He shook his head, leaning his side against the counter. “You’re not strong enough yet.”
“Then the fire fairy can sacrifice himself trying. I don’t give a shit. I’m taking Sam and that’s all I care about.”
“She cannot lose him, Hemlock.”
“Fuck him. She can control her magic without him.”
“Losing your Nexus strips you of your power. Just as you lose the strength of your mate when they die, so too does she lose the magic from those she’s bonded to.”
“Wait, are you saying she’ll lose her ability to use fire if he dies?”
“Yes. She has already lost her ice magic.”
It felt like someone kicked me in the chest. “Joseph is dead?”
“She killed him to keep Sibon from taking him. Now, she only has two remaining Nexus points. Air and fire. It’s unlikely she’ll ever find the other, so she needs to escape this place with you and Ser, then regain her strength. She’s going to be weak for a time while she adjusts to her loss and the two of you need to build your bond, learn how it works.”
“This sounds like a long game.”
“It could be. Perhaps it will be very short. That will depend entirely on the three of you.”
“And no matter what happens, you’ll be just fine on whatever side wins.”
“Exactly. I’m glad you’re finally catching on.”
“Were you trying to make a funny?” I asked with a smirk.
“No. I was being snide. If you understand the plan, I’d like to retire to my room.”
“Yup. I just need to know when this is happening.”
“Ser will be preparing today and they’ll arrive tomorrow evening. You like to skulk around like a cat, so I’m sure you’ll become aware of the exact timing.”
“In the meantime, I’m going to eat all of these humans.”
“All of them?” he repeated, wrinkling his nose.
“Unless you want me to save one for you.”
“No, I’ve sated myself. Are you gorging yourself to build your strength?”
“That and I assume these are part of Sibon’s personal store. Blood magic and all that. I’m sure she can go find someone else to slice and dice, but it’s more tedious than popping into the kitchen prison when needed.”
“You want to experience satisfaction from her irritation.”
“It feeds my broken little mind, Vas. You should try doing something fun sometime.”
“I have hobbies,” he muttered. He ground his teeth together, then headed for the door.
Turning to the remaining six prisoners, I grinned. “I may need to work on my blood to coffee grounds ratio. Who would like to volunteer as tribute?”