Chapter Twenty
Stark threw me over his shoulder while I kicked and screamed. “I don’t wanna be no dang bloodsucker, Stark!”
He marched up the staircase, toward the master bedroom. “It is the only way,” he grumbled.
“You can’t do this to me!” But of course, he could, and it had been his plan all along.
For all I knew, he was making up everything he’d just told me in that room, all to convince me to play a role that got him what he wanted: to be the undisputed king of vampires.
“Daddy! Daddy! Where are you?” I cried out.
Daddy didn’t officially live in Stark’s mansion anymore.
He lived with Mamma—sort of. She’d mentioned a few times that Daddy didn’t like sleeping at their place.
Not dark enough. I used to think he just hopped over here and grabbed one of the many bedrooms, but now I wondered where any of them slept.
According to Teri, vampires preferred to be underground, so maybe there was more to this mansion than I knew.
Either way, Daddy still spent a good chunk of time here, helping his “master” with whatever crap Stark needed. The rest of his waking hours, he spent at the Rooster, bartending on the late shift.
“Daddy! Help!” I yelled again.
“Your father is not here.”
Shit! “He’s gonna kill you when he finds out.”
Stark pushed open the master bedroom door and walked in, flipping on the lights. The blackout curtains were drawn, and a peaches-and-cream-scented plug-in filled the space with relaxing fruity vibes. Still, I continued pounding on his solid back.
“Your father begged me to turn you months ago. He says you are a danger magnet.”
“I don’t believe you!” I screamed.
Stark plopped me down on the huge bed with the red velvet comforter and piles of soft down pillows stacked against the headboard. It was a bed I knew well.
The sizzling hot memories flooded back. The way he moved on me, in me, holding me down, picking me up, and pretzeling our bodies into ecstasy.
As if reading my mind, Stark licked his lips. “I, too, enjoyed our time in this bed.”
My face flushed. My lady part plumped up. “Don’t know what you mean,” I lied.
“Then do not look at me like that,” he growled.
“Like what?” Like my skin is hot and my body’s thirsty for something I shouldn’t want? I knew he was trouble and everything bad, but the truth was, I still loved him.
Why? Well, obviously I was insane.
Also, he was hands down the finest male specimen I’d ever seen. If anyone should live forever purely based on looks, it was this man.
“I am warning you,” he said, “if you do not cease, I will be forced to fuck you, drink you, and turn you all at once.”
Doesn’t sound too bad to me. “Wait. No.” I sat up. “I don’t want any of that.”
His eyes moved to my perky nipples pointing through my Rooster T-shirt. “Your breasts seem to disagree.”
“Yes, I want you. Okay? I can’t seem to shake off whatever chemical reaction you trigger in my ovaries, but I’ve changed, Stark. I want—”
“Anal?”
“No!” I chucked a pillow at him, which he didn’t bother dodging. It hit him on the chest and landed on the floor.
“My apologies. It is the only thing we have not done, so I figured…”
He’d figured wrong. “I want more than sex.”
“Wish granted. Soon you will be the most powerful woman in the world. All of humankind’s fate will be in your hands.”
“See, that right there is just terrifying. So thanks for that. What I meant is that I want a man, Stark. A real man. Not just some sex god in the bedroom who tells me what I want to hear. I want him to have the kind of strength that comes with a fearless dedication to being truthful, to earning my trust and keeping it.” Also, it wouldn’t hurt if he could cook.
“So you are saying you do not wish me to put my mouth on you.” He climbed on to the bed and came towards me. “You are saying you do not want my stiff cock inside you, pumping, pounding, pushing until you scream with exquisite pleasure.”
I swallowed hard, that urge to give in growing stronger.
I did want it. I wanted him so badly. But that was my body speaking.
My heart and mind, however, were miles away.
“Two seconds ago, you said you were going to kill me. You said that it was the only way, and now you want to have sex while you do it? Don’t you see how messed up that is? ”
“I must turn you, Masie. Why not make it as pleasurable as possible?”
I would never get through to him, would I? So why did I keep trying? It was a ridiculous cycle, and I owned it. Time to un-own it.
“Because,” I placed a hand on his rough cheek, “it’s not what I want, and the man I’m destined to love would never push me to give up being human. Not without trying to find another solution.”
His gaze softened, and he moved away, sitting on the edge of the bed.
I sat next to him and placed a hand on his back. “I can’t tell you how much I’ve prayed, in my heart, in my soul, for you to be that man. But you’re just not him.”
Stark went silent for a long moment, and it unnerved me. More than knowing he planned to bite me, drink my blood until my heart nearly stopped, and make me consume his blood.
“Say something,” I pushed. “Tell me there’s another way to stop what’s happening.” I took a deep breath. “Please, I’m asking for your help.”
His anger came on faster than a high-speed train. “You think I want to turn you?” he growled. “Despite what you think of me, I abhor death.” He pointed to the tattoo on his arm. “Each symbol is a life, and I dread having to add another mark for you.”
All this time, I’d wondered what the symbols on the vines meant, but I’d never imagined they were a sort of silent penance.
“Why do you do it?” I asked.
“I was sold to a vampire as a young boy. Among my many daytime duties, my job was to lure innocent people to my master and then dispose of the bodies. I told myself that whatever I had to do to stay alive, to prevent him from murdering my mother and sister for disobeying him, I would do. However, the first opportunity I got, I would leave. Then I had that chance, Masie. My master was murdered by his maker one dark night, and for a few short moments, I was free. I had my life back.” Stark drew a long, sorrow-filled breath.
“Until his master turned me. Right then and there. Simply because he thought it would be entertaining.”
I covered my mouth with a gasp. “That’s awful. I’m so sorry.”
“He was sorry, as well. After I tore off his head.”
I winced. “Graphic, but I get it.”
“Agreed. And after that, I had to accept what I was or die. So I began the task of surviving. Day by day. Night by night. I vowed I would never become like those vampires. Monsters. Animals. Nor would I be ruled by such vile, sadistic individuals again. I would be in control of my life, and I would not kill without reason. It was why I attempted to prepare you on the island so that you would follow the same way of life.”
“Oh.” That explained a lot about Stark—why he fought tooth and nail to stay on top.
He’d learned the hard way what happened if a vampire controlled your life.
The funny part was how well Stark hid all this from everyone.
The way the man spoke and acted, you’d think he’d murdered hundreds of thousands of people.
Still, that’s a lot of ink on his arms. “So I’m guessing that the ‘no killing’ vow hasn’t gone so well.”
“It is a process.”
It was more of a choice, but okay.
He continued, “I am merely emphasizing that while I put up a strong front, I truly do not wish to take your life and turn you, Masie.”
“Then don’t,” I said. “I mean, I’ll do whatever I have to; I’ve decided that much. But if there’s a chance of…you know, keeping me human, I’d like that.”
He nodded slowly as if mulling.
“Well?”
He remained silent.
“Maybe if you explained why turning me is so important, we could find another solution.” I added, “See, here’s the part where you let me in.”
“I would be breaking a sacred vow if I tell you, but perhaps it is time to trust you—as I always should have.”
Great idea, genius. Why didn’t I think of that?
He placed a hand on my thigh. “In order to pull this off, you must communicate with all vampires as Anna. To do this, you will require moonshine.”
“Not this again.” Now I knew he was playing me. “I am not gettin’ high so you can command me.”
He took my hand. “This moonshine is different.”
Was he telling the truth? Maybe. Maybe not. “What makes this fancy moonshine of yours so ‘special’?”
“It contains—how shall I say?—ingredients from the most powerful vampires to ever exist. The brew is quite old. Quite potent.”
“You mean it’s got ancient, crusty vampire brains in it?”
He nodded. “Anna was added to the pot as well.”
“Oh, dear Lord. What is the matter with you people?”
“Say what you will, but one drop and you will be connected to every living vampire in the world.”
“Jesus. Haven’t y’all heard of email? How about a YouTube video? Snapchat?”
He shook his head. “Not all vampires embrace your modern ways, Masie.”
“I am not taking that stuff.” Not in a gazillion years. It had Anna in it!
“No. Not as you are. It is far too powerful for a human’s mind to withstand,” he explained.
So that was it. He wanted to turn me so I could address the vampire nation with their supercharged moonshine.
Stark added, “We must do it now if we are going to attempt this. We are out of time. You must tell them you have returned as prophesied and are reclaiming your throne. You will scold them for their unruly, greedy, and undignified behavior, and dictate change or face your wrath.”
I understood this situation was bad. Very bad. And, yes, I was willing to step up, but this was a difficult choice. It meant having to accept dying. Right here. Right now. Shutting all doors on another solution, based on the simple fact that Stark told me this was how it had to be.
If he was telling the truth, he had somewhat prepared me for becoming a vampire. If he was lying, then I was giving up all the things I enjoyed, the little things that made life worth living.
The doorbell rang.
“What now?” Stark pulled his cell from his pocket and tapped away.
“You have Ring?” I said.
“Of course. War is likely, and I need to know who’s knocking.” He stared at the screen for a long moment, but I couldn’t see it.
“Who is it?” I asked.
Stark got up so fast, I hardly saw him leave the room. He zipped back to me, wearing his leather jacket, boots, and leather pants again.
“Another biker rally?” I asked.
He pulled out a very, very long metal stake from the back of his pants. “I need you to remain in the bedroom.”
“What’s going on?” I asked nervously.
“Roman is here.”
“The guy trying to take over the world. What’s he want?” I stood, ready to make a run for it.
“You. And he is a far better fighter than I.”