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“Nothing,” he paused, “yet.”
I struggled harder in his grip but only managed to bruise my arms more. He was strong, too strong, but I should have known by the red glow of his eyes that I was dealing with something… else.
“You liar!” I snapped. “You said you’d help her.”
“And I will, but first, I must ensure this works. Otherwise, there is no point.”
I stopped struggling. “Make sure what works?”
“You will have to want it.”
Kaden smiled once more and shifted his hold. He held me easily with one hand and brought his wrist to his mouth. I watched in horror as fangs like a sand viper descended. The sharp tips pressed into his skin, and I grimaced. He held his hand above my face, blood, darker than I had ever seen, falling toward me. I turned away, but he grabbed the back of my head, keeping me still. I opened my mouth to scream, and he shoved his wrist against my lips. Warm liquid filled my mouth, my throat, and my lungs. It tasted like poison, burned like acid, and made me scream against his flesh. More and more spilled down my throat as I thrashed. The harder I struggled, the brighter his eyes glowed. He leaned closer, resting his head against mine as he fed me. My stomach rolled, the blood making me want to vomit.
“Shh, think of your sister. How much you want her to live. How much you need her to live.”
I stopped thrashing, stopped struggling, and he leaned back. He knew my weakness. He had already figured out what it would take to control me. I wanted Ain to live. How could I not?
My hands reached up, grabbing at his arm and pressing his wrist deeper into my mouth. I sucked hard, forcing more of that terrible liquid down my throat. I did want it. If it would save Ain, I wanted whatever he gave me, even if it felt like my insides were being ripped to pieces and remade. His eyes met mine, the taunting humor dying as I took more. My grip tightened, squeezing as much out as I could. He’d said if it worked, I’d have power, and power was what I needed. If I had enough, no one could ever hurt Ain or me again.
I felt something in me shift. A part of me cracked and died while something else awoke and crawled beneath my skin. The burn slowly eased, twisting and turning into something else, something darker. The candlelight in the room flickered, and the creatures watching us shifted restlessly. Kaden’s smile widened as if he realized something I did not.
He ripped his wrist away. I coughed and almost fell to my knees. I struggled to breathe, my lungs and chest feeling as if they were on fire. He grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet and steadying me.
I watched as the skin knitted together on his wrist and wiped my face.
“How do I know if it works?” I asked, my voice a raspy mess as if the blood he gave me had claws that ripped it apart.
“You will have the kind of power you have only ever dreamed of,” he answered, reaching up to stroke his fingers over my cheek and settling his hand against my neck. “But that’s only if you survive.”
That was the last thing I heard before he jerked my head to the side. It was merely a snap, and yet my world changed forever.
The memory faded, the harsh light of reality coming back as my hands began to heat. The sun dipped into the ocean slowly, sucking the light from the world.
“I was so selfish because I couldn’t imagine a world without you in it, and then Kaden gave me no choice. Just like I gave you none. Maybe I am just like him.” Flames flared around my hands, the jar cracking. “So be it then.”
The flames roared as I concentrated, the urn turning to fiery dust and releasing her. I stood there watching her ashes dancing and twirling around me before drifting into the starry night sky. The crescent moon reflected off the water, softening the unrelenting darkness. I stayed until the last bit of embers floated far enough away that I couldn’t tell them apart from the stars. One star seemed to glow a bit brighter, twinkling merrily at me as if it were waving.
A flash of emerald appeared behind me.
“It’s done,” Camilla said.
“Good.”
I could hear Camilla’s heartbeat quicken. I could hear a lot of things now. Far more than I used to. Every sense I had was heightened. I hadn’t realized how much I had been suppressing my true nature. I stayed silent, gazing intently at that twinkling star.
“And now?”
“I don’t remember you being this cowardly before.” I turned toward her and rolled my eyes. “Calm your stupid heart. I’m not going to kill you. You brought her back to me. As long as you do what I say, you’ve just earned yourself immunity.”
Five
Samkiel. One Week Later
My fingers danced across the clean silk bed sheet. Our scents lingered here no more, only the memory.
“This will be your room while you are here,” the short, dark-haired vampire said as she shoved the large dark carved doors open. I stepped inside, the smell of cologne attacking my senses. My head swung to the massive dressers that I assumed held more items in them than I needed. A suit like the one Logan had provided for me lay in the center of a large canopied bed.
“My Lord Ethan has provided you with everything you should need, but if there is anything we can do for you… personally, please let us know.” Her gaze trailed over me suggestively. I heard the snickers from the other vampires from where they lingered by the door.
