Page 2 of You Only Die Twice

“I wouldn’t worry about your friend right now. You have far more…dire…things to consider, namely, how you will get out of this predicament unscathed.”

Luka slides up behind me as if his body stepped right out of the shadows. He no longer speaks to me; instead, he goes to my ankle and works at the lock holding the shackle in place.

Once I’m free, he lifts me from the cot I’m on, and my hands scramble to clutch the sheet to my naked body. But it’s no use. He slides behind me, his cool hand easing up around my throat, holding me close. As hard as I try to fight inside, something deep within me responds to him.

It’s a part that feels alien, as if he’s controlling me somehow, but that’s not possible. None of this is possible. He tilts my head to the side and skims his lips up the smooth column of my neck, and once again, Lizzy pops into my brain. She sits there, blood flowing down her neck, her mouth opened in a shocked “O.”

No.

No. No. No.

Vampires aren’t real. This isn’t real.

“Oh, my pet, I can assure you, I’m just as real as you are,” he murmurs against the side of my head, stirring the tendrils of hair hanging down near my cheek. “You should be thanking me right now. I saved you from that sinking ship and brought you into my home.”

His tongue slides up the shell of my ear, sending an involuntary shiver up my spine. The boats. The water. The cold as it dug into me like any icy needle. All of it was real. No. I can’t let him turn my head like this. He drugged me. That’s all there is to it.

“Ahh, still fighting me, Kotenok. That’s perfectly fine. I do love it when you struggle.” Luka wraps his other arm about my waist, and I fly into a flurry of movements, each one meant to throw him off of me, but he doesn’t budge.

Nothing works. I twist and turn, grunting with the exertion. I hear his laughter, feel the chuckling breaths against my skin - cold, just like him. He’s like a statue, immovable, unbreakable. Sweat pours off of my body as we stay locked in this hellish embrace, but still, he doesn’t move.

“Have you tired yourself out yet? Trust me, I will always outlast you. You will never be a match for my strength.”

I despise the truth in his words. Fatigue settles into my limbs, and I feel weak like a child. Sagging against him, I look back up at Jackson. At no point does he make a move to help me. He just stands there, stoic, arms crossed, his eyes looking more feral and hungry than human.

Luka presses his fingers against the side of my head and tilts my neck to the side, baring the delicate skin to his gaze. His nose skims me even as his breath washes over me. Again, my body shudders as arousal gathers lower. This is insane. Thoughts of him biting me, tearing into me, race through my brain. I want this. Some sick, demented part of me wants this.

“You have had plenty of time, Jackson. Why have you not fed? Look at her veins, so plump, so full of life. She was gift-wrapped for you. Or do you no longer desire her?” With a yank of his hand, Luka thrusts me forward, forcing Jackson’s hungry gaze to take in my exposed body.

Jackson takes a step towards me, his movements jerky and halting, as if he’s fighting some internal battle I cannot see. Tears gather in my eyes as he gets closer. His lips pull back into a silent snarl, revealing a set of fangs. God. Oh, God. This can’t be happening.

As much as I want to believe they’re props, as much as I want to lie to myself and say that they’re just going overboard with the acting, I can’t. There’s something too uncanny about all of this for it to be a dream or even an act. Even if the fangs are fake, the pulsating rage coming off of Jackson is all too real.

I pull myself inward, making myself go still. If I continue to act like prey, then all it will do is drive their need to hunt. My dad’s voice echoes in my brain, telling me about playing dead. It didn’t always work, but it was damn well better than running.

Even though he’s released the chain around my ankle, it’s not like I will be going anywhere soon. Luka’s hands wrap around me in a vice grip, keeping me nearly immobile - worse than the chains. I have no other options, and I hate not having options. Going limp in Luka’s arms, I watch through hooded eyelids as Jackson approaches, his hands shaking as he reaches out for me.

Closing my eyes, I conjure images of my parents, of Lizzy, of people near and dear to me, close to my heart. If I’m going to die, I want it to be with their memories in my brain and not the inevitable hurt that’s about to happen. My body trembles despite me willing it to stay still, and I can’t stop the tears that roll down my face to drip onto Luka’s arm.

Jackson’s fingers dig into me as he pulls me away from Luka and into his arms. His touch is soft despite the anger shaking his frame. “Shhh, Katrina. Just breathe. I got you.”

But does he?

“Jackson, I grow tired of you acting like a petulant child. Either feed, or there will be consequences.”

“Like what? Killing me?” he spits back, venom lacing his tone. “Go ahead. Please. I welcome death. I would rather die at your hands than to live this godforsaken existence you’ve forced me into.”

“You would like that.” I can hear the sneer in Luka’s voice as his hands slide down my back. “I will not allow you to get away from me so easily. But I can certainly harm our little pet here. What do you say, Jackson? Will you feed from her? Or will I be forced to take my pound of flesh some other way?”

Jackson stills, his hands going rigid around me. Even in my own mind, I can’t fathom any course of action that would allow either of us to escape this unscathed. I’d rather this pain come from him than from Luka. At least Jackson seems to give a damn.

Reaching up, I slide my hand across his cheek, forcing his gaze to mine. The raw hurt shining through steals my breath, but I press on, needing to take some measure of control over this situation.

“Please, Jackson. Don’t let him hurt me. If you feeding from me….” I stumble over the words, still unable to understand the full magnitude. “If it keeps him happy, then do it. Please. Just don’t let him hurt me.”

“Yes, Jackson,” Luka chimes in. “Don’t allow me to hurt what you find so precious. Soon, she’ll be like us. Don’t you want to know what she tastes like before that happens?”

I watch, terrified as Jackson’s nostrils flare. The man I knew from the ship slowly disappears from in front of my eyes as he slides his palm around my throat, his eyes fluttering shut as he grazes my pulse with his thumb.