Page 66 of The Vampire’s Prey

I open my mouth to respond, but his hand comes crashing hard against my face. Everything goes black.

* * *

Pain explodes through my head as I flutter my eyes open. Everything is hazy. Where am I? What happened to me? Looking up, I squint against the light coming through the windows. A shadowed figure walks in front of me until their head blocks out the light. Simon.

Memories flood back in, and panic fills me. I jerk my arms forward to block him from advancing, but they won't move. Nothing moves. Turning my head to the side, I see my arms tied up above me to the head post of my bed. It doesn't take a genius to know that's what's happening with my legs as well. My eyes follow Simon's movements as he paces around the bed.

"I loved you, you know," his voice finally breaks the silence.

"I loved you too. You're my brother!" I choke out. The pain of this betrayal mingles with Adrian's, and my heart begins to shatter even more. Now, I truly have no one.

He looms in close and runs the tip of his finger down my arm and stops where the shoulder meets the curve of my breast. Pausing for a second, he meets my gaze before removing his finger, so he can sit at the edge of the bed. My body shifts slightly closer to him as his weight dips the bed.

"Ahhh. But you could have been so much more. You still can, once you're purified."

I go still. The only movement is my heart jackhammering in my chest. Purification? My mind zips back to the few times I snuck in and saw what was happening. The screams still sometimes wake me up at night. Once I trained my mind to disassociate, it became a lot easier to sleep. Sometimes though, the nightmares still come.

As I understand it, once you're purified, you're not mentally fit for much. The Family sends all the children they've purified to special homes, but as of yet, I have seen no proof of either the process succeeding or the children that it “rescued.” For all I know, it's a fairy tale told to wayward members to keep them in line, the chance of redemptions. But, knowing The Family, they very well could render someone unable to do the simplest of tasks.

"M-more?" I try to sound hopeful, like this is the best idea I have ever heard.

"Yes my darling. So much more. You see, I was planning on waiting until you came back from this mission, and I was planning to propose to you."

Ice fills my veins. He was planning what?

"But you're my brother."

He scowls and rises. "I'm not your blood brother," he spits out before starting his pacing again.

As he reaches my ankles, he runs his fingers over the ropes wrapped tightly around them. Pinpricks dot my feet as the circulation becomes more and more constricted. My mind drifts to Adrian. His ropes felt like a warm embrace: safe and secure. These ropes are cold and cruel, biting into my skin. There's no arousal here, only fear and dread. At least with Adrian, he is the devil I know. I have no idea who this devil is in front of me.

"I can see why he likes these. You can’t fight back when you're spread out in front of me."

I freeze. How does he know about Adrian and his rope?

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't lie to me!" He screams, racing over to the head of the bed. He leans down until his face is a breath away from mine. "You're always lying to me!"

"When have I ever lied to you?" I go through my memories like flipping through a file-o-dex. No memory comes to mind that warrants this abuse from him.

Sneering, Simon grips the front of my shirt with his hands and yanks, popping the buttons off and exposing my bra. My breath comes in gasps. Fear races through my body.

"I've been watching you, you know. Ever since you joined our house," he whispers, sliding the pad of his finger down the slope of my breast, pausing right before he gets to the nipple. "I've watched you touch yourself in the shower, then pretend you weren't putting on a show just for me."

I squirm, trying to move out from under his touch, the nausea climbing back up my throat. He reaches out and pinches my nipple hard, pinning me to the spot. Yelping, I try to stay still to see if that might actually get him to stop. He smiles and flicks this thumb back and forth. Disgust and unease war within me.

"You were supposed to be my wife. My pure, innocent, beautiful bride. But then you ruined it completely. You know," he muses, cupping my other breast in his hand, "I could have even overlooked the fact that you masturbated and touched yourself without permission. But a vampire?" He squeezes tightly, sending shards of pain going through me.

"A fucking fanger? What were you thinking?"

"I, I didn't. I swear!"

His hand smacks loudly across my face, sending stars shooting across my eyelids.

"Is this not good enough for you?" he screams, tugging the ropes even tighter.

Groaning, I try to pull back, but ropes hold me dangerously still.