Chapter 14

Reznor

The grim expressionon the witch’s face didn’t give me much confidence. Little Star had done serious damage, and I was in trouble from the silver infecting me. This time, I doubted my accelerated vampire healing would save me.

“Spit it out,” I snarled. Might as well know my fate.

“The silver’s infected your flesh and bloodstream.” The witch patched up my wound and sealed it with bandages, not that they would do much good. In a few days my wound would weep, bleed, my flesh breaking down along with the rest of my body.

“Get it out then,” I ordered, glaring at the useless witch. She had the power to extract it. Herbs to brew up a potion to leach the silver from my system.

She tied the bandage tightly and I cringed at the lance of pain. “Tried already. I can’t force it out. It’s some sort of silver mixture I’ve never seen.”

Fuck. I dragged a rough hand through my hair. Life hadn’t been kind. Those I loved had been taken from me. Mother. Father. Jasmine. My vampiric mother. I’d had more than enough lifetimes rolled into one and was resolved to die. I hoped it would be quick and painless, but clearly life had other plans. Death by silver poisoning. Slow, torturous, and unkind.

The pit of my stomach filled with nails that pierced everywhere. Little Star would pay for stabbing me. I’d bleed her damn dry to absorb her power and use it to force the silver from my body.

Testing my strength, I stood, finding the room wobbling, but I kept myself upright. I fished out a few notes and dropped them on the witch’s counter and left. She muttered something to herself about rude vampires and packed up her belongings. Screw her. Useless witch. Two hundred dollars down for nothing.

Sunlight hit me out on the street, and I raised a hand at the sensitivity of my eyes. Vampires preferred moving in the dark when our eyes and skin were hypersensitive to light. Young sirelings burned easily. Older ones like me, more resistant. Baking in the sun was out of the question though. Anything longer than half an hour for me started to make my skin burn, blister, and peel as fast as a redhead’s skin. I folded the hood of my cloak over my head for protection.

Determined to find the little star, hurt her for what she’d done, and drink her blood as payment, I retraced my steps. Soon, I navigated back to the tavern where I’d first detected her. Her fruity, intoxicating smell was faint and dying on the breeze. Still, it did strange things to my insides. Made my stomach flip. Material in my pants tented as my cock strained against it. My fangs ached to sink into her blood. Fuck this damn vampire mark.

Thudding music and a loud, red sports car roared up outside the tavern, begging for attention. Ferrari. Specialized license plate. Reeked of small dick syndrome. My hands clawed as the local tavern owner jumped out of the extravagant vehicle, rubbing his hands as he moved to the passenger side. Wanker tugged at the cufflinks on his expensive designer Egyptian cotton shirt before reaching out to grab the door handle of his car. Out came his latest beauty, dressed in a tight skirt, even tighter top, her breasts squeezing against it.

Her scent hit me instantly. Honeyed fruit. Little Star. Hunger consumed me. I had to taste her. Had to pin her up against the car and take her. Punish her for harming me. Drink her blood and cleanse my body of the silver slowing killing me.

All those ideas flew out of my head the instant I saw her dressed like a tramp in a short skirt and tight shirt, dangling on the arm of that asshole. Clearly, she had little taste in men. Or she enjoyed small cocks and lots of money.

I sniffed the air for his scent. Inhuman. Old, like me. Powerful, but not like me. Dark magick pulsed in his veins. Ancient. Detrimental. Dangerous. Demon, by my calculations. Glamor hiding his horns and tail. Sulfuric and charred stench always gave them away. His identity clicked in my brain. Crossroads demon. Rumor had it, one dealt at the tavern on the t-intersection at Piper and William Street. Heat charged in my cold veins. What did he want with her? He had power and didn't need more. Not like the other Umbra. But his kind were known to join forces with us when they sought more power and control. Had he taken Little Star for this purpose?

A snarl ripped from me at the despicable demon for taking her from me. She was mine. Belonged to my coven. That filthy demon would not take my future from me. Not like the little female tried to when she stabbed me through the heart. I would taste enough of her blood and heal myself of the silver poisoning and then deliver her to Reznor as planned. Freedom would not be stolen from me.

I’d also kill the demon. Avenge the three fallen brethren he’d tricked into unlockable deals that led to each one perishing in extraordinary circumstances. He cheated them through clauses in their contracts to claim their souls.

Teeth bared, I moved faster than I ever had, streaming across the road, catching the demon, knocking him on the chin and throwing him into the wall of his establishment. Bricks crumbled as he brought the structure down. Starlight glowed as Little Star retrieved her weapons. I didn’t give her another chance to wound me a second time. A knock behind the head made her droop to the ground. I checked on them both. Out cold. Good.

I kicked at the demon’s shoulder, nudging it. “I’ll deal with you later.” Lightning fast, moving like a blur to the human eye, I bent down, securing Little Star’s arms with the rope she’d generated with her magick. “You’re coming with me, beautiful, cunning thing.”

She weighed nothing as I hefted her over my shoulder. Muscles protested and groaned, aching, stinging, burning. Damn silver. I had to feed on her, just not here. My chest burned as I streaked through the streets, no longer caring about the scene I’d made or the fact that I’d left witnesses. This was too important to fail, and I’d not give her the chance to kill me a second time.

Fuck, I hadn’t exactly planned this out. Spur of the moment kind of deal. I didn’t know where to take her when the coven was out of the question. Too dangerous for her and for me. I’d not risk losing my one trump card over my leader. My freedom came at a cost, and I’d not pay it. So, I ran. And ran. Out of town. Back to the forest where I’d stalked Little Star. Stupid move, really. Set her back in territory she was comfortable with hunting, stealthily gracing through the trees. Only she was tied up and unconscious this time. An idea registered and I headed that way. An old cave where I’d taken shelter when fire conditions trapped me and made it impossible to leave. I took her there and set her down on the dusty ground.

After some time, Little Star roused, eyes blinking, adjusting to the dark. Beautiful little creature. My fingers longed to release her hair from the braids to let it cascade over her shoulders. Blood pumped through her lush lips and I wanted to suck them, pierce them, feed from them in more ways than one. Fuck, this goddess had me in a spin. On one hand, I wanted to punish her for stabbing me, but on the other, I wanted to pleasure her and take from her. But that felt like a betrayal to Jasmine.

Little Star’s gaze scanned the cave for a few moments before settling on me and she scrambled back, hitting the cave wall. She went to raise a hand to her head but found her wrists secured.

“Where am I?” She jerked at her bindings.

“In my captivity,” I replied. Cold. Hostile. Burning with fever from the silver. Fighting her intoxicating scent, the need to drink her dry.

Starlight lit up the darkness as she produced her dagger sheath.

“Ah, ah, ah, Little Star.” I snatched it from her grasp, contemplating spanking her with it until her perfect, curvy ass was red-raw. “No weapons.” I curled and waved my fingers at her. “Give me the bow and arrow too.”

“Never,” she snarled at me, kicking my boot with hers, driving up the predator instinct to take her. The power in her veins was deadly if aimed at me. I had to still her. Calm her. Get her under control.

“Very well.” I grabbed her by the hair, tipping her head back and I crouched beside her, using all my willpower not to get too close.