Page 18 of Blood Bought

Chapter Eight:

True to his word, hekept me fed and with a constant source of water for the next few days. The blankets were better too, and I confirmed with every human who came anywhere near me that they were given better blankets, too.

But that cell was still cold, still lonely, and I had absolutely nothing to pass the time with. No visitors, no books or people to talk to that stayed longer than three minutes. I had no motivation to touch myself even knowing it would at least drive him crazy — something about the thought of him killing someone with his cock had me never wanting to push him to that point again.

So, I waited. I paced in frustration and sang to myself and worked out just to keep myself sane, and at the end of day four, Nesrin came to scrub me clean again.

This time, I shut up and let her do it, and I was taken to a much quieter tavern once I was deemed desirable enough.

The music was low, something slow and sad, but the people sitting around the bar and in the booths seemed to be in good enough spirits. I ordered a whiskey and choked it down as I tried to choose, reminding myself every few seconds that if I didn’t do this, everything I’d done so far would’ve been for nothing. He’d take my sister anyway.

By drink number three, I was tipsy and feeling confident enough to approach a couple of brunettes sitting in a booth in the corner. “Mind if I join? I think I need some distance between me and that wall of whiskey.”

“You absolutely do,” one of them said, scooting over for me to sit. “I’m Isabel, that’s Janice. Are you here alone?”

I bit my lip in an attempt to be flirty. “Sort of. My friends weren’t allowed in.”

“Vampires?” Jan asked, squirming a little. “How many?”

“Just two, but they’re not the ones I work for. Have you ever met Alaris?”

They shared a look, one of wonder and excitement that I could almost feel. “No. Is he as gorgeous as they say?” Isabel asked.

Well, at least this won’t be a lie.“No,” I said seriously. “He’s better. No stories could ever do him justice. Kellian’s nearly as handsome, and so is their best friend, Renzo. It’s almost heart-stopping.”Hell, that was a terrible pun.

They seemed to like it based on the laughs they released. “You’re lucky. We’ve never seen a Son. Just random Faux roaming around every so often.”

For the briefest of moments, I warred with myself, and then I saw Kendall’s face again. “Do you want to? Alaris is looking for someone. Blood, sex... you’d have a place to stay and be given just about anything you want.”

“Alaris specifically? Not like some random Obsidian? Promise?”

They both looked ready to go right then, so I didn’t hesitate to answer.

“Yes, Alaris. He’s the one who sent me, though I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you I was told that he sometimes shares with Kellian and Renzo. You’ll like them too.”

“Oo, Kellian? I know that name,” Jan said, a glint in her eye as she grabbed her purse. “Lead the way.”

Isabel reached out to touch her hand. “You’re sure? I am, but I don’t want you to feel pressured because this is what I’ve always wanted.”

“No, I’m sure. Come on, you know my living situation. Let’s go.”

I wanted to scream at them both that they were making a mistake, but they seemed genuinely interested and I wasn’t in a place to argue. I hadn’t had to lie, and that alone was enough to have me standing and heading out to find Malik.

This time, he looked proud of me as he took in the two I was with and led us back to the castle. My heart was in my throat and pounding incessantly in my ears as we were taken straight to Alaris’ room, and the way he looked when he opened the door had me almost wishing I’d have failed again.

“There,” I said with more confidence than I felt. “I brought you two to make up for the time I brought you none. Alaris, this is Isabel and her friend, Janice.”

He checked them out almost clinically, leaning in to sniff them and smiling at them when they giggled. “Which one for me? The other goes to Ciro for helping me out after your first failure. You get to pick who.”

“What? That— I don’t bait for Ciro,” I blurted out. “I promised them it would be just you or maybe Kellian and Renzo.”

“They won’t mind. Ciro is still an Heir. He will be good to them if I ask him to be, and it’s just for tonight. Pick, Adalind.”

Brittany’s warning rang through my head, but I had to believe Alaris would keep him under control. The alternative was unthinkable.I hate you for this, I thought, hoping he heard me.You say you’re not a monster and yet that’s all I’ve seen.“Janice for Ciro. Isabel is yours. May I be excused?”

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