Page 44 of The Dragon King's Curse
“No,” Sasha said sharply. “If any one of you so much as touches a hair on her head, I’ll have your hide. If anyone tastes the princess, it will be me.”
“Why should it be you?” Another vampire questioned. “We were all part of grabbing her. She belongs to all of us.”
“I’m the one who hypnotized the desk clerk into telling us what room they were in. I’m the one who organized her abduction. Need I remind you that the rest of you would be dead without me? I convinced Thorn to banish us instead of killing us. Fall in line or I’ll kill you myself.” There was pure venom in Sasha’s voice.
“You’re the reason Lord Thorn banished us in the first place.” Another voice I didn’t recognize. “We’ve all been labelled traitors because of you, Sasha.”
“That doesn’t matter anymore. Once Thorn finds out we have the elf princess, he’ll be all too happy to welcome us home. Atlas Rein is looking for her. If Thorn gets her first, he’ll havesomething Atlas wants. We’ll be rewarded.” Sasha sounded too confident. So sure of himself.
I listened as they continued to argue amongst themselves. The Vampire Lord tended to be a mysterious enigma. Not much was known about him. Being his blood slave couldn’t possibly be any better than being married to Lyre Rein. Could it?
I was sick of these men in power trying to make decisions for me. Seeing me as an object. As property. The very thought made me taste bile in the back of my throat.
What would Noxx do now? He owed me nothing. We were nothing to one another. He would most likely move on without me. He’d continue on home to his own realm. I was on my own now.
The argument rose until everyone was shouting. Eventually, the rest of the group stormed from the cavern, claiming they were going to hunt, since Sasha wouldn’t allow them to taste me. He remained behind to keep watch.
I knew that he was going to enter the bedroom before he appeared in the doorway. Bracing myself, I prepared to do something I’d never done before. Bargain for my life.
Sasha loomed large in the doorway. His long hair fell about his shoulders. Brown eyes so dark they were almost black. Perhaps that was merely the bloodlust.
As he stared at me, his gaze landed on my throat. How long would he be able to resist before tasting my blood? Would he be able to stop himself before he killed me?
“What were you doing with the Dragon King?” he asked, a strange lilt in his voice.
“We escaped the Shadow Realm together. That’s all. We were about to part ways.” I hoped that playing along would keep Sasha talking. Anything to keep him from sinking fangs into me.
“It sure didn’t look like you were about to part ways to me. It looked an awful lot like you were lovers. Funny because as Irecall, the stories paint the elves as the villains in the Dragon King’s tale.” Sitting down on the cot next to me, Sasha made it sag heavily beneath his weight.
I shrugged, doing my best to sound flippant. “The stories are true. The Dragon King feels nothing for me. One night of comfort means nothing in the grand scheme of things.”
“I suppose not.” The torches lighting the room reflected in Sasha’s pupils as they widened. He reached to push a tangled lock of hair away from my face. “Do you think he’ll look for you?”
It took everything in me not to shrink away from his touch in revulsion. I didn’t want to anger him or do anything to provoke his hunger. “I can’t imagine why he would. Like you said, I’m the villain in his tale.”
Closing his eyes, Sasha breathed in my scent. “Has anyone ever told you that you smell like euphoria?”
My skin prickled. The bloodlust was overtaking him. I felt it. He sounded strange, like he wasn’t entirely himself.
“Please. Don’t hurt me. Don’t take me to the Vampire Lord. If you release me, my father will give you anything you want.” Using my father as a bargaining chip had never felt right to me. I preferred to stand on my own. Independent to my last breath. Right now I needed to do whatever it took to get away from these vampires.
“Tempting,” Sasha said, leaning closer. “Not as tempting as you.”
He was on me then, pressing me against the thin mattress. The pain was sudden and sharp as his fangs buried deep in my vein. My scream rang throughout the room. Nobody was around to hear it.
Sasha sucked hard on the wound, wrenching another scream from me. I did everything I could. Hitting him, clawing his face with my fingernails. He remained oblivious to myattempts. Lost in the magick of my blood, he held me down beneath him and drank deep.
Finally, he jerked back, almost throwing himself away from me. He tumbled off the cot onto the floor where he sat, chest heaving as he stared at me with wide, glossy eyes.
“Curse the gods, that was amazing. That was like nothing I’ve ever.… I feel like I’m flying. Like I’m weightless and adrift.”A purely mad smile curved his lips.
I pressed my hand to the wound, trying desperately to slow the bleeding. Elven tended to heal quickly, though a brutal enough wound could still prove fatal.
Sasha clutched at the cot as he dragged himself to his feet. Intoxicated by my blood, he staggered toward the door. “Lord Thorn will surely be pleased with you. It’s almost a shame I can’t keep you for myself.”
Staring at the blood that stained my hand, I clenched my teeth, fighting back a swell of tears. I would not give up. Somehow, I would escape Sasha and his companions.
I just wished that Noxx was here.
