Page 48 of Fangs and Family
My wings snapped open, the sharp edges of my feathers tearing through my clothing, catching the flickering light of the candles that flared into life. Movement from the left was met with violence. I swung my knives across my body, barely slicing the flesh of the figure that leapt away, its movements a blur. I grimaced, recognising a fellow vampire tasting its blood in the air.
A disturbance behind me had me whipping my wings in a lethal arc to engage with the vampire that stepped from the shadow realm, smiling with satisfaction at the cry of pain.
My laughter, when it escaped my lips, was cut short as someone swung a candelabra so fast its heavy weight smashed into my head and sent me staggering, my vision unfocused and blurry. Before I had time to recover, I felt myself picked up and thrown backwards, a curse barely leaving my lips before I crashed into the door, unsure if the crack was the wood or my bones breaking.
It hurt more than it should, especially my wings and head, and when I tried to move, to banish my wings, agony ripped through my body, and I screamed.
‘Sit still. You’ll only injure yourself more if you struggle. Also, I would appreciate it if you refrain from using such language in my wife’s tomb.’
The soft, masculine voice came from the figure emerging out of the shadows. The man was well built, with a neat, old-fashioned three-piece suit that complimented his tawny hair, giving him a distinguished, refined look that didn’t match the dispassionate ice in his eyes.
‘It took too much effort luring you here for me to allow you to bleed out, so stop squirming,’ he ordered, pulling a thin sword from a cane I’d failed to notice before and pointing it at my heart.
I couldn’t believe I’d allowed myself to be so easily captured, fooled by a human into falling into this simple trap. I’d counted on Sapieha’s descendant being unaware of the Elder Races, but clearly, Tricity wasn’t the only place that shared such knowledge, and now I faced a Master Vampire without backup.
‘Ah, Leon Sapieha, I presume? We were supposed to meet on Friday. I didn’t realise you were so impatient to see me. Was this ploy the reason for delaying our formal meeting?’ I asked, biting back a curse when two more vampires walked out of the shadows.
‘Of course. I wanted to talk to you with no one disturbing us. Your current employer can be rather bothersome. Tell me, Adam, how much did she pay you for protection? You killed two of my men and injured a third, and all because of a contract with a woman?’ He came closer, and I felt a wave of dizziness that muddied my senses.
I could feel myself wanting to kneel for this man, but something was stopping me from moving, and I flinched at the power emanating from the Master Vampire. Uncertainty washed over me, and I saw the same feeling reflected in Sapieha’s eyes before he threw his head backwards, roaring with laughter.
‘Well now, isn’t that interesting? How does it feel to finally meet your maker?’ He asked, still chuckling to himself.
Nothing made sense until I realised why I hadn’t bowed. Sapieha had told me to stop moving, and I’d obeyed.Fuck, this bastard is my Sire? No wonder I didn’t bow to his power; his magic was fighting itself.My thoughts must have been easy to read as he waited until I looked at him in horror, only then gesturing for me to move closer.
‘Come here, my child. We have a lot to discuss. Oh, and hide your wings. I don’t need a reminder of the savage who took you in,’ Sapieha commanded, and I walked toward him.
My wings snapped, vanishing into my body with a groan that was my only concession to the agony as I complied, Sapieha’s presence settling deep in my soul. I was his, like a hive worker designed to serve him, but a small part of me resisted. I tried to tap my tracking device to send the warning to Leszek, but Sapieha noticed my actions and shook his head, and my hand dropped, never sending the signal.
I stopped before my newly found Master, and he took my chin in his fingers, turning my face from side to side, assessing me.
‘You are strong and handsome. No wonder I bled you dry. How old are you?’ He asked, assessing me like a prized bull.
‘I was reborn in eighteen-sixteen,’ I answered, struggling under his power. The first shock of the encounter was wearing off, and now I wanted nothing more than to escape this cursed crypt, but he held me enthralled.
‘Ah, that was a difficult year. I was forced to flee, to abandon my home. I think I remember you, a young merchant’s son too pretty for his own good. Your blood sustained me in my hour of need, but I thought I’d disposed of you properly,’ he mused, hands never leaving my skin, squeezing muscles, probing, assessing, until finally I was released.
‘No wonder you defeated Greg despite his telekinesis. You will be his replacement in my nest and, maybe in time, even in my bed.’
‘You sick bastard, you’ll get nothing from me willingly,’ I answered through clenched teeth, unsure of what angered me more. The fact he abandoned me or that he thought I would want to share his bed.
‘You are not my son, Adam. My boy died like his mother to a friend’s betrayal. No, you are my spawn, my slave, and unless you have the strength to free yourself, you will remain in my service. You are exceptional, and, with my guidance, none shall be your match, but first, you will learn how to serve,’ he said before sinking his fangs into my neck.
There was no blood to drain from me. Instead, Sapieha injected venom into my arteries. Pleasure I didn’t desire washed through my body, reminding me of Nina’s kisses. I’m sure that wasn’t his intention because instead of relaxing in his arms, I felt anger roaring through my being like black fire, and I focused on thoughts of Nina, using my feelings for her as a shield to protect me from his overwhelming possession.
I saw him frowning and had to hide my smirk.There you go, you arsehole, learn your lesson. There is only one person who can bend me to her will,I thought as he withdrew his fangs, already turning toward the sarcophagus.
‘Do you think you’ve won, Adam? You’ve given away your greatest weakness. She is not your At’kar. Vampires are not made to love or to be faithful. In the end, we always lose those we wish to protect. Come, let me show you something.’
The depth of sorrow in the Master Vampire’s voice surprised me, and I followed him to the stone sarcophagus to stand by his side. Sapieha raised his hand, laying it on my shoulder, his fingers entwined with my hair, absentmindedly playing with strands. The other hand traced features of the female face etched in the pale marble.
‘Maria was my weakness. She was beautiful, was she not?’ He asked, cupping the statue’s cheek in his palm. ‘But she was so much more. She loved her books, her garden with its lilac bushes and the sun that warmed her face when she read for me.
‘Even before I was turned, I lived for her, to see a hint of her smile and fulfil her wish for a child of our union. I wanted to be a man she could be proud of, a warrior, protector and husband. I sacrificed everything for her. I gave my soul to the vampire so I could live for her, and yet she died. I should have ignored her pleas to let her live as a human, to carry that baby to term. I should never have waited.’ His hands slid off my shoulder, grasping the dainty neck of the statue instead.
‘I hate her. I hate loving her so much that I wish I could take her remains and bring her back to life just so that I could punish her for choosing the child in her womb instead of me. I could inflict this pain on her again and again, then hold her close and whisper words of love for eternity. Do you think loving a woman will be your salvation, a way to free yourself from me? She will shackle you to her soul, taking all that you are and burn it to ash as she dies. If you are smart, you’ll kill her before it’s too late.’ The vampire stated bitterly, and I watched as his fingers gripped the marble so tight that hairline cracks appeared on the statue’s neck.
A single tear slid down his cheek when he bent forward to kiss the statue’s stone-cold lips, whispering an apology. ‘I’m sorry, my love, so very sorry.’
