Page 47 of Entombed By Blood
Her scoff is unexpected. “As if he doesn’t have complete control over everything the mortals know. I have no doubt that I could run naked through the streets and no word of it would ever get out if my sire didn’t wish it so.”
“I wouldn’t risk it,” Vane drawls. “Cain doesn’t control everything. Mortals are more tenacious than you remember, and technology has given them many advantages that they didn’t have access to before.”
I peek over the edge once more, relieved to find that she’s sat down, one leg dangling over the edge of the building as she regards the tablet Finn gave her. From the way she’s biting her lip, it’s clear she’s deep in thought.
“Mortals have always been cunning,” she mutters.
I can’t help but wonder if she’s talking about me.
Chapter Fifteen
Callista
The instant Cainfinishes inside me, he releases his rough grip from my hair and lets my upper body fall flat on the bed. He doesn’t even bother closing the wounds he’s left on my neck from his feeding before striding away to the bathroom to clean himself.
Cleanliness is one of our sire’s pet obsessions, and as usual, I’m grateful for the few moments it grants me to put myself back together without him watching. I wince as I move from all fours into a seated position. My pussy and ass are raw, burning, and swollen. My thighs and hips are bruised from the punishing way he likes to fuck. All of that is normal. Expected.
But this time is worse. There are scratches carved into my breasts and bite marks all over my body. Sex with my sire has never been pleasant, but tonight he took all of his anger out on me and drank so deeply that now I feel sluggish. I know I’ll be suffering until I can find some blood of my own to recover.
The constant, never-ending burn of silver around my neck doesn’t help matters. The thin collar keeps the skin around my throat blistering with sores, and the tiny, coffin-shaped locket attached to the front swings freely as I move, creating even more welts. It adds to the fogginess in my mind, and maybe that’s why my hands shake as I wipe away the moisture in my eyes.
Still, I manage to compose myself by the time Cain leaves the bathroom. I’ve already pulled my dress back on and covered the ugliness with a silk scarf.
“Do you require anything else, sire?” I ask, praying, as usual, that he says no.
But, apparently luck isn’t on my side tonight, because he nods.
“You will go to Eden Tower tomorrow. Take Bellatrix with you.”
Ugh, great. Just what I need. Hours stuck in the company of the world’s biggest killjoy. “Yes, sire.”
“You’re to take Evelyn on a tour of the city.”
My chest tightens and anger pools in my gut. “She’s been released?”
Cain frowns, and I bite the inside of my cheek so hard that I taste blood. He hates when I question him, but the news caught me off guard.
“The situation with the ghouls demanded it,” he finally answered. “I need someone reliable to eradicate them, and I believe it will prove a good test of whether or not she’s learned her lesson. Mingle with mortals, tempt her bloodlust however you can, then report her behaviour back to me. I need to know if she’s too broken to be useful. Bellatrix will be focusing on ensuring she’s brought up to speed with politics, but donottell her about the ghouls.”
Great, Bella will bore both of us to tears. Still, Evie deserves worse after all the shit she landed us in.
Her return is probably responsible for Cain’s shitty mood today.
I bow my head and make for the door. “As you wish, sire.”
“Callista,” he continues, stopping me in my tracks. “She must be ready to be presented to court by the week’s end. Please me in this, prove your own loyalty, and I will remove your collar.”
He leaves unsaid what will happen to me if I don’t.
“I won’t disappoint you,” I promise, slipping from the room.
I stride along the corridor and down the stairs, silently counting each step away from the bedroom. I’m stoic as I collect my bag from Ivan and check my reflection in the mirror that adorns the wall in the marbled foyer of the manor. The butler stops me before I leave, handing me a second red leather handbag.
“For Lady Evelyn,” he says, opening the door in a clear dismissal.
I hiss under my breath before slipping on my aviators and leaving the building.
For once, the isolation of Cain’s home is a welcome thing. The manicured, deserted gardens of Triumph Island are empty, and the lack of people means I don’t have to worry about their judgement as I make my way to the docks. I don’t bother acknowledging the lycan who holds out a hand to help me into the boat. The way his nostrils flare and his mouth turns down as I come close is enough to remind me why I hate his kind. Nosey assholes. No doubt he can smell the sex and fear lingering on me.
