Until the Sun Falls from the Sky (62 page)

The rule he broke.

The not insignificant rule he broke.

And he broke it to have me.

Please tell me this wasn’t happening.

I stayed silent.

Etienne kept speaking.

“Vampires do not live with their concubines. They don’t kiss them at Feasts. And seeing as he’s obviously fucking you, he’s done whatever the fuck he wished to do prior to receiving permission from The Council. They will not take to this kindly.”

I pressed my lips together and nodded so he knew I heard him.

He went on.

“Whether willfully or coincidentally, this has made other vampires question this law. We,” he flung his arm out to indicate Marcello, Katrina and Nestor, “welcome this. Because this means war. And we are ready.”

Okay. Right.

This wasn’t just not good.

This was
not good!

“It has been a long time coming,” Etienne whispered. “Vampires
hunt.
Vampires
feed.
Immortals should rule this planet not be ruled by
rules.
”

I fought it but I couldn’t stop myself from trembling.

Etienne was far from done.

“We do not wish to take your kind as
mates.
” He spat out the last word and if I didn’t already have a fair inkling about how he felt about “my kind” I knew by the way he spat that word. “We simply wish to take your kind whatever way we like, whenever we like. And this is how it will be.”

Yes.

Not good.

I pressed my lips together.

Etienne kept going.

“Lucien, either wittingly or unwittingly, began that process. Everyone within our culture is positioning. Vampires who do not wish change and are willing to fight for status quo. Concubines who desire to keep their place as the parasites of our culture. Vampires who wish to be free to find their mates whatever form they take. And my brethren,” again with the sweep of his arm, “wishing simply to be free to be vampires.”

Well, one thing I could say about that. That was pure Lucien, doing what he wanted to do and damn the consequences.

When he stopped and didn’t start again, even though I didn’t want him to continue, I nodded anyway.

So he continued.

“Do not fool yourself into thinking my son cares about you. He wants you to believe this, of course, it is the way with a taming. But it is not real.”

Another body sway when the impact of his words slammed into me and he smiled. He was loving every second of this.

The bastard.

He went on but this time he did it quietly, slowly, savoring the pain he knew he was going to cause.

“He had his mortal mate. The delectable Maggie.”

God. God!
God!

“Maggie was captured, tortured and killed during The Revolution.”

Oh no.

Oh God.

God. God!
God!

“Maggie was my son’s one and only true love, as sickening as that may be, it is the truth. Maggie’s death was the reason Lucien was unstoppable during that conflict. Maggie’s death was the reason he was unstoppable in hunting his own who would plot to resurrect the conflict. Maggie was everything to him. Maggie was his reason for being. Without Maggie, he exists. He does it well, he enjoys his life and the fruits of his endeavors, but it is simply existence. Nothing more. You, delicious Leah, he is using. Our lives are long, we must have our challenges and even if you’re simply breathing, you must find diversions to break up the monotony. That is what you are, Leah. A diversion. An enjoyable one, a succulent one, but simply a diversion.”

Love is a blanket that keeps you warm.

Lucien knew that to be true because of Maggie.

We’d talked a lot. He’d spent time educating me. He’d told me stories of his family.

But he’d never mentioned Maggie.

I fought the tears that filled my eyes.

I didn’t succeed.

And I hated it when Etienne grinned a triumphant, creepy grin when he saw them slide down my cheeks.

“I will educate you about our taming,” he said with false gentleness. “We have been forbidden to do this as well but we all yearn for it. We all enjoy it. But once a taming is complete, we will take pleasure in the spoils of our victory and then we will retreat. Move onto the next taming, the next meal, the next diversion that makes a vampire’s life sweet.”

Every word, every single word he said was killing me.

Lucien had lied. He’d not only broken promises, he’d flat out
lied.

From the beginning. The very beginning.

He’d played with me like a toy.

Like his
pet.

He’d played with me.

The tears kept coming.

“You are nothing, Leah,” he whispered, his eyes boring into me. “A plaything now and always a parasite. But in the end, in the course of a vampire’s life, a few years spent enjoying a morsel, we release you and in no time at all, we don’t remember how you taste, what you look like, even your name.”

More tears. That was all I had to give to what he was saying to me so that was all he got.

But he loved each salty drop.

“And now you understand your place, do you have any questions?” he asked.

“Is Edwina all right?” I asked in return and his eyes shifted behind me. Nestor must have made some nonverbal reply because they shifted back and he nodded.

I nodded back.

“That’s all you wish to know?” he prompted when I said no more.

“I think you’ve been thorough,” I whispered and heard Nestor’s chuckle from behind my back but I didn’t turn.

I kept my eyes on Etienne.

“I’m pleased you think so,” Etienne muttered, grinning his sadistic grin at me. “Now, we will be leaving.”

I blinked.

Was he high?

Break into the Mighty Lucien’s house and then just leave?

One could say I was thrilled beyond belief they were going but Lucien was going to lose his mind!

He must have read my face for he carried on.

“You can tell him what you wish. We’re prepared for his response.”

Oh shit. That didn’t sound good either.

“Yes, Leah, we are prepared. You can tell my son that too,” Etienne whispered menacingly.

I swallowed again.

He kept going.

“And tell your aunts, your cousin, your friends to enjoy their lives as they are to their fullest. The days when a concubine could provide us nourishment for a spell then suck from
us
for the rest of their days are numbered. Do you understand me?”

Oh yes. I understood him. Totally.

He didn’t like mortals. But he
really
didn’t like concubines.

Boy, I understood him all right.

I nodded.

“Good girl,” he murmured patronizingly and bile slid up my throat.

He studied me. I stood still and let him, just happy that I’d quit crying.

“You know,” he whispered thoughtfully, “it’s almost sad, you mortals handing your hearts to vampires. It has been a long time since I’ve seen that look on a mortal’s face after she learned of a vampire’s true nature.” He cocked his head to the side, his lips twitched and he finished, “Thank you, delicious Leah, for giving that back to me.”

And I knew it then. He’d played with many women, scores of them, maybe hundreds of them. All of them just like his son had played me.

God, I hated him.

Hated him.

More than I hated his son and that was saying something.

He jerked up his chin, my body swayed and my hair flew back when they all sped by me.

I stood solid and staring at nothing then it hit me.

Edwina.

I turned on my foot and ran to the dining room. I halted on a skid in the door when I saw her duct taped to a chair, more tape on her mouth, tears sliding down her cheeks, terror stamped on her features.

I shook myself out of my horror and dashed to her.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Edwina,” I whispered. “In the movies they do this fast. I’m going to do it fast. Get it over with. Please, forgive me.”

Then I tore the tape off her mouth. She cried out in pain and the sound cut through me.

“I’ll get these off,” I muttered, shaking the piece of tape away from my fingers and going to work on the tape at her wrists. “Are you okay?”

“I’m… no,” she answered shakily.

No. Of course not. She wouldn’t be.

“I’ll just… I’ll…” I stopped talking and my hands stopped moving.

You are nothing, Leah… a plaything… we don’t remember how you taste, what you look like, even your name.

My eyes moved to Edwina’s wet ones.

She read mine immediately.

“Leah, I heard him. Every word,” she whispered.

Do not fool yourself into thinking my son cares about you. He wants you to believe this, of course, it is the way with a taming. But it is not real.

“Leah, listen to me. Don’t believe what he says,” Edwina urged, her voice insistent.

That is what you are, Leah. A diversion. An enjoyable one, a succulent one, but simply a diversion.

“Those vampires with him, they are few,” Edwina kept whispering urgently. “Everyone knows of Etienne, no one respects him. Katrina was only here because she’s angry. A week, a month, she’ll rethink and she’ll retreat. Nestor, Marcello, they have been enemies to Lucien for years. Jealous of his fame, his abilities, his fortune. They have allied with Etienne for no other reasons then to make Lucien suffer. Don’t believe what he says, Leah. Not a word of it.”

I didn’t hear anything she said.

I heard Lucien telling me,
It will still be beautiful.

I told him he had my love and he didn’t return it. Still, he thought he could talk me into continuing to service him by convincing me the emptiness he could give me was fucking
beautiful.

He had the love of his life. It sucked she was tortured and killed but at least he had her.

I didn’t have anything.

Nothing.

Everything had been taken from me.

Everything I had, everything I owned, everything I was.

Taken by Lucien.

I focused on Edwina’s face.

“Please, someday, understand what I’m going to do now and forgive me,” I whispered.

Then I straightened away from her and ran out of the dining room on my high-heeled, kickass wedges.

“
No!
” she cried. “Leah! No! Don’t listen to him. Unbind me!
We must call Lucien immediately!
”

I ran to the phones first. Each one I grabbed and ripped free from the wall. Each one I ran to the pool and threw it in. Then I ran to the key hooks by the backdoor, grabbed Edwina’s keys, went to her purse, snatched out her cell and I took those to the pool too and threw them in.

I didn’t have much time.

I had to hurry.

I ran upstairs and found the two suitcases I brought with me stored in the hall closet. I dragged them to the wardrobe. Quickly but carefully I packed. Not the things Lucien bought for me (except my undies and nighties since I’d thrown all my old ones away seeing as the ones Lucien gave me were much nicer). Makeup. Shampoo. Lotion. Jewelry. Everything that was mine that I could see.

I shoved my phone in my bag, ran to the desk in the bedroom and grabbed my passport.

Then I dragged the bags down the stairs and didn’t look into the dining room as I rolled them right past.

“Leah! Don’t! Please call Lucien! Don’t leave! If nothing else, it isn’t safe!” Edwina called after me.

I felt like a bitch. Worse than a bitch, leaving her tied there. That was mean. It was selfish. It was ugly.

But I had no choice.

I had to get away.

I had to escape.

And Lucien could be home any minute.

Edwina was a nice lady so I hoped to God one day she’d forgive me.

I went out to the Cayenne and loaded up my bags. I got in and hit the garage door opener. I buckled my seatbelt and noticed belatedly my hands were trembling.

This wasn’t the only thing trembling. My whole body was.

As were the tears in my eyes.

I forced my thoughts on what was next. Bank, drain the accounts where Lucien deposited my concubine plaything money. Find an ATM and take a maximum withdrawal from my account at home. Get out of Dragon Lake. Stop at the nearest used car dealership, ditch the Cayenne and get another car.

I made my plans then I executed them. Bank. Thank God, no line. ATM at the same place. Easy.

And as I drove out of Dragon Lake, I grabbed my cell and dialed 911.