Vampire Apocalypse #2 Cataylst (8 page)

“I’m not sure,” Cole replied, “but based on
the way things feel—yes. It’s possible.” The tension in the air was
palpable. They both sensed it.

Cassie’s gaze lifted to see the end of the
hallway was empty. Alice was gone. Cassie didn’t want to be Paired.
She didn’t want to die. Not yet. She leaned forward and pressed her
hands to her face. Strange thoughts started to drift through her
mind, foreign thoughts of living on their own of surviving without
the vampires. Was that even possible anymore?

“Cassie,” a new voice called her name,
snapping her out of her thoughts. A slender servant walked toward
her before finishing, “The Queen has requested you.”

“For a feeding?” Cassie asked, hoping that it
had nothing to do with Kahli.

“I’m not obligated to say, however since I’m
not your Handler, I would think not.”

Cassie’s throat tightened and her pulse
jumped. She nodded slowly. Before she could stand, Cole took her
hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Cassie gave him a weak smile.
“I’ll see you tonight.”

He nodded once, watching his sister walk off
to be questioned by the most powerful vampire in the world.

CHAPTER 11

Sophia was agitated. Nothing was going the
way she planned. When she tried to drink Kahli’s blood, she could
barely manage a drop, however her husband managed to swallow it
fine with his throat still intact. That made Sophia ask for more,
but the same thing happened. Every time she tried to drink Kahli’s
blood, it scorched her throat and caused a series of very
uncomfortable sensations. It was like drinking toxins and her body
couldn’t tolerate it. The King had said to give it time, but he
managed his share without issue. Sophia continued to request
tastings without her husband, trying to build up her tolerance to
the blood, but it was for nothing. And, now the girl was missing,
and the King’s rooms were filled with freshly spilled blood.

Sophia looked around his room. The scent of
the wild girl’s blood filled her nose like rich perfume. It made
her feel lightheaded. Sophia smoothed her blue silk gown and stood,
waiting. When Kahli could not be located, Sophia requested her
roommates.

When the servant returned with only one girl,
the Queen’s expression was frigid. Her gaze narrowed on Cassie, on
her pale face and tiny hands. “Where are the others?”

“Gone, your Majesty. We could not find them.”
The servant bowed low to the ground, her face nearly touching the
blood-stained carpet.

“And my husband?” Sophia asked, before
indicating the servant could rise.

“We have not found him, yet. There are
multiple guards missing as well and a dead vampire in the garage.”
The servant’s voice shook as she spoke.

“In addition to the King’s guard?” Sophia
inquired.

“Yes, your Majesty.”

Sophia pinched the bridge of her nose with
her delicate fingers. Cassie’s frightened heartbeat was distracting
her. She could hear it pounding inside the girl like a terrified
mouse. If her roommates hadn’t just been slaughtered, the Queen
would have drained her then and there, but there were too many
humans missing. They made up nearly a quarter of her blood
supply.

“Sit,” Sophia commanded, directing her
attention back to Cassie.

Cassie had been brought to the King’s
chambers. It was a mess. Cassie scanned the room looking for a
chair that wasn’t stained with blood or broken. Promptly, she sat
on the floor at the Queen’s feet since there was no place else to
sit.

Sophia sighed and snapped her fingers at one
of her guards. “Get her a chair.” The vamp disappeared and came
back quickly with a small bench in his hands. He set it down next
to Cassie.

Cassie repositioned herself on the bench and
tried to look anywhere but at the Queen. Her attempt was pointless.
They knew her real name. The vamps named her, so of course they
knew it. That made compulsion easy for even the weakest vampire,
and the Queen was not weak. Compulsion had been used on Cassie many
times over the years, and she hated it more and more each time. It
felt like her mind was stripped away and nothing was safe. It was
like sitting outside in the snow and ice, naked, and hoping not to
freeze to death. Harm came to people who were compelled too much.
Their minds snapped like brittle twigs frozen in the ice for too
many lifetimes. But, there was no way out of this.

Cassie folded her hands in her lap and tried
to remain calm. The amount of blood in the room, the smears of dark
red across the tile at the back of the room, made her feel sick.
Was that Kahli’s blood? Was her friend dead?

The Queen snapped her fingers next to
Cassie’s ear. The sound startled her, bringing her back to the
present. The Queen repeated herself, “Where are your
roommates?”

“I don’t know, Your Majesty. They didn’t
return last night. The King beckoned each of them. They were
dressed and left.”

Sophia arched a dark brow. After a moment,
she asked, “Kahli included?”

“Yes, she was the last to leave.”

Sophia’s delicate fingers tapped her chin as
she thought. She turned her back on Cassie and paced the room, her
gaze taking in the broken items, as well as the stains. The Queen’s
blue gown billowed around her ankles as she walked, fluttering out
slightly when she turned, showing off perfect shoes on her tiny
feet. Without facing Cassie, Sophia asked. “Did you see the King
last night?”

Cassie hesitated. Sophia rounded on her
swiftly, pressing her nose to Cassie’s. “Yes,” Cassie’s voice
quivered. She couldn’t remember what they’d spoken about, but Cole
had filled her in. Cassie wanted to protect Cole, so she didn’t
mention he was there. As long as Sophia didn’t ask, she wouldn’t
know.

“Tell me what happened. Leave out one detail
and I’ll cleave you in half.”

Cassie blanched. The Queen’s breath came out
in a rush, as Cassie started to retell what happened according to
Cole. Sophia listened, pacing in circles with her hand under her
chin, her gaze on the floor.

When she finished, Sophia asked, “And what do
you think? Is your friend dead? Look around this room and tell me
what your gut is telling you. Did she survive whatever happened
here?”

Cassie glanced around, her eyes unable to
rest in a single spot. There was a fight, that much she was sure
of. The smears in the back of the room looked like someone was
dragged, but the broken table and the way the bloodstains were
littered across the carpet did give her an impression. “She fought
back, and I would think she got away too, because of the dead guard
at the door. Kahli wouldn’t have killed him on the way into the
room.”

“And what of William? Did you see him last
night? Do you think he aided her?”

Cassie shook her head, her blonde curls
swaying as she did it. “No. Will doesn’t fight like this. If this
was his mess, no one would have found it.” The Queen’s dark brow
lifted. “It would have been cleaned up before sunrise.”

“So he did something else, and then fled
along with Kahli?”

“I didn’t say that,” Cassie blanched. “You
think Will attacked the King and kidnapped Kahli? That doesn’t
sound like him at all. He’s served you forever. He defends you when
people speak poorly of you. He risked his life the night your
brother gifted Kahli to you. She stabbed him and he didn’t even
fight back. Will could have punched Kahli in the face and knocked
her out. He didn’t. Other Handlers would have. He knew what she was
and how much she meant to you. Will’s no traitor.”

The Queen stared at Cassie, as she spoke. Her
lips formed a thin line, as she listened to this little twit defend
her most faithful servant. When the girl finished, Cassie realized
that she spoke too freely, too plainly. Cassie lowered her gaze and
bowed, saying, “Forgive me. I meant no disrespect, my Queen. You
asked for my gut impression and that was it. Whatever happened
here, Will was not involved.”

Sophia stopped in front of the girl and bent
at the waist. Taking Cassie’s chin in her hand, Sophia tilted
Cassie’s face up. When the frightened girl met her gaze, Sophia
asked, “Then, where is he?”

CHAPTER 12

Kahli swallowed hard. Looking up at Will, she
said firmly, fighting to control her voice, “I don’t know what you
mean.”

Will stepped back. His dark gaze left hers,
as he glanced at the floor, and then at his hands. This was insane.
Even saying it sounded too surreal, but it was necessary before
they returned to the palace. He breathed deeply and looked up at
her. Their connection was weak. It needed to be stronger. They
needed to douse the King’s pull on her. No matter what he did, Will
would lose her if the King got to Kahli and Will wasn’t there to
protect her. This request was like putting a piece of glass in the
way. It was an invisible barrier that would shatter when pressed
hard enough, but it would slow the King down, and that was all Will
could hope for.

Will pressed his lips together, deciding that
the best thing to do was to say it directly. He glanced up at
Kahli, his heart hammering in his chest. “There’s a rule forbidding
vampires from drinking directly from humans. No single vampire can
be pair-bonded to a single human. The Queen forbids it. It weakens
the humans too quickly and there aren’t many left who can endure a
direct bite and live.”

Kahli’s chest rose and fell as he spoke. The
room felt warmer than it was. What was he saying? She didn’t want
to leap to the conclusion. Shaking her head, she stiffened, folding
her arms over her chest and squeezing tight. “Why are you telling
me this? What rule do you want to break, Will? You’ve already had
my blood and I had yours. We’re bonded, which I’m pretty sure means
you’re dead if we don’t kill the Queen.”

Will smiled forlornly, but he didn’t step
toward her. “The King drank directly from you, but you haven’t been
bonded to him. Yet. He will force it on you, as soon as you’re
within reach. If that happens, Kahli—there’s nothing I can do to
save you. You’ll be his.”

She blanched as Will spoke. He tried to
maintain eye contact, but she looked away. Kahli’s fingers were
clutching her arms so hard that her knuckles paled and turned as
white as her bodysuit. Finally, she asked, “And if we break a rule,
it can prevent that?” Will nodded. “What rule?”

“The same one the King broke.”

Kahli’s jaw twitched. “What are you
saying?”

Will watched her from across the room. He
didn’t want to force her, but he felt like she was going to run. Or
fight. He didn’t want to fight her anymore. “We need to work
together or we’ll die. You do understand that, right? No matter
which way this pile of crap tumbles, you and I are screwed.” She
nodded. There were too many people who knew of her, of her blood,
and every one of them would kill Will to get to her. “If you let me
drink directly from you, if my fangs pierce your neck, it
will—”

She flinched, “What? Your fangs? You don’t—”
but before she could finish talking, she knew she was wrong. Her
heart hammered against her ribs, as she watched his lips part.

He smiled at her again, but it was the kind
of smile that hid heartbreak. “Bane were created to drain humans.
Of course I have fangs. The Queen’s edict keeps me from using
them.” As he spoke, Kahli could see his white eyeteeth extend. They
were sharper than any wolf’s fang, extending into a narrow, lethal
point.

The hair on the back of her neck prickled.
Will doesn’t eat. He barely sleeps. He has fangs. Her jaw hung
open. Shock and disgust swam across her face.

“Don’t look at me like you didn’t know what I
was,” he sounded offended. “You’ve known more than anyone from the
beginning. I told you exactly what I was.”

Kahli’s hand was over her mouth. She tried
not to breathe. She tried to sound rational and process his
request. “How will biting me help?”

He stepped toward her, “It will diminish the
King’s claim on you. It was an incomplete bond. And...” his voice
trailed off.

“And,” Kahli prompted.

“And, it will permanently bond us. I’ll be
yours. You’ll be able to hear me, feel me, and know without any
doubt if my intentions are good or not. And you’ll be mine. Another
vampire cannot claim you, as long as I live.” Kahli was breathing
hard, staring at him. She couldn’t have been more shocked, if he
hit her in the face with a bear. “It’s the best protection I can
offer you.”

“But you’re a Bane,” she finally spit out.
“You can’t do that. Can you?”

“I don’t see why not. I can’t say that I’ve
ever tried, but I’m a mortal vampire. It stands to reason that I
could claim you. It would weaken the King’s hold on you. It would
make it possible to kill Sophia and the King, without worrying
about the King claiming you for himself.”

Kahli shook her head slowly. “I can’t. I
can’t give away the little freedom I have left.” The way her eyes
lingered on his mouth made him brave. Will walked toward her
slowly, carefully.

“But, there are other rules you would break,
aren’t there?” He stopped in front of her and glanced down into her
face. Kahli couldn’t look away. Will captivated her, making every
inch of her skin prickle, demanding his touch. His breath fell warm
and soft on her lips, and she wished his lips were there. Kahli
wished he’d press his mouth to hers. Will’s hands lifted to her
face, gently brushing against the smooth skin on her cheeks. “Tell
me when to stop. Tell me where the line is and I won’t cross
it.”

Will lowered his lips to hers, pressing
gently. Kahli didn’t move. She didn’t pull away, she didn’t speak.
She stood perfectly still, feeling his mouth on hers. Will blinked
slowly, feeling the floor of his stomach fall away, as he deepened
the kiss, learning the curves of her mouth, tasting her. Kahli’s
heart pounded harder, but she didn’t push him away. She let him
kiss her, as her fingers twitched at her sides, wanting to tangle
in his hair.