Nicolai had stabbed Odette, the woman Jane was supposed to be? Talk about a plot twist Jane hadnt seen coming. Damn. What if he tried to do the same to Jane?
He wont, some deep, secret part of her said. He needs you. He said so.
A few minutes more wont hurt the queen. Whoever the queen was, whatever she was supposed to mean to her, Jane didnt care. Although, the fact that the woman was in charge, her word law and she apparently had a temper, unsettled her.
Your sister
Doesnt matter. She, too, was dead. Although, according to the book, Odette might just have a sister. That other princess. But again, Jane didnt care. Take me to Nicolai. Now. Time to find another puzzle piece.
A breath shuddered through the girl, the seconds ticking by in tension-filled silence. Then, Whatever you wish, princess. This way.
CHAPTER THREE
THEY CALLED HIM NICOLAI. He didnt know if that was his real name. He didnt know anything about himself, really. Whenever he attempted to remember, his head throbbed with unbearable pain and his mind shut down. All he knew was that he was a vampire, and the females here were witches. That, and he despised this kingdom and its peopleand he would destroy them. One day. Soon. Just as hed destroyed one of their precious princesses.
Anticipation rushed through him. His captors thought him weak, ineffective. They kept him on the razor edge of hunger, giving him a drop of blood in the morning and a drop of blood at night. That was all. He was teased and tormented constantly. Especially by the Princess Laila. So highborn, but look at you now. At my feet, mine to do with as I wish.
Highborn? He would find out.
They assumed, just because he was chained and starved, he could not harm them. They had no idea of the power that swirled inside him. Power that was caged, like him, but still there, ready to burst free at any moment.
Soon, he thought again, grinning darkly.
Theyd had their healer bind his powers, as well as wipe his memory, and they made no secret of those facts. Why theyd done the latter, however, theyd never said. What did they not want him to remember? Again, he would find out. What they didnt know was that the witch had lacked Nicolais inner strength, and already a few of his abilities had seeped through that mental cage, allowing him to summon a woman who could set him free.
A woman who had at last arrived. Urgency and relief rushed through him, driving him to pace, back and forth, back and forth, his bare feet pounding into the cold concrete, his chains rattling. Even his guards were shocked by the miracle of Princess Odettes appearance. Or rather, the girl they assumed was Princess Odette.
The real Odette was dead. Hed made sure of it. He had drained her, stabbed her, then shoved her over the cliffs outside this palace. Excessively violent, perhaps, but an enemy was an enemy, and his temper had been roused. And, as hed known, not even the most powerful of witches could recover from that.
Hurry, female. I need you.
Nicolai had spent countless days, weeks, yearshe wasnt surewith Odette before hed killed her. She was the one who had purchased him at the Sex Market, after all. Shed been a cruel girl, with a taste for delivering pain, unable to reach her climax until her unwilling partner screamed.
She had never climaxed with Nicolai.
Remaining silent had been a source of pride for him. No matter the instruments used on him, no matter how many males and females the bitch had allowed to touch and use him, he had only ever smiled.
When Odette took him outside the palace, threatening to throw him over the cliffs if he continued to defy her, he was finally given an opportunity to strike. Shed made the mistake of leaving his muzzle behind. Shed also made the mistake of stepping within his reach, chained though hed been. Hed fallen on her, pinned her and sunk his fangs into her neck. Starved as hed been, hed drained her in minutes. And after that last, life-ending gulp, hed stabbed her with her own dagger, just to be sure, and shoved her over the precipice.
Too late had the guard realized what had happened, and Nicolai had turned on him, ready for another snack. Theyd fought like animals. More beastlike than most, Nicolai had won. The guard had never stood a chance, really. When provoked or hungry, vampires became frenzied and ravenousunpredictable, uncontrollable predators who scented prey.
As hed drained his second victim, Princess Laila had swooped in. Having coveted her older sisters right to the throne, as well as her possessions, including Nicolai himself, she had watched Odette, waiting for the perfect time to act.
Nicolai had inadvertently given it to her. She and her guards had moved faster than his gaze could track, unfettered magic giving them strength and speed, and though his first meal in weeks had rallied him, the chains had slowed him down. Hed been overpowered with embarrassing ease.
Footsteps suddenly sounded, followed by the waft of something sweet in the air, both catching his attention. Nicolai stiffened and stilled, his ears twitching, his mouth watering. Absolute hunger bathed him, his stomach twisting. Musttastefemale
The desire did not spring from his mind, but from deep inside him. An instinct, a need.
Usually those footsteps heralded the arrival of Lailas servants, sent to drag him up the stairs and into her bedroom. This time, a plump redhead rounded the corner. He inhaled deeply, growled. Not her. She was not the source of that sweetness.
Nicolai stopped breathing, hoping his head would clear, if only for a moment. He was so damn hungry for the one responsiblehad to see her. He rooted his feet in the center of his cage, his pallet behind him, thick bars in front of him, waiting. Who would next enter the dungeon?
And then, he saw her. The summoned female. His Odette.
He sucked in another breath. Her. She was responsible. A second growl rose, this one straight from his soul. Must taste female.
She did not smell like the real Odette. To everyone else, she would. She would smell of too-strong floral perfume mixed with the raw ooze of a putrid woundevidence of her rotting heart. But to himoh, to him He inhaled again, unable to stop himself. Mistake. The sweetness, thicker now, almost tangible, fogged his mind. Must. Taste. His fangs and gums actually ached with the need to sample her. Must taste.
He studied her, his blood practically on fire. Anyone who looked at her would see the mask his shifted glamour had created. The mystical illusion of being someone else. Hair as dark as the Abyss, eyes of vivid emerald, skin as pale as cream. But that was where the gift of her fathers famed beauty ended, and the cruelty of her mothers ugliness revealed itself. Odette was tall yet thickly built, her cheeks puffed from excess, her jaw squared with jowls. Her dark brows were substantial, and nearly connected in the center. Her nose was long with a definite hook.
What Nicolai saw, however, was the woman his summoning had chosen. The one from his dreams. Dreams in which she stood off to the side, watching him, never speaking. Dreams he had not understood. Until now. All along, his magic had known what he needed.
She was just as tall as Odette, but reed slender, with hair the color of a honeycomb. Her eyes were seductively uptilted, a shade darker than her hair, and filled with haunting secrets. Her skin was slightly bronzed and radiant, as if the sun was hidden underneath. Her cheeks were perfectly sculpted, her chin stubborn and yet delicate.
Delicate, yes. Thats what she was. Amorously delicate, utterly fragile and delightfully feminine. Almostbreakable. Would he kill her when he drank from her? And he would drink from her. He would not be able to resist that scent for long.
The protector in him rose upa part of him he had not known existed, not for some strangerdemanding that he sweep her away from this and save her from the horror to come. Horror he would be responsible for. Not only from his dark embrace, but also from the evil of those around her. The people of Delfina wouldnt savor her blood if they learned the truth of her identity. They would spill it and kill her. Painfully.
Do you want your freedom or the girl out of harms way? You cant have both.
He hardened his heart. He wanted his freedom.
Their gazes locked a second later, a shock of awareness blasting him. Perhaps she felt it, too, for she gasped, stumbled. She righted herself and stopped at the bars, her amber eyes wide, her lush, pink mouth open, revealing straight white teeth. She held a book.
Taste her
He wished he could see her tongue. Wished he could capture that tongue with his own. His desire surprised him. How long since hed experienced true, willing arousal?
Youre real, she whispered, gripping the metal with her free hand. She squeezed so tightly her knuckles bleached of color. Youre really here. And you look exactly as I dreamed.
He nodded stifflyand that wasnt the only stiff thing about him. His cock filled, lengthening, thickening. I am real, yes. Shed dreamed of him, as hed dreamed of her? He liked the idea.
He motioned to the servant with a tilt of his chin. Get rid of her.
Her attention whipped to the girl, and she uttered another gasp, as though startled to find they werent alone. You may go, Rhoslyn. And thank you for bringing me here.
Anything for you, princess. Expression softening with her relief, Rhoslyn curtsied. She raced around the corner and pounded up the stairs.
You are confused, Nicolai said. How harsh his voice was, pushing through his teeth and slicing up his tone.
A shiver slid down her slight frame as she faced him. Yes. One minute I was at home, reading a bookabout you! The next I was here. How am I here? Where is here? At first, I thought I was hallucinating or that this was a joke, but that isnt right. I know that isnt right. Im calm. I see, I feel.
No hallucination, and no joke. His frown deepened, his fangs cutting into his bottom lip. Just a taste, one little taste. You were reading a book about me? Is that it?
Her gaze fell to his teeth, and she gulped. Yes. Written by you, I think. Her voice was as soft and delicate as her features. Or at least, part of it was. But no, this isnt it. This one is blank. Or maybe this is it, but the writing just hasnt happened yet.
To his knowledge, he had not written a book, and had not sent a book to anyone. That did not mean anything, however. The memory of doing so could be buried with all the rest of his past.
He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the scent of herand felt the ache in his gums intensify. He was walking toward her, determined to grab her, bite her.
When he realized what he was doing, he forced himself to stop. He would scare her, and she would scream. Guards would rush inside to save her.
He could cover her mouth with one hand, of course, and tilt her back with the other, giving himself a wide playing field. He could lickfinally, blessedly taste
Concentrate. Do you know who I am? Again, his tone was harsh, demanding. Have you met me before? Besides in your dreams?
No.
Disappointing. I will explain everything. Later, he lied. The less she knew, now and in the future, the better it would be for her. Right now, we must hurry. Ever since hed woken up in the slave marketweeks, months, years ago?hed been driven by more than a need to feed and escape. Hed been driven by an urge to reach the kingdom of Elden.
He must get there. And soon. More than that, he must slay the new king. He didnt know why, he just knew that even thinking of the man filled him with rage. And every day that this man lived, a piece of Nicolai died. The knowledge was separate from his memories, springing from the same place as his need to taste this woman.
Taste. How many times would he think the word?
Countless. Until he got what he wanted, he was sure.
Give me your arm. He licked his lips at the thought of touching her, of knowing the texture of her skin. I will mark you. A little nip of her wrist, and he would stop. He would make himself stop. For now.
She shook her head, honeycomb hair dancing over her shoulders. No. Explain now. Afterward, well talk about the marking thing, whatever that is.
Surely the female was not as stubborn as she seemed. We might be separated. Before she freed him. I want to know where you are at all times.
Uh, Im not sure how I feel about someone knowing where I am at all times. But again, well discuss it. After.
All right, she was more stubborn than she seemed. As you can see, I have been enslaved. Tortured. Uttering the words enraged him further. He should never have allowed himself to be placed in this situation. He should have been stronger. He was stronger. But he had no idea how hed ended up in the Sex Market. I dont even
know if your name is really Nicolai. Blah, blah, blah. I know. I told you, I read a few passages of the book. I just dont understand this. She motioned to the prison, to him, to her gown. Jane, I need you, you said. How did you know to write to me when weve never met? Desperation wafted from her. Unless I came here before, but returned home to a time before wed met, and my dreams were echoes of what was to be. That would mean history is now looping, but of course, that creates a paradox, and
Enough. Jane. Her name was Jane. Somehow familiar, causing his arousal to ramp upup. Maybe because the syllable was as soft and lyrical as her strangethough slightaccent. Focus. If she had asked anyone else these questions What have you mentioned to the others?
Nothing. She laughed without humor. I dont know them.
Good. Thats good. But she knew him, even though they had only seen each other in their dreams? As he had claimed to know her in that book? Something more was going on here. Where are you from, Jane?
Oklahoma.
Oklahoma was not part of this magical realm. You are human, then? Not a witch?
A sweep of dark lashes, momentarily hiding undiluted shock. And pride. I was right. I crossed over, didnt I?
Jane. I asked you a question. And he was used to getting answers immediately. He felt it in his bones.