Page 8 of Blood Claims (Garnet Dagger Mafia #2)

CROSSING LINES

T he rest of the car journey was spent in silence.

Well at least from my side anyway. They tried a few times to break my stubborn silence, but with my mind in turmoil, I was left to stew on this new situation alone.

Because before all this, their dominant behavior had only ever affected my life.

But now with them crossing that line and using my friend as leverage, it was unforgivable.

Because this wasn’t love.

This was control.

Which didn’t sit right with me and never would.

A lesson they would soon learn because I refused to acknowledge either of them, despite their touch never leaving me.

Whether it was my hand being held, my wrist being stroked, or my neck finding Tal’s nose breathing heavy against it, they were always connected to me.

Their coaxing words were now empty. Their spell on me unravelling like a thread that had been torn free, the other end left in the place where they admitted their greatest crime against me. That they had brought my friend into this and that… that couldn’t be undone.

A spell that had once had a firm hold on me, was now nothing more than a fading echo… one I refused to chase. Which meant that by the time the car pulled up outside my apartment, I was left fearing for my friend’s life, hating myself for bringing this to her doorstep.

“Come on, Sweetheart, let’s get this over with,” Victor said, holding out his arm so I could exit the limo first. Which was when I broke my silence and told them both venomously,

“If anything happens to her, I will never forgive either of you.”

“Nothing will happen to her,” Tal assured me, making me finally look at them.

“It better not, or I will spend the rest of my life hating myself for putting her in harm’s way… hell, I do already!” I snapped, before moving to the door and ignoring the way they both flinched at my bitter tone.

“Vanessa,” Victor said behind me, making me stop at the regrettable way he spoke my name. My hand to the door froze before forming a fist, gripping it tight as I told them,

“Let’s just get this over with.” Then I punched in the door code and yanked hard on the handle, walking inside.

And of course, they followed but wisely kept enough distance that allowed me to walk ahead.

Every step closer to my door was one I dreaded, because I didn’t know what would face me once inside.

Would my friend be a nervous wreck? Crying and shaking in fear of the men I was about to bring back to her door?

What had they said to her? What had they threatened her with? Had it been Andras’s big knife?

I just didn’t know but I braced myself for the worst, regardless.

Well at the very least, the brute himself wasn’t following us inside, because he was ordered to stay with the car.

Although he didn’t look pleased about it, making me question why he looked ready to argue the decision.

Did he just want a second chance at frightening her?

I hoped this wasn’t the case and that she hadn’t been left too terrified by it all.

But most of all, I hoped that their cursed love for me was enough to protect her like they said it was. Because it was like Victor had said, had she been anyone else, they would have hurt her by now. And that thought scared the absolute shit out of me.

And really, I shouldn’t have been surprised by this.

This wasn’t like one of my vampire romance novels.

They were cold blooded killers by their own admission.

Vampire mafia kings who were used to getting exactly what they wanted and disposing of anything or anyone who stood in their way.

And because of that damn curse, what they wanted was me and my submission.

Damn it, if I were honest, then half of me still wanted to belong to them despite all this. The fucking foolish half, at that! It was insanity. How did it come to this…? I honestly didn’t know. But I felt like I was going fucking crazy.

Fucking madness!

“Time to open the door, Little Peach.” Tal lured behind me when I froze motionless with the key held out. Which was when I tried one last time.

“Please… just let me go inside alone, I will get you the dagger… you don’t need to involve her in this anymore.” However, my pleas fell on deaf ears as Victor’s hard tone ordered,

“Open the door. Do it now.”

I swallowed hard before putting the key in the lock and turning it, saying a quick prayer before opening the door. Something that made me frown as I scanned the room quickly. Because she wasn’t sitting on the couch in tears like I expected. So, I quickly raced inside, calling her name.

“Stacey! Stacey, where are you?!” I then got to her room where I found her on her bed. My heart pitched to my stomach. My rushed steps coming to a halted stop as I gripped the door frame in my panic.

“No… no, please…” I whispered, but before I could go to her, I felt myself being grabbed from behind. And before I could scream bloody murder, a hand covered my mouth just as lips lowered to my ear.

“Calm down, she only sleeps, and she will wake not remembering any of it, so unless you wish to alarm her by causing a scene, one that will undoubtably distress her, then I suggest taking a breath and rethinking your next actions,” Victor advised in a stern tone, leaving me to quickly process all he told me.

When he felt me relax against him, he removed his hand so I could take a deep breath like he suggested.

“You’re sure she is alright?” I asked, not taking my eyes off my friend who was tucked under her blankets with her slippers placed next to her bed, like she had simply called it a night.

“Despite how little you think of us, we would not have harmed her.”

I whipped around to face the villain at my back and reminded him,

“Yes, and through your own admission after first threatening me to do just that if I didn’t give you what you wanted.”

He had the audacity to shrug in response.

“I threatened her involvement, but I don’t remember specifying in what capacity that would be,” he replied calmly, making me grit my teeth.

“Yeah, well don’t think that by finding her unharmed now that I can forget the threat you still hold against me should I not do whatever you command of me,” I said, turning my back on him before I walked inside Stacey’s room.

After I ensured she was still breathing like he claimed she was, I turned toward her wall of movie props and gaming weapons, feeling his eyes on me the whole time. Then after scanning them all, I reached for the one I had exchanged with the fake dagger that I had given to the witch.

But before my hand could come into contact with it, I felt the wall of muscle at my back as Victor stepped in close and towered over me. Then he wrapped his fingers around my wrist to prevent me from unhooking it from the wall, gently lowering my hand back to my side.

“You gave her a fake,” he stated. His voice so deep it commanded every ounce of my attention.

“Then you hid it in plain sight,” he added when I didn’t reply because well, in all honesty, I didn’t know what to say. But as for Victor, he didn’t have this problem. He knew exactly what to say, starting with dipping his lips to my ear.

“Good girl, clever little Firefly,” he hummed, and I had to close my eyes against what felt like a verbal assault on my sex as, I swear, everything quivered down there.

This left me with no other option than to hold myself as still as possible, which was easier said than done when his other hand went to my belly.

His fingers splayed out before tugging me back into him a step.

Doing so at the same time he reached back up with his other hand, now taking hold of his dagger.

The rumbling growl sounded like one born from pleasure as he came into contact with it. A sound I felt vibrate against my back that was currently plastered to his front.

“Why?” he asked suddenly, making me frown at the Zelda shield hanging in front of me. I even found myself counting the yellow triangles just to focus on anything but the Vampire at my back. Not that he allowed this for long.

I felt his touch, this time in the form of his nose as it ran up the length of my neck before his lips were back at my ear.

“Tell me, pretty girl, why steal it and then keep it here?” he whispered seductively.

“I have my reasons,” I told him, hoping this was enough.

It wasn’t.

“Which are?” he asked, his voice still gentle and coaxing.

I tried to look back at my friend, worried about her waking up and seeing us like this. Of course, he knew what my fears were even before I admitted to them.

“She won’t wake. Now answer me… why hide it, Vanessa?” he growled this last part, making me sigh in defeat.

“Because you were right, I didn’t trust her.”

“But you trusted me, didn’t you… you trusted me enough to know I wasn’t lying when I told you what would happen should the dagger get into the wrong hands.”

When I didn’t answer straight away, I felt his arm tighten around my belly, his hand fisting in my shirt.

“Yes.” I breathed out the word like it was a freaking prayer. To which his response was instant as he too let out a breath before giving me insight to his thoughts.

“Good, then what has grown between us is not all lost,” he stated, making my breath catch on a gasp.

Then I shook my head to deny this silently.

But it wasn’t enough, so I turned in his hold to face him, something he allowed so he could look down at me.

His deep-set eyes searched my face for clues, questioning where my mind was at.

A curiosity I satisfied as I looked to my sleeping friend. Then I told him,

“That was before you both crossed a line and broke that trust.”