Page 86 of The Vampire Court
Strutting? This man talks about Alaric as if he’s never met him before.
“He’s powerful enough to not have to prove it to anyone,” I mutter under my breath. Realizing too late that I spoke out loud, I clamp my lips together, pressing in a tight line.
The vampire snarls and tightens his hold on my wrist. Alexander pulls me behind him, dragging me farther from the populated area. I have to jog to just keep up with him. I don’t struggle, waiting for my chance to strike and run.
When we reach the end of the hall, he continues up a narrow staircase. Cobwebs cling to the banister telling its story of how long it has been forgotten. I suppress the feeling of dread crawling its way up my throat.
I’m breathless by the time we reach the top. There’s a small landing with a single door. The vampire shoulders it, splintering the wood around the lock. He jerks my arm, flinging me inside. I stumble forward, barely catching myself. I take a second to let my eyes adjust to the low light. The door slams closed, trapping me with him.
Inside the cramped space, furniture is stacked against the wall, covered with heavy, white sheets. A tall window faces out on the valley to the south.
Alexander didn’t bring me here to talk. He brought me here to kill me and dispose of my body, ensuring no one will find me… at least not for a long time.
Let them underestimate you, and let them live to regret it.Alaric’s words come back to me, and I cling to them, using them to steel my spine. I have been claimed and marked by Alaric. I have been trained by Cassius to fight vampires. I might have a long way to go before my skills are honed, but today, I landed a hit on a vampire and knocked him on his ass.
I don’t need to be rescued.
Drawing in a deep breath, I blow it out slowly and look Alexander in the eye, giving him the same smile that so many vampires have given me. “You need to let me go now, or you’ll regret it.”
He throws his head back and laughs.
“I’m marked,” I say. “I don’t give two demon shits if you believe it or not.”
He ignores me and removes his jacket, flinging it onto a covered chair. Dust explodes into the air, thickening the musty scent of this room. He unbuttons his cuffs and rolls up his sleeves.
The actions minor his earlier ones. They seem to be a tick, and I wonder if he is aware of them.
“If you don’t believe me, then try compelling me,” I offer. Turning to the side, I look out the window to the sprawling land below—not giving him my back but letting him know I’m not concerned.
Alexander grips my arm and spins me around to face him.
“Bow before me, human.”
His power sprawls out from him with each word and wraps around me. It’s a strange prickly sensation, nothing like Alaric’s, or Cassius’s, or even Varin’s power. It wraps around me, but no part of me twitches, wanting to do as he commands.
I lift my chin a little higher and smirk.
“So it’s true then.” He glowers. “I guess humans can’t lie all the time.”
I keep my mouth shut. Humans lie as often as vampires. There is little difference between us.
He circles me slowly as if he’s seeing a human for the first time. A twisted part of me revels in the fact that I’m throwing him off balance.
“You humiliated me at the reclaiming,” Alexander says when he’s in front of me again.
I cant my head to the side, remaining quiet. A sense of calm washes over me. I am not afraid of this vampire, not like I was afraid of Victor back at Windbury, not like I used to fear their very existence.
“You let him mark you,” he spits out.
“You say that like I had a choice in any of it.” I turn slowly as he circles me. “You were there. You saw what happened.”
“You are responsible for his actions, so his marking you was a humiliation on both of your parts.”
I frown, giving him the best pitying expression I can muster. “Did it injure your pride that much?”
In a blur, the back of his hand strikes my cheek, snapping my head to the side. My skin burns, and the slightest tang of blood hits my tongue. If he thinks a hit will make me quake before him, then he will have to think again. I’ve endured worse, and I’m stronger for it.
“You belong to him… for now.”