Page 89 of The Vampire Court

“Tilt your head,” he orders. Power reverberates in his words as he attempts to compel me.

I laugh. At first, it comes out as a strangled chuckle, quickly becoming hysterical.

“I will never obey you,” I say.

Alexander clicks his tongue as if reprimanding a petulant child. “Fine. Then, I will make you bleed.”

I’m about to retort that he already has when he swipes a hand across my abdomen, scoring my flesh with his nails.

Hot and cold wash over me in waves. I gasp, pressing my hands to my stomach to stanch the bleeding. He releases me, and I crash to my knees. I peel my hands away to assess the damage, but doing so only makes the pain more real.

Alexanders hums pleasantly to himself, drawing my gaze up. He watches me with a bemused expression, sucking on each finger, tasting my blood.

He lifts his foot, setting it on my shoulder, and knocks me flat on my back. Positioning himself over me, Alexander sits on my hips. He leans forward, placing one hand next to my head on top of my hair, locking me into place. His other hand runs up my sliced arm, across the gash over my heart, and then down to my stomach.

Alexander smears blood over what remains of my shirt as he plays with my wounds. Each poke and prod sends waves of nausea roiling through me.

I twist my hips, lifting them off the floor and wrench to the side, dumping him off of me. He lands at my side, shock written over his expression. I pull back my arm and aim. There’s a sickening crunch as my fist connects with his nose. It’s enough to sap most of my remaining energy. I’m not sure how much fight I have left. If I don’t end this soon, I will never leave this place.

I push up from the floor and scramble past him. Alexander grabs my ankle and pulls. I land hard, barely catching myself before my face smashes into the stone.

He drags me backward. I scream as the cuts on my belly rub across the floor. I’m almost relieved when he flips me onto my back, but it doesn’t last. His long fingers wrap around my throat, squeezing. It doesn’t cut off my air supply entirely, just enough that black spots blot out my vision.

“Nothing beats fresh blood with the sweet taste of adrenaline. It’s so rare to find a human willing to fight but doesn’t fear me,” he pants. He presses a finger into the cut on my chest then brings it to his mouth. “You will be mine, and then, we will have eternity to play.”

I stop struggling as his grip on my throat tightens. Several heartbeats later, he makes a disgusted sound and releases my neck, disgusted that I’ve stopped resisting. I gasp in the stale, musty air of the small tower room.

His plan might be to bond us with the oath, but I’m slowly bleeding out, inching closer to death with every passing second. I will die if he keeps this up much longer—not that I ever stood much of a chance. I may have landed a few blows, but he is at full strength.

A soft cackle sounds in my head, humorless and dry. The sound wraps around my mind.

What have you gotten yourself into this time?

I groan, not needing to fight Varin off as well.

You can go back to the Otherworld, demon, I snap back at them mentally.

If you had accepted my help, you would not be in this mess. You might not have had to die.

I’m not dead yet.

Anger flares, and I shove the demon from my mind, block it out, and focus on the monster on top of me.

Alexander continues to carve my skin, completely focused on what he’s doing. I don’t know if he thinks I passed out or am on the edge of death, too weak to fight anymore.

“Enough games for now,” he says.

He slices one nail across his own chest, reopening his wound, then tangles his fist in my hair, and forces me to sit up, pulling me toward his chest.

I slide my hand over my stomach, inching toward the sheathed dagger strapped to my arm. When my right hand is firmly around the hilt, I flop my left arm to the ground, drawing his attention. His head moves a fraction, his eyes following.

This is my only chance.

“I will never be bound to you,” I grind out through clenched teeth.

I bring my knee up, hard and swift. The move doesn’t do more than shift both of our positions, but that’s all I need.

He rears back, scowling. Then, I bring my right fist up and plunge the blade into his side. The point strikes between ribs, meeting no resistance.