Page 18 of The Vampire’s Mercy (Blood Melody #1)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

PARIS

My stakeblade broke just like it did before.

Worth a try though, right?

The king grabbed me by the shoulders.

“Get off me!” I yelled in his face.

He shook me.

Whoa. Talk about being trapped in a blender. Everything reeled from his strength, my brain practically bashing the sides of my skull.

“What did you do to me?” he demanded.

“What—”

He gave me another violent shake to churn my insides.

Shit!

“Answer me, elf!” he roared. “Tell me what you did to me!”

“I didn’t do anything,” I replied, while contemplating a headbutt.

His eyes flashed and his grip tightened. I braced for more shaking, but he let me go.

I staggered back, losing my balance. Man, you’d think I’d just been on a fairground ride.

My arse kissed the causeway. “Dammit.”

“I saw petals,” the king said. “I saw white petals and you.”

Aidan only knew what kind of crap went on inside this guy’s head. He could keep it because I didn’t give two shits. I was too busy wondering if I’d make it down the causeway alive if I made a run for it right now.

“What was it?” he said.

I offered up my best scowl, getting back to my feet. “Don’t talk to me.”

I drew on more of the sea flora’s essence. Enough energy flowed inside me to propel my legs toward shore.

“There were petals and a forest,” Silvanus bleated on. “And you.” He paced back and forth, rambling.

Okay, time to run for my life. Rethink. Come back with a bazooka.

Ha! If only that would work. Although it might be fun to blow some holes in that architectural monstrosity up there.

Silvanus stopped pacing, inspecting his hands. “Who is Lucius?”

I began to back away. What the hell was wrong with him? Unfortunately, I didn’t do anything to him. I’d love to take the credit for any bad thing he experienced, but nope.

“Lucius. Lucius. Lucius.” He looked at me. “Petals and you. Petals and you.” The sadness tainting his features took my breath away. So unexpected, so raw, everything about him softening.

No! Don’t you dare feel one drop of sympathy for him!

His shoulders sagged in defeat. “I don’t know why I’m here.”

I backed away further, the vampire king clearly going through some shit with his memory issues.

A him problem for sure. I needed to be gone.

So why was I watching him so damn curiously?

His lips twitched, his head cocking to the side. “Are you trying to flee?”

I straightened my spine, folding my arms defensively. “No.”

He smiled, changing his vibe from sorrowful to mocking glee.

“Let me guess,” he said, “you’ve never run from a fight?”

Oh goody. A guessing game. My favorite.

I snorted. “What a perceptive vampire king you are.”

He smiled, still not attacking me.

“Well?”

“Well, what?”

“Are we dancing?”

He cocked an eyebrow. “This is the second time you’ve asked me to dance.”

I rolled my eyes. “You know exactly what I mean.”

“Do I?”

Why did he have to look so damn hot and speak with such toe-tingling sexiness?

“I really did let your friend go,” he said.

That slapped me out of any foolish thoughts. “What?”

“He’s back on the mainland.” He nodded behind me.

I sighed, pushing back against my anger. “Why are you telling me this?”

He regarded me for several beats. “So you know who the bigger monster is here.”

I snarled, swallowing a lump of anger. “Wow. Let me bust out a round of applause. The blood-drinking scumbag knows how to honor a deal? Think that gives you a free pass, eh? That I’ll be so thankful and shake your hand? Fuck you.”

That got no reaction from him.

My senses tingled, alerting me to multiple vampires coming up the causeway.

Great. He’d called in the cavalry. About time he did, really. He seemed to go about without guards a lot. Pretty dangerous for someone like him.

I spun, clocking four figures charging up the road. I summoned my stakeblade since at least these fuckers were susceptible to my weapon.

The king moved past me, pausing a few feet away, facing them. “Again, they come.”

I eyed the barrier to my left—a potential escape route. “What do you mean?”

He growled and tore forward in a blur to meet the vamps.

I went to join him until my brain slammed on the brakes.

Escape time.

I vaulted over the causeway barrier, landing in the salt marsh. The greenery greeted me merrily, offering energy. This whole area was riddled with quicksand, but I’d avoid sinking with my lightfeet.

Unless I fell over and landed in it headfirst.

Oh, piss off.

“Hi,” I whispered to the seaweed and the other flora, quickly making my way inland.

Fighting sounds came from the causeway. It got me picking up my pace.

Why were the vamps fighting the king, though? Were they some sort of rebels?

I heard a man scream.

It’s nothing to do with you!

Rumbling beneath me, the wet sound of something slithering in the salt marsh. By the light of the moon, I saw the ground churn, swelling with the size of a beast. The sand began to freeze, the glacial blue of frostbrood ice spreading outward.

Uh-oh.

My hands buzzed, the crystal blade flashing in my mind. The ground rumbled again, but the frostbrood didn’t attack. The ice melted away, the temperature rising again.

No crystal blade showed up.

“What—”

A figure came at me from the side, slamming into me. I went down, rolling backward in response before leaping to my feet.

I expected the vampire king, but came face-to-face with a different guy instead.

The vampire hissed at me, fangs bared. His red eyes darted to the stakeblade in my hand.

“I’ll drive that into your belly,” he warned.

I showed him a middle finger.

Another scream came from the direction of the causeway.

“His Majesty lets the likes of you close to him, does he?” the vamp added.

I went to attack him, done with vampire talk.

The crystal blade appearing in my hand stopped me.

Same for the vamp. “What is that?”

Rather than answer, I sprang forward, going for his heart. He leaped into the air to dodge me, exposing his stomach instead.

Fine. Take him down, stake him when he’s on his back.

The blade entered him like a hot knife through butter. He made a squeaking sound, then exploded into bone dust.

By Aidan! Did that just happen? Did a vamp just die without taking a stakeblade to the heart?

Whoa. That opened a new can of worms.

Delicious worms.

The vampire king’s roar rumbled from the causeway.

I tore off again, questions popping off in my brain like fireworks about the crystal blade still in my hand. Man, this was exciting and scary stuff.

A gift from Heaven? Wow! What if it was? What if this was a brand-new gift from Aidan, given to me to change the world?

My stomach flipped, my head spinning.

I seriously needed some quiet time to figure this out.

Silvanus landed before me in the salt marsh. I reacted with an attack, swinging the crystal blade at him.

It left my hand, that same screaming filling my head again.

“Fuck!”

And then I was flying. Hefted off my feet, soaring over the causeway now packed with bodies, returning to the palace.

I looked up into the king’s face, blood spatters across his skin. His eyes focused ahead, and no wings in sight.

Yep. He could definitely fly.

I freed a hand, delivering an uppercut into his chin.

Ouch. Talk about punching concrete. My knuckles burst open, blood running down my wrists.

Silvanus glanced down at me with a feral smirk. “You smell like honey,” he purred. “I can’t wait to taste it.”

I quivered, going a little limp.

Kill him! Just kill him!

He flew the rest of the journey in a blur, culminating with me landing on a bed.

I bounced and yelped, dizzy from the damn flight.

Were we outside? In a forest?

On a bed in a forest?

Clutching my injured hand, I sat up, a tangle of branches and vines above me. Covered in leaves, fairy lights twinkling within the dense greenery, lanterns hanging from chains, electric candles glowing inside them.

“Wow…”

Moss and ivy grew on brown stone walls, with a blanket of grass covering the ground of this huge room. Jasmine bloomed around an archway straight ahead and around closed balcony doors facing the expanse of ocean beyond.

Smaller trees grew out of the floor, their bark twisted, adding more layers to the canopy of green above.

By Aidan, the air was rich with the perfume of jasmine, everything welcoming me with a happy caress. It spread further, the jasmine growing and brightening.

“This place is incredible,” I said, running my hands across the silky green bedspread.

Wait. Wait. Wait. Enough of this awed shit. The vampire king dumped me here on his bed. And he’d just said he couldn’t wait to taste me.

In his dreams!

The vamp in question sprang at me, pinning me to the bed with his weight. I grabbed his back with my good hand, kicking my legs to try and wriggle free.

No use. He was a like a sexy boulder, his skin like silk on my palm.

What the fuck?

His hands sat to either side of my head. His hair fell forward to brush my face, a dark curtain breaking up the blaze of his eyes. His citrussy scent assaulted my senses, my heart jackhammering, my breathing hitching.

“Get off me,” I warned, my skin alive with heat.

“I’ve thought of the best punishment for you,” he said in the huskiest of tones, those full lips inches away from mine.

I wanted to vomit, despite my dick stirring to life.

“I know this will be the worst kind of torture for you,” he added.

I squirmed, useless again. “What is it? Sex?”

Erm, that was my first thought?

He smirked, baring his fangs. “Do you want to have sex with me?”

Yes… “I’d rather drink liquid cow shit.”

“Noted. I’ll be sure to have a glass brought to you.” He lowered his face.

Damn balls tightening. Damn dick begging to be free from the pesky confines of denim and cotton encasing it. “Just…just kill me already.”

“You don’t want to die.” His breath caressed my lips. “I can smell the desire to live on you. And I’ll grant you mercy.”

“I don’t want your fucking mercy!” I hissed. I thought about headbutting him, but I’d only crack my head like an egg.

Not tonight, thanks.

“Death is too easy,” he purred. “I like this alternative better.”

Before I could respond, he drove his fangs into my neck.