Lilith detaches herself from my neck with an obscene pop, making a show of delicately wiping my blood from her lips like it's fine wine. "Morgan, darling, so nice of you to join our little party," she purrs, all fake refinement and smug satisfaction. "I was merely sampling the merchandise. And my, my... she really does taste divine. Like nothing of this world." Her eyes gleam with predatory hunger. "I think I've found my new favorite snack."
I glare at her through the pain and terror, trembling with equal parts fear and rage. If looks could kill, this bloodsucking bitch would be a pile of designer ashes right now.
Morgan shoves past Lilith like she's swatting aside an annoying fly, settling beside me on the bed. She's young, with rich mahogany skin gleaming in the dim light. Her straight dark hair falls just past her shoulders in a sleek curtain, the ends perfectly trimmed and not a strand out of place despite the drama unfolding. Her hands, elegant and sure, reach for my ravaged neck, and I flinch away instinctively.
"Girl, stop being difficult," Morgan says, her no-nonsense tone. "Unless you're eager to bleed out and die right here?" She glares at me sternly, her light brown eyes assessing me. "Let me stop the bleeding. Trust me, you don't want to check out just yet—the show's barely started."
Great. Just what I need—another cryptic warning from a bitchy mean girl. But damn it, as much as it grates on me, she's right. I can't meet my end here, not like this. Rhyland needs me. My brother and my family all need me.
Please, let Lucian, Erik, Emily, and Seraphina be okay. Let them find Damon and help him through this nightmare.
So, I grit my teeth and let Morgan work her magic, all the while plotting exactly how I'm going to make Lilith pay for this little vampiric violation.
Morgan's hands hover over my ravaged throat, her eyes drifting closed as she murmurs incantations under her breath. The language is foreign, ancient-sounding, and practically drips with power. Well, that answers one question—we've got ourselves a witch. Fantastic. Because this situation wasn't complicated enough already.
I feel the magic working, a warm tingle spreading across my skin as the bleeding finally slows. Morgan reaches into what looks like Mary Poppins' bag of magical remedies and pulls out fresh bandages.
"Interesting," she muses, applying the dressing with clinical precision. "Seems like that fancy rock of yours isn't too fond of vampire bites. Some serious limitations on that healing power you've got there."
My blood turns to ice. They know about my crown and its stones. Wonderful. What else do these psychos know about me?
"Yeah, well," I manage to croak out, shooting Lilith my best 'eat shit' glare, "the stones are pretty discriminating. They know trash when they see it."
And like a light bulb flickering to life, it hits me. No wonder I couldn't save Damon. This damn rock clearly has a personal vendetta against vampires and their bites.
Like when Lucian bit me, his bite only healed because he gave me his blood.
Lilith's perfectly shaped eyebrows arch in amusement, but I catch the dangerous flash in her emerald eyes. Good. Let her be pissed. At least that makes two of us.
Morgan's hands still against my neck, her touch a silent warning to behave. But honestly? When have I ever done what I'm told? Especially when I'm being held captive by Vampire Barbie and her witchy sidekick.
"There. All patched up," Morgan announces, packing away her magical first-aid kit. "Time for your medicine. Be right back." She heads for the door before spinning around like some hall monitor. "And Lilith? Keep your fangs to yourself."
Lilith responds with a dramatic eye roll that probably strains something. She waves Morgan off like a queen, dismissing a peasant.
Medicine? That can't be good. "What medicine?" I call after Morgan, alarm bells ringing in my head.
"Just a special little cocktail to keep those savior powers of yours in check," Morgan throws over her shoulder with a wink that's anything but reassuring. The door clicks shut behind her with an ominous finality.
I'm not taking anything they give me. They can fuck right off.
Lilith glides over to her feathered spy, offering it a treat with all the smug satisfaction of a Bond villain petting their cat. The owl accepts its reward while those black eyes continue their creepy surveillance routine.
Then Little Miss Vampire Princess sashays over to a corner table, pouring herself a generous glass of Grey Goose vodka like she's starring in some twisted Real Housewives of the Seven Realms episode.
Shesettles into the chair with all the practiced grace of someone who's spent lifetimes perfecting their "I'm better than you" pose, crossing her endless pale legs.
Now that I'm not actively being used as a snack, I finally get a good look at my captor. She's tall and model-thin, with fire-red hair cascading dramatically to her waist like some gothic Rapunzel. Those gravity-defying breasts? Definitely aftermarket additions. And that skin-tight red dress? Pure vampire hooker chic.
Honestly, she looks like she raided the "Desperate Immortal Seeking Attention" section at Vampires R Us. But hey, when you've had hundreds of years to perfect your look, and you still end up looking like a blood-sucking streetwalker, that's on you, honey.
"Now then," Lilith purrs, swirling her vodka. "Let's cut to the chase, shall we? Where'smyRhyland?" Her emerald eyes start doing this weird hypnotic dance like a snake trying to charm its prey. "And please, spare me any creative fiction. I haven't even broken out my favorite party tricks yet."
I resist the urge to get lost in that green vortex of crazy and straighten against the headboard, trying to channel my inner badass despite these stupid cuffs, turning my arms into a torture experiment. "Here's a thought—why don't you go fuck yourself?"
The way she addresses Rhyland as hers pisses me off to no end.
She laughs, and it's about as warm as a morgue in December. "Now, now, darling. No need to be crude. I'm asking such a simple question." Her perfectly painted lips curve into a predatory smile. "Don't make me compel it out of you."
