Samson shrugged. A small smile slipped onto his face. He chose to reply to me through his mind as well.
“She’s not the only one I make deals with. You want favors. Make me an offer.”
Magdalena’s hand reached for my boxers, and I snapped out of it. I shoved her away with all of my strength and stood. “I don’t know what you think you know, but you’re wrong. Scout would never stay here just to kill thousands of innocent people for you. She doesn’t want world fucking domination. She wants to paint!” I screamed at her.
“Paint?” Magdalena scoffed. “You want her to stay beside you as a pet. It is you who should bow down to her,” She growled. Her fangs flashed as she stood again. “It is you that will leave this place tonight and never return. It is you she will forget. You!” She kept screaming.
I blinked. What? She was looking from me to Samson as if they had already planned my demise, and I was moments from it.
Samson shook his head. I stood and jumped out of the tub. My wet feet hit the stone ground, and I looked for my clothes. The servant was scooping them up quickly to hide them from me.
I turned to keep my eyes on the tub and the servant vampire. Suddenly, Samson disappeared and reappeared, dry and in his suit, beside me. “End his bond!” Magdalena shrieked.
“I told you. I don’t do anything for free. Make me an offer.”
“You want a soul? Fine.” Magdalena stood and pointed to the servant girl. She made a swishing movement with her finger, and the girl let out a quick, sharp scream before her body stiffened, a thin line of blood started from one side of her throat to her other, and then, she crumpled as her head separated from her body. Both pieces of the vampire woman fell to the stone, bleeding profusely. “Now, do it.”
Samson seemed to consider her offer. “Fine.” He turned to me, and I looked at him, my eyes wide with horror. I put my hands up to defend myself. “You’ve got my card if you want to make me a stronger offer.”
“But—”
I didn’t get to finish my sentence. Samson snapped his fingers, and everything went black.
38
I woke up in an unfamiliar dark place. I sat up and groaned. “Where am I?”
“Desiderio? My friend, you are awake!” Arsenio’s voice was hushed but elated. “Ludovica! He’s awake!”
I blinked. My eyes burned, and my entire body felt heavy. My arms collapsed under me, making me drop back onto the bed.
“Steady now. You’ve been sick.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. I closed my eyes and steadied myself. I felt dizzy.
“The fucker woke up?” Tully’s voice came from the other side of the room.
“It looks like it,” Dante replied.
“Who’s all here?” I tried to sit up again, and a feminine hand was placed on my back to help me.
“Everyone, dear,” Corrine answered.
“Minus Ginata,” Tully snickered.
“Yes. Of course. We’re working on that one,” Corrine replied. I opened my eyes cautiously. The room was dimly lit by candles, but I quickly realized that it was not Scout’s room or the one I had been originally given in Magdalena’s home.
“How long was I out?” I was offered a large pitcher of blood. I gulped it down with a ferocity that wasn’t like me. I usually had better control than this, but I was…thirsty.
“A week,” Ludovica said.
“A week?” I choked on the last of the blood. It spurted out of my mouth and dribbled down my chin like a child. “What the fuck happened?” Already, I could feel my strength returning.
“We’re not entirely sure.” Arsenio scratched his head. “Ludovica and I were seized and told that we had to leave. We tried to fight, but that woman, the high priestess, she’s stronger than the two of us.” He hung his head.
“We were taken to the edge of her protective spells. She keeps her coven under magic. Once you’re out, you can’t come back unless you’re invited,” Ludovica added.
“Then how did you guys find me?”
