I cameto with a throbbing headache. Pain pulsed between my eyes, taking away from the pain at my shoulder, and I groaned. My system flooded with panic as the memory of Cassara in my room surfaced. My gaze flicked around the room in terror as I took in the scene before me. My arms were bound behind my back, and I sat in a chair like an interrogation suspect. Cassara stood before me, grinning like a mad fool. There were two other vamp dudes present, one on either side of the door.
Crap.
I was out of my league. No weapons, no hands, injured shoulder, and three vamps.
“You know, I asked my new hubby foronething as my wedding gift,” she sneered, and although I was groggy and in pain, I sobered quickly at the hatred in her voice. “I asked him to fire you as his feeder, and do you know what he told me?” Her eyes were wild, blond hair splayed around her head.
“He saidno!” Cassara yelled, and I flinched at the shrillness. “I don’t like being told no.” She pulled back her lips to reveal her distended canines.
“Then last night, instead of screwing his brains out, like I should be, he asked me for a divorce!” She reached out and smacked me across the face with her open palm. Fresh stinging pain burst across my cheek and I winced as tears sprang to my eyes.
He asked her for a divorce…
“I know it’s because of you,” she seethed. “I’m going to put a stop to whateverthingyou two have. Right. Now.” She palmed a twelve-inch hunting blade and my mouth went bone dry. I tried to yanked my arms outward, only to whimper as the pain of the binds tugged on my injured shoulder.
‘Luka, Cassara kidnapped me. Help,’I pushed through our bond.
‘What! Where are you?’His reply was instant, panicked, surprised.
I looked around the room. It was made of stone with windows that had stained glass. I relayed the info to him.
‘I’m coming. Tell her you’re my bonded feeder, and if she kills you, she kills me and her chance to remain queen of all vampires.’ His voice was rushed and I knew it was because he was probably hauling ass over here. Remain queen? So he would take back the divorce? Or just lead her to believe that?
Cassara pulled the knife up so that it caught the flicker of light from the bright bulb above us and then lunged for me.
“I’m Luka’s bonded feeder! We imprinted!” I yelled just as she slammed the knife into my lower abdomen, all the way up to the hilt. She froze with her hand on the knife as shock marred her face.
Hot searing pain flared to life in my stomach and I let out a wail of misery.
‘No!’Luka shouted in my head.
It felt like she’d reached into my stomach and lit a match inside of me. Everything burned and I wanted to die.
“You lie.” She looked uncertain now.
“I’m the only one … he can … feed from.” Words were hard to find because I was freaking the hell out. There was a knife sticking so far inside me that I was sure it went through to my back. I’d never felt pain like this. Sweat broke out onto my skin as I fought to stay conscious. “You just … killed him,” I rasped.
She let go of the handle and stumbled backward as I peered down to see it sticking out of my stomach. It was so low you would have thought she’d aimed to cut out my vagina. She’d likely stabbed me right in the uterus.
Bitch.
The door blew off its hinges and then Luka was before us, taking in the entire scene with wild eyes.
“What have you done!?” he screamed when he saw me and the knife embedded in my gut. In a blur he zoomed over to the two male vampires who’d just stood and watched Cassara try to kill me and ripped both of their heads off with his bare hands in seconds. I winced as they hit the floor with a dull thud.
Cassara shook her head, putting her hands out before her. “She lies. You … you can’t be bonded.”
When Luka’s eyes went from my abdomen to the blood on Cassara’s hand, chills rose up my arms. I’d never seen him look so feral. “We’re more than bonded.I love her.” He strode across the space and pulled a stake from his waistband. “And so long as you live, you will be a threat to her.”
Her eyes widened. “Lukie … you wouldn’t dare. I’m the queen. She’s trash. Humanfuckingtrash!”
“She’s my bonded feeder. By attempting to kill her, you’ve attempted to kill me,” he sneered. “I hereby sentence you to death as a traitor.”
She gasped in shock, retreating backward.
He moved so fast I barely saw him. One second Cassara was talking and the next she started to fall backward, a stake directly through her heart as she withered into an ashy husk of nothingness.
Holy shit…
