Darkest Prince (15 page)

“I won’t let you go.” His words were gen
tle, but full of possessiveness and his eyes held a steely determination.

I smiled weakly at him and managed to say
, “I was never yours to keep,” as the sun crested the horizon sending us both into the sleep of the dead.

The sun had set and the moon was rising in the night sky
. The previous nights events came crashing to the forefront of my mind.

Carlos gently stroked my arm
, his fingers trailing patterns across my skin. Through the link I could feel his sorrow. I turned in his embrace and looked into his face. “I meant what I said Carlos, I’m not yours to keep. I don’t belong to anybody. I have to go; I have my own agenda now.”

I saw him close his eyes at my words and take a slow breath in. “What is your agenda? Killing me
? And then running off to live happily ever after with Dario?”

It was a strange response, but given how everything was turning out, I shouldn’t have been surprised. “
You need to break the bond between Dario and me and I need to break the bond between us.” He went to speak but I held a finger to his lips and said, “You can go back to plotting revenge against your family and take over the vampire world, claim your place as King or help the government that is your choice, your right, and I need to find a comfortable place in the world where I can just be me. Alone, without hunting down vampires or succumbing to their power.”

He
smiled, shook his head and tucked my hand in his. “So, no plans on killing me then?” His smile dropped and his face became serious once more. “I have acted selfishly. All of my existence has been about creating an army to avenge what they did to my Father. Darkness consumed me. I wasn’t a vampire, I was a new breed. Alone even though I was surrounded by beautiful women, taking what I wanted, when I wanted. Everything I did was about me. Even last night, I knew what I was doing, how I affected you.” He looked away from me for a moment and when he looked back at my face his expression had softened, adding to his vulnerable look. “Even now, I have no regret for forcing a bond between us. My mother told me that this day would come. She told me that I would bond with someone and experience a love so strong that my whole life would change. She’d said that the darkness would lift and I would have a new purpose, one that was worth fighting for…”

If I let myself, I could’ve been sucked into the web that he was spinning. Ma
nipulation at the highest level! He’d killed his parents for his own gain. He’d formed an army and forged an alliance with the government to commit murder against the vampires. These were things that I wouldn’t forget knowing. He acted as though he had done it to avenge what had happened to his Father, but really it was for his own gain.

Greed, power and selfishness were the things that fed the darkness inside of him. I was hearing his sad tale so he could manipulate me. He wanted me to feel sorry for him, next he would be telling me that I balanced out the darkness with my light! Fairytale poppycock!

“I know that you think what I’m telling you is clichéd, but with you at my side I feel like I’m a better person.”

I pulled away and climbed off the bed. “I’m not what you need Carlos, you need someone who will forgive your past and look forward to a future with you. One that doesn’t involve death and destruction.”
I moved to the room that we had used last night, grabbed my discarded clothes and headed to the bathroom. It was better than looking at his crestfallen face. I had to keep it together, stay strong and not crumble. His act was Oscar worthy, mine had to be better. It had to be.

I turned on the shower and let the water wash over me, cleansing me. Removing any traces of my moment of madness.

New night, fresh start, new plan. I repeated the words once more to bolster my courage.

The door opened and Carlos slipped inside. He sat on the edge of the sink watching me.
It was a bit unnerving, but I couldn’t let my nerves get the better of me. I followed my mantra from my training days. Breathe in, hold, release. Repeat. I felt my heart rate slow and found comfort in the fact that the skills I had learnt were going to help me.

“What are you up to? I pour my heart out to you and you carry on as if none of it matters.”
I could hear the annoyance in his voice, even when he was trying to come across as relaxed.

I gave a shrug of my shoulders knowing that he could see through the glass door. “We all have our demons
Carlos; do you want to hear mine?”

He pulled open the
shower door and said, “I want to learn everything about you.”

“Where to start, I was separated from my birth mother and placed in what can only described as a form of day care…. Leave out the word care, because there was none of that.” I heard him growl in frustration and felt his power amplify. I forced up the barrier that I had carefully erected. “Then at the ripe age of eighteen I was punished, beaten and forced to fight for my life
and learn to become an assassin, it was either that or become a walking womb… those were my only options.” I turned off the water and grabbed a towel. Whilst rubbing my skin I spoke again. “I killed vampires for a living, made a small fortune from the contract kills and then at the age of thirty five, I was forced to bond with a vampire, for a hunter, that was pretty scary. He sired me and I became part hunter-part vampire. I ran…. Had my own people take pot shots at me, and then you’ll like this bit, I met my boss, he fucked me and forced a bond on me.”

My body slammed into the wall as he pinned me against it with his body
. I didn’t look but I felt tiles crack against my back. My fangs snapped into place ready to attack. Carlos scanned my face, his own fangs pressing down on his bottom lip. He punched the wall at the side of my head, I didn’t flinch. “Damn it Shyla, why did you have to say it like that?”

I made a scoffing sound and calmly said
, “It’s the truth, suck it up big boy – this was your doing!” Desire flared across the bond, I could see it in his eyes. I tightened my mind slamming the barriers higher than I’d ever had to push them before. I ducked under his arm and grabbed my clothes. I didn’t want to end up in the bedroom/cell, and I certainly didn’t want to go to the room that we had used last night. I stood in the hallway and slipped on my jeans and t-shirt. I tossed the underwear back into the bathroom on top of the discarded wet towel.

Standing at the door that would lead me to my freedom, I waited for Carlos. Anger burned through me. I wasn’t going to play his game…
‘Open the door Carlos, I want to leave.’
It felt like there was a moment of confusion and then both of the men I was bonded with spoke at the same time. Carlos said, ‘you are not leaving,’ and Dario was asking me what was going on, asking where I was and asking if I was okay. I sent back
‘Dario, back off. I’m fine… Carlos, if you don’t open this door I swear I will become the biggest enemy that you have ever met.’

I left the connection open, not sure how this next bit would play out. I felt Dario’s soft caress through the bond. I closed my eyes, enj
oying the feeling for a brief moment before I mentally pulled away from his touch.

Carlos walked towards me. I co
uld see and feel anger rolling off him. I held up a hand to stop his advance. “I want a meeting with the government, I want to see who the powers that be are, and I want you and Dario to attend the meeting and I want your word that no harm will come to him or his men whilst we meet.”

He stopped dead in his tracks, “Why do you want the meeting?” His eyes were calculating, trying to second guess what I was up too.

“If what you have told me is true, that you want peace between our species, then a new strategy is required. You spoke of manipulation and power. I am bonded to both species – caught in the middle of a feud between brothers. The Government enables the hunters to commit murders against vampires if they commit a crime, yet there is no such governing body that would support the vampires in their quest to rid the world of manipulative hunters.” Carlos went to speak but I cut him off, “Both parties have their faults, both sides have their flaws and both sides have men who will act in this manor – for power, for greed and monetary gain. That is why I want a meeting with the government. I want to ensure that there is a strategy in place that is equitable to both species. You wanted to police both the hunters and the vampires; you are the wrong person for the job. You cannot lead without prejudice. That is why I want Dario there, so that an agreement can be met to appoint someone who will act fairly.”

I heard Dario say
‘If that is your wish, my sweet Consort.’
That seemed to push Carlos’s anger to a whole new level. His eyes stared into mine; I felt a tiny bit of fear beginning to creep up my spine. I tilted my head letting him see that my fangs were still drawn and I was getting ready to defend myself against him should he attack me again.

He held the bridge of his nose, closed his eyes
and took a steadying breath. When he finally looked back at me I could see that his anger was under control and Mr Nice Guy was back. “I will arrange it. See if your sire can be here in a couple of hours.” I sent the message to Dario, his reply was instant. Yes, he would be here. I closed the connection between us. I heard Dario’s growl as I blocked him out. He was lucky that I had used the link after the stunt that he had pulled.

I gestu
red to the door and even though I knew that Carlos wasn’t happy about releasing me, I didn’t want to be cooped up any more. “I will use the training room; I need to burn of some energy.”

Puzzlement crossed his face. “Are you staying?”

I let out an exasperated huff of air. “I want to meet with the government officials, so yes, I am staying.” I didn’t add ‘for the moment’ or give him any hope that I would remain here once I had met the powers that be. “Which way to the gym?” Carlos opened the locked door and gestured for me to follow him.

He led me from his private quarters but stayed close
as we made our way through the training facility. As we approached the gym I could hear Thane and Khalon initiating a poor unsuspecting soul in the ways of the hunters. The sounds of flesh-meeting-flesh followed by a whimper of pain, I remembered it only too well. “Are you sure you wish to train?”

“I need to burn off my anger before I do someone some serious damage. I would prefer to do it before I meet whomever you are working for.”

Carlos put a hand on my arm and said, “I could think of another way to help get rid of your frustrations….” I glanced up at him, he had a seriously sexy smile on his face, the kind that I’m sure had girls dropping their knickers for him, but I wasn’t that girl. I’d been there and done that. The look on his face and knowing that he was more than capable of getting rid of my pent up frustrations made it a tempting offer.

Shaking my head, I pulled open the gym door to see Thane and Khalon stop
ped what they were doing, lift their gaze to mine and smiled one of their special smiles that was reserved for newbie hunters. “Good evening gentlemen, although I use that term loosely. I don’t know if you remember me, but I’m Shyla Diana, Consort to Prince Dario so I guess I should call myself Shyla DeLuise.” I let my vampire senses flare and sure enough they were glowing on my vampire radar, not as brightly as Carlos, but they were there.

Khalon began slowly circling me. Carlos was watching him and I could feel Carlos getting ready to strike. I casually turned to Carlos and patted him on his arm. “
Relax; this is what you trained me for.” I turned back to Khalon and Thane. “Would you like your newbie to witness me kicking your butts?” The young hunter looked back and forth between us partly in awe of how I was speaking, but worried that they would know that he was enjoying it, I couldn’t help it, I flashed my fangs at him and watched the colour drain from his face. He scrambled backwards and rose to his feet getting ready to attack me. “Oh relax Hunter; I’m not here to play with you… But I would recommend that you take a good look at my face and remember it.”

Carlos raised an eyebrow and said “You wish to play with Khalon and Thane?”

I gave my sweetest smile and fidgeted about on my feet to make myself look innocent. “Yes. Tag team. Only one can attack at a time. If I get you on your back, you stay down because if I had a blade, I would be sticking in your heart and you wouldn’t be getting back up again, believe me!”

His faced flashed with anger
. Power erupted from Carlos, trickling across my skin. “No, absolutely not… Thane, Khalon, take this young hunter back to his room.”

I laughed, planted my hands on my hips, looked back at the young trainee assassin and said, “Grab a seat kiddo, you might want to buy some snacks, things are about to get interesting!”

“No Shyla, I refuse to let this happen.” His voice was low and full of command, appealing to the vampire that I had become. Desire coursed through my body, but it wasn’t him that I wanted. I clamped down on my wayward emotions and focused on my revenge.

Before I lost my nerve I spoke with equal authority.
“No? You spoke about strengths and weaknesses. Your words just proved that I am indeed a weakness. Yours and Dario’s. Both of you have seriously underestimated me.” I turned and addressed the room. “Bring it… Don’t hold back because I won’t be going easy on you.”

I launched into an attack without giving them any chance to back out. Khalon was first on my list – he’d stalked me like a lion
. He tried to use his size and demeanour as a form of intimidation. He thought my memories would make me quake in my boots. Well, now it was time to show that I was not the hunter they once knew. Since I had left the facility, I had dreamed of this day – one where I could use everything I’d learned against them.