Escape (Vampire King Book 1) (8 page)

Samuel’s lips formed
into a grim line. His eyes brightened.

“Your eyes.” I pointed
to his face.

The eyes returned to
normal.

“What about them?” he
asked.

Did
I really see them glow?
I shook my head. “Nothing.”

The aroma of cooked
food drifted on the night air.

“Where are we?” I
asked.

Cracked paint coated
all the wooden buildings around me. There was no way we were in Capitol City.
Wooden buildings weren’t allowed.

“We’re in Freemont, a
human town right outside of Capitol City.” Samuel seized my hand and towed me
to a standing position. “Usually, I guide my party beyond this place to another
town, but after searching for you and then carrying you the rest of the way,
I’m too tired. We’re staying here tonight.”

Music and laughter
floated out of the wooden building behind me. Samuel pointed to the back
entrance. “I know the owner. We’ll sleep, wash, and eat here. I could even get
us some supplies to help us with our journey to Zumaya.”

I combed my fingers
through my hair. Slime left my auburn strands and attached on my fingers. “A
shower or bath sounds good. Will you need me to give you more blood? I could—”

“No,” Samuel snapped. I
flinched at the sudden mood change. Frowning, he directed his attention away
from me. “I would prefer it if you stop offering your blood to me.”

“I just don’t want you
wasting away all your funds while you help me.” I held my hands out to my
sides.

“Don’t worry. I figured
out a different way you could pay me while you were sleeping in my arms.”
Samuel headed to the entrance and knocked on the door. “Could you get me a box
of Zumaya mushrooms when we get there?”

“Definitely,” I agreed.
“My family is in the mushrooming business.”

“Then we’ll use the
last vial of your blood to get us there,” Samuel said. “And in exchange you’ll
give me a large box of mushrooms.”

“Deal, but I’ll give
you two boxes instead of one.” I came up beside him and smoothed down the now
tattered and blood-stained shirt I wore. “Hold on. Last vial? What happened to
the other vial of blood?”

Keeping his back to me,
he blew out a loud breath and shifted his weight on to his left foot. “Why? It
doesn’t matter what happened to it.”

“I’m just wondering.”

“If you must know, I
drank it.”

My mouth dropped open
in shock. “You drank the whole vial?”

Domina blood held a
high potency level for vampires. One sip and blood energized and healed them of
any pain. More than a few sips and they became sick. I’d read that large doses could
be lethal.

“You can’t just drink a
whole vial of my blood. Are you okay?” I touched his back. He waved my hand
away.

“I’m fine.” Samuel
cleared his throat and banged his fist against the door. “I’m completely
normal. Well, besides the odd new habit of wanting to be near you, I’m the same
as usual.”

“Wanting to be near
me?”

The door burst open. An
old woman peered out and smiled. Her pale blue eyes concentrated on Samuel. A
gray ponytail rested on the top of her head. She wore a long white dress with a
rainbow pattern. “Finally, Sammy comes to visit my hotel. What do you want? You
must be in some sort of trouble.”

He smirked. “I came
here for room and board like everybody else.”

She giggled into her
wrinkled hand. “Knocking at the back of my establishment and begging for room
and board? I haven’t seen you in a year, not since the last Ambi’s Blessings
Day. I should toss you over my leg and whip you.”

“I’m too old for
whipping.” He tilted his head to the side.

She flashed a wide
smile. “Yes, you are, dear Sammy. The time of your youth ended too soon. I’d
just begun to enjoy disciplining you. Why did you grow up so fast?”

“I’m not the god Ambi.”
He shrugged. “I can’t control nature.”

The door opened wider.
She held a green wooden pipe in her other hand. Brown smoke floated from the
opening.
Zumayan mushrooms.
She
gestured for us to enter. “And will you introduce me to your friend?”

“No.” Samuel took my
hand and guided me up a pair of stairs behind her.

She
seems nice enough.

“I’m Brie,” I said, following
him. Samuel glanced over his shoulder and scowled at me.

“That’s a lovely name,”
the old woman exclaimed. “Do you like simpleton soup with rice?”

“Yes, I do.” My stomach
growled. “Thank you.”

“I’m pretty heavy-handed
with the peppers and goat meat,” she confessed and inhaled some of her pipe. “I
hope that’s okay.”

“It’s absolutely fine.”

“And what do you want
to drink?” she asked. “Tea, wine, or water?”

“Tea and whatever wine
you have would be great.” I did my best to suppress my joy. I hadn’t enjoyed a
glass of wine in all the two years I’d been a domina. We were forbidden to
drink spirits. The king believed it might interfere with our ability to breed.

“And where are you
from, Brie?” the old woman asked. “You have a southerner’s accent.”

“Enough talking,”
Samuel warned.

An upbeat piano played
somewhere in the building. Lots of chatter accompanied the music. I could
barely make out what the people were saying or exactly where they were located.
We must have been pretty far back in the hotel.

“Do you have a bar or
restaurant here?” I ignored Samuel’s warning.

“Oh, yes.” She tapped
the edge of her pipe. The ground mushrooms lit up to fiery embers. Smoke swirled
up. “I have the biggest bar in Freemont. After you clean up, you should come
down. I have some beautiful dresses that would fit you and just go lovely with
your captivating red hair.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ve never seen red
hair before.” She eyed my strands with curiosity. “Not since I was a little
girl.”

“Don’t worry about
giving Brie dresses. We won’t be visiting the bar.” Samuel tugged on my arm.

“And why not?” she
asked. He groaned in annoyance. I decided not to respond.

“I know very well what
you do and why you do it.” The woman pulled out a long white cord from her
dress’s pocket. At least thirty or forty keys hung from it. She searched
through a few of them as they jingled against each other. “I raised you, boy.
There’s no need to keep secrets.”

“Yes, there is,” he
replied. “And I’m a man now.”

“No.” She picked a
crooked black key. “You’re a vampire. It’s time you embrace that.”

“I drink blood with the
best of them.” Samuel released my hand. She unlocked and opened the door.

“You know exactly what
I’m talking about.” She fanned the smoke in the air and lit a candle on the
dresser near the door.

Samuel and I headed in
the room. No paint existed on the wooden walls. A black shaggy carpet lay on
the floor. Jade curtains adorned the only window in the room. A large bed stood
in the center with an olive quilt. The scent of polish and cleaning fluid
lingered in the space.

“Will you need more
than one room?” she asked.

“Yes,” I answered.

“No. We should stay
together.” Samuel looked at me. “I’m a gentle vampire. You’ll take the bed.
I’ll sleep on the floor.”

The woman’s face went
to mine as if waiting for my reply.

“Then we’ll only need
one room,” I muttered, not really sure if it was a good idea or not.

She strolled to the
door and then paused. “How is Octavia?”

“Enough.” Samuel’s face
held a pained look as if he were about to get angry but was holding all his
rage inside.

Maybe
Octavia and he weren’t lovers, but they probably grew up together.

“Octavia doesn’t visit
me anymore.” She stood in the doorway. “Three months ago she used to come by
every weekend and give proper respect. Now I’m lucky to get a letter from her.”

I didn’t know her
relationship to Octavia, but for some reason I felt sad for the woman.

“It’s probably because
three months ago, The Quiet King forbade all princesses from leaving
Capitol
City
,” I blurted out.

“Thank you for telling
me. I was so worried.” She placed the pipe’s end between her lips. A cloud of
smoke escaped her nostrils. “If the king added more restrictions, then it must
have been even more difficult for you to escape.”

I bit my lip.
I should have listened to Samuel and kept my
mouth closed.

“Don’t worry. I worked
as a maid for fifty years in the castle. I can sniff out a domina from miles
away, dirty shirt or not.” She waved away some of the smoke. “You’re lucky to
have Samuel helping you. He’s a good vampire.”

“We’re done talking.”
Samuel stomped toward the window and closed the curtains. “The more information
you both share, the more you put each other in danger.”

“Oh hush. I’m eighty-five
years old,” she huffed. “I’ve enjoyed my life. If I died tonight, I’d be happy
and content.”

“Blasted woman,” Samuel
murmured.

She focused on me.
“I’ll bring you soup and clothes. There are plenty of towels in the bathroom,
but try to conserve the water when you shower. This is not the castle’s bath
areas. I’m only rationed a small water supply per month.”

“Thank you so much.
This really means a lot.” I headed for the bathroom, shut the door behind me,
and tore out of my clothes in seconds. It was probably rude to leave so
quickly, but I couldn’t deal with the sewer gunk anymore.

White paint coated the
walls. A black rug rested on the floor. The shower was small and sat at the
center of the room, just a big glass box. I slipped out of my muddy and blood-crusted
sandals. Clumps of grime corroded my feet. Dirt caked under my toenails.

Entering the shower, I
twisted the steel knobs. Warm water sprayed out of the nozzle. Steam rose
around me. My skin sparked with satisfaction.
I could stay in here all day.
Drops streamed through my hair and raced
down my back. The water spurted over my face and dripped to my naked breasts.

“Do you want any
shampoo or soap?” Samuel asked behind me.

I screamed and jumped
forward, banging my head and knee into the glass. Pain bit at my forehead.
When did he come in here? I didn’t hear him.
His hand went under my arms as he helped me up. The touch sent a jolt of
warmth to my core. I covered my hardening nipples with my hands and kept my
back to him.

“What are you doing in
here?” I shrieked.

“We need to conserve
the water.” He handed the shampoo to me over my shoulder.

I didn’t take it. “What
happened to you being a gentle vampire?”

“You had no problem
with me watching you disrobe in the alley so I figured we could shower
together,” he explained. “Here, take the shampoo.”

I snatched the plastic
bottle out of his hands. “I still had panties and a bra on. That’s a big
difference from being completely naked.”

“Trust me.” He
chuckled. “It’s not a big difference. I’m getting the same reaction I got when
you only had your undergarments on.”

Seething with rage, I
blinked away water from my eyes. “You’re a sadistic pervert.”

“Relax. I promise I
won’t bite you. I just really need to clean up.”

I frowned. “It doesn’t
matter anyway. I’m almost done.”

“No, you’re not.”

The bottle slipped out
of my hands and crashed to the floor. Some of the contents spilled out.
Samuel’s arm brushed against my calf as he picked up the container. More heat
stirred my flesh.

“You can’t be done.”
His voice sounded smooth within the pitter patter of the shower’s downpour. My
blood roused with the sound. I swallowed down my unease.

Why
am I reacting to him this way?

“You still have gunk in
your hair and all over your legs,” he whispered.

Continuing to hug
myself, I stepped farther away from him.