Surface Below: Dark Secrets (The Surface Below Book 1) (13 page)

He kissed her hard again, his hands sliding under her and he pulled her towards him. Her body stiffened and then relaxed around him as he slowly filled her. William set a slow and steady pace at first, the need for her growing with every moan that escaped her. The thrusts quickened and got harder.

His lips touched to the rhythmic pulse beneath her skin and he sank into her again. Blood coated the inside of his mouth and awakened the dormant Heir deep within him. Rising from the depths and bursting throughout with a power that surged through his body, making him thrust hard into Becca. A cry passed her lips, her nails scraped against the skin on his back and it made him growl.

Their breathing hitched and came quicker with each thrust. He let up from the bite and could feel the impending implosion coming. Becca snaked her hands up his back and pulled him to her, forcing him to drive deeper. Again she forced his body against hers and she brought her bite down on his chest. A surge raced through her and she forced him to her again, making him hit hard. The Heiress emerged from deep inside of her and her essence spread quickly. Filling every bit of her with an untapped power. More vivid memories forged into her mind, giving her a clear look at their history. Going back centuries, the many faces of the Heir and Heiress seeded permanently into her mind.

Again he drove hard, the dresser beneath them hitting against the wall. William grabbed her by the legs and wrapped them tightly around his body.

His free hands cupped her face and he kissed her one last time as he thrust into her. William’s body exploded inside of her, a pleasurable throb pulsed in his groin and he let out a low rumble from his depths as he shook against her, inside her. His hand holding to the wall behind them as it slowly dissipated.

Becca moaned, feeling him fill her and her own orgasm explosion burst within her core and out into her body. A tingling pulse filling her tummy. Sweat covered their bodies, both quaking as the bloodthirsty urges left them. Their eyes returned to normal. Their chests heaved up and down hard.

William kissed her softly now against her neck and then her cheek, his hand coming to rest on the small of her back. His hot breath hitting her in the face as he rested his head against hers.

They both felt something very different deep down in their core. In their souls. Something far greater than the Beast that lingered there. A plethora of history now playing in their mind. Their destiny, their legacy.

Becca finally look up at him, their eyes locking on each other, and a satisfied smile grew on her lips.

“Hello my Heir,” she whispered to him, letting her fingers graze his face. He gave her the same smile and kissed her again.

“How I’ve missed you, my Heiress,” he whispered against her lips.

Caleb paced back and forth in front of the now empty cell. Rage boiling at the surface. He stopped and stood inside the doorway, his arms holding him up against the frame. Her scent still lingered inside. The sweet, intoxicated aroma that was Becca. He hadn’t stopped thinking about her since tasting her. He yearned for more of it. Hell, he demanded more of it. There was a power in her that he needed more of. The little taste of power he had gotten wasn’t enough.

“Guard!” he screamed. Their escape infuriated him. It left him looking inept and incapable of running his unit. His army.

A guard hurried down the corridor towards him. He stopped just before him and stood rigid.

“Yes Sir!” He straightened.

Caleb said nothing at first, still staring into the cell. Until finally he reached up and grabbed hold of the man by the black shirt he wore, and jerked him hard towards the opening of the door.

“Why?” He forced himself to have an even, firm tone. “Is this cell empty?”

The guard held to the wall trying to keep from slipping and falling beneath Caleb’s grip. He looked into the cell and searched for an answer.

“I…I don’t know, sir,” he uttered.

Caleb sucked at his top lip and closed his eyes. He pulled him up hard and pushed him back against the wall.

“You idiot.” He spit at him. “How did Sarah and Becca Lorde escape?”

The man was struck speechless. He knew whatever answer he gave would be the wrong one. There hadn’t been an escape in over thirty years. Caleb thrust him into the wall again. “I asked you a question.”

“I don’t know, sir. It happened between watch changes.”

Caleb’s eyes widened in rage.

“I’ve told you all a million times. Never! I repeat, never leave any post unattended!” he screamed at him before releasing the guard. The man stumbled away and looked down at the floor, forcing himself to stand rigid again. “You are all incompetent. You disgust me, get out of my face.”

The man scurried away, like a dog with its tail tucked between his legs. Caleb’s feet started pacing again, giving the empty room a glance.

Down the hall Viktor watched him. Something was off about his demeanor. Not so much the asshole factor as much as the agitation. Ever since he had caught him sneaking a taste of Becca, Caleb’s words and actions had been off.

And with Sarah’s and Becca’s escape fresh in Caleb’s mind, he was beyond outraged. If only he knew his father had planned it all along.

Grabbing Sarah before she could go back to the Dark Dimension was just dumb luck. But once he had her, he knew exactly how he would lure Tobias Lorde out. Discovering Becca, though, that was just a bonus. If Sarah didn’t work in getting to Tobias, having his daughter would.

And it had.

Viktor had watched the reunion from the comfort of his bedroom. And he had done nothing to stop it. In fact he was ready for them to make their escape. He had watched with bated breath as they hurried into the clearing and towards an open portal. What he hadn’t expect though was to come up against someone as powerful as Miranda. Her ability did not stop at just opening the portal; no, she had cloaked that door long before anyone even stepped through it. So, unlike his son, he was angry because range of sight had ended when they walked through the portal.

Slowly he walked down the corridor, glowering down into the cells as he passed them. People inside cowered against the walls, faces dirty and sickly.

Caleb stopped when he saw his father and gave him an angered stare.

“Don’t worry father, I’ve already appropriately punished the guards that were on duty.”

Viktor held a hand up and shook his head. “No need, son.”

“Excuse me?” Caleb’s face twisted with confusion.

“Do you really think they just walked out of here without as much as a pin dropping? I’m not that oblivious to what goes on in my own castle. Although I’m sure you think so,” his father said. He leaned forward and eyed the empty cell; Becca’s delectable scent lingered in the air.

“What are you saying?” Caleb asked.

“It was my plan all along. How else could I lure Tobias Lorde out of hiding?” Viktor clicked his tongue against his teeth and shook his head at his foolishness. “I had his wife and daughter. I knew he would come for them.”

“And you just let them walk out?” his son yelled in his face. Viktor’s hand came down hard across his face. Caleb glared over at him, holding to the spot.

“Yes I did. I don’t just want Tobias and Merrick, I want the whole damn family. Caroline Marks, William and Markus Marks, Craeden Spencer. I want them all. And Becca Lorde.”

The mere mention of her name made a jealous rage flare in Caleb. Viktor had done it on purpose, to gauge his reaction. And it was exactly what he had expected. He grabbed his son by the jaw and straightened him up to look at him.

“You listen to me good, that whole family is getting nothing but a painful death. Nothing more and nothing less. That includes Rebecca Lorde. Do I make myself clear?” he seethed.

“Yes sir,” Caleb mumbled, jerking away from his father’s grip. Viktor grabbed him again and forced his son to stare into his eyes.

“Whatever this sudden , you will not let it hinder your ability to be objective. You will…” Again Caleb jerked but his father’s grip tightened. “You will find them and bring them all back to me. So that they can suffer their fates. All of them, Caleb. Every last one.”

“Alright I got it.” He pulled away and stormed down the dimly lit hall.

Viktor knew from the moment he had caught Caleb drinking from her, it was going to be a problem. He already knew his son had a growing addiction to human blood but this, this was different. Her scent was enticing and she tasted divine. Even he could feel the powerful force coursing through his body. The power she held in her blood was monumental.

“My liege?” a low voice called.

He turned and came face to face with his assistant. An older woman, maybe late forties stood there, her hair just beginning to gray. She had served with Viktor since he secured his spot in the castle and the High Chair.

“Yes Vicky.”

“Sir, the Council is waiting,” she said.

Tilting his head back, he closed his eyes. He hated having to answer to them at every turn; from the small things to the big. Either way he wanted nothing more than to disband them altogether. But being such as it was, he had no options.

“Of course they are,” he muttered, passing her. She turned on her heel to follow him.

Walking up the steep stone stairs, he entered back into the castle, into its brightness. He waved the guards off, letting them relax at their posts.

“Don’t let my son back down there. It’s making him act more irrational than usual,” he ordered, already walking away. “And Vicky, you’re dismissed.”

“Yes sir,” the guard said.

“I’ll see you tomorrow sir.” Vicky waved to him, breaking away and turning down the hall just off to the side of them.

He made his way to the Great hall, located on the other side of the castle. Passing servants, maids and castle administration as he navigated the maze-like corridors of the nearly 900-year-old fortress. Its stone walls and floors held to the vast history it had seen. Hundreds of years of Heirs and Heiresses.

If the stones could talk though, Viktor would be quick to silence them because they would give a very different story of the day the Royal Vampyr lineage had come to a bloody end.

The memory played out in his mind as it did every day. It haunted him. Times had been different then. People were more trusting and open. Unlike now, when most Nations kept to themselves. Interacting with species of their own kind.

Viktor had been a servant back then. A servant to Abel, the last Heir. He had been assigned to him when Abel was just a boy. To teach him and look over him as he grew up. Ensuring he would be primed for the day he took over the Bottom world.

Abel grew up to be a loved and favorited Heir. As did his Heiress, Ruth. The pair ruled over the Bottom with loving, gracious and light hands. Showing the inhabitants that they could accept all Nation species. They spearheaded the stigma of mingling amongst the Nations. Allowing any and all to enter into a relationship together. It was the only time in Bottom history that saw peace and union.

Viktor, though, couldn’t support their approach. He felt mingling was a crime that should carry a penalty of death. It pushed him to seek out the advice of a growing activist group that went by the name The Council. The group was determined to set into motion a plan that would not only return the Bottom to old ways but rid the world of any living Royal Vampyr. And Viktor became their perfect in.

Over a period of three years Viktor covertly murdered Royal Vampyr. With each kill his heart and soul blackened, helping to create the monster he would become. After he had successfully extinguished the bloodline, he set his sights on his final two targets.

Security in the castle had been tripled, even quadrupled, over the years. Fear had been instilled in the castle and it lingered day and night.

Viktor, like every evening, entered their bedroom to get any last-minute decrees from the Heir. On that night though he brought with him a golden handled dagger. He could remember the anticipation that swirled inside of him.

Abel sat at the same desk that Viktor kept in his bedroom, going over the day’s events. Viktor would cross the room to meet him, his hand gripped tightly around the dagger’s handle. Abel talked to him without looking up, not paying mind to what he held.

He plunged that golden-handled, serpent-shaped dagger deep into the chest of the Heir, the tip just piercing his heart. He watched as the life drained from his eyes. The slightest bit of remorse crept into him. But his already dark heart buried the feeling.

And the Heiress, yes he had tasted her forbidden life force and didn’t hesitate sinking the same blade deep within her own belly. Letting it meld into her skin and touch her soul.

“My liege.” A maid acknowledged him as she passed, pulling him back to reality. He gave her a nod.

As he grew closer to the massive archway, the doors slightly ajar, he smiled wildly. It had been so easy to blame the murders on Tobias and Merrick. They had been at the right place, at the right time.

And The Council swooped in and took their place at the head of the world. With Viktor as their representative. The High Chair.

Pushing the doors open he walked in, taking a moment to meet with each set of eyes staring back at him. But his most intent stare came to Constance Manning. A fiercely vindictive woman, whom no man had crossed a second time. Her status within the Magic’s Nation reached further than Viktor liked. And he knew she would always be his biggest adversary.

She sat back in the leather chair and crossed her arms, bringing her leg up and over her other. Her long blonde hair swept off to one side. She wore a snug-fitting black skirt and crème colored blouse. Her lips pursed together and Viktor imagined his hand around her throat, squeezing until her pretty little lips turned blue.

“Viktor.” She clicked her tongue against her teeth at the end, in a way that suggested she was not pleased.

“Lady and gentlemen, always a pleasure,” he lied, taking his place at the head of the table. “Constance, an even bigger pleasure.”

She narrowed her eyes at him and seethed. Her distaste for him ran deep.

“Please, Viktor, explain the rumors that you have found Tobias Lorde’s daughter.” Her tone was calm but a hint of disapproval was there. “And then let her escape.”

“It’s under control, Constance. I assure you.” Again he lied. Once they had walked through that portal everything was surely not under control.

“So then the Royal line survived. This is most disturbing.” The head of the vampire nation voiced his opinion. His deep British tongue like nails on a chalkboard. Reuben was just another agitation for Viktor. He acted like a know-it-all and as if he was better than most.

Viktor pinched the space between his eyes.

“It’s going to be taken care of,” he insisted, meeting Reuben’s disapproving stare.

“Let’s hope so, Viktor. You only sit in that chair because you assured us of its demise nearly 30 years ago.”

Yet another warning from another nation. Viktor gave the man a sideways glance, feeling himself lose a grip on his temper. Preston Dickson raised a brow to him and laced his fingers together in front of him.

“How was I supposed to know that Tobias Lorde and Merrick Marks were Royal Vampyr? Weren’t you the ones that specifically told me the names of people that needed to be taken care of? Hmmm?” Viktor let his voice rise towards them. “Funny how you left out the ones that you set up for their murder.”

“Keep your voice down, Viktor,” Constance demanded of him, already eyeing the door for any eavesdroppers. “You always have to be so damn dramatic.”

“Don’t you have anything to add, Jackson? You’re awful quiet down there.” Viktor motioned to the other end of the table. A tall, broad black man sat silent. He just watched and listened to their pointless bantering.