The Cold Kiss of Death (33 page)
‘Why don’t we have until dawn?’
‘Darius’ blood was poisoned; half an hour is the most time we have.’
Fermented flowers—Nightshade!
‘Fuck, so that’s what Hannah meant when she said she’d evened up the odds.’ His vamp-healing would eventually clear the poison from his body, but not before the poison knocked him unconscious while it worked its way through his system, which is never a great option when someone is looking to wrap a chain round your neck and use it to decapitate you.
‘Fuck, so that’s what Hannah meant when she said she’d evened up the odds.’ His vamp-healing would eventually clear the poison from his body, but not before the poison knocked him unconscious while it worked its way through his system, which is never a great option when someone is looking to wrap a chain round your neck and use it to decapitate you.
‘What about him?’ I jerked my head at Darius.
‘I have removed enough of the poison that it now only incapacitates him; it will not be fatal.’
Maybe Malik wasn’t such a messy eater after all.
‘I take it you’ve got a plan?’ I asked, almost doubling up as the imps sent a wave of sharp-teethed pain through my stomach. ‘Because I’m not sure I can hold off from trying to kill you for much longer.’
‘Of course.’ He inclined his head, an amused smile crossing his face. ‘We shall give them all what they want: a show.’
‘Okay,’ I said doubtfully, ‘except I’m not sure there’s going to be much “show” on my part.’
He spread his hands, his mouth quirking. ‘Ladies first.’
I swung the lighter cuff end of the chain, twirling it in short circles around my head, getting its momentum up, then snapped it out with a flick of my wrist, the movements as automatic as if I’d performed them a hundred times before ... which maybe my body had, just not with me in it. The chain snaked out lasso-like and thudded around Malik’s neck—
—or actually, rattled into empty space and thudded on the carpet.
Malik was standing three feet to the left, his arms loose and easy at his sides, his gaze steady.
I yanked the chain back, whipped it low behind me and lashed out again. He shifted and raised his arm, catching the chain and holding it firm while I started to pull, using all my vampire strength. I might have been trying to heave a mountain. He laughed, the sound shivering over me like a teasing spring breeze with just a hint of the heat to come, then let go, and I stumbled back, crashing into the desk, sending the laptop bouncing to the floor. I screamed with rage and the imps inside me jumped with excited glee, egging me on. I hefted the chain, reversing it so I was swinging the collar like a mace. The weight of it felt wrong, lopsided, but I let it fly, aiming for his chest, willing it to keep straight and true. He dodged, but it caught him a glancing blow in the ribs, and the sound of them cracking was as loud as breaking ice. Inside me the imps cheered as he staggered back, nostrils flaring, blue fire blazing in his eyes.
‘A lucky hit,’ he said softly.
‘Maybe not,’ I said, just as softly, remembering how he’d opened the bedroom door earlier. ‘
Isn’t Rosa your blood, and don’t you have some sort of kinetic powers?
’
Isn’t Rosa your blood, and don’t you have some sort of kinetic powers?
’
‘
Rosa is of my blood, but she did not inherit all my abilities.
’
Rosa is of my blood, but she did not inherit all my abilities.
’
‘Don’t bet on it.’ I said as I pulled the chain back and swung it round, all in one easy movement, then let it loose again.
Malik moved like a pale blur over the bed, but I was ready, using my will to
guide
the chain, aiming for his head. He dived and rolled, and the collar connected, though it hit his shoulder blade instead of his skull. He rolled again, coming up hard against the window, and I flicked my wrist, the chain snaking out towards the larger target of his torso.
guide
the chain, aiming for his head. He dived and rolled, and the collar connected, though it hit his shoulder blade instead of his skull. He rolled again, coming up hard against the window, and I flicked my wrist, the chain snaking out towards the larger target of his torso.
But before it hit he was rolling again, regaining his feet and lunging at me. His shoulder thudded into my stomach, lifting me up and driving me back.
My back hit the wall first, then my head, and the plaster gave way, debris exploding everywhere. I dropped the chain and grabbed for Malik as it clanked to the floor. I screamed, digging my fingers into his back and scoring my nails down his skin.
Hissing in pain, he heaved me up and over his head, throwing me into the glass wall. It cracked with a sound like a thousand gunshots, bowed outwards ... and gave way, and I stared down into the empty air, feeling the music thumping like a giant’s heartbeat in my head as tiny chunks of glass fell like sparkling ice cubes towards the oblivious dancers thirty feet below.
I hung suspended, my toes balanced on the edge, my arms windmilling back, desperately trying not to fall.
It would hurt, a lot, but it wouldn’t kill me; Rosa’s body would heal the damage.
But the crowd of humans below? Their bodies were way more fragile.
The imps chortled with glee while, panicked, I tried to force myself back—
Then relief washed over me as I realised I was suspended, in time as well as space; I wasn’t going to fall.
Malik’s arm encircled my waist and the hard edges of the gold-metal bikini dug into my back where he pulled me hard against him. Then the gold collar closed round my neck and his voice shouted in my mind, ‘
Now we fly, Genevieve!
’
Now we fly, Genevieve!
’
My pulse started speeding, the imps squealed in ecstasy and he stepped out and launched us into the air.
‘But vampires can’t fly,’ I screamed, the sound lost ...
Chapter Twenty-Two
W
e floated in time and space as the lights strobed around us in a brilliant multi-coloured net of beams, and music, too loud, too harsh and too fleeting for my mind to decipher any recognisable rhythm, bashed against my ears. Salty sweat and clashing scents - perfumes, aftershaves, deodorants and fruity drinks - rose up on a miasma of body heat that visibly shimmered in the criss-crossed strobe lights. And reverberating through it all, like a beacon call to my blood, was the discordant bass-beat of a thousand hearts pulling me under, a tidal wave of pulses drowning me in the metallic tang of hunger and longing and need, until all that existed was prey...
e floated in time and space as the lights strobed around us in a brilliant multi-coloured net of beams, and music, too loud, too harsh and too fleeting for my mind to decipher any recognisable rhythm, bashed against my ears. Salty sweat and clashing scents - perfumes, aftershaves, deodorants and fruity drinks - rose up on a miasma of body heat that visibly shimmered in the criss-crossed strobe lights. And reverberating through it all, like a beacon call to my blood, was the discordant bass-beat of a thousand hearts pulling me under, a tidal wave of pulses drowning me in the metallic tang of hunger and longing and need, until all that existed was prey...
An expanse of empty floor opened below us: the hot, glowing bodies of the excited humans were being herded by cooler shadows - vampires, their hearts still and quiet, their faces blank and closed - who were putting themselves between me and my prey.
Not that it would save them.
My bare feet touched down on the wooden floor, the arm around my waist loosened and I straightened, breathing in the scent of recently taken blood. The ache in my jaw intensified and I knew I couldn’t be content with a sip this time; the incandescent itch in my veins urged me on. The encircling crowd drew away as I stalked towards the nearest rosy-hued humans, the anxious, high-pitched laughs and frantic pulse-beats almost lost beneath the heavy beat of the body-vibrating music. I reached out with my mind, intent on locking them in place, not bothering with my usual cat-and-mouse; just needing to
devour
. The nearest was young. He grinned nervously at me, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. My gaze snagged on the pulse jumping under his jaw and I snarled, lips curling back from my fangs. His eyes widened, pupils dilating in sudden fear, then my mind closed like a steel-trap around his, his face blanked with mind-lock and the connection between us quivered like a plucked string. I reached out and grabbed the minds of a dozen glowing bodies around him, anchoring them to my will, holding them ready: easy prey.
devour
. The nearest was young. He grinned nervously at me, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. My gaze snagged on the pulse jumping under his jaw and I snarled, lips curling back from my fangs. His eyes widened, pupils dilating in sudden fear, then my mind closed like a steel-trap around his, his face blanked with mind-lock and the connection between us quivered like a plucked string. I reached out and grabbed the minds of a dozen glowing bodies around him, anchoring them to my will, holding them ready: easy prey.
Anticipation tightened my body and my nipples stiffened against the unyielding metal of the bikini and slick heat contracting between my legs - but this wasn’t about sex; sex was being held down, beaten and broken, unable to stop them, no matter how much I begged—
I pushed the intrusive thoughts away and growled low in my throat, a satisfying animal sound. Now it was my turn to rip and tear and damage and offer pain, again and again, and my turn to laugh as they pleaded and cried and screamed as I penetrated their weak, fragile bodies. The visceral desire for blood spiralled through my body. I crouched, preparing to leap, spreading my fingers, watching as my nails elongated and sharpened into skin-slicing claws—
The metal collar choked into my throat, jerked me back, keeping me from my prey. I whirled round, screeching with rage to face him.
‘No!’ Malik ordered. ‘You will not do this.’ He yanked the chain up, the links stretched taut between us, then jerked again, pulling me forward until I stumbled and fell to my knees before him. His face expressionless, he held out his hand to me.
I slashed at it, drawing blood, then grabbed at the chain with both hands and tried to wrench it from his hold. He would not stop me, not this time.
His arms and shoulders strained with effort as he held me in place.
I
called
to the humans caught with my mind and heard the collective gasp as they moved up at my back. Then his mind tore into mine and severed them from my hold, locking my rage inside his icy stillness.
called
to the humans caught with my mind and heard the collective gasp as they moved up at my back. Then his mind tore into mine and severed them from my hold, locking my rage inside his icy stillness.
The pounding music cut out, leaving silence. Then a rustling murmur started as three spotlights picked us out, pinning us within their overlapping circles. Far away, a voice in my mind - his, mine,
someone’s
- muttered, ‘
Showtime
.’
someone’s
- muttered, ‘
Showtime
.’
Elizabetta, wearing her youthful face, appeared at Malik’s side, her bronze broadsword resting on her shoulder like a pike-staff. ‘You would not believe me when I said she was feral, Malik al-Khan.’ Her words amplified outwards as if through a megaphone. ‘Now you can witness for yourself that your curse has again manifested in your bloodline.’
‘This is due to your meddling, Elizabetta,’ Malik responded. ‘She is contaminated by a demon - even your carefully nurtured blood would turn feral with such encouragement.’
‘Pah!’ Her dress shifted, the beads clattering triumphantly, and inwardly I shredded the sneering smile from her face. ‘It makes no matter
why
she is like this; she must be dealt with before she causes more disquiet.’ She held out her sword and placed the point at the base of my throat. ‘Shall I dispose of the bitch myself ’ - her fangs extended over her bottom lip - ‘or would you like to do the honours?’
why
she is like this; she must be dealt with before she causes more disquiet.’ She held out her sword and placed the point at the base of my throat. ‘Shall I dispose of the bitch myself ’ - her fangs extended over her bottom lip - ‘or would you like to do the honours?’
‘No,’ Malik said quietly, his eyes flaring blue. He reached out and took the sword from her unresisting hand. ‘No, she is mine. It is my responsibility to rescind her Gift.’
I snarled, even though the part of me not wanting to rip his throat out knew he didn’t mean it, knew it was some sort of ruse, knew he wouldn’t kill me - the Rosa me - because then we would both die ... wouldn’t we? Looking up into his face, seeing his implacable expression, I wasn’t quite so certain. But I was still locked by his will; I couldn’t move, couldn’t fight.
Inside me, the imps boiled and burned, impatient, intolerant of their inability to force me to violence.
‘But first, she will bow to my hand.’ He let the chain drop from his grasp and it fell to the floor in a rattle of links.
‘Nooo!’ Elizabetta lifted her foot and lowered it slowly back to the floor, a stamp made slow by his hold on time. ‘I will ... not ... allow ... it.’
‘The choice is not yours, but belongs to Rosa.’ He knelt on one knee before me, blood-tinged sweat beading on his forehead. ‘
Genevieve
,’ I heard the gentle command, ‘
you must repeat these words: I offer you my oath, accept only you as my liege and drink of your blood.
’
Genevieve
,’ I heard the gentle command, ‘
you must repeat these words: I offer you my oath, accept only you as my liege and drink of your blood.
’
I repeated his words, my voice harsh as if rusty with disuse, my mouth struggling to form the syllables past the scorching pain constricting my throat.
He touched my cheek and ice spread through my veins, freezing the imps into calmness. He held out his wrist. ‘
Now feed, Genevieve
.’
Now feed, Genevieve
.’
I kept my eyes on his, drew my lips back and struck, sinking my fangs into his skin, sucking hard, desperately.
‘
Be ready to run, Genevieve, at my command
.’
Be ready to run, Genevieve, at my command
.’
He stood in one smooth motion, breaking my hold on his flesh as he drew me up with him. Then he looked up, and I saw through his eyes Hannah watching us from the broken window, her face contorted by magic. She lifted her arm and traced a glyph through the air. It glowed brightly before streaking down to slam into my chest, freeing the imps and sending them screaming in triumph through my veins.
Malik turned back to me, eyes dark and shadowed and drew back the sword ...
Disbelief and outrage filled me. He couldn’t, he wouldn’t dare—
... and plunged it into my body.
The blade sliced into me—
—and I stared down at the hilt where it pressed up in my stomach, feeling the sharpness of the blade cutting through my heart, and the hard length that protruded from between my shoulders. ‘
Whatever happened to running?
’ I screamed in my mind. Then pain shattered through me, spinning me out in a tornado of golden dust, and I spiralled into the red-dark depths of memory.
Whatever happened to running?
’ I screamed in my mind. Then pain shattered through me, spinning me out in a tornado of golden dust, and I spiralled into the red-dark depths of memory.
My fourteenth birthday.
My wedding day.
I stood, tall and straight as I’d been taught, in the centre of the great hall. The high mullioned windows were open to the faint moonlight and the distant bark of a fox was the only noise other than the soft sound of my breaths. The guests - all vampires, not a human or fae amongst them - surrounded me. A handful I knew, those of my father’s blood, but the rest were strangers, here to see their liege lord take his sidhe bride.
I stood, shock numbing my mind, ignoring them all, pretending to ignore the still-warm blood that drenched the hem of my gold-brocade dress and soaked into the thin fabric of my shoes. Blood that smelt like sweet ripe pears.
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