Vampire Apocalypse #2 Cataylst (12 page)

Reggie’s nostrils flared when she insulted
him. “Why would
that
be foolish, little pet? Because they
think I took you? Because they’ll come here looking for you?” he
laughed. Splaying his hands on his hips, Reggie looked down and
shook his head. Glancing at her, he stepped toward Kahli, saying,
“The King took off after you, and he’s going to find a caved in
hole and a crushed William. They’ll assume you were blasted to
bits, and in the meantime, I plan on making you into my personal
barista.” He handed her one of the golden tools that Will used for
feedings. The sharp end of the golden rod was used to pierce skin
since the vamps no longer had fangs.

Kahli took it and arched an eyebrow at him,
“Seriously? You expect me to drain myself? Would you like for me to
put it in a fancy cup, too?” Reggie took a deep breath and stared
at her with hatred. Before she could blink, he hurled the rest of
instruments at her. Kahli ducked, covering her head as they struck
her and clattered to the floor of the cage. “Nice temper tantrum,”
the words fell out of her mouth before she could stop them.

Reginald darted to the cage, swung open the
door, and grabbed Kahli by the throat, yanking her out. Kahli
kicked, but the flailing stopped when Kahli realized that Reggie
was going to snap her neck or crush her throat. The elegant hands
held her too tightly. She couldn’t breathe. Kahli’s fingers clawed
into Reggie’s wrists, trying to wrench free, but she couldn’t.
Kahli’s legs dangled, pulling her toward the ground, as the
vampire’s fist kept her neck high above the floor. Gasping for air,
she hung there, suffocating. Her throat ached as her lungs burned,
demanding that she breathe, but Kahli couldn’t.

Leaning close to her face, Reggie hissed,
“Never forget your place. You are nothing, meaningless. And, unlike
the Queen, I do not care how pretty you are. If you fail to give me
what I want, I will make you regret it one eye at a time, one lip
at a time, one scar at a time. Do you understand my meaning?”

Kahli’s eyes went wide at his threat. She
tried to nod, but couldn’t. A strangled sound came rasping from her
throat. Reggie tossed Kahli back into the cage and slammed the door
shut, locking her in. As soon as his hand withdrew, Kahli sucked in
air and fell onto her back. The cage door slammed shut. Kneeling,
Kahli coughed until she could breathe again. When she looked up,
Reginald was handing her a tool, the one that would pierce her
skin. Kahli needed more time, and she couldn’t have this guy rip
her apart while she figured out what to do. He seemed as crazy as
his sister. Why did Will think she’d be safe with him?

A thought crossed her mind. Kahli took the
tool as asked, “If I don’t do this, you’re going to rip out my
eyes?”

Reggie cringed, “You’re so crass.” He looked
her over, before sneering in disgust, his mind drifting to the bet
with his sister. “I would have won that bet with the Queen, by the
way. William failed to teach you anything proper.” Reggie rolled
his eyes, sighing deeply, as if it was impossible to civilize Kahli
before saying, “But yes, I’ll wound you one eye at a time, blinding
you, scarring you. Try running away when you can’t see.”

Kahli rolled the tool between her thumb and
forefinger, looking at him. “Will thought I’d be safe with you.” It
was a statement. Kahli said it to see what he’d say, but she didn’t
get much of an answer.

He laughed, “Will thought wrong.”

Kahli stared at Reggie when she lifted the
golden tool to her neck. Pressing the sharp point gently, she felt
the familiar prick of metal cutting through skin. Kahli pulled it
away slowly, careful not to spill the drop, when she felt the side
of her neck grow hot and wet. Lifting her hand, Kahli started to
offer the drop to Reggie, but her hand lingered half outstretched.
She asked, “What do you have on him?”

“What you care?” Reggie snapped. The vamp was
always irritated. It was like a chronic case of PMS that never
ended. “Will’s probably dead, and if by some freak chance he’s
still alive, the King will fix that when they find him.”

“Won’t they just follow us back here?” Kahli
asked, looking at the bright red drop on top of the needle.

Reggie stared at the drop as he answered,
salivating, “We saw to it that they had nothing to track. Now, give
that to me.” Kahli held the golden tool for a moment, wanting to
ask more questions about Will, wanting answers that she couldn’t
get. Instead of pressing, she handed the vampire the needle with
the tiny drop of blood. Reggie took it gingerly, gazing greedily
with his narrow black eyes.

An idea formed in Kahli’s mind. It was
insane, but it might be worth it. Maybe. There wasn’t much time to
consider the idea and all its drawbacks. Not seeing another option,
she quickly offered, “I won’t fight back. I’ll give you as much
blood as you want, when you want, if you’ll answer my questions
about Will.”

Reggie pressed the drop of blood to his
tongue and closed his eyes. When he swallowed, a serene expression
passed over his face. The only trace that the blood was hard to
consume was the repeated bobbing of his adam’s apple as he
swallowed again and again. Potent blood was like trying to swallow
kerosene. Even so, Reggie’s expression lingered until he opened his
eyes. Looking at Kahli, he said, “I think not. You’ll do what I
want, when I want, or I start removing body parts, starting with
those pretty eyes.” Twirling the golden rod between his fingers,
Reggie smirked at Kahli, curious, “What could you possibly want to
know about Will that’s worth such an offer?”

Kahli felt like he wouldn’t tell her
anything, but she had to try. She’d swallowed enough of Will’s
blood to know he was alive. His pain was shooting through her body
like she was the one trapped beneath the rubble. “What is he to
you?”

A slow smile snaked across Reggie’s angular
face, “Infatuated with the boy, are we?”

“No,” Kahli retorted, brows pinching together
like she was disgusted. “I just want to know why everyone seems to
own a piece of him.”

“Everyone?”

“Yeah. You, the Queen, the King. None of you
appear to get along, and yet, he seems loyal to all three of you.
How could that be?”

Reginald sat back on a dated couch. It was
the color of rust with tufted velvet and cream colored fringe
around the skirt. It looked too dense, like it would be really hard
and uncomfortable to sit on. He spread his arms over the back of
the sofa and looked at her for a moment, before saying, “It must
seem strange to you, but it’s not. Will’s previous owner owed too
many people, too many things. Will was sold to me and I gifted him
to my sister. He feeds me information.

“As for the King, I have no idea what
relationship they had, if any. The King keeps to himself. He’s as
good as dead now, anyway. My sister was on the warpath last night.
A very pleasant maid had the misfortune of losing her head right in
front of me. Her blood nearly splattered on my shoes.” He sounded
more upset about his attire than about the heads rolling at the
palace. Continuing, he glanced up at Kahli, “No doubt, Sophie
painted the entire palace black with vampire blood last night.
She’ll destroy the King.” Reggie’s eyes drifted down and lingered
on her neck, before returning to her face, “Nice patch job, by the
way. I assume Will fed you vamp blood to heal that wound so fast? I
can taste it, a little bit. You’re not pure anymore. More like 97
proof.” He laughed at his joke, comparing her to wine, and chuckled
quietly like he was exceptionally funny.

As he spoke, Kahli’s heart constricted. Will
was completely alone. All this time, he had no one. Kahli ignored
Reggie’s last remark, “Will’s a slave?”

“That’s what the runes say,” he smiled,
knowing it hurt her to hear those words.

Kahli shook her head and looked down.
Will
, she thought hoping he could hear her, but there was
nothing. No reply. The bond was too weak and she wasn’t his. “He’s
a slave, as long as he has the runes? He has to have a master?”

“Once a slave, always a slave, but you really
needn’t pity him, Kahli. Will’s had a good life.” He watched her,
knowing that saying his name like that, showing that he thought the
guy was as good as dead would rattle her. “I would have thought he
was dead by now, but you know he’s alive, don’t you?” Kahli’s eyes
remained on the floor of the cage. She didn’t want him to see, but
if she didn’t look up, Reggie would know for certain. As she lifted
her face, he said, “Did he claim you? Foolish boy. If he did, he’ll
die soon enough anyway, and then it will be as it was before.”

“The King will find me,” Kahli blurted out.
“He drank from me. I can feel him. He’s looking for me.”

“Let him come. If my sister doesn’t kill him,
I will.” Reggie said it with utter confidence, like he knew what he
signed up for. He couldn’t have been more wrong.

Kahli shook her head, “No, you won’t. Don’t
you get it? You and your sister were played. The King isn’t weak.
He ripped open my neck with his fangs. FANGS, Reggie. He’s got
them. He drank from me. You and your sister can tolerate a drop of
my blood, but he swallowed an entire mouthful. He’s coming for me.
I can feel it. And, given a choice between the two of you, I’d
rather be with you.”

Reggie’s arms fell to his sides as he leaned
forward. His black eyes locked onto hers, drinking in her words.
Finally, he said, “That can’t be.” Shock lined his face. He didn’t
blink as he looked at her, and considered whether or not she was
telling the truth. Kahli could see it in his eyes.

“You better believe it. He drank from two of
my roommates that night as well. The King isn’t what you think. He
won’t go quietly into the night. He started this and he’ll end it
by taking me away from you.” Kahli rose as she spoke and moved to
the bars. Clutching them in her hands, she watched Reggie, speaking
with urgency, “You can’t let him. You can’t just sit here and act
like the King’s not a threat, because he is. Do something.”

Reggie leaned forward with a frown on his
face, his eyes drifting from hers. His mind was wandering. “What
else can the King do?” he asked, lifting his gaze to hers. “Did he
compel you?”

Kahli’s stomach twisted remembering it.
“Yes,” she said softly, averting her gaze. She could feel it, the
King’s thrall, the way his voice snaked inside her mind and claimed
her, making her body move and her mind weaken to his will.

“And he knew your true name?”

Shaking her head, Kahli replied, “No, he
didn’t need it.”

“This is bad,” Reggie said, fretting. Getting
to his feet, he started pacing and stopped talking. It was then
that Kahli leaned back, knowing that she just set something in
motion. She just didn’t know what.

CHAPTER 18

Sophia smoothed her skirt after she returned
to her dais dressed in the most regal outfit she owned—a blood-red,
silk gown that flowed to the floor and billowed around her ankles
when she walked. Rubies lined her pale throat, strung tightly
together on cords of gold. A golden crown sat above her brow with
the matching scepter clutched in her right hand. After all the
years she reigned as Queen, someone finally challenged her. Sophia
grasped the scepter harder thinking about it. For decades she’d
felt alone, abandoned. Being the Queen meant that she was above
everyone else in every way possible. While she enjoyed the power,
she did not enjoy the loneliness. When those feelings were stirred
up in the past, she would laugh at herself and banish them to
whatever corner of her mind they crept out from.

Breathing deeply, Sophia glanced around the
throne room. It was her favorite place in the palace. It was the
place her usurper—her darling husband—would come to find her, and
she’d be ready. Being alone all these years made her stronger.
Sophia no longer relied on anyone for anything.

Let him come
, she thought.

The guards were loyal to her. Everyone was,
and there was a simple reason for it—a vampire’s loyalty could be
bought with blood. The masses were near starving. Any promise of
blood was more than most could hope for. Sophia’s guard went
through the lands surrounding the palace and bribed every Tracker
and stray vampire they could find, but offering vials of blood was
not enough, not by far. Sophia knew that she had to offer them
something worth fighting for, worth dying for, and she did.

Each region that supplied the Queen with
vampires to fight the King would be given one of the Queen’s
humans. That meant fresh blood, not vials of half coagulated blood
that were difficult to digest. The bottled blood was thick, and the
potency diminished by the time it was consumed. The offer of fresh
blood was too great to refuse. The vampires quickly agreed to
protect the Queen, and were assigned to their posts.

Sophia didn’t like being forced to forfeit
her own stock, but it was necessary. She wasn’t sure how many
opposed her in addition to the King, or when they were coming. If
they found Kahli before she did... Sophia’s slender shoulders
cringed at the thought. That wild girl was more trouble than she
was worth. No, that wasn’t true. That wild girl was power beyond
comprehension. Kahli’s blood would ensure her sovereignty, and
protect her power. She just had to find the girl first.

Irritated, Sophia straightened her shoulders,
which extended her neck, and twisting her head to the side. The
Queen’s dark hair shifted against her pale skin. The style was
elegant enough. She had a maid pin her long, inky hair and pile it
into spiraling curls on the top of her head. A few stray curls
cascaded down her back. The effect was striking, powerful.
Everything about Sophia screamed of power and she intended to keep
it that way.

A servant, a lowly vampire with onion-sheer
skin, entered the doorway and bowed low to the floor. Sophia let
her remain like that longer than she should have, before saying,
“Rise. Enter.” The servant walked quickly toward the Queen. She was
wearing a white microfiber suit, ready to fight outside if needed.
Sophia found the girl’s stride annoying. The vampire walked like
she was a child, nearly skipping like these were happy times. If
Sophia didn’t need every vampire she could find, she would have
plunged the scepter into the perky girl’s heart. “Report,” Sophia
snapped.