Blood Price (4 page)

Chapter 4

The train station in Milan was busy. It was early evening, and many commuters were milling about. She kept her possessions close to her body and decided to stop long enough to buy a bag for her clothes and cash. It would be safer and more convenient to travel that way.

Despite her circumspection, she couldn’t help looking up at the skylights in the ceiling, where glass covered the steel beams, allowing glimpses of the first stars in the darkening twilight. It was a beautiful sight, and the architecture temporarily enraptured her.

She tore her gaze from the ceiling when she felt someone pulling on her garment bag. A young woman stood in front of her, trying to wrestle away the carrier. Nikia held on, knowing she could afford to lose the clothes but not the envelope of money and miscellaneous identification she had put in the zipped bag right before getting off the train.

She pulled hard, knocking the woman to the ground. When Nikia saw her in the light from an overhead lamp, she realized it was just a teenager, who couldn’t be older than fifteen. She looked up and saw two uniformed
polizia
headed their way. “Get out of here, kid.” It wasn’t entirely kindness that prompted her to give the girl a break. She didn’t have time to deal with the police.

The girl just sat there, staring up at her with a look of confusion and a hint of suspicion. It was obvious she didn’t understand English. Nikia tried German and garnered another blank look. She didn’t bother with Corsovan, the only other language in which she was fluent. She tried to remember any Italian phrases but all that came to mind was how to say she didn’t speak Italian, and
litro
, which was a liter. Neither was useful for the situation and she gave up on verbal communication.

She pointed in the direction of the
polizia
, and the girl finally caught her urgency. She scrambled to her feet and rushed off through the crowd, as Nikia turned away, seeking to avoid the authorities. She groaned when she saw another uniformed
polizia
grab the young hoodlum by the collar of her jacket.

She kept going, determined to avoid the situation but had no choice about stopping when one of the officers put a hand on her arm. He spoke something in Italian and she said, “
Non parlo Italiano
.”

“
Si, Signorina
.” He switched to English, with a thick accent. “Please come with me.”

She shook her head. “Why?”

“The girl—” He pointed to the teenager trying to free herself from the other officer’s hold. “You must file a complaint.”

“Really, I don’t have the time.”

He frowned. “She is a repeat offender. You must.”

Nikia didn’t think she was required to do anything but didn’t know how to extricate herself. She ended up walking beside the officer into the main part of the station. She paused momentarily at her first sight of the sheer beauty of the vaulted ceiling, made from decoratively carved brown stone, interspersed with skylights in the ceiling every few feet. Suspended brass lamps completed the picture, giving the building charm.

He led her into a private office, along with the girl, who was still trying to fight the officer, even in handcuffs. She shouted and appeared to be cursing in her native tongue.

The officer sat her down at a desk and removed his hat. He was young and handsome. Nikia’s eyes strayed to the pulse at his throat and her stomach growled. It had been hours since she ate at the hotel in Zurich and even longer since partaking of blood. The craving came on so strong she started to perspire. Why here, why now? Why did this young man, a member of the
polizia
, have to be so appealing?

“This will not take long,
Signorina
.” He launched into a series of questions.

Nikia answered as quickly as she could. She was aware of the girl screaming from a nearby office, spicing up her dialog with snatches of English expletives. By the time the officer finished questioning her, his face was bright red with embarrassment. Which only served to heighten her hunger, making her even more aware of the blood pounding in his veins and staining his neck and cheeks. She whimpered and her headache increased in severity.

“
Signorina
?” He extended a hand. “Are you feeling ill?”

She waved a hand, using the other to cradle her head. “I have a migraine. Are we finished?”

“
Si
.”

She didn’t bother with pleasantries as she gathered up her bag and left the office. Her eyes fell on the large clock mounted on the wall and she cursed when she realized she had lost almost an hour. Atar must have caught the next train after hers. She didn’t know when that one had left Zurich, so she approached the ticket counter. The man behind the counter looked bored as he waited on the customers in front of her. His expression didn’t change when she approached.

“Hello. Can you tell me when the next train from Zurich is due to arrive?”

He looked at a sheet of paper. “Fifty minutes,
Signorina
.” His English was so thick as to be barely comprehensible.

She cringed. “When is the next train leaving?”

“Where do you wish to go?”

“It doesn’t matter. I just need the next train.”

He turned to his computer. “There is a train leaving for Rome in twenty minutes.”

“I’ll take one ticket.” Nikia fumbled for the stack of Euros she had tucked into the pocket of her pants, along with her passport. She didn’t need it to pass from Milan to Rome, but the station required picture ID. It was easier to give it than try to manipulate the man’s mind with her head pounding so ferociously again.

When she had the ticket and knew she was supposed to go to Platform Four, Nikia left the line and went to one of the small shops. She purchased a carryon bag and ducked into the nearest ladies’ room. In the largest stall, she transferred her clothes, money and all identification into the suitcase, save for the items in her pocket.

She took time to freshen up briefly before leaving the restroom. She had just enough time to grab a sandwich from a vending machine before making her way to Platform Four. She had been onboard less than five minutes when the train pulled out. She had been so focused on the passing time and of Atar’s impending arrival that her shoulders seemed to have frozen in a permanent clench. It took several deep breaths for her to relax even a little.

She sighed, knowing there was little she could do for the moment. Perhaps in Rome, she would have a greater head start and be able to give him the slip long enough to board a flight for Minsk.

She opened her sandwich and took a bite of the stale white bread and graying roast beef. She tried to pretend it was as satisfying as a glass of Corsovan “wine” would have been but the sandwich did little to curb her appetite.

She covered the sandwich and put it on her tray, intending to dispose of it in the trash when she got up. She leaned back in the seat and tried to ease the pounding in her head. She should spend the four-and-a-half hour journey resting but was too keyed up with the hunger growing by the minute.

After an hour, Nikia could no longer think about anything except feeding. The need was so compulsory that she wondered if Illiana had magnified her appetite in an attempt to weaken her. She couldn’t risk getting fragile enough to allow Illiana to take over. She had to feed. When a young woman two aisles down got up and made her way to the restroom at the end of the berth, Nikia followed her, hoping she would have a chance to sup lightly from the girl.

The swaying of the car from side to side made Nikia lightheaded as she walked down the aisle. By the time she arrived in the facilities, she had to rest against the door. Her hand brushed the knob and she was relieved to find a lock on the main door. She found the strength to stand straight and walk forward, ducking down to look for feet in any of the three cubicles. Only one was occupied—presumably by the woman she had followed into the bathroom.

Nikia returned to the door and clicked the lock. Then she went to the sink and pretended to be washing her hands while the girl finished up. When she opened the stall door and emerged, it was all Nikia could do to keep from attacking her. Instead, she forced herself to remain by the sink, until the woman was within easy reach.

She grabbed her quickly, pulling her close. Nikia pushed the girl up against the wall, clapping her hand over her mouth. She caught the girl’s eyes. “You aren’t going to scream, are you?”

Slowly, the girl shook her head. Nikia eased her hand away from the girl’s mouth. “What’s your name?”

“Kieta,” she said in a distant voice, as if drugged. Her eyes were out-of-focus and she seemed to be deep in the dream state Nikia imposed.

“Kieta, I won’t hurt you.” She spoke in a soothing tone, even as she lowered her mouth to the young woman’s neck. She breathed in the mingled scent of floral perfume and blood. Her head spun. She pushed the shirt off the girl’s shoulder and her teeth extended. She buried her mouth against the girl’s shoulder, seeking out a less dangerous vein to feed from than the carotid. She found one with her tongue and her teeth punctured the vein seconds later, bringing a rush of sweet blood.

Nikia drank lightly, denying Illiana’s commands to drain the girl. Between trying to check her own consumption and ignore her mother’s orders, she lost track of part of herself. She was aware of the blood flowing into her mouth and the never-ending pounding of her head but Kieta’s moans gradually filtered through her haze. She broke away from the girl when she realized they were sounds of pleasure.

Her mouth dropped open with shock when she discovered she was caressing the woman’s unfettered breast through the thin cotton T-shirt. More disconcerting was the realization that her panties were damp and she was breathing hard with arousal. Her mother’s commands became less demanding, more sensuous, as she whispered in Nikia’s mind about how pleasurable it would be to fuck the girl.

Her hand trembled and she flicked her thumb across Kieta’s nipple. Nikia sensed danger but couldn’t stop herself from leaning forward to kiss the girl on the mouth. As Kieta’s tongue touched hers, she moaned with need. Her mind replaced Kieta with an image of Atar and her pussy flooded with heat.

“Drink from her. Take her. Drain her.”

The words whispered through her mind but even couched in a seductive tone, they were enough to bring instant awareness. With a cry of dismay, Nikia backed away from the girl. She had enough forethought to lock gazes with Kieta before giving in to her panic. “You won’t remember this. Now get out.”

When the girl had gone, Nikia slumped against the sink. She splashed cold water on her mouth, both to remove stains of copper down her chin and to wash away the taste of Kieta.

She wasn’t attracted to women and the kiss scared her but it wasn’t what caused the fear. Knowing Illiana had been able to almost seize control of her again was what made her blood run cold. While she had been busy feeding and trying to ignore her mother’s darker impulses, Illiana had finessed her way through Nikia’s defenses. Another minute or two and she would have won.

Exhaustion weighed heavily on Nikia when she made her way back to her seat. She collapsed into it and closed her eyes to slits. She paused to scrutinize Kieta, who seemed confused and upset as she spoke to the young man beside her. She didn’t think the girl would remember anything but couldn’t be certain of her mental powers, not after Illiana breaching them.

It was time to surrender herself to Atar and return to Corsova. She couldn’t be sure she could hold off Illiana and she couldn’t risk countless lives for a taste of freedom.

* * * * *

She waited for him to find her at a coffeehouse near the train station. Nikia had been there since the train arrived at three a.m., sitting on one of the patio chairs, killing time. When the owner came down from his apartment above the shop at six, he hadn’t blinked an eye. Instead, he had served her rich Italian coffee, along with a pitcher of real cream and kept the cup filled during her vigil.

It was a little after seven when she saw Atar approaching. His stance was wary, as if he suspected a trap, with her sitting out in the open as she was. She tried to give him a little smile, for reassurance. “I’ve been expecting you.”

He arched a brow but said nothing else. She frowned when he took something from his pocket. Nikia squinted to identify the object. Her eyes widened when he lifted it higher and pointed it at her. She identified the Taser seconds before the two probes penetrated her skin. A jolt of electricity followed the sharp pain, sending Nikia into unconsciousness in a matter of seconds.

* * * * *

Nikia experienced a sense of
déjà vu
upon waking. Once again, she was lying on her back, with her hands above her head, handcuffed to a headboard of a strange bed. There were some differences, of course—like the gag in her mouth and her complete lack of clothing. Sometime after bringing her here, he had stripped her bare. She writhed with a combination of humiliation and excitement at the thought.

She lifted her head to examine the room, deciding not to let him know how intimidating it was to be naked before him. From the furnishings in the room, such as the white carpet, gilt-edged mirror on the wall and dark-cherry furniture, she determined they were in a three or four-star hotel room. One thing her visual search didn’t reveal was Atar’s presence. Where was he? She craned her neck in an awkward angle and saw him sitting in the corner in a straight-back chair. His gaze didn’t waver from hers. His colorless eyes managed to smolder with anger and repressed desire. She shivered as they raked her from head to foot. She tried to speak, not knowing what she would say but the gag muffled her words, making them unintelligible.

Her attempt to talk received a reaction. He rose from the chair and walked toward her. He had the air of a hunter and she knew she was his prey. The thought inspired more desire than terror and she briefly wondered if Illiana was taking over again. She frowned when realizing her mother wouldn’t have any attraction to Atar. It was purely her own urges driving her. She met that realization with mingled relief and dread. If she was the one who felt this way, there was no one to rein her in and no one to blame.

He stopped when he reached the bed, standing over her with a grim expression. His first words were a shock. “Why did you have to make this complicated, Nikia?”

Her eyes widened and she tried to speak again, to refute his claim. If she had known Illiana was so close to regaining control, she might have surrendered the first time he captured her. Since she hadn’t known, why would she have? She settled for glaring at him.

“This was supposed to be easy.” His hand settled on her shoulder, rubbing in gentle circles that were a distinct contrast to his almost-angry tone. “How did you get in my mind?” He frowned. “No one has ever been able to do that, not even my mother.”

She tried to shrug, to indicate she didn’t know. It hadn’t been that difficult but she didn’t think he would appreciate hearing that, especially if he was impervious to mind-control from others, usually.

His voice lowered. “I should be outraged at the violation, and I am, but that’s not what bothers me most.” His hand slipped lower and his fingertips grazed the top of one of her breasts. “What angers me more than anything is that you seduced me into unconsciousness, left me in a state of frustration and stole my blood.” His voice had risen as he delivered the statement and it took on an icy tinge when he said, “Now, it’s your turn to be teased and frustrated.”

She swallowed a lump in her throat and tried to protest, not sure what she would say if he removed the gag. Should she apologize or would he take that as pandering? In truth, she owed him an apology for leaving him unconscious and taking some of his blood but what right did he have to just take her against her will—then or now? Anger fired her blood and she struggled against the handcuffs, squirming and arching her back in an attempt to gain enough leverage to free herself. To her surprise, the slats of the bed creaked, although the cuffs didn’t budge. She was about to try again with even more force, if she could muster it but froze when Atar’s hand settled on her breast. He held her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, pinching lightly. Nikia gasped when he pulled. Tingles radiated through her, causing her stomach to quiver and her nipples to harden.

He chuckled. “You might hate admitting it but you aren’t immune to my touch.” He tugged once more before gentling his hold, to lightly roll the nipple between his fingers. “Maybe it wasn’t all an act when you set out to seduce me for your freedom in Constanta.” His expression indicated he would grant no quarter, even if that were the case. He seemed determined to carry out his erotic revenge before returning her to Corsova.

She refused to beg for mercy. Maybe she didn’t even want to escape what he planned to do to her. Was she depraved for longing for his touch, even knowing what he thought of her? Did it matter that he was touching her for all the wrong reasons, as long as it felt good?

She closed her eyes when he cupped her breast in his hand, pressing his palm against the hard nipple. She arched her back, seeking more but he lifted his hand as she did so. Once again, the pressure was only minimal, making her writhe with need.

Nikia opened her eyes in time to see him lowering his head. She moaned when he moved his hand from her breast to her stomach and his tongue darted out to swirl around her nipple. Her pussy convulsed when he suckled lightly, while tracing one of her ribs with his thumb.

His tongue forged a wet path up her breast, across her chest and to the hollow of her throat. Atar paused to flick his tongue against the sensitive spot, causing her to bite down on the gag to keep from crying out. His mouth moved higher and his tongue traced the outside of her ear, pausing to suck the non-pierced lobe into his mouth. She whimpered at the sensations overtaking her. It seemed important to escape what he was doing—and what she wanted him to do. She couldn’t let him do this, could she? She wanted him to care about her if he made love to her. She couldn’t let him take her if he didn’t like or trust her. And he didn’t. There was no way he could after their first meeting and all that he must have heard about her. He refused to believe Illiana had possessed her, so that left him with the belief she had voluntarily committed all the evil acts of which she stood accused. How could he even want her, thinking she was like that?

The answer was obvious. He didn’t really want her. He only wanted revenge for the way she had left him in Constanta. She might not be able to stop him but she refused to enjoy it.

The gentle touch of his mouth against hers undid all her good intentions. Nikia’s lips softened against his and she hardly noticed the thin strip of cotton filling her mouth as he licked her upper lip.

His gaze locked with hers and her eyes widened at the vulnerability she saw there.

Atar brought a hand up to caress her cheek. He lifted his mouth from hers but his breath still whispered across her cheek. “You are a puzzle, Nikia. You have an air of innocence about you that enchants me but it makes no sense. I know what you’ve done. You should repulse me, and you do on many levels, but you also fascinate me.” He stood up, sighing. “I don’t like this attraction I feel for you. I don’t trust it either.”

She struggled to speak, emitting several muffled sounds through the gag.

He hesitated and then his hand moved from her cheek to the gag. “I probably shouldn’t remove this. I still don’t know how you got into my mind. If it was some power using your voice, I’m a fool to remove this precaution.” With a shake of his head, he pulled the gag from her mouth and left it around her neck.

The unrehearsed words spilled from her in a rush. “Please help me. I can’t control her any longer. I need your help.”

He lifted a brow. “What do you want from me?”

She hesitated, torn between voicing what her body urged and what common sense insisted on. She licked her dry lips. “Please take me…” She trailed off, noting the way his eyes widened at her husky invitation. She wanted to let the words hang there, to see if he would act on them in a state of desire, rather than revenge but her mouth opened once more. “To Belarus. I need to go to a village near Minsk.”

The heat that had flared in his eyes dimmed and Atar eyed her dispassionately. “What’s in Minsk?”

She felt a stir of hope. Maybe he was ready to listen, to help her. “My grandmother’s people. Surely, they’ll know how to help me rid myself of Illiana.”

He snorted. “Are you sticking with that ridiculous tale? Don’t you think it would be better to own up to what you’ve done?”

She glared at him. “I haven’t done anything.”

He sighed. “There is that part of your nature that vexes me. I would have an easier time dealing with my attraction to you if you weren’t a manipulative liar.”

“Oh, it’s okay if I’m a murderer but I can’t be a liar?” She rolled her eyes. “You’re no help. Can we just return to Corsova and end this farce?”

He nodded. “We have tickets on a flight leaving in three hours.” His expression changed to one of passion. “That gives us plenty of time for me to discover if you’ve bewitched me into wanting you.”

Her mouth dropped open. “If I’ve what? Why would I do such a thing?”

He sat on the bed beside her, resting his palm on her stomach. “I have a feeling you will do anything if there’s an advantage for you.” His hand moved upward, to settle under her breast, flicking his thumb across her nipple. “Only this time, there’s no gain for you. I’m going to discover if this attraction between us is honest and I think you’ll know the answer too, before we leave this hotel room.”

Nikia whimpered when Atar brought his other hand to her thigh, sliding it upward in a motion mimicking the path of his hand settling on her breast. As his right hand flirted with the curls shielding her pussy, his left grasped her breast and squeezed. He took the nipple between his fingers and pulled almost gently but with enough force to border on pain.

She tried once more to reason with him. “You don’t have to do this. I’m sorry I invaded your mind but I didn’t make you do anything you weren’t willing to do. You found me attractive before I entered your psyche.”

His hands paused and he looked thoughtful. “That’s true but my knowledge of what kind of person you were helped me control any impulses I felt. It was only after you violated me that I found myself thinking of you constantly, hungering for you.” He dipped his head lower, brushing his lips against hers before adding, “I ache for you, Nikia.”

“I didn’t do anything.” But hadn’t she? She had forced him to think he needed to fuck her to be satisfied. Had she caused his need for her to increase? Was this her fault?

“Hmm.” A finger on his right hand dipped between her pussy lips, seeking out her clit. “Perhaps not, but you will.”

Out of desperation, Nikia closed her eyes and tried to enter Atar’s mind again. She recoiled when she ran into a wall that blocked her from going further. She withdrew, opening her eyes when she heard his low chuckle.

“Not so successful this time, were you?” There was a thread of anger his amused tone didn’t mask. “I don’t know how you did it to start with but you won’t again.”

She didn’t know either. Maybe Illiana had been the one to breach his mental barriers. Her mother had always been powerful, having augmented her natural vampiric psychic abilities with knowledge from Elsa’s people. Perhaps the only way to reach Atar again was to surrender control to Illiana. She could escape…

No! She couldn’t risk it. Nikia could feel her mother’s strength increasing with each passing hour. She couldn’t allow Illiana even a temporary surge in power, lest she not be able to stop her from taking over completely.

She squirmed when another question occurred to her. Did she want to escape? Atar’s touch was expert and she was drawn to him. Why not have sex with him? Whom would it hurt?

She shied away from the notion that she would be hurting herself and him by allowing this purely physical interlude to take place. Why would sex scathe either of them? She wasn’t in love with him and he definitely didn’t love her. In fact, he seemed to almost loathe her. When his fingers circled her slick clit with slow circles, she resolved to stop thinking. This might be the only chance she had for sex with someone she found attractive and she wasn’t going to turn him away because he was irate with her. In some ways, his smoldering anger thrilled her. It was empowering to know he still found her sexy and desirable, even in spite of what he believed she had done. It was a new experience for her, to personally feel sexy and want her partner.

She parted her legs wider and arched against his hand, inviting him to explore deeper. Atar’s finger slipped lower, tracing her slit, until it plunged into the opening of her pussy. She moaned at the gentle invasion and thrust her hips up again, taking him in deeper, wishing it were his cock instead of his finger.

He chuckled as his head lowered, bringing his mouth against her breast. His hand gave way to his tongue. It swirled around her nipple in teasing circles, causing spasms of pleasure to ripple through her.

She tugged at the cuffs, wanting to free her hands so she could bury them in his long hair, to see if it was as soft as it appeared. She wanted to hold his head against her breast so he couldn’t stop laving the sensitive bud.

A second finger joined the first in her pussy and he began to pump them in concert with his tongue flicking over her nipple. “Atar.” His name was a sigh on her lips. She arched her hips and his fingers went deeper inside her. At the same time, his teeth grazed her nipple, causing it to pulse. She whimpered, wordlessly asking for more.

Perhaps he interpreted her sounds of pleasure correctly, because his mouth moved lower, tracing a wet path from her breast to her navel. He paused to press a light kiss over her belly button before moving lower. When his tongue connected with her pubic bone, shudders racked Nikia’s body and she exhaled harshly. Anticipation made her dizzy and her thighs clenched of their own accord.

“Nervous?” he asked against her mound, stirring her pubic hair with his breath.