Captured (Vampire King Book 2) (3 page)

I’d
been an untouched domina when I escaped—neither the Quiet King nor any other
vampire had pierced my flesh with their fangs or had sex with me. Untouched
dominas weren’t as valuable as touched ones. We hadn’t yet proved we could
birth babies or quench a vampire’s thirst. Nevertheless, I counted myself
lucky. But during my time with Samuel, my untouched status changed. He drank
from me and set a bond between us, one that included his ability to read my
thoughts and dominate all of my desires.

“How
many guards are sent for touched dominas?” I asked.

“Ten
or so if the domina was able to birth many children.” Samuel shook his head.
“Never a hundred, and I’ve never seen them destroy and terrorize a town like
this.”

Hushed
silence floated between us. We traveled down a darkened road that led us away.
Cracks and snapping sounded behind us as the town of Freemont collapsed unto
itself.

Please don’t let it be that I was
the cause of that destruction.

A
massive stone wall appeared miles ahead and bordered Capitol City, the place
I’d lived in slavery with the Quiet King. Now that we left, fresh air emerged
and the two moons surfaced in my view. They bathed us in white light. No one
else walked the path but us. The rest of the people, I assumed, fled in the other
direction where our horses were tied.
Someone
probably grabbed them.

Only
wild animals traveled with us out here. Turquoise-striped tigers prowled by and
kept their distance between them and Samuel. White shaggy wolves journeying in
huge packs, howled together, and sniffed the air. Thank Ambi, the wolves never
veered too close to Samuel and me. I knew Samuel could probably fight a few
wolves, but I wasn’t sure if he could handle an entire pack. Many birds soared
in the sky—pale orange vultures that flew in the direction of Freemont to tiny
black raydens that chirped when they fluttered their featherless wings and
emitted a long ray of light in the air.

“I
think you’re more than a regular domina,” Samuel interrupted the silence and
caught me off guard with his assertion. “You’re definitely more than I’ve ever
experienced.”

“I’m
nothing special.”

“Your
hair is red. I’ve never seen that color on a vampire or human.”

“I’ve
seen other colors on humans, even though humans tend to only have different
shades of brown hair.” I shrugged. “But the medicine man in my town said my
daughters’ hair and my own wasn’t a major peculiarity, just an odd set of genes
that must’ve been passed down from my ancestors.”

“Your
blood healed Leeta too quickly,” Samuel countered.

“There
could be other reasons for that,” I said, but his comment had peaked my
curiosity. “You told me you drank from other dominas. Does all our blood taste
the same?”

“No.
It varies from each one of you, from thick to thin, savory to sweet, warm to
cold—”

“Okay.”
I held up my hand. “I understand, but I rather you not describe me or others
like a meal.”

“Trust
me.” He laughed. “Domina blood is not a meal. It’s an all-consuming liquid.
It’s why I chose to stay away from you all.”

Leeta
remained in his arms and snored.

“How
do I taste to you?” I asked.

He
curled his lips into a frown. “Your blood incites insanity and lust in me every
time I drink it. I can’t even think about it without getting an erection.”

I
opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

“You
taste like no other. It’s exquisite like a honeyed wine that numbs any pain and
soothes all the hurts.”

I
studied his face, searching for any hint of playful humor within his eyes or in
the outline of his lips and saw none.

“When
I’m near you, your blood sings to me, a tune that’s melodic and free, that
triggers my craving and spreads heat across my skin.” Samuel glanced at me for
a few seconds and then looked away. We said nothing else for several feet. I
had no reply.

Do I really have that effect on
him? What does it mean? Is this why he is so attached to me?

“How
much did the Quiet King pay for you?” he asked.

“I
don’t know the exact amount. My husband handled the whole transaction.”

A
rumble boomed from his chest. Samuel hated my husband Ethan. No matter how many
times I corrected Samuel, he always argued that Ethan traded me away to the
King like I was cattle.

Ethan
and I had owned a large plantation in the town of Zumaya. We harvested Zumayan
mushrooms and sold them to vampire cities. The mushrooms were the only thing
besides alcohol that could get a vampire fully inebriated and humans mildly
tipsy. They cost a lot and made my family wealthy for many years. Then a
drought arrived. It decreased the mushroom production and propelled my whole
town into death and starvation. We buried many, so many that even now my chest
ached with the memories of all the people I’d lost. Without any options, my
husband sought the Quiet King’s assistance. Guards traveled to Zumaya and
tested all of the women’s blood. Two teenage girls and I were identified as
dominas. The guards explained that the King would pay money and give food if
they could seize just one of us. I sacrificed myself, and Ethan had understood;
neither one of us wanted to see our two daughters dead from starvation.

And now my girls are safe and
alive.
Their
faces flashed in my mind. I bit my lip.
Another
woman is their mother now. Don’t think about them. Just be grateful they’re
safe and loved.
I wiped ash from my forehead with the back of my hand.

“Did
you get to see what the King sent to Zumaya before they brought you to Capitol
City?” Samuel asked.

“I
remember four box loads of food. I also think he sent about three or four
wagons of farming supplies. And then the day I had to leave to go to the court,
he delivered two silver trunks full of money.” I released an exasperated
breath. “I have no idea if more came or not.”

Samuel
paused in the middle of the path. “They received all of that? Are you sure?”

“Yes.
Why?”

“I’ve
never heard of any town receiving that much money and supplies for one domina.”
He peeked around me and scanned the area, making my nerves flare on edge.
“Usually it’s a wagon of food and maybe a lump sum of money, but that is it.
Why didn’t you tell me that before?”

“I
thought that was the normal procedure. This was the first time we participated
in domina testing. We were just starving and happy to eat when the food was
delivered.”

Samuel
stared off in the distance toward Capitol City. We stood there in silence for a
minute.

“What
are you thinking about?” I asked, afraid of what he might tell me.

“I’m
scared to take you back into the city, even if it’s in the sewers and the King
is gone.”

“Leeta
needs a healer.”

He
remained quiet for another minute.

“Samuel.”
I placed my hand on his shoulder. “I’ll be safe with you. Don’t worry.”

“Okay.”
He started off. “As soon as she’s healed, we leave and try to figure out what’s
different about you and why the King sent so many to capture you.”

“Maybe
it’s something else that has nothing to do with me.” I hoped and prayed that
was true.

“Then
we’ll find that out too.”

Chapter Two

I never thought I would be back
in the sewer tunnels under Capital City. Never!

But
here I walked. Vampire waste was a stringy red liquid that reeked of decaying
flesh and rotting corpses. It drenched the ground and made me slip a little
with each step. Samuel explained the tunnels were the best place to hide,
figuring the putrid aroma would drown out my scent.

Ick. He’s probably right.

Leeta
remained asleep in his huge arms. She never even stirred as we climbed down
into the sewers, right outside the Capital City gates. The moons’ light seeped
through the cracks in the ceiling. I stayed close to Samuel, my whole body
trembling in terror.
Don’t think about
them.
I struggled to not gaze up at the starving vampires crawling above
us, watching me with dark, hungry eyes. Their writhing and misshapen bodies
moved silently along, following our every movement.

“Remember.
They won’t hurt you.” Samuel gestured to the hungry vampires. “They know you’re
my queen.”

Swallowing
some of my nervousness down, I asked, “Then why are they following us?”

“Leeta
is new blood to them and unclaimed.” He guided me around a corner. His
footsteps made no sound while my steps resulted in a sloshing noise that echoed
through the tunnels. “Also our pact was that they couldn’t touch any human with
my scent that I led out of Capital City and through the sewers. Being that I’m
bringing her back into the city, they may assume they have a right to bite her.
But they’re wrong.”

“Can’t
you just say
she’s mine
like you did
with me last time we were in here?”

The
edges of his lips curled up. “It would be a lie and they can sense that. With
you, they knew from reading the rage in my blood that I’d tear every one of
them limb-from-limb if they touched you.”

Something
tiny crawled up my arm. I smacked it away.
Don’t
think about what that was. We’re almost out of here.
I edged closer to
Samuel. “You barely knew me last time we were in here.”

Wrinkles
formed around his forehead. “I still don’t know you, but that hasn’t prevented
me from burying my face between your luscious thighs.”

“Now
is not the time for that type of conversation.” I wiped the grime and nastiness
off my face. “I can’t wait to get out of here.”

Although
it was a cool night outside, heat radiated from the sewer’s metal walls. The
air thickened in some areas of the tunnel, making it hard to breath. We rounded
another corner.

“Prince?”
A scratchy voice sounded above us. “Just one tiny bite of the woman, if you
don’t mind.”

I
gazed up in horror as one of the vampires without eyes hung toward us. He
looked just like the vampire who had attacked me when I journeyed through the
sewer by myself weeks ago. His feet stuck to the ceiling. His arm bent in an
irregular way and reached out for Leeta. Samuel jerked back and then gently
pushed me to the side. “You know our deal. She remains safe with me. No one
will taste her.”

A
loud cackle escaped the vampire’s wilting lips. “Our agreement was that all
humans with you or your team would be safe.”

“And?”
Samuel barked. His golden eyes brightened. “She is human.”

Other
vampires leaned in toward Leeta and sniffed. Their throats vibrated in unison.
The buzzing noise caused my flesh to quiver and the small hairs on the back of
my neck to rise.

“No,
fair and loyal prince. That was not our deal.” The eyeless vampire shook his
head. Dark carved-out holes existed where his eyes should have been. Gray
jagged flesh circled each hole. “She was human, but her blood is changing to
something else. I can sense it breaking down and rebuilding. She is no longer
human.”

We
all snapped our faces to Leeta. She resembled a peaceful, resting newborn baby.
I didn’t recognize any outward change.
What
is he talking about?

“No,”
another vampire with one missing eye croaked. “She is something else and no
longer in the agreement.”

“Nevertheless,
you will not bite her,” Samuel growled. He tugged me toward him and whispered,
“Keep walking forward and leave me here. You’ll see Ty and Victoria soon. I
don’t want you here if they try to attack.”

“Don’t
be crazy. I’m staying.”

“Blasted
woman,” Samuel muttered under his breath and pushed out his fangs. I remained
where I was, yanking out the tiny wooden dagger from my back pocket. I’d used
it for protection once before, slicing off a vampire’s most special area and
stabbing him many times in the chest. He’d tried to harm me and had paid the
price. I had no problem with letting the same destiny fall on any vampire who
tried to bite Leeta.

“I
can help,” I said. Samuel growled again as if that would scare me.

A
cackle soared above us. I gazed into the eyeless vampire’s decaying face. He
smiled. Dust fell from his cheeks. “You’ve made this one your queen. Now you’re
no longer just a prince. You’re ripening. Some would argue you’re a king.”

“I
agree. And my first order as king is for you to grant the woman in my arms safe
passage.” Samuel’s voice came out as a hiss. All the vampires cringed back,
even the eyeless one.

“Okay,”
the eyeless vampire said. “And will you lead us, King?”

“No.”
Samuel marched forward “I don’t wish to be anyone’s king.”

I
stumbled behind him.

“Hmmm.”
The eyeless vampire flipped through the air and landed three feet in front of
us. His body straightened into a standing position. His bald and rotting head
touched the top of the sewer’s ceiling as he towered over us. “Surely, you
understand that we’re now in a predicament. You say as king that we can’t have
her, but then you say you’re not our king.”