Captured (Vampire King Book 2) (4 page)

My
heart slammed against my chest. I tightened my grip on the wooden dagger and
brought it out in the open.

Relax,
Samuel said in my mind.
Ian is trying to scare me into leading him
and his brood. He’s been bothering me to be king since I first walked through
these sewers.

How did he know you were a
prince?
I asked,
as Ian pounded his skeletal chest and roared. Murky green drool dripped from
his cracked lips. A bone fell from his rib cage. Ian frowned and picked it up.
However, even with the absurdity of his body breaking a part, horror coursed
through my veins. The other vampires, enraged with the need for blood, writhed
on the ceiling above us.

Samuel?
I repeated the thought again.
How did he know you were a prince?

Ian is blind, but he can still
see blood.
Samuel
turned his face to me.
He was the one who
tried to attack you last time you were in the sewers.

The one who can’t die because of
a magic spell?

Yes.
Samuel nodded.
He claims to be put under an enchantment;
one that needs a vampire king to lift it. These other hungry vampires and him
have been magically imprisoned down here for close to a hundred years, maybe
more. He could see my princely marks on my legs within the blood.

“Samuel,
are you talking to your queen in a mind-to-mind connection?” Ian tilted his
head to the side. His lips widened to a gap-toothed smile.

“Yes.”
Samuel returned his view to Ian. “I’m explaining that your ridiculous display
of terror is an attempt to convince me to release you from your spell by ruling
over you.”

“And
why would you not? You have power. It runs through your blood.” Ian stepped
forward. “You’re ripening. You’ve feasted on your queen’s flesh. And how could
you not? I know I would love to.”

Samuel
advanced and snarled. Veins bulged on his face and neck. His fangs lengthened
an inch more. Even with Leeta in his arms, Samuel appeared ready for battle and
prepared to tear Ian’s head from what was left of his body. I’d witnessed
Samuel killing two Royal Guard vampires within seconds. He’d ripped their heads
off like they were made out of paper. Surely, Samuel could kill a starving, old
vampire with no problem.

But how many can he kill?

“No
disrespect, Samuel. I’m merely trying to say that you chose a queen with
power.” Ian lowered his head in a half bow. The head wobbled a little, like it
would fall off along with the bones from his chest.

I
glanced up as more misshapen vampires crept on the ceiling right above us. I
hugged myself and rubbed the goose bumps sprouting on my arms. A chill ran up
my spine as I tried to count all the starving vampires above us, and lost count
several times.

Just tell them you’ll lead so we
can get out of here.

But I don’t want to be king,
Samuel replied in my head. I
groaned as five vampires flipped down from the ceiling and positioned
themselves behind Ian.

“We
need a new king,” Ian declared. “The Quiet King has no plan to release us from
the punishment spell that keeps us down here. And if he did, he would only
mistreat us and continue to rule our kind with an iron fist. At least you are
fair and capable.”

“Am
I?” Samuel snorted.

“Yes.
You are.” Ian did a weird bow that resulted in dust falling and bones rattling
within his chest. More vampires dropped to the ground. Some fell behind Ian.
Others dove behind us, sniffing the air. My skin shuddered as if thousands of
tiny bugs were crawling over me. My teeth chattered against themselves.
I’m scared, Samuel.

Trust me, Brie. You have nothing
to fear.
His
voice caressed my mind, but still my panic increased the thumping of my heart.

“For
now, your powers are just blossoming,” Ian said. “One day you will be worthy
enough to sit on the Quiet King’s throne with your feet resting upon his
decapitated head.”

Just be their king,
I said in my head.
There are too many of them around. We can’t
fight them all.

I can fight them all,
he replied.

You’re stubborn and overconfident!
I cleared my throat. “You want
my king to lead you?”

“Our
queen speaks.” Ian grinned and immediately dropped to his knees. The other
vampires followed and went down to their own.

Samuel
snorted and rolled his eyes.
They’re
sucking up to you, Brie. They think you have the power to convince me to be
king.

Do I?
I faced him. Samuel growled so
loud it shook the walls around us.

That’s not an answer
. I placed my hands behind my
back to hide their shaking.

You know I would do anything for
you
. His voice
throbbed inside my head.

My
eyebrows raised as my mouth dropped open. “You would?” I asked. “Why?”

Ian
jumped up. “Did he agree, Queen?”

The
other vampires remained kneeling on the ground.
Please just agree so we can get out of here
, I begged.
There’s no way you can take them all. We’ll
be killed.

Samuel
didn’t respond.

“What
would being your king involve, Ian?” Samuel asked through clenched teeth.

I
exhaled in relief.

“I
simply request that you release us all from the spell and help us get a better
life.” Ian opened his arms. “We may not seem like much right now, but with the
queen’s blood and your guidance, we could be an army that is worthy of a king
such as yourself.”

A
smirk spread over Samuel’s face. “And if I say no?”

The
area thundered as all the vampires stood. Dust rose to the ceiling. Many of
them were missing arms and legs, but they still scared me as they hissed and
bared their fangs.

“Samuel?”
I centered my gaze on him.

I don’t like to be forced into
anything, understand this,
Samuel’s voice boomed inside my head,
not
by Ian or my queen.

Well then, I’m lucky I’m not your
queen
. I edged
away from him. Samuel’s face slowly turned toward mine. His eyes brightened,
illuminating the entire tunnel until the area lit up around us. A cool breeze
brushed against me, but I had no idea where it was coming from. It seemed to be
having an effect on Leeta too, as she stirred in Samuel’s huge arms.

Hold your hands out to catch her
, Samuel ordered.

What?
I put my hands out. He dropped
Leeta in my arms so fast I barely registered the movement. I lost my balance
and stumbled back against the damp sewer walls. Samuel turned and soared
through the air, jumping onto Ian in a blur, ripping his head from his body.
The dusty body collapsed to the ground. Blood splashed around Samuel’s feet.
Ian’s detached head hung in Samuel’s hands as Ian screamed, “Please, prince!
Don’t hurt me anymore!”

“Now
I’m confused, dear Ian,” Samuel growled. “Am I a prince or king?”

Ian’s
headless body writhed on the ground. His arms twisted and turned, searching the
ground for his head in a way that was almost comical if it wasn’t so
horrifying.

“King!”
Ian shrieked. “You’re a king! Now please give me back my head.”

“Interesting.”
Samuel grinned. All the other vampires scattered in seconds, barely making any
noise as they disappeared into the surrounding shadows. Samuel swung Ian’s head
back and forth as he held it. “But, see, I can’t be a king because if I was a
king, one would assume that any old, wretched, and starving vampire could not
threaten me.”

“Stop
this.” I adjusted Leeta’s heavy body in my arms, using the wall to keep me
upright.

Drool
dripped from Ian’s open mouth. “Samuel, I was only suggesting, not
threatening.”

“Now
I’m only Samuel? What happened to prince or king?” Samuel raised Ian’s head up
in the air. Ian’s eyes directed his attention to me, as if begging me to step
in and relieve him from the torture.

“Don’t
look to her.” Samuel laughed. “She’s crazier than you. She still believes she’s
no more than a traveling companion with the will to come and go as she
pleases.”

“Are
you done now?” I was tired of his rant and unable to shield my rage. “Leeta is
injured. We need to go.”

Samuel
flung Ian’s head in the direction from which we’d come.

“No!” Ian yelled. His body
crawled in the opposite direction, completely away from where his head would
land. Saying nothing else, Samuel took Leeta back.

“All of that was unnecessary.” I
rushed to Ian’s body and touched his back. It halted in the tunnel. I patted
his shoulder and it lay down on the ground.

“What are you doing?” Samuel
asked.

“Trying to help Ian’s body find
his head. What does it look like?” I held the old vampire’s cold hands. The
hard, rugged surface dug into my fingers as Ian gently gripped me. Dust
crumbled into my palms. Straining, I dragged the body around, twisting, rolling
it over, and trying to get it the correct way. I panted and heaved him up.

Samuel
just glared, not even willing to help. “You think I went too far with Ian? The
vampire that was going to bite you the last time you were in here if I hadn’t
stepped in? The same one that threatened us tonight?”

“There
was no need to rip his head off. You already had him cowering. Clearly you had
the upper hand.” I grunted and heaved Ian’s body up. My feet slipped in a
puddle. I fell, bottom first, onto the wet floor, splashing blood and waste.
Samuel came over to help me up. I pushed his hand out of the way. “Yes. You
went too far.”

“He
threatened me and scared you. He needed to be taught some respect.” Still
carrying Leeta, he lifted Ian’s body with one hand and slung the body in the
right direction. It crawled away in a blur.

Somewhere
off in the distance, Ian screamed, “Thank you, Queen!”

“I
hate being down here for several hours. He’s been down here for several
decades. I understand his motivation for trying to get you to be his king.” I
headed off down the sewer. “Why was he spelled anyway?”

“According
to Ian, he’s the Quiet King’s brother.”

I
paused. “What? He’s your uncle?”

“When
I first entered the sewers, I met Ian. He told me that he and others were
trapped in the sewers for eternity due to a punishment enchantment,” Samuel
said. “That his brother, the Quiet King, ordered him executed, but the King’s
wife intervened and spelled him to live forever in the sewers instead.”

The
King had five queens. The human women begun as dominas, but once they delivered
at least sixty vampire children, they were given the title of queen, allowed
more freewill, and could assert authority only over dominas below them.
Samuel’s mother, Queen Regina, was the fourth queen.

“Which
queen was this?” I asked, shocked that any of them were able to stop the King
from ordering execution or even do magic.

“Ian
said this all happened before the Quiet King started wars and slaying other
kings. Way before he began hoarding dominas. Supposedly, the queen that did the
magic was the Quiet King’s original wife, who triggered his ripening from
prince to king. Ian said she died many years before you and I were born.”

“How?”

“I
don’t know.” Samuel glanced down at me. A pained expression painted his face.
“I’m sorry for getting angry with Ian and you back there. I could’ve handled
that differently.”

“Don’t
worry. It has been a long night.” I tucked my oily strands behind my ear. “You
almost lost Leeta.”

“And
I may lose you too.”

“Don’t
start that again.” I stomped into a deeper puddle. The murky water sloshed into
my boots and streamed down my ankles. “Oh Ambi, I can’t wait to be out of
here.”

“Since
Freemont is destroyed, could you please remain with me?”

“You’re
not going to give up, are you?” I wiggled my toes in the grime-filled sponges
that were now my socks. “You can read my mind. You know what I want.”

“The
only thing you’re picturing over and over in your mind is a bathtub,” Samuel
said as we journeyed farther. “Which doesn’t make me too happy.”

“Should
I be thinking of something else?” I could see a tiny light ahead and quickened
my pace.

“You
should be thinking of me in that bathtub with you, pampering and caressing your
skin and treating you like the queen you are.”

I
struggled not to smile, but it spread across my face anyway. “If you don’t want
to be a king then why must you insist that I’m your queen?”

The
light grew larger as we journeyed closer and then a metal door appeared.

“I
don’t need to be a king for you to be my queen,” Samuel explained. “And that’s
not the point. You’ve said you were my queen hundreds of times.”