Crimson Debt: Book 1 in the Born to Darkness series (17 page)

“Corbin!” Roderick turned to us, his eyes
cold. “Did I not tell you to control your consort? I will
not
tolerate a mere human questioning my judgment.”

“Indeed, Inquisitor.” Corbin’s grip on my arm
tightened and he frowned at me. “I apologize and my consort will
also make a full and sincere apology both for the insult she
offered you tonight and for her actions at our last meeting.”

“Like hell I will!” I knew I had promised to
apologize to the vampire Inquisitor but I was fed up with all the
undead bullshit going on.

“Addison…” Corbin turned me to face him and
looked into my eyes. “Look at me,” he demanded, when I tried to
drop my eyes. “No,
look at me,
my darling.”

“Fine.” Unwillingly, I raised my eyes to his.
Corbin could try to glamour me if he wanted to but there was no way
I was helping him—he was on his own.

“Addison,” he murmured again and I felt
something prying at the surface of my thoughts. Unseen fingers were
testing my mental defenses, tugging gently at the invisible shield
I normally wasn’t even aware of around my mind.

I felt myself start to panic. Those fingers
were
strong—
I could feel their immense strength even though
he was trying to be gentle. Corbin’s attempt to get inside me was
like a man who is trying to do a delicate task, like painting a
vase or fixing the inside of a watch. But if he wanted to, he could
smash the vase or destroy the fragile clockwork at any moment. I
had never felt this way when looking into a vampire’s eyes before—
God, who knew he had this much power?

“Addison,” he whispered for a third time.
“Open to me, darling. Don’t make me force you.”

“I…” I bit my lip. I wanted to say I didn’t
know how to open to him but if I did, Roderick would know we hadn’t
done this before. Instead I said, “I’m
trying.”

“Relax…” Corbin stroked my cheek. “I won’t
hurt you. Just let me in a little.”

I didn’t want to do it—didn’t want to let him
in. But this was part of the agreement and Roderick and Celeste
were standing right there, watching. I had no choice—I had to do
it.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to let the
tension drain out of my body. Tried to imagine the shield around my
mind going down, like some kind of force-field from an old sci-fi
movie.

Corbin seemed to have a different image in
mind.

“Your mind is like a flower, its petals
closed tight,” he murmured, still stroking my cheek. “Close your
eyes and open to me.”

Closing my eyes, I tried to do as he said. I
felt those iron fingers prying gently around the edges of my mental
shield again and this time I was able to let them in.

“Good,” Corbin breathed. “Now look at me,
Addison. I hold your mind in my hand but I would never hurt it, any
more than I would hurt your precious body.”

I opened my eyes and fell into the
silvery-blue depths of his gaze.

Suddenly it seemed like I was swimming in an
ocean. A deep, cold current was carrying me away and there was
nothing I could do about it but for some reason I didn’t care. The
waves were taking me farther and farther from shore but up ahead in
the distance, I could see something…no, some
one.
It was a
girl about my age or maybe a little younger standing on a small,
rocky island. She had red hair the same shade as mine but her eyes
were blue, a deep, sapphire blue and they were filled with tears.
In her arms was a baby—an infant so tiny it looked like it had just
been born. She clutched it tightly to her chest and cried, the
tears running down her cheeks.

Who is she?
I wondered, looking at the
girl. Other than the hair she didn’t look much like me but the
sadness on her face was heartbreaking. I wanted to put my arms
around her and comfort her, to tell her everything was going to be
all right.

She is gone…centuries dead,
said a
deep voice in my mind. With a start, I realized it was Corbin’s
voice.

Corbin?
I looked around for him but I
couldn’t see anything, just the shifting, silver-blue sea around
me.

I am here, you cannot see me but I am with
you.

Who was that girl?
She was gone now
and there was nothing but waves as far as I could see.

I heard what sounded like a mental sigh.
I
should have known glamouring you would have consequences. As I look
into you, you are also able to look into me.

But who—?

One who was once dear to me. It isn’t
important now. What is important is that you must apologize to
Roderick.

But I don’t want to! He’s a bastard!

Yes, but he is also my superior—my boss, as
you would say. He wields more power than I do and as such, he must
be placated.

He ought to be shot,
I said, or sent,
or whatever you wanted to call this weird mental conversation we
were having.

You will apologize.
There was iron in
Corbin’s tone now and I sensed he was through reasoning with me.
You must say to him that you ask forgiveness for your rude words
and for your actions last night when you offered to commit adultery
in front of him.

I offered to give Taylor some blood that
she very much needed,
I protested.
I never meant to
disrespect you, especially not with him watching.

Tell him that, then.
Respectfully.

I’ll try,
I sent back with irritation.
But I don’t know how respectful I can be to a snake like
that.

You’ll be able to manage.
Corbin’s
mental tone sounded certain.
Simply open your mouth and the
correct words will come out.

I’ll do my best,
I promised, grinding
my teeth.
And you promise after this is over you’ll get the hell
out of my mind.

Do you really dislike having me here?
He sounded wistful.
Communicating this way is so much more
intimate than speaking aloud. And so much more revealing…I can feel
your emotions from here, Addison. Your
true
emotions, the ones you prefer to keep hidden from everyone, even
yourself.

That’s it!
I snapped.
I’m going to
apologize to that evil asshole and then you’re releasing me
immediately
afterwards. All right?

There was a pause and then I felt his
reluctant agreement.
All right. I am bringing you back now. You
will see the room and everyone in it.

And just like that, I was out of the ocean
I’d been floating in and standing in front of him, looking into his
eyes. I made myself tear my gaze away and saw that Celeste and
Roderick were standing there, perfectly motionless and waiting with
that inhuman patience all vampires seem to possess.

“Roderick,” Corbin said, taking my arm and
leading me closer to the raised dais where the vampire Inquisitor
still stood. “I believe my consort has something to say to
you.”

Yeah, I’ve got things to say to you, all
right. You sick, sadistic son of a bitch…

I opened my mouth and was shocked to hear
something completely different than what I was thinking coming
out.

“Inquisitor,” my mouth said, apparently
completely independent of my mind. “I wish to offer my apologies
for my words tonight as well as my actions the night before.”

“Hmph.” Roderick crossed his arms over his
chest. “Go on.”

“I haven’t been Corbin’s consort for long,” I
heard myself continue. “And I didn’t realize that offering my blood
to another was wrong. I never had any intention of dishonoring my
master, I simply wanted to heal my friend, Taylor. So I am on my
knees, asking you…”

On my knees? Oh, no, I’m not!
I
thought fiercely.

Oh, yes you are, darling,
Corbin sent
back and suddenly I was getting stiffly down on my knees—not an
easy task considering the ridiculously tall heels I was
wearing.

“I am on my knees,” my mouth continued
independently of my brain. “Asking, no
begging,
for your
forgiveness.”

Begging? REALLY?
Inside I was so mad I
could have spit. If Corbin was anywhere near me I would have kicked
him out of sheer rage, even knowing that I was much too weak to do
any damage to his impenetrable vampire hide.

The Inquisitor must be placated. His pride
must be soothed. This is the only way.
Corbin’s mental voice
was implacable.

And apparently, he was right. Roderick was
actually looking at me with what probably amounted to benevolence
in someone as monstrous as him.

“Again, I am impressed.” He nodded at Corbin
as though acknowledging a man who had trained his pet to do a
particularly clever trick. “I would not have thought it possible to
glamour one with such a strong mental shield. Truly, you have a
gift.”

“Thank you, Inquisitor.” Corbin inclined his
head modestly. “She is rather…fractious at times but as you see,
Addison is most certainly worthy to claim as my consort, human
though she is.”

“Indeed.” Roderick nodded and raised an
eyebrow at Corbin. “And you are able to handle her body as gently
as you do her mind when you fuck her? Your precision with such a
fragile creature truly is amazing.”

Corbin smiled slightly. “Addison is worth the
trouble.”

“So I see.” Roderick looked at me, a strange
light in his eyes. “I will accept your apology, little human.”

“Thank you, you’re very kind,” my mouth said.
Inside, however, I was shouting at Corbin.
Let me go now! You
said you would!

I don’t know…
He was frowning.
We
are in a perfect position right now. Perhaps you should stay as you
are until after Roderick and Celeste are gone.

No!
If I could have glared at him I
would have but I seemed to be incapable of anything but a sweet,
penitent smile. Feeling the fake look on my face while the rage
seethed inside me only made me angrier.
You let me go
now!
I mentally yelled at Corbin.
You swore
you would. If you don’t release me from this fucking mind
control
this instant
I swear I will
never
trust you again. And I’ll put a bullet
in your worthless hide the minute I get a chance! Do you hear
me?

He sighed.
Very well. Losing your trust
troubles me more than your threats of harm. I will release you but
you must remain calm. Keep your cool, as they say in this century.
At least until Roderick is gone.

Just let me go,
I sent tensely.

In answer, Corbin came around and raised me
to my feet. Then he took my face in both his hands and looked into
my eyes.

“Addison,” he murmured. “I release you.”

Immediately I felt my mental shield, which he
had so carefully peeled away, fall back into place. It was an
almost physical sensation, like a rubber band that had been pulled
tight, snapping back to its normal position. Abruptly the feeling
of having Corbin in my mind was gone. I could no longer feel his
presence or hear his warm, intimate inner voice.

I felt an overwhelming sense of relief
coupled with a stranger emotion…emptiness. I was alone inside my
skull and I knew I should be happy about it. Instead, I felt
so…so…
isolated
.

The weird feelings made me even angrier, but
this time at myself.
Stop it! What’s wrong with you? Like
you
want
him in there, controlling your
every move?
Well, no, I didn’t like
that
part. But the
intimacy of having him inside my head…it was weird. Deeper than
anything I had ever felt, deeper even than sex. Was this the
sensation glam-addicts went chasing at the clubs, giving every last
drop of their blood to feel this closeness, this intimacy just once
more? I had always assumed it was just about sex but this…this was
strange.

“Addison?” Corbin looked at me with concern.
“Are you all right?”

I took a deep breath. “You’re…gone. I mean, I
don’t feel you anymore.”

“I know,” he said quietly and brushed a
strand of hair from my face. “I miss you, too, darling.”

“Don’t call me that.” I pulled away from his
hands and he let me, though he was certainly strong enough to have
held me in place.

“Inquisitor,” he said, turning to Roderick
who was watching us with a calculating expression I didn’t like at
all. “I trust these proceedings are at an end?”

“They are,” Roderick acknowledged. “But I
have yet to examine your establishment, Corbin. Be ready for me
tomorrow night.”

“Understood.” Corbin nodded. “Will you need
accommodations during your inspection?”

“I will.” Roderick nodded. “And I will
require the use of one of your females for my comfort during my
stay with you as well.”

My whole body tensed and I looked at Corbin.
Surely he wouldn’t…

“I will ask if any of the females under my
care wishes to curry favor by submitting to you, Roderick,” he
said, frowning. “But I will not force anyone into sexual servitude.
And if one of the girls
does
wish to come to you, I must
forbid you to abuse her. I treat my underlings…differently than
Celeste does hers.”

Roderick smirked. “For a vampire of your age
and standing, you are strangely
compassionate,
my
friend
.”

“Not at all.” Corbin looked at him steadily.
“I find that treating my underlings well inspires loyalty rather
than hatred.” He shrugged. “It’s simply good business sense.”

“I find it better to make them fear you,”
Celeste chimed in, looking bored.

Corbin gave her a sarcastic smile. “I think
you may be confusing fear with loathing, Celeste. Any one of your
underlings would drive a stake through your heart in an instant if
given half a chance—but I’m sure you already know that.”