Sinjin (4 page)

Sinjin shrugged again
as if he weren’t in the least bit put off by my question or my abrasive tone. “I would not mind in the least and would even invite you to admire me, as I am quite proud of my … package.”

“Oh, God,” I grumbled, shaking my head.
“Just listening to you is giving me a headache.”

“
If you feel insecure with your bosoms, of course, I will cease my attention at once,” the annoying vampire finished with an eloquent and victorious grin.

“I’m perfectly fine with my bosoms!” I roared at him
, immediately feeling idiotic because the word “bosom” didn’t even exist in my vocabulary.

“And so you should be, my paramour,” Sinjin responded, giving me the once-over again. “Your proportions are quite
… spectacular.”

“Anyway
…” I interrupted while gesturing with my hands that I wanted him to get on with the reason why he was here and to do so quickly.

He placed the pile of clothing on the bed. “Perhaps our queen
…” he started.

“Your queen,” I clarified.

Sinjin smiled insincerely. “Perhaps
our
queen hoped I would have better luck in swaying you to accept her generous donations and to …” he glanced at my untouched tray of food before addressing me again, “eat what’s on your plate,” he demanded with a winning, almost boyish smirk. “Have not you heard of those starving in Ethiopia?” His smile turned into a chuckle.

“You won’t have any luck
getting me to eat, period,” I ground out. His easy, flirty, casual manner had gone way beyond grating and was now bordering on the territory of infuriating.

“So you say,” he replied before clearing his throat and glancing down at the bed again. He unfolded the first article of clothing and held it up. “The first specimen requiring your approval appears to be an oversized, red jumper,” he said. My eyes rested on the pink sweatshirt. Apparently someone was color blind.

“Next,” I muttered. Placing the pink sweatshirt aside, he produced a pair of matching sweatpants, but I shook my head. “I don’t do pink.” Hearing me call both articles pink, and not red, Sinjin studied them quizzically before raising his eyebrows in obvious surprise and moving on to the next item.

“Very well, Lady Macbeth, I am quite certain there will be something to appease even your fashion tastes,” he said as he sorted through the pile of pastel-colored clothing. He frowned, as if agreeing his task was as useless as I’d already deemed it.

“I’m not interested in anything Jolie has to offer me,” I said, jutting out my chin in blatant defiance.

“Yes, I see
… well, I cannot blame you for your fashion preferences,” Sinjin announced as he smiled at me again. He clapped his hands together after he eyed me up and down for the umpteenth time. “I, personally, prefer the shade of death as well.”

Inspecting him, I noticed he was completely dressed in black, including a button-down, collared, long-sleeved shirt which he’d tucked into his fitted slacks. “Thanks for the unrequested visit, but you can leave now,” I
told him as my eyes sought the door.

But Sinjin just stood there, studying me. “May I remind you, my
dear, that cleanliness is next to godliness?”

Suddenly mortified,
I wondered if he was accusing me of being dirty or was I starting to stink? I could feel heat flooding my face. “I
have
showered, thank you,” I managed to reply, not able to hold his gaze.

“Perhaps,” Sinjin responded stonily, “but I daresay your clothing has not indulged in such a luxury.”

“This coming from a glorified corpse?” I spat back at him as he dropped his head back and laughed heartily. I, meanwhile, couldn’t get over the fact that he’d basically just told me I stunk. Even after accepting Jolie’s offer to shower each day of my imprisonment, I hadn’t washed my clothes, purely because I had nothing else to wear. Instead, I’d relied on magic to keep them clean each day. However, there was only so much magic could accomplish as far as cleanliness was concerned. Tide and a good washing machine went a lot further.

“At any rate,”
Sinjin continued, “I, the glorified corpse, shall personally claim the responsibility of providing your clothing.”

“Please don’t,” I nearly interrupted him. “Just as I refuse
d to become my sister’s charity case, there’s no way in hell I’m going to willingly become yours.” Looking down at my clothing before looking back up at him again, I added, “I’m perfectly fine wearing what I have on.”

“Another day or less and no one will
want to visit you,” Sinjin pointed out with a lofty expression that turned into a large grin.

“Hopefully that includes you,” I muttered but
figured he was right—I didn’t want to be relegated to wearing dirty clothes for who knew how long?

“It is wise, little heathen, to pick your battles,”
Sinjin started, eyeing me purposely. “And the subject of your clothing should not be one of them.”

“Fine!”
I responded, exasperated. “Get me whatever you want as long as you’ll leave now!” I was annoyed with myself for caving.

“You are welcome,” Sinjin replied
with an elevated brow before shaking his head. “And regarding my departure, I must first discuss one more topic of conversation with you.”

“What?” I g
rumbled, rolling my eyes again. I couldn’t wait for him to leave.

In a split second, Sinjin was instantly in front of me, as in: no more than six inches of air lay between us. He materialized
through the air faster than I thought possible. But, points for me because I didn’t gasp or flinch. I was accustomed to the speed of a vampire. Having sparred with enough of them in the past, I knew what to expect. I narrowed my eyes at him to let him know I wasn’t impressed.

“You saved my life,” he started just as a flash of lightning lit up the sky again and illuminated his face. My attention was riveted onto his ice blue eyes, which appeared to be staring right through me.
It was difficult to hold his intense gaze but I forced myself. I knew Sinjin for what he was—someone who would only respect strength and power. That meant I couldn’t back down.

“I saved your life because there was no alternative,” I managed in a low voice
, not even daring to blink.

The truth was that
I
had
saved Sinjin’s life, but doing so had gone against every moral fiber in my body. After Sinjin had been captured by my people, he was fried by one of our sunlight beams and nearly died in the process. Afterwards, he was taken to our hospital ward where he was hooked up to a blood transfusion machine so we could drain him and donate his blood to one of our sick Daywalkers.

By the time Jolie and I l
ocated Sinjin, he was halfway depleted. But, Sinjin hadn’t been my concern at the time. Only Jolie’s. Instead, my attention had been focused on our camp which was merely seconds away from blowing up, thanks to Jolie’s people breaching it. My main focus had been securing my sister and myself in our bomb shelter. But Jolie had staunchly refused to leave Sinjin’s side. Once I realized the two options I had—either losing my sister or saving the vampire, I opted for the latter. In so doing, I committed an act I always swore I never would: I allowed a vampire to feed on me.

“Regardless of your reasons,” Sinjin said as I took a step back, not comfortable with his proximity. He gripped my wrist and pulled me back to him, even closer than we were before. In fact, we were so close I could feel the frigidity of his breath on my face. “You cannot deny that it was only because of you that I continue to live.” Then he chuckled. “Or, perhaps
it is more fitting to say that because of you, I continue to live as much as a vampire is capable of living.”

I tried to pull my wrist out of his iron grasp, but he wouldn’t release me. “
You shouldn’t thank me,” I started.

“I am not thanking you, little hellion,” Sinjin responded as his eyes bore
d into mine and any semblance of a laugh or smile bled from his lips. “All I
am
saying is that if ever you land in a similar situation, I will return the favor.”

“Don’t bother,” I spat back as I wrestled to free my wrist. “I can take care of myself.”

“I do not doubt it,” he responded and a carnal smile turned up the ends of his lips. In a split second, he yanked me forward, pressing my face up against his chest. Before I could fight him, he gripped the back of my neck and pulled the long strands of my light brown hair to the side, exposing my neck. My heart lodged into my throat as soon as I realized my carotid artery was openly exposed.

But before I could formulate an escape plan, I was overcome by an onslaught of emotions.
It took me a second or so to realize I was now channeling Sinjin’s innermost feelings. When I recognized them for what they were, I had to swallow hard. I could feel his lust like an insatiable hunger. As he held me, every fiber of his being tingled, urging him to touch me and taste me at the same time.

And much though I hated to admit it, something inside of me responded. There was a tingling sensation deep in the pit of my stomach, which seemed to be growing.
I clamped my eyes shut tightly and attempted to fight the feeling even as it refused to be suppressed. My hands fisted at my sides but I couldn’t deny the feelings of excitement as they flowed through me.

“The flavor of your blood on my tongue was a magical experience,” Sinjin whispered into my ear
, causing shivers to race down my spine. “I cannot recall another moment when any woman tasted quite so good as you.”

I recognized the double entendre for what it was. And as soon as my brain registered that thought, I
acknowledged the situation I was in. Sinjin wanted to taste me again, not only my blood, but the rest of my body. It was as obvious to me as his prurient thoughts, which were now ramrodding my mind. But despite being forced into allowing him to taste my blood once, there would never be a second time.

“Don’t even think about it,” I said in an icy tone of voice
as some of my wits returned, and thank God for that.

Sinjin ran the pad of his index finger down my neck, outlining my artery. “Perhaps I could assist you
in overcoming your frequent bouts of insomnia,” he whispered as he dropped his head. “Now.”

My
mind suddenly went blank and I felt my body revert to autopilot. Without another thought, I brought my knee up into his groin as hard as I could. At the same time, I pivoted on my left foot and attempted to jump away from him. Even though he released his hold on my neck as soon as my knee impaled his groin, it was merely a split second later that he gripped me around the waist and yanked me backward, so I was now bent over in front of him.

“You, my little heathen, have broken the first rule
when dealing with an aroused vampire,” Sinjin whispered, his tone of voice both licentious and angry. He continued to grip me around the waist with one arm, while he wrapped his other arm around my shoulders. He yanked me up and backward, so my ass was cocooned between his thighs.

“And what rule would that be?” I quipped, meanwhile devising a way to escape from his hold.

“Do not fight,” he warned me with a hiss. “Fighting only enhances our excitement.”

“This is hardly a fair fight anyway,” I said beneath my breath as my heart pounded in my chest. I strained against him, but his hold was supernaturally strong. “I’m unarmed.”

Sinjin released
me and stepped away. I turned around in an instant, not wanting to leave my back exposed to him. He wrapped his arms across his chest and smiled down at me, revealing his extended canines. “I despise any man who does not fight fairly.” Then he chuckled. “Perhaps when next we spar, we shall do so properly.”

“You’ll just find your heart pierced through with my blade,” I spat back at him.

He narrowed his eyes as his smile broadened. “I will hold you to that boast, my little assassin.” Then his smile dropped and he sighed as he turned on his heel and started for the door. Once he gripped the doorknob, he looked back at me. “I bid you adieu, Poppet’s sister.” With that, he walked out, quietly closing the door behind him.

THREE

T
here was a knock on my door the next evening, at six p.m. “Come in,” I grumbled from where I lay on my bed. I was in the midst of rereading the eight-volume stack of
Vogue
magazines I’d found in the closet for the umpteenth time. Although I didn’t want to admit it, I was relieved to have a visitor. Being stuck in this room by myself day in and day out was taking a toll on my mental health.

The door opened and my sister poked her head in, smiling at me hesitatingly. “Hi,” she said, her blue eyes glittering from her very pretty face. I didn’t think I would ever get used to how much we looked alike. If I had shorter, blond hair, we might
have been able to pass for one another.

“Hi,” I muttered before returning to the article I was reading about how apricot blush was the perfect color to accentuate all skin tones.

“I have some things for you,” Jolie started. She fully entered the room and closed the door behind her, finding it difficult since both of her hands were filled with two enormous shopping bags. I didn’t bother to help her.

“More clothes that I don’t want?”
I asked, shaking my head in frustration as I glanced up from my magazine momentarily, only to return my attention to the article again a second or so later. “I’ll just stay in my own clothes, thanks.” Actually, all I really wanted was to get the hell out of this wretched room. My outfit wasn’t at the top of my list, dirty or not.

“The clothes aren’t mine and they’re not even from me,” Jolie responded somewhat snidely, my foul humor apparently contagious
.
They’re from Sinjin
, she finished in her head as she smiled at me knowingly.

I
looked up at her, momentarily surprised that she was choosing to communicate with me via her thoughts. Then I looked down at the bags she held in her hands and couldn’t stop my eyes from widening. “Um,” I started, amazed that Sinjin would go out of his way to shop for me, especially since we’d only just discussed my limited attire the previous evening. Even though he’d said he was going to get me more clothes, I didn’t really think he was serious. In my experience, shopping and men rarely went hand in hand.

“Everything Sinjin does is over the top,” Jolie laughed as she shook her head in apparent wonder regarding the incredibly handsome vampire. “Moderation doesn’t exist in his vocabulary.” She approached me and plopped both of the large, paper shopping bags on the bed beside me. I closed the
Vogue
magazine and placed it on my bedside table as I sat up. Rubbing the back of my neck, I had no idea what to make of Sinjin’s … gifts. I vacillated between being pissed off at becoming
his
latest charity case, and getting excited at the prospect of something new and clean to wear.

Jolie exhaled like she had a big job ahead of her, but she dug into the bags and produced every sort of workout pants possible—capris, slim-fitted, bootcut, you name it. All of them were dark colors as well—mostly black, but some were charcoal and a few were dark green and blue. They were exactly what I would have picked out for myself. I couldn’t believe how well Sinjin
had managed to pinpoint my taste.

As a soldier, and defender of my people, I never wore any
thing that would restrict my movements, thereby handicapping or preventing me from fighting. And yoga pants were pretty hard to beat when it came to unlimited movement. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d worn a pair of jeans. Come to think of it, I didn’t even own a pair. And dresses or skirts were simply out of the question. I’d never so much as even tried a dress or a skirt on.

“This pair makes thirteen,” Jolie counted as she pulled the final pair of pants from the bag. They looked the least like workout pants. Instead, they were somewhat baggy with a drawstring closure. They were still made out of Spandex, though, and therefore functional. Glancing at the tag, she read: “Lululemon size four.” Then she looked over at me and raised her eyebrows. “Nice that someone I’m related to is a size four.”

“How did he know my size?” I asked, frowning at her. Shaking my head, I couldn’t conceal my surprise.

Jolie shrugged. “He’s Sinjin.” Then she turned to the second bag and pulled out an array of sports bras,
T-shirts and slim-fitted hoodies. “Under Armour, Stella McCartney for Adidas, Lululemon,” she repeated the names on the tags as she eyed me with a smile. “No one could ever accuse Sinjin of possessing anything less than very expensive taste.”

“We only discussed my clothing, or lack thereof, last night,” I said as I tried to figure out how he
’d managed to get all this stuff back here so fast. “And lots of these items would only be available online, since the companies are based in North America.” Even if the websites shipped internationally, there’s no way the items could have arrived so quickly.

“He’s Sinjin,” Jolie said again,
like that was answer enough. She laughed and then shrugged again. “Don’t try to figure him out because you’ll just drive yourself crazy.” She sighed and a big smile brightened her face as, apparently, she thought about the vampire. “Sinjin is an enigma.”

“I’m not interested in figuring him out anyway,” I replied with a frown. “He’s nothing to me,” I added, just to make sure she and I were on the same page. Well, really, just to make sure I was on the same page with myself. Yes, I
’d had to remind myself more than once that Sinjin was no friend of mine.

The sad truth was: in the few hours of sleep I
’d gotten after Sinjin left me alone, he’d featured in all of my dreams. And one or two of them hadn’t exactly been rated PG, much to my bewildered chagrin.

“Hey,” I started, remembering something. “Do you know what a bête noir is?”

Jolie eyed me skeptically at first before the expression dissipated from her eyes. “Sinjin called you that?” I just nodded as she started to laugh and shook her head like she wasn’t surprised. The fact that she appeared to be close to the vampire suddenly irritated me. It riled me mostly because no blood relation of mine should have been dumb enough to trust a vampire. That was rule number one.

“A bête noir is someone who is disliked by other peo
ple,” she answered, doing her best to suppress an annoying grin.

“
Hmm, interesting,” I said with a frown as anger began growing inside me. Someone who was disliked by other people! Sinjin Sinclair had nerve!

“It’s Sinjin’s way of flirting with you,” she added, as if to say I shouldn’t be alarmed by his name games. “Don’t take it too personally.”

“I’m not taking it personally because I don’t care,” I answered indifferently, my jaw set tight. “Like I said before, he’s nothing to me. He’s my enemy as much as anyone else here is.”

She nodded as she looked at me, but seemed a little dejected. “Anyway, I’m sure you’re eager to get out of those clothes and into something new and clean,” she began. I didn’t respond so she continued. “And I bet you’d appreciate a shower too?”

“Yes,” I answered quickly. I was mostly excited by the prospect of getting out of my room because it was starting to make me claustrophobic. I wasn’t used to being indoors for extended periods of time. Usually, I was outside, teaching our tribespeople how to fight, or use their magic, or brave the elements. That or I’d be out running, each day trying to better my own speed record.

“Well, pick out what you want to wear for the day and I’ll lead the way,” Jolie said with another tentative smile. She clapped her hands together, but her expression suggested there was something she
wasn’t telling me. And if there was anything I knew about myself, I knew I was good at reading people.

“Why do I detect
that you have another reason for this visit besides dropping off gifts and asking me if I want to shower?” I asked while dropping the magazine on the bed beside me and studying her pointedly.

“Um, well,” she started, but
clomped her lips together as if she wasn’t sure how to word her response.

“Spit it out,” I demanded as I looked down at the bed,
which was now covered in clothes. I reached for the Lululemon pull-string, navy blue pants and an Under Armour sports bra in a charcoal grey. Since it was nighttime, and damn cold in Scotland, I also opted for the heaviest of the hoodies, which happened to be black.

“I’ve asked my panel of advisors to meet this evening,” Jolie started, studying me curiously.

“Okay,” I
answered as I tore the tags off the various items of clothing, not sure why my sister’s panel of advisors had anything to do with me. “So where do I fit in?”

“I want to introduce them to you and you to them,” she explained, setting her chin out defiantly, as if she expected me to argue or protest.

Looking over at her, I didn’t try to mask my surprise because I had no idea why she would want her panel of advisors to meet me, or vice versa. “Do you normally introduce your prisoners to your friends?” I asked. Struggling with one of the plastic tags, I gripped it between my teeth and tugged at the plastic, feeling it yield to my bite. I spat out the plastic end and then pulled the other half from the waistband of the pants.

“Bryn, I don’t want you to be my prisoner,” she replied, shaking her head and opening her arms wider in a submissive gesture.

“That’s all fine and great,” I started with a sigh, “but it begs the question of what, exactly, do you want me to be?” I draped the clothes over my arm and started for the door, letting her know in no uncertain terms that I was ready to get the hell out of my room.

“I don’t know,” she answered as s
he nodded and followed me. She seemed frustrated by her response or maybe it was just the situation in general. I didn’t know and I told myself I didn’t care. “I have to …” she began as she gave me an apologetic smile, but I already knew what was coming. It was the same thing she did every time she escorted me to the bathroom.

“I know,” I said. I closed my eyes and allowed her to momentarily blind me with her magic. That way, she could lead me to the bathroom without me seeing my surroundings. “Is this really necessary? It’s not like we ever venture beyond the confines of this
house anyway,” I pointed out.

“The house has windows,” she answered.

“I already know I’m in Scotland.”

“Okay, but do you know where in Scotland you are?”

“Point taken,” I grumbled.

“This will only take a second,” she said. I could feel the energy from her hands as it radiated over my face. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t have to—
it was more than obvious that her magic was working on me. After a gentle breeze caressed my face, I couldn’t see anything but the blackness of my own eyelids.

Jolie took my hand and a burst of energy inst
antly traveled up my arm. I immediately wanted to pull away from her, but couldn’t in my current state—or I’d probably end up walking headlong into the wall. “Do you feel that?” I asked.

“I feel it every time we touch each other,” she replied calmly. “I have a feeling that our powers are magnetically attracted and
, together, they probably create more power exponentially.”

“Hmm,” I answered, thinking the same thing, but preferring not to admit it.

She removed the magical wards that were obstructing the door to ensure I was kept in place, and led me out of my room. As far as I could surmise, and from the information I’d gleaned after reading the minds of the guards outside my door, I was in some sort of guest house located somewhere on the main property of Jolie’s headquarters. The guards were usually eating when I listened in on their conversations, so I knew there was a kitchen just down the hall from my room. The restroom was beside the kitchen.

“How many bedrooms does this place have?” I asked as I inched along, feeling unsure of myself without my vision to rely on.
But Jolie’s grip was firm and sure and, in the end, I just allowed myself to be led by her even though it didn’t please me.

“Two,” Jolie answered.

“What do you think about putting me in the other bedroom just for a change of scenery?” I muttered. I continued to take baby steps down the hallway. “I’m sick to death of being pent up in that bedroom all day long with not a damned thing to do.”

“No,” Jolie answered immediately. I was suddenly flooded with the feeling that the other room had bad energy,
like something negative must’ve happened there. I flashed on a dark-haired woman just as the information that she was Jolie’s prisoner crossed my mind.