The Sacrifice (37 page)

Ten
minutes later, the glow left Riana
’
s body and she swam
to shore. “I
’
d like to explain how incredible I feel, but it
’
s
indescribable.
” Her voice was
low, permeated with pure lust. She wrapped her arms around him and rubbed her
wet, bare body against his. “I
’
d rather show you. I
’
ll
explode if you
’
re not inside me this instant.”

Vind
looked down at her sultry expression. “That
’
s why we
’
re
transporting to a nearby cave.”

“Cy,”
she moaned. “
I don’
t think I
can
wait.”

Vind
picked up the gown and held it out for her to slip her arms through, and then
draped the coat over her shoulders. He picked her up and transported them back
to his castle. Her lips trailed soft kisses down his neck as he carried her
down to the cells. He motioned with his head for the guard to open Cy
’
s cell
door.

As Cy looked up and saw them, raw fury
flashed in his eyes. Unable to speak with the large ball inside his mouth, an
angry guttural rumble came from his throat.

Vind gave him an amused smile and laid
Riana on the granite table in the center of the cell.

“Cy,
what
’
s that noise?” Riana asked.

“It
’
s
only an animal outside the cave entrance,” Vind replied.

“Come
here,” she said, pulling him to her by the front of his shirt. “I
’
ve
waited long enough to have you inside me.”

Vind
laughed.
“If you insist.” He
looked at Cy
’
s tortured face and savored the moment that would
rip apart his brother
’s soul.

Vind
laid Riana on a stone table in the center of the cell. Pain lacerated through
Cy
’
s chest as if someone had ripped out his heart. If
he couldn
’
t stop Vind, he
’
d never forgive
himself. He
’
d known from the beginning he should
’
ve
walked away, that their relationship put her in danger. But he
’
d
foolishly convinced himself he could protect her, never believing it would come
to this.

Cy
fought with every ounce of strength to break free. Until weakness overcame him
and his body hung limp from the shackles. Guilt and regret consumed him. His
inability to protect Riana would surely destroy him. He
’
d
never been this helpless in his life.

Anger
burned in Cy
’
s gut. What was happening to Riana was as much his
own fault as it was Vind
’
s. She was young and innocent. He
’
d
seen her soul, had seen her pure heart.
If she realizes what
’
s happened after this spell wears off, it
’
ll destroy her, too.
For her sake, he hoped she
’
d always believe it
was him with her now.

The
love on Riana
’
s face as she kissed Vind, believing it was him,
caused bile to rise in Cy
’
s throat. Then Vind unzipped his pants. Cy
screamed around the gag, and violently jerked the chains holding him in place.

Riana
hesitated and stared at Vind with wary eyes. “Cy, that noise sounds like it
’
s
inside. Are you sure we
’
re the only ones in this cave?”

“Yes,” Vind replied. “This make-shift
bed I set up for us rattles when we move.”

“Oh,” she said, then wrapped her long
legs around his waist and pulled him closer to her core.

Riana
had heard the noise he
’
d made for the first time since entering the cell.
A new surge of hope energized Cy, and he erupted into a constant, repetitive
rattle of the chains. Maybe the spell was beginning to wear off. But for some
reason, she believed every explanation Vind spouted.

Vind
looked at him with a callous grin, and then rammed himself into Riana
’
s
body.

Cy
released an arduous scream as Vind hammered into the only woman he
’
d
ever loved. What had he done to deserve this torment? He was a strong, capable
person who
’
d always tried to do the right thing. He was the
future Sivadian king, for God
’
s sake. He should have more power than anyone on
this planet. Vind was right about one thing, hiding out as a Protector had been
his way of rejecting the throne. And he
’
d used the promise to
his father as an excuse. Maybe this was his punishment. If he survived, he
would accept his position as king. Then he
’
d create an army of
Protectors large enough to wipe Vind and his feeders from the face of the
Earth, once and for all.

Riana
buried her face in Vind
’
s neck. Cy froze as her fangs released and she hit
his vein. The moment his blood touched her lips, Riana
’
s
head jerked back. She pushed at his shoulders and stared into his eyes. She
kicked Vind across the room and flipped off the side of the granite table in
one fluid move. Her eyes widened as she looked down at her naked body.

Cy
rattled the chains and Riana
’
s head jerked toward him. Her mouth fell open and
she looked back at Vind, her mind obviously grasping for answers. She lunged
toward Cy, her hands holding his bloody, swollen face. “Cy?” she asked.

Her tortured gaze searched his eyes
for answers. Unable to make a sound, Cy blinked and nodded.

As
panic flashed on Riana
’
s face, she jerked helplessly at the chains
securing him to the wall.

Vind
stepped toward her, grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. “You now
carry my child, Riana. I
’
ve told you all along you
’
d
be the one to produce my heir. You chose not to take me at my word.”

Riana tried to jerk from his grip, but
he held her in place. Her fist ineffectively beat at his chest. Without
warning, she brought her knee up hard against his groin.

Way
to go, baby! He had taught her that move during their time at the compound.

Vind turned her loose and doubled over
in pain.

“When
I
’
m through, it
’
ll be the only child
you father!” she screamed. She grasped her fists together and brought both down
hard across the back of his neck.

Vind
hesitated, then straightened with rage in his eyes and backhanded her. She hit
the stone floor with a loud thud. He reached and lifted her around the waist
with one arm. She kicked and screamed, “
You bastard, I’
ll kill
you.”

As Vind dematerialized with Riana, Cy
sagged against the stone wall. The weight of their combined emotions felt as if
he were beneath a mountain of rock.

Tears ran down his face. After Riana
had realized what happened, Cy witnessed the kind of brave, determination it
took to not only survive, but to come back with a vengeance. She was a strong
Sivadian female, his life-mate, and his soul.

***

As they materialized inside her room,
Vind threw Riana onto the bed. He grabbed the necklace-bomb from the dresser
and stalked toward her.

She scampered across the bed to get
away.

Vind
grabbed her ankle, jerked her toward him and then straddled her, pinning her to
the bed. “I
’
m putting this on you, Riana. You can either allow
it, or I
’
ll beat you unconscious and put it on. What
’
s
it going to be?”

Riana
glared at him. Cy
’
s swollen, bloodied face sprang to mind. If Vind
beat her, she couldn
’
t help Cy.
“How does someone get as nefarious as you—make a pact with the
devil? Neither of them moved for a moment.

A
venomous smile lifted Vind
’
s mouth. “Why would I make a pact with myself?” He
wrapped one long, powerful arm around her shoulders and held her in place while
he put the necklace on her with the other. He turned her loose and crawled off
the bed without saying a word. Then strode from the room and locked the door
behind him.

Tears
burned Riana
’
s eyes. The moment she
’
d
realized who Vind was, Cy
’
s pain slammed into her like she
’
d
hit a cement wall at a hundred miles an hour. How could she not have sensed it
before? The last time she
’
d known Vind was himself…was when he
’
d
brought the girl in for her massage. Afterwards, everything seemed like a
distant dream. Somehow, that masseuse distorted her reality.

Riana
shook her head. How could she ever look Cy in the face after this? She didn
’
t
deserve him. Her hand went to her stomach. Even if they somehow survived, she
couldn
’
t become Cy
’
s wife carrying Vind
’
s
demon spawn inside her.

She
glanced at the clock. It was after midnight. If Iggy didn
’
t
return with help soon, Cy would die. He looked like he
’
d
been tortured since his capture. He only wore jeans, and they were covered with
dried blood. His face so swollen, he was unrecognizable. But her soul
recognized him. The moment Vind
’
s blood had hit her lips, she
’
d
known. Somehow it slapped her out of the trance he
’
d
put her in.

Arrogance
seeped from Vind when he
’
d told her she carried his child. He had
accomplished his goal and loved rubbing their faces in it. He had her and Cy
exactly where he wanted, completely helpless and at his mercy. Mercy they both
knew Vind didn
’
t possess.

***

Riana
forced her eyes open. Light from the window shot pain through her head, making
it feel as if she
’
d been on a three-day bender. The harsh reality of
last night
’
s events came flooding back.

Iggy
had never returned with word of her father. She hoped he was safe. She
’
d
fallen asleep trying to come up with a way to get Cy out of this hell. If they
tortured him again, he
’
d die. Her heart clenched at the thought.

Wondering
what time it was, she turned and glanced at the clock beside the bed.
“Four-thirty pm?” She
’
d never slept this long. Vind had either drugged her,
or the lack of nutrition had finally caught up with her.

Riana
slowly sat up and dangled her feet off the side of the bed. Her head pounded
and she fought the urge to lie back down. She forced herself to stand. The room
tilted and nausea threatened with each step toward the bathroom. She wanted to
take a shower, stay for however long it took to wash the feel of Vind
’
s
hands from her body. But there wasn
’
t enough soap and
water in the world to accomplish that.

As
she waited for the shower to get hot, she caught her reflection in the mirror.
Her eyes were blood shot and puffy with large dark circles beneath them.
Probably all the hits she
’
d taken to the face. She not only felt like hell,
she looked like it too.

Riana
stepped under the forceful spray of hot water, letting the warmth soothe the
pain in her head and her heart. She had to come up with a plan to get Cy out of
there. Fear threatened to consume her, as she mentally chronicled the visible
injuries on Cy
’
s body. His skin was gray and from the amount
swelling in his face, he more than likely had a concussion. That, coupled with
extensive blood loss told her he wouldn
’
t survive much
longer.

If
she had the strength to rescue Cy, she
’
d have to ask Alpheus
to bring her some synthetic blood. After Cy was safe, she would starve Vind
’
s
evil spawn from her body. She
’
d need to give Cy her blood in order for him to
escape. She
’
d just give him enough to end her life.
Problem
solved.
Cy would never consciously drain her. If she could get to him, cut
her wrist and hold it to his mouth, his natural instinct to nourish his cells
would kick in. She
’
d be dead before he came around enough to know
what had happened.