Trueblood 01-The-Consolation-Prize (16 page)

Selena smiled. “Soon I’m going to have everything I want.”

Chloe guessed that was a baby, courtesy of Luka. It seemed Selena didn’t yet know that Luka had gone.

Selena sniffed and Chloe tensed under the sheet.

“Who’ve you been fucking?”

“They’re all such hunks that give the treatments,” Chloe said, her heart hammering under her fist as she clutched the sheet to her chest. “Brilliant notion transforming the hall into a health spa. I love the pool. Did you have to get planning permission?”

Selena continued to sniff and Chloe knew she’d not put her off.
Don’t ask me for a name
, she pleaded silently. The only guy here that Chloe knew was Matt.

“Which hunk took your fancy?”

Oh God
. “Matt.”

“The gardener. Be careful, he belongs to someone else.”

“I haven’t fed off him,” Chloe said. The last thing she needed was a jealous Eve rushing in.

“You look like you could do with a meal.”

Chloe nodded. “In fact, if you’ll excuse me, I think I better go and pick up another bag or two.

You know what it’s like when you wake. Thirsty, thirsty, thirsty.”

Selena gave her a curious look and then walked to the door. Chloe’s throat was parched. She needed Selena to leave so she could drink the water. Was she going to get away with this?

As Selena reached for the handle, the door sprang open. Only her vampire speed stopped it hitting her in the face. Eve and Krista stood there, pressed close together, in blue and green negligees and quivering like oversized hummingbirds. Chloe’s heart slipped into hyperspeed.

There could only be one reason for their anxiety. They’d discovered Luka had gone. Chloe told herself not to panic. There was no reason for them to suspect she’d had a hand in his disappearance. No one knew about the passageways.

“What is it?” Selena asked.

“Luka’s gone,” the pair blurted in unison.

“He can’t have gone.”

She sounded so confident the two in front of her exchanged confused looks. Krista nudged Eve.

“The room’s empty,” Eve mumbled.

“We checked under the bed,” Krista said.

Selena seemed to grow in stature. Chloe tried to make herself look small.

“Did one of you idiots unchain him?”

“No. The chains are lying on the floor. He must have somehow gotten the strength to break them or someone helped him,” said Krista.

“The door was still locked,” Eve added.

“How the hell could he be strong enough to break the chains?” Selena raged. “He couldn’t be.

He could barely lift his head. Someone must have broken them for him.”

“Or made him strong enough,” said Kristen. “But the door was locked.”

Oh shut up
. Chloe didn’t want Selena picking up on that.

Eve scented the air. “What’s that smell?”

Selena glanced at Chloe and gave a grim smile. “I think she’s been helping herself to your mortal.”

“Matt?” Eve moved further into the room and sniffed again.

Chloe was so deep in the shit she’d lost sight of daylight. This wasn’t the sort of distraction she had in mind.

Kristen moved to her side. “Why does she need a bottle of water?”

Oh fuck
.

“I can’t smell Matt,” Eve said. “But I can smell a mortal. What’s she doing here?”

Selena turned to face Chloe. “You’re not a vampire?”

Chloe was as surprised as Selena that she hadn’t been able to tell.

“Course she’s not,” Krista said. “Only an idiot --”

Selena’s killer glare cut off Krista’s comment and Eve’s snort.

“I can smell Luka,” Krista said.

Chloe cowered under Selena’s exploding malevolence.

“You,” she snarled. “You’ve been with Luka. It was you who helped him escape. Where the fuck is he?”

Chloe was drowning, no swimming possible. She was going down like a stone, no way back to the surface. She might as well tell the truth. Annoying Selena would make her feel better and that might be the last pleasure she had. “He’s gone.”

Selena loomed over Chloe. “Gone where?”

Her eyes had done the same thing as Luka’s -- bled into the iris. Not good.

“No idea.”

Selena stared at Chloe. “
Tell me
.”

As the command trampled into her brain, Chloe flung up her mind wall, brick upon brick. “
Fuck
you, Grandma
.”

Selena screeched in rage. “You took blood from the kitchen to give Luka. That was how he became strong enough to break free.”

Before anyone thought to stop her, Chloe made a grab for the water and took a long swig. Her desert-dry throat tingled with relief. She might be going to die, but she she’d be damned if she’d die thirsty.

“How did you know where he was?” Selena asked.

“I was exploring the hall, seeing what changes had been made. I stood outside the door of the old store room and this voice told me to go inside.”

“Voice?” Selena eyed her suspiciously.

“In my head,” Chloe said.

“The door was open?”

Eve and Krista started backing out of the room.

“Yes,” Chloe said.

“Did I pick the most brainless vampires on the planet?” Selena screamed.

“We kept the door locked,” Eve said. “It was locked when we got there tonight.”

“It was open,” Chloe insisted. “Where would I get a key?”

“Get out, you imbeciles. I’ll deal with you later.” Selena waited until they’d gone and then turned back to Chloe.

“Did you really think you could get away with this?”

But she nearly had gotten away with it. It would all have been okay if Luka had taken her with him when he woke.

“Did he fuck you?” Selena asked, and didn’t wait for an answer. “Of course he did. That’s why he was able to resist Eve and Krista for so long. He was fucking you.” She began to pace. “No, that’s not right. Until he was flat on his back that wouldn’t have been possible. Well, unless you’re acrobatic.” She moved around the bed. “You were sucking him off. Stealing his seed from me.”

The look on her face was so venomous Chloe thought she was going to wet herself. She couldn’t spare the liquid.

“Oh dear, now he doesn’t need you anymore.” Selena pouted and shook her head. “You fed him and he’s gone.”

Chloe said nothing. Selena walked around the room as she spoke, picking up Chloe’s things, looking at them and then dropping them again.

“Did he promise to turn you? He lied. He wouldn’t take the risk. The Council would fry him. He doesn’t want you, Chloe.”

“I know.” The iron sleeve tightened around Chloe’s heart.

“I wish he did care about you, then I could use you to lure him back, but you’re worthless to me.”

“I’ll go home,” Chloe said. “I won’t say anything.” Worth a try.

Selena moved so fast Chloe’s head spun. She knelt on the bed, her face hovering inches in front of Chloe’s. “But you are home, my sweet. This place is yours.”

Selena pressed her finger on Chloe’s head to turn her face towards her, then ran a sharp red-painted nail down her cheek. Chloe cried out as her skin tore and knew it was Selena who’d done that to Luka.

“You were supposed to die too.” Selena’s voice was soft and melodic as though she was telling a fairy story not a tale of horror. “How was I to know that you’d take it into your stupid, childish head to sit outside all night?”

Chloe gasped.

“The boiler wasn’t difficult to adjust. A decrepit antiquity because your grandfather was too tightfisted to fork out for a new one. A few knobs tweaked, a hose slid out of its casing, a pilot light extinguished. I expected to come back from Scotland to find you all dead in your beds.

What a disappointment.”

“You bitch.”

Chloe bubbled with anger. She raised her fist and Selena caught her wrist before it moved off the bed. One squeeze and Chloe writhed in agony.

“Twice in my life you’ve thwarted me. The first time didn’t really matter in the long run. When I refused to look after you, the local authority care home had to take you. I didn’t even have to forge the will. Washburn Hall was mine until you were twenty-one.”

Chloe knew she’d been better off in care than in Selena’s control. And the hall was hers? She felt a surge of joy that her grandfather hadn’t entirely lost his senses.

“I’m well over twenty-one,” Chloe said. “Seems like you’re trespassing. Get out.”

Selena laughed. She released Chloe’s wrist and ran her hand under the sheet down the side of Chloe’s naked body.

“Luka fucked me too. Did he tell you? I had his huge dick inside me, pumping and thrusting.

He’s quite an animal.”

“You raped him.”

“He fucked me,” Selena snapped.

“You raped him and he didn’t come. You didn’t get his seed. You’re not pregnant.” The words hit like barbs and Chloe watched in satisfaction when Selena flinched.

“I might not be pregnant now, but I will be.”

“Not by Luka.”

Selena brought her face close to Chloe’s. “Why are you defending him? He left you here. He could have taken you with him and chose not to. Why didn’t he?”

“It was like you said. He got what he wanted. He doesn’t need me anymore.”

Chloe kept her voice flat and willed her pulse to beat in a steady rhythm. She wanted to give no hint to Selena that she might still be of use.

Selena shook her head. “No, that’s not true.” She furrowed her brow. “Why did he leave you?

You helped him, brought him blood. Why didn’t he take you?”

“I don’t know,” Chloe said.

“I think you do. Luka is a member of an ancient clan. His sense of duty and honor are very strong. If he left you, it means he doesn’t trust you.” Selena grinned. “He thinks you -- tricked him.”

Damn
. “He said he’d come back.” Chloe tried to edge away from her and failed.

“Oh dear, so I can’t let you go.”

Chloe knew Selena hadn’t been going to release her, but an idea had slipped into her mind, a chance to save her neck -- literally. If she was of no use to Selena, she’d be killed. They wouldn’t take the risk of her going to the authorities. If Selena kept her there, Chloe could use the passageways to escape. As long as they didn’t tie her up.

“Why would he come back? Not for you,” Selena said.

“No, for you. He’s a proud man and you chained him up. He’s pissed off.”

Selena pulled away. Chloe hadn’t thought about it before, but she knew she was right. Luka wouldn’t let Selena get away with what she’d done.

“If I went to the authorities, they’d either commit me to a mental asylum or send a load of police out here to look around. Maybe both. Vampire authorities are a different matter. If Luka reports you to the Council, you’ll be in trouble.”

Selena laughed. Not the response Chloe was hoping for.

“You think he’s going to admit what happened to him? No, he might come for me, but he’d definitely come back for you if he thinks you’re an innocent in this. All I need to do is let him know that you knew nothing about what was going on and he’ll return. He’ll walk right into my hands.”

Shit
. “Leave him alone.”

Selena smiled, this time her fangs showed. “Oh, how sweet. You think you love him.”

“I don’t love him, but I don’t like what you tried to do to him.”

“How could any man not want to spend his time fucking beautiful women? He must be the only vampire able to resist the urge to come. No matter. I’ll find a way to milk him of his seed.”

“Why?”

“Because many of us want children. Why should we be denied? Luka would have surrendered eventually.”

“Leave him alone -- Grandmother.” Annoying her was the only way Chloe could fight back.

“Don’t call me that,” Selena snarled.

“What would you prefer? Grandma, Granny, Gran? How about Nana?”

“Oh, Chloe. You really shouldn’t upset me.”

Chloe had a plan but as Selena’s mouth moved towards her, she had no time to regret not thinking of an alternative. Selena bit down and Chloe screamed.

“She’s going to kill her!”

“Whose plan was this anyway?”

“Yours, Phoebe.”

“Was not. We need a new one. Now.”

An intense pain stabbed the front of Luka’s head, his vision blurred, and he slammed his foot on the brake. He almost ran into the car in front. The pain vanished as quickly as it had appeared, but the near accident didn’t help his temper. His mind was in turmoil. Should he approach the Council and tell them everything? Confess that he was a pathetic idiot, because despite the holy water injection, the silver chains, and the whipping with the siltrane, the truth was that he’d been held captive by a few female vamps who wanted to hire him out to anyone who’d pay the fee.

If he wouldn’t or couldn’t perform, they intended to milk him like some prize bull. Luka had a sudden image of him being attached to a contraption that wanked him off every hour, on the hour. He shuddered. If he went to the Council with his story, he’d be a laughing stock, the fact that his life had hung in the balance, irrelevant.

On the other hand, if Selena and her inept duo with the help of a more adept Chloe had managed to get hold of his seed, they might already have been busy with the turkey basters. Just because he hadn’t found a receptacle in Chloe didn’t mean there hadn’t been one. Luka’s little swimmers could at this very moment be elbowing their way into receptive eggs and Selena would be one rich bitch. The Council would accept no excuse for him fathering a child -- God, maybe hundreds of the things. For all Luka knew, there were a whole load of vamps lined up waiting to be inseminated. It sounded like that from what he’d heard Selena say on the phone.

How the hell had she found out he was a Trueblood? Why hadn’t he stayed long enough to ask her? Luka was annoyed he’d left without getting to the bottom of his abduction. He was so pissed off with Chloe he hadn’t been thinking straight. What was Chloe going to get out of it?

Money? She didn’t strike him as being materialistic. Luka groaned when he thought of her. She was damned good, pretending not to believe vampires existed. Pretending to faint, even going so far as to make her head bleed. Pretending to care about him and all that messing around with the bolt cutters. An elaborate charade. Wasn’t it?