Blood Submission (Deathless Night Series Book 5) Page 15

  The doors opened and he led her to the apartment Luukas had allotted to him when Dante had agreed to join his Hunters. He’d stayed there for a total of three painstaking days and nights, then he’d burrowed out his own lair below the building. It was too exposed upstairs, too open, too high off the ground. He didn’t trust it. It made him twitchy, in spite of Luuk’s assurances that it was completely safe for them and the building was secure. The windows even had a special gas between the panes to protect them from its rays, just in case the blackout blinds and curtains weren’t enough. In their homes, he’d told Dante, they could enjoy the daylight if they so chose. However, most of them still slept throughout the day, not waking until the sun went down. All except Dante. He rarely slept anymore.

  Punching in the code to get into the apartment, he pushed open the door and ushered her in before one of the others on his floor saw them. The animals came running to greet them from where they’d been sunning themselves on the rug in front of the large window, enjoying the warmth.

  Laney took one step inside, sucked in a quick breath, and turned and pushed him back out the door. It closed in the dog’s face with a soft click. “It’s day,” she exclaimed. “You can’t go in there! The sun—”

  “Can’t hurt me here,” he finished. A peculiar warmth filled him that had nothing to do with the sun flooding the apartment, making his throat swell and cutting off anything more he was about to say. He must be thirsty. Punching in the code again, he re-opened the door and pulled her inside.

  She stalled out in the foyer, just outside the ring of sunshine, her hand on his arm. “Dante.” The worry in her tone was obvious, in spite of his assurance.

  It occurred to him for the first time that she was familiar with vampires. Now that he thought about it, though she was frightened of him at times, she’d never been particularly surprised. He shook off her hand and steeled himself. Though his limbs suddenly felt like they were weighted down with lead, he forced himself to walk over to the window. The dog followed happily on his heels, tail wagging with excitement. Standing directly in the pool of weak morning sunlight, Dante turned to her and spread out his arms.

  See?

  She took a panicked step toward him and stopped, watching. Once she had assured herself that he wasn’t about to burst into flame, she bent down and picked up the cat that was winding in and out of her legs. Holding him close as he purred with contentment and rubbed his nose on her chin, she came inside.

  Dante stepped out of the ring of light, lightheaded with relief. He would never get fucking used to that.

  She kept her face carefully blank as she looked around. As he followed her gaze, he could imagine why: the apartment was completely devoid of furniture or decoration. The only room he’d furnished was the bedroom. There was no point in doing the rest of it, as he was rarely there. Not even during those first three days. The place didn’t even have barstools.

  An unreasonable anger filled him at her continued timidity. “Come,” he ordered, and headed to the bedroom. Going into the closet, he found some clean clothes that would fit her—a heavy T-shirt and sweatpants with a string tie. “I don’t have any underthings for you,” he said over his shoulder when he heard her follow him into the room. “But these are at least clean until we can wash your clothes.”

  “I have some in my backpack,” she said quietly. “Clothes, that is. I just didn’t want to change until I could shower.”

  He put his things back without a word, and tried not to show the disappointment he felt at her refusal of his offer. There was no reason for it. Stepping out of the closet, he pointed to the other door. “The bathroom is there. You should find everything you need.”

  Laney stared at him in disbelief, but only for a second, and then she set the cat on the bed and went in and closed the door. He heard the lock click, and couldn’t help but smile. She knew a lock wouldn’t keep him out, but her point had been made. Dante traded looks with the dog, and they headed back out to the other room and gave her some privacy. Careful to avoid the direct light, he hit the button on the wall and kept off to the side as the small motor began to hum, drawing dark curtains across the large wall of windows. It only made him feel mildly more secure.

  He pulled out the rest of the sandwiches he’d stashed in the fridge and put them on the counter with a glass of water, then he fed and watered the pets. After that, there was nothing to do but wait. Dante leaned against the kitchen counter and amused himself by watching the cat trying to instigate a wrestling match with his canine friend by batting at the dog’s nose.

  He remained far away from the windows, even with the curtains closed. His skin was still prickling with unease from the first time. He was too old to ever feel comfortable with the modern conveniences younger vampires enjoyed. Even if the entire apartment was walled in and sun proof, he wouldn’t feel safe. It was too far up off the ground. Too dangerous. There was no way out if the elevator stopped and the stairway got blocked somehow. Dante paced the length of the kitchen. He felt trapped.

  But he didn’t dwell on what he had done by bringing her up to the apartment. What was done was done. She was here. Examining the reasons why would not make him feel any easier about it. And it would not change his mind as to her purpose in his life.

  About twenty minutes passed before he heard the water shut off, and it was another seven minutes before Laney came out, not that he was watching the clock. Her hair was damp and she had changed into her own pair of loose, gray, cotton pants and a pullover sweatshirt with a “Save The Earth” logo. The shirt had a “V” neckline and was tight enough to show off her breasts, and the pants did nothing to hide her figure as she walked toward him. Her stride was naturally graceful, and he knew she was completely unaware of how captivating she was to him, no matter what she was wearing. His gums pricked as his fangs extended in response to her scent, even masked as it was with the soap she’d used. He didn’t move a muscle, but let his eyes wander up and down her form and back again, glad that he’d changed into more comfortable pants earlier when his manhood responded to the stunning sight in front of him. He didn’t even try to hide it.

  He pointed with his chin at the sandwiches on the counter. “Eat.”

  Her eyes dropped down to the growing bulge in his pants, her nostrils flaring as though she found his own scent just as alluring.

  “Eat, Laney,” he growled.

  Keeping the island countertop between them, she picked up a sandwich and unwrapped it. Pausing with it halfway to her mouth, she glanced up at him. “Thank you for the shower.” Then she shoved half of it into her mouth, quickly followed by the remainder. Still chewing, she unwrapped another sandwich and stuck it in her mouth.

  Dante frowned as he was hit with a sinking feeling. “Am I not feeding you enough?”

  Color suffused her face and neck, causing his own blood to heat. The speed of his responses to every little thing she felt made him grind his teeth. She swallowed the mouthful she’d been chewing and her hands, still holding half a sandwich, fell to the counter. “I’m sorry,” she told him. “I was just hungry. Not very ladylike, I know.”

  “I don’t give a fuck about you being a lady. Am I not feeding you enough?”

  She opened her mouth, but then closed it again without saying anything.

  Pushing off the counter, he walked around the island and took her chin in his fingers. “If you are hungry, you need to tell me. I’m not trying to starve you.” He was surprised to find that after all of his soul searching the night before, this was now true. “I’m just…I’m just not used to this. To providing for someone other than myself.”

  Her forehead creased and an expression of uncertainty crossed her features. “You weren’t there for me to tell,” she whispered. “I thought you were, I called to you, but you weren’t there.”

  A knife, hot and sharp, stabbed him in the chest at her words. His vampire instincts to protect and care for his mate roared to the surface. She had needed him, and he had failed her.

  “It won’t happen again,” he swore with vehemence.

  Laney searched his face with wide brown eyes. “Okay.”

  Feeling slightly off in this newfound role, he nodded, and indicated for her to keep eating. They passed the rest of the time in silence. When she was finished, he said, “Get your stuff.”

  She stiffened mid-way through crumpling up the third sandwich wrapper. “Where are we going?”

  “I’m taking you back underground.”

  “Why?”

  Dante ground his jaw together. He wasn’t used to being questioned, especially not by one he considered inferior, mate or no mate. “Because I am.” His tone of voice should have warned her that he was not in the mood for a discussion, but true to form, Laney didn’t heed the warning.

  “I don’t want to go back down there. I won’t. I want to stay here. I want to have food, and a shower, and a real bed, and my cat.”

  No. There was no fucking way he was leaving her up here. She wasn’t some princess to be kept in an ivory tower. “Do what you need to do and get your bag. We’re leaving.”

  “Dante, please.”

  “NOW,” he roared.

  To her credit, she only jumped a little. Without another word she stomped back into the bedroom, coming out a few minutes later with her backpack hanging over one shoulder. Crossing her arms, she stood waiting by the entry. She refused to look at him. Dante could feel the helplessness emanating from her. But overriding it was rage. It appeared a shower and some food had done wonders to revive her sagging spirit.

  Thank the gods. Her little submissive act had made his stomach turn. He would be sure to keep her well fed and clean from now on. For he was discovering that he didn’t want to subdue his little mouse, after all. Trap her, yes. Break her, no.

  Silently telling the pets he’d be back soon, he walked past her and opened the front door. He checked that the hallway was empty before he indicated for her to come with him. With a look that would cower a lesser male, she stalked out into the hall and to the elevator. Luckily, she waited until they were inside before arguing with him more.

  “Why do I have to go back down here?”

  “Because it’s where I live.”

  “It’s not where I live.”

  “It is now, little mouse.” With that statement, she deflated in front of his eyes. The elevator dinged, the doors opened, and he stepped out but kept his arm there for her so she could exit. He should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy.

  Staying right where she was, she swallowed hard. With a steady gaze, she stated, “I’d rather you just kill me then keep me here like an animal for the next forty years.”

  Her words struck him deep. In a gruff voice, he ordered her out of the elevator. “Out. Now.”

  She backed up until she hit the wall and shook her head. “No.”

  “Laney,” he warned.

  “I can’t go back in there,” she cried in desperation. “I can’t!”

  “You have to,” he insisted.

  “Why? Why can’t I stay upstairs?”

  “Because I want you with me! And it’s not safe up there!” Going back in after her, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out into the passageway. “No matter what the others think, it’s not safe for one like me.”

  He could feel the weight of her stare as she stumbled along beside him, but he refused to acknowledge it. He didn’t want to see the look of pity on her face.

  He didn’t fully breathe until they were back in his den. Once there, he released her arm and set about re-lighting the candles so she could see.

  “Are you?” she asked softly. “Going to stay with me?”

  “I don’t have much of a choice about it,” he replied.

  “I mean now. Are you going to stay with me now? I don’t like being down here by myself. It scares me.”

  He stilled as her words broke through the red haze of his anger. “Yes. I will stay with you.” Striking another match, he lit the remaining candles.

  Dropping her pack on the floor, she sank down onto the mattress.

  He ran his eyes over her. “What?”

  When she finally lifted her head, her expression was bleak, her eyes filled with tears. “So, this is my life now? Being held prisoner in this cave, with nothing to do except wait for you to feed from me? For you to decide when to give me food or let me shower?”

  Dante felt something break inside of him as he stared down at her, so small and helpless…and beautiful. “What do you want from me?” he ground out. “I need you to survive. I can’t release you. I can’t take any chances that something will happen to you.” He threw his arms out to the side, taking in the space around them. “This. This is all I can offer you.”

  “So this is fate, then.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She was silent then, but not for long. When she did speak, she changed the subject. “Will you tell me more about your life?”

  He scowled down at her. “My life?”

  “Yes.”

  Again, he was thrown off balance by this tiny slip of a female. One moment, she was scared to death of him, then railing at him, then wanting him to tell her a bedtime story.

  When was the last time anyone had asked him about his long history? The other Hunters knew he was old, and that he’d come from Europe. Luukas had been the only one that had wanted to know anything about him. It had been one of the conditions of his being allowed to join the group.

  She scooted back on the bed and patted the mattress in an invitation for him to sit beside her. He gave her a sideways look, but he did so, crossing his legs loosely in front of him. “What would you like to know?”

  “I want to know what you were like before you became a vampire.”

  Memories pounded on the locked door at her innocent words, and he pushed them back. “That was a long time ago, I don’t remember much.” That was a lie. He remembered everything.

  He could tell she didn’t believe him, but she thankfully didn’t press the issue. “Why do you hate humans so much when you used to be one?”

  “Because they’re nothing but locusts that consume and destroy everything they touch, and think they’re above every other creature on this earth.”

  “And you don’t?”

  He turned his head to look at her. “No.”

  She tilted her head, her tawny eyes inquisitive. “You said something earlier about how your friends treated you when they found out you’d been turned—”

  He barked out a laugh. “How they treated me…You want to know how they treated me? Like a stranger. No, worse. Like a wild animal. They laid steel traps in the forest around our home. Traps made to catch a large animal, like a bear. I lost and re-grew two limbs before I figured out to watch for the tiniest glint of metal in the moonlight. If the moon wasn’t out, I had to take my chances. They searched for my grave during the day and hunted me with torches and wooden stakes at night. They treated me like I was nothing but a fucking monster.”

  “And so you became one. You became the hunter rather than the hunted.”

  She was intelligent, this one. Dante shifted uncomfortably. “Yes.”

  “Not all vampires are like you, then?” She waved her hand in the air, indicating the apartments they’d just come from and where they were now.

  “The others are naïve, living out in the open among your kind. It’s going to bite them in the ass someday.” He truly believed that. When the humans discovered their kind living among them, they would rise up. They always did. They couldn’t stand anything that made them feel inferior. The war would be bloody, and due to their sheer numbers, it wouldn’t end until all supernatural creatures were forced into hiding once again if they were to have any hopes of their species surviving.

  “How did you become a vampire?”

  He didn’t respond at first, those memories banging—pounding now—on the door.

  “Dante?”

  Without meaning to, he began to speak, his voice monotone. ���I was turned by a stranger that came to our camp just after dark one night. He claimed to be a necromancer, and he wanted some of us to join him, to fight whatever battle he was fighting. We refused his offer, but welcomed him into the fold to rest and eat because that was how my people were. I woke during the night and went out to piss. The stranger was still awake, roaming our camp, and I found him walking away from my wagon. I called out, and asked him what he was doing. When he saw me there, he came toward me, moving so fast I couldn’t follow. He just appeared next to me, like magic. He was angry that we had refused him. The tips of his fangs were showing, and he looked different. Larger. I asked him again what he was doing roaming around our camp while we slept. Was he stealing from us after we offered him food and shelter? He told me he was hungry, and then he jumped on me. I tried to fight him off, but he was too strong. The commotion woke some of the others….”

  Papa? Papa!

  Stay inside! No! Leave my son alone! Leave him alone!

  Dante stared into the flame of the candle in front of him, lost in the horrors of his past. “He threw me to the side and got a hold of a child,” he rasped. “My son.”

  “What happened to him?” she whispered.

  His voice dropped to match hers. “He tore him apart right in front of me, as I crawled through the wet grass, trying to get to them. To save him. But I was too late. Then he came to finish me off, only I had the misfortune of surviving.”

  “And his mother?”

  Blinking hard as he came back to the present, Dante couldn’t speak for a moment. He cleared his throat. “She was already gone. She died the winter before from an illness.”

  “How old was your son?”

  “Nine.”

  Laney was silent then, and Dante was glad. Still locked in the past, he rose to leave.

  She jumped to her feet as well. “Where are you going?”

  “I need to go.”

  “Please don’t,” she said. “Don’t leave me here alone.”

  There was something different in her expression as she looked up at him, something that pulled at his insides. MINE. The word pounded around his skull, chasing away the sadness of his past. “No more questions.”

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