Page 30 of Scorned

My thoughts immediately went to Victor and his brother Finneas. They reminded us at least every other Save meeting about how they escaped after being tortured for years by the Vampire Research Center.

“Maybe not in your time,” I muttered, not believing her.

She jutted her chin out as if she was a sophisticated queen, and I was nothing more than a mere bloodsucking peasant who was lucky to even be in her world. “Not even before me.”

What the fuck?

Deep down, I knew Fin was a rat. What I hadn’t guessed was the possibility of Victor being one, since he had been the head of the council of Supernaturals Against Venom Elitists for centuries, even before I turned.

Leaning down, she dug the scalpel into my thigh, and I gritted my teeth. “Today, I’m going to be taking samples of your tissue from last week’s injections.”

I ignored her, my mind still on the outside world.

If what she said was true, no one had ever escaped from a research lab. Not like I had much hope of escaping or being rescued, but my friends were out there with the enemy and I had no way of warning them.

She shaved and sliced for a good two minutes before holding up a pair of hemostats with a chunk of me hanging from it.

“That’s a good one!” She placed it into a container with solution in it before screwing on the lid.

An hour later, she had violated me until she finally got everything she needed. Then left me with the putrid taste of someone else’s blood lingering in the back of my throat.

“I’ll see you in a few days. Let’s hope this is the one that will finally let me retire to Venezuela.” She crossed her fingers and held them up next to her big, smiling face. A face I wanted to rip off. “Bye, Luka.”

Six beeps and the door unlocked. Dr. Cuntface’s high heels clicked against the white marble floor again as she made her way down the hall. When I heard the door which I assumed left this area click shut, I called out to the vampire down the hall.

“You good, Carmen?” I asked in Spanish, and I’d never been more grateful for Winnie teaching me. She could speak English, but we had no clue if anyone listened in or if they had microphones. And after many conversations, I knew Amy wasn’t bilingual.

Carmen whimpered, and my heart ached from the sound. “This is miserable. I don’t know how you do it, Luka. I’ve only been here for a week.”

I smacked my lips, wishing I had a sip of water. “Be grateful you’re not blood bonded.”

“I can only imagine.” She sniffed, and I could tell she had been crying. “I don’t think I can do this. I’m not strong enough.”

“You are more than strong enough. Don’t give up. We’ll get through this together and get the fuck out of here. I promise.”

She became quiet for a few seconds before she responded, “I believe you.”

Being a man of my word, honor meant everything to me, but deep down, I had no idea how to honor the promise I made to my new friend.

Chapter 9

Winnie

Iwas grateful Sage was ready to call Naomi, but she wanted time to burn off her nervousness first by sparring. We decided to set up the call for midnight. Since I had a few hours to kill, I worked on a project I thought about while we were out getting supplies. With high hopes of creating something extraordinary, I had purchased a pair of necklaces.

After inserting a chip into a bezel, I made a spring connection and put a pearl with a flat back on top. Taking the pliers, I pulled the claws of the bezel over the pearl to hold it in place. If it worked correctly when activated, it would send a location alert to multiple phones. Once I was done, I slid it onto a silver chain and held it up.

“What’s that for?” Lyric asked, and I grinned pridefully, handing it to her.

“It’s a GPS necklace. When you push the pearl, it sends an alert to our phones. I figured Sage may need it. If it works, I’m going to make more.”

“Wow. That’s so cool!” Lyric turned it over in her fingers, admiring it before her gaze met mine, and she sighed when she saw my glasses. “Why do you insist on wearing those when you have perfect vampire vision?”

“I told you, I used to wear glasses and they make me feel smart.”

She snickered, then handed the necklace back before pressing her luscious lips against mine. The kiss was short and sweet, but perfect, like she was.

“I gotta go. I promised Sage I would spar with her before the call.”

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