Page 3 of Awakening the Dhampir

No, no, no! We weren’t going there. I wasn’t going there.

“I see what you mean, Jared,” the newest temptation said. He drew in a deep breath and took a step closer to me.

I pressed my lips into a tight line. My fangs dug into my lower gums, but I couldn’t let them see what I was.

“Can we keep her, boss?” Jared asked, licking his lips and revealing his own elongated fangs.

“That’s a difficult decision,” the boss replied. His gaze left my face and made a searing path to my feet and back. “The fae are paying us a lot of money for her, but maybe not enough.”

One more step, and he was only an arm’s length from me. Hunger burned through me like a raging storm. I dared not move. If I did, I’d be feasting on his blood. My body quivered with the urge to lean into him and whisper in his ear, to convince him to bare his neck to me and give me his life.

“Where have you been hiding?” the boss asked me.

Panic gripped me. Did he already know what I was? Could he see that I was teetering on the edge of devouring him? Could he see it in my eyes and the tension gripping my body? I refused to open my mouth to answer him. If I did … yep! Time to feast. My dhampir scared the shit out of me. I had no doubt that if I gave in, I wouldn’t stop her. I was barely holding back as it was.

“Jared, call our contact and let them know the wolves killed their precious fae,” the boss said, never taking his eyes from me.

“Good idea, boss.”

Jared exited the room and closed the door, leaving me alone with the boss man. I didn’t like it one bit, but my dhampir was in heaven. Stop, you idiot! He will either make us a slave or kill us. My urges subsided a little, and I let out a shallow breath. I hadn’t expected her to actually hear and listen to me. That meant I’d have to face the reality that she was really a separate part of me.

“Let’s start with introductions,” the man in front of me said. He didn’t extend his hand to me, but he didn’t look wary or nervous. “My name is Conrad. I’m the ruling vampire of the Northeastern Region.”

I kept my mouth shut.

“This is when you tell me your name and where you’re from,” he prompted.

I almost laughed at him. He’d just tracked me from Baltimore to Florida and then kidnapped me. He knew my damn name. I remained silent.

“I see.” Conrad took a step toward the door and rubbed the back of his neck. “Your control is astounding and likely the reason you’ve been able to hide. You know what you are. I can see it in your eyes. Yet you resist me.” He faced me, meeting my gaze with an intensity that made my skin tingle. “You will tell me your name.”

I clamped my lips closed and shook my head. I wasn’t telling him a damn thing.

His eyebrows rose, widening his dark eyes. A red ring circled his irises. “You will tell me.”

Every hair on my neck and arms stood at attention, and with a sudden clarity, I realized what he was doing. Or trying to do. He couldn’t compel me. Holy shit! I smiled. More like my dhampir smiled.

“You will let me go.” I didn’t recognize the voice tumbling from my lips, but it had to be my dhampir. I didn’t want that confirmation, but no one gave a shit about what I wanted.

Conrad’s fierce expression softened before rage replaced it a second later. He stumbled to the door and hammered his bony fist against it.

“You will not win this fight, dhampir,” he growled.

The door opened, and he slid out and slammed it shut before I could come up with a witty reply. He was right. I was trapped in this cell, and he probably wouldn’t let another vampire near me. I should’ve held my tongue and kept my secrets. I might have been able to catch him by surprise if I’d been thinking.

But I wouldn’t and didn’t.

“Damn.”

My mind drifted to Conrad’s comment about the fae paying him to take me. My heart fell to pieces. Kenrid had betrayed me. There was no other explanation. Damon insisted that no one could break through Kenrid’s wards, but they had. Kenrid must have let those guys destroy the spells around his home. He let them take me.

And I’d believed his declaration about wanting me. I’d believed the stupid fated mate story he’d told me. I’d started to let myself care for him. I was so naive.

I slid down the wall until my butt hit the floor. Now more than ever, I needed to create a box for my dhampir. I couldn’t pretend like there wasn’t another consciousnesses poking around in my brain and making decisions for me. I didn’t have the luxury of time to figure it out either.

If I didn’t cage the monster trying to break free, I’d be a slave to Conrad, or I’d be dead.

I closed my eyes and let my mind retreat, finding the place it needed for the new me.

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