Page 23 of Rescued By the Vampire Assassin

Two more rushed him from either side, but Joshua was ready. He grabbed one by the throat, using the vampire's momentum to swing him into his companion. The impact sent both smashing into the wall with bone-crushing force.

“Bravo.” A vampire reclined on a velvet chaise, looking for all the world, like a bored monarch observing a mildly interesting play. His casual posture was at odds with the opulence surrounding him—priceless artworks adorned the walls, and a chandelier dripping with diamonds cast prismatic light across the room. “Keri, tell your mate to cease fighting my guards.”

It was as if she had no control over her voice. “Mate, cease fighting the guards.”

Luckily, Joshua wasn’t compelled to listen to her and continued whittling down any of the guards before they could get to her.

“Why isn’t he listening? I can sense you are bonded.”

Keri felt a sickening pressure building in her mind as Anatol's gaze locked onto hers. His voice slithered through her thoughts like an oily serpent. "Come to me, my dear. Let's trap the assassin again into doing our bidding. After all, isn't that what you truly want? To be free of this burden, to return to your simple human life?"

The compulsion was overwhelming, each word driving into Keri's mind like a spike. She took an involuntary step forward, her body betraying her even as her mind screamed in resistance.

"That's it," Anatol cooed, rising from his chaise with preternatural grace. "You see? It's so much easier to just give in. Why fight what you truly desire?"

Keri gritted her teeth, every muscle in her body straining against Anatol's mental assault. "What I desire," she ground out, "is to see Joshua snap your neck and rip out your withered black heart."

Anatol's expression darkened, the facade of civility cracking. "You ungrateful child," he hissed. "I've given you power beyond your wildest dreams, and this is how you repay me?"

"You've given me nothing but nightmares," Keri spat back, finding strength in her anger. "You made me fuck a stranger. You used me like a puppet."

"And what a marvelous puppet you've been," Anatol sneered. "Do you have any idea how many of your kind I've had to go through to create something like you? Hundreds, my dear. Hundreds of pathetic humans, all failures until you came along."

Hundreds of lives snuffed out in Anatol's twisted experiments. It made Keri’s stomach churn, but it also fueled her determination. She wouldn't let their deaths be in vain.

"You're a monster," she said, her voice trembling with rage.

Anatol laughed, the sound like shards of glass scraping against stone. "Monster? I'm a visionary! I'm creating the future of our kind. And you, my dear, are the prototype to everything I've been working towards." He raised a hand, his fingers splayed towards Keri. "Now sleep, my dear. Sleep and forget all this foolish resistance."

The command slammed into Keri's mind like a tidal wave. Her eyelids grew heavy, and her limbs suddenly felt weighed down as if made of lead. She stumbled, fighting to stay upright as exhaustion threatened to overwhelm her.

"That's it," Anatol crooned, taking a step closer. "Just give in. When you wake, all of this unpleasantness will be forgotten."

Keri's vision blurred, the world around her growing dim. It would be nice to have a nap. And if this could all go away like a bad dream, isn’t that what she really wanted?

But just then, one of the vampire guards got in a lucky shot on Joshua. He let out a snarl of pain, and at the sight of his blood, Keri gained the strength she needed to push back against Anatol's mental assault. "Get... fucked..." she managed to growl just before a massive yawn threatened to crack her jaw.

Anatol's expression contorted with rage. "Insolent brat!" he snarled. "Fine, if you insist on being difficult, I'll just cut my losses and drain you dry. I'll use your blood to enhance the serum and laugh while Nicolau dies a painful death."

With a gesture, he sent a wave of force slamming into her. She flew across the room, landing hard on an antique armoire. Wood splintered beneath the impact, and pain exploded across her back.

"Keri!" Joshua's voice cut through the haze of pain. She looked up to see him locked in combat with three of Anatol's guards.

One guard lunged at Joshua with a wickedly curved blade, but the assassin was quicker. He caught the vampire's wrist, twisting until bone snapped with an audible crack. In the same fluid motion, Joshua used the guard's own momentum to impale him on his companion's outstretched claws.

The third guard, seeing an opening, drove a stake deep into Joshua's side. Joshua roared in pain, his fangs fully extended as he whirled on his attacker. With inhuman speed, he grabbed the guard by the throat and literally tore his head from his shoulders.

But the damage was done. Dark blood oozed from Joshua's wound, and Keri could see the pain etched in the lines of his face. The stake was still embedded in his flesh, preventing the wound from healing.

Anatol laughed, the sound grating against Keri's nerves. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen," he taunted. "The great Joshua Nicolau, brought low by my foot soldiers. Tell me, assassin, how does it feel to know you've failed? That everything you've fought for ends here?"

Joshua's response was a snarl of pure fury. He launched himself at Anatol, but Anatol was ready for him. With a casual flick of his wrist, he sent Joshua flying across the room. The assassin slammed into the wall with bone-crushing force, leaving a crater in the expensive paneling.

"Joshua!" Keri screamed, her heart seizing with fear as she watched him crumple to the floor. He tried to rise, but his movements were sluggish, hampered by the stake still protruding from his side.

Anatol turned back to Keri, his eyes glowing with an unholy light. "Now, where were we?" he purred, advancing on her with predatory grace. "Ah yes, I believe I was about to drain you dry."

Keri scrambled to her feet, ignoring the pain that lanced through her body. She could feel her connection to Joshua weakening, their bond stretched thin by his injuries. But that bond had given her strength before, and she called upon it now.

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