Page 75 of Blood Descendants
A hand wraps around my face, covering my mouth. I’m yanked backward roughly, and I trip. But strong hands grip me painfully around the arm, even as something sharp pricks me in the side of the neck.
Before I can use any of those incapacitating moves I was just practicing in my head, the world spins and tilts. My legs feel liquid. Suddenly, my whole body is rising, and I realize a set of arms is beneath my back and under my knees.
The world grows darker, and the last thing I see is the ceiling of an SUV before the darkness swallows me whole.
Chapter 19
My neck screams with pain.
With a groan, I lift my head, but the pain intensifies. The agony of the muscles tells me I’ve been in this position for hours.
I shift, my back also spiking with pain. And as I try to stand, to roll over, to move in any direction, I stay exactly put. I’m sitting in a chair, and my hands are bound behind my back, my ankles tied to the chair.
My eyes rip open, desperately searching my surroundings as my heart rate skyrockets and adrenaline floods my system.
The room is dark. I only make out shadowy outlines as my eyes slowly refocus. I feel… groggy. Fuzzy. And then I remember the sharp bite of pain in my neck just before I went out.
Drugged.
“Good morning.”
Dread and terror soar in my veins as the voice cuts throughthe dark. A dim red light turns on, and through the dark shadows, I see Augustus crossing the room.
His dark eyes are fixed on me, his expression cold and blank. He’s dressed in a suit, the only attire I’ve ever seen him wear. Slowly, controlled, he crosses the space until he’s standing right in front of me.
“Seems you’re a bit of a lightweight when it comes to sedatives,” Augustus says as he stops right in front of me. “I was worried for a minute there that Toby might have killed you. I thought you would have woken hours ago.”
“What’s going on?” I ask, trying to remain calm, even though everything in me is screaming that this is bad. Really, really bad. “Augustus, where’s Ares?”
“I would imagine my son is out looking for you,” he says, keeping his tone so calm it makes my skin crawl. “You never showed up for work, and then you didn’t come home last night. If my son loves you as much as his gaze says he does, I imagine he’s having one of the worst nights of his life.”
“What are you doing?” I ask, my tone growing harder. “Augustus, where the fuck am I, and why did you kidnap me?”
He gives a chilling little chuckle. “Such a dramatic word, don’t you think? But you catch on quick. What gave it away? Was it the knots around your wrists? The needle to the neck? The surprise grab?”
He’s taunting me, and I’m in no fucking mood for games. “You know what Ares is going to do to you for this, right? You named him. Expect nothing less than dark and terrible from the god of war.”
A smile grows on Augustus’ face. “Amazing, isn’t it? How, even as a newborn, one can tell a being’s future. I knew exactly what I was doing when I named myfirst-born son.”
“At least you’ll meet your end against a worthy opponent,” I snarl.
Augustus smiles, though every inch of it is condescending. He drags a chair across the space, placing it directly in front of me. He takes a seat, crossing one leg over the other. “You know, I thought you were going to be the perfect woman for my son. You came along, and finally, my son came back where he belongs. But you’ve… distracted him. Captured his attention and intentions wholly. Ares might not understand why you had to be dealt with, but he will come back around. He will fulfill his purpose in this city.”
“If you think Ares is ever going to help you traffic people as living blood bags, you don’t know him for shit,” I spit, wading into the deep end because I’ve never been afraid to swim.
“How did you really meet my son, Lana?” he asks.
My stomach sinks, and my blood goes cold.
“Online,” I say through gritted teeth.
He gives another of those sinister smiles. “You can say whatever you like. I suppose it doesn’t matter anymore.”
I lean back in my seat as Augustus stands and takes slow strides toward me. He bends until his face is right in front of mine. I take in every detail of him.
How can someone who looks so much like the man I’ve fallen for be so heinous? How can I hate everything about him when I’m coming to love everything about his offspring?
“You should have stayed the hell out of my business,” he says, his words low, quiet, terrifying. “Do you know how much you cost me, letting those three go? Not just money, but relationships. Reputation. You’ll pay dearly for that.”
