Page 55 of Cloak of the Vampire
Renaldi seemed pissed off at being cockblocked and returned Ragnor’s gaze.
A silent war ensued between the two Lords. The tension in the air rose and rose until it was suddenly too hard to breathe. Some of my classmates stepped back from the two Lords, eyes wide with fear. Logan and Abe opened the door behind us, ready to usher us out if need be, their eyes glowing worryingly on high alert. The harem of women scooted away, and when they did, I suddenly realized all of them had something in common.
All were brunettes.
I heard he had a thing for brunettes,Zoey had told me the first time we met. It seemed like she’d heard right.
“Everyone, out.”
Ragnor’s voice was barely recognizable. At once, the women fled the room, and Logan and Abe ushered us all toward the exit. Though there was nothing I wanted more than to leave this stifling chamber, I lingered behind, staring at the Lords, who were standing as still as sculptures, their gazes still locked and aglow.
Then in a split-second decision borne of adamant curiosity to see where this whole thing was going, I jumped behind one of the love seats, wrapped myself in one of the blankets lying around, and stayed still.
When the ruckus of people leaving was over and the door was slammed shut, silence followed. Then I peeked from behind the love seat.
Ragnor pushed Renaldi back. The other Lord half stumbled and snickered, staring at Ragnor with a sinister glint in his eyes. “I didn’t take you for a noob banger,” he said lewdly, licking his lips.
I’d never seen Ragnor so pissed off. He flattened Renaldi on the floor in less than a second, his fangs unsheathed. “I told you what would happen if you used your magic on me again.” Unlike his face, Ragnor’s voice was completely civil, as though they were discussing the weather.
Renaldi laughed. “You can’t kill me yet, Rayne. I still got your Imprint.”
What?
“It seems you forgot,” Ragnor murmured silkily. “Then allow me to remind you.”
For a few moments, neither of them moved. Then out of nowhere, Renaldi screamed, thrashing under Ragnor’s weight.
I couldn’t understand what I was seeing. Ragnor hadn’t moved, hadn’t done anything, and yet Renaldi acted as if he was suffering through the greatest pain in the world. Ragnor seemed to be projectingout a force field of some kind, but it was invisible. He had to be because even though he hadn’t moved an inch, his eyes were locked on Renaldi as Renaldi grabbed the sides of his head and pulled at his hair like he was going mad.
His screams grew louder, more horrifying, the more moments passed.
Then I felt it, as if I was sucked into Ragnor’s terrifying force field.
The pain. Horror. Fear.
It felt like I’d lost the one thing I was afraid to lose. It felt like I was dying. Like the air was sucked out of my lungs. It felt like I was back in that basement, watching the same cycle of horrors all over again. Like I had never left, never fled the nightmare that was my father.
It was as if someone was tearing me to pieces from the inside out, but not physically. It was my soul that was being torn. My very heart was being tormented.
It was worse than any physical pain I could’ve had. It was pain in its purest, most awful form.
I wanted to scream like Renaldi. I wanted to shout, to get this out somehow before I went insane. But I bit my lip until I tasted blood. I held on to the silk blanket on the floor beneath me, willing myself to be quiet, to ride this terror to its end, even though it felt like it would never end.
The torture went on forever, to the point where my limbs went numb and my breath got stuck in my throat. Tears filled my eyes as the excruciating pain streamed down my veins, making me wish I had died. Anything, even death, would be better than this.
Renaldi’s screams faded. Nothing but pain filled my senses. It pulled me into a void of darkness, consternation, and fright so deep I could never claw my way out—
And just as suddenly as it began, it was gone.
The pain was gone, making me choke on breaths I hadn’t let out. My numb limbs started waking up. I couldn’t move, though, and the tears fell, pooling near my temples.
Faintly, I could hear Ragnor speak. “Never use your magic on me, or mine, again. Am I clear?”
Wait, what did he mean bymine? Had Renaldi been using magic on me too? A mumble followed a crashing sound.
“I said,am I clear?”
A cough, and then in a weak, defeated voice, Renaldi whispered, “Yes, my Lord.”
