Page 1 of Love Heals
Chapter One
Three years ago
"You've been with me how long now? A month?" My sire sat on the edge of the bed, studying me. He was fully clothed, while I was not. He'd told me I didn't require clothes as long as I was in his house, and so far, we hadn't left it.
"I don't remember," I admitted. Time was a bit of a blur. Since I had no memories of my past life, it felt as if I'd been a vampire forever, even though rationally, I knew it had been a few weeks at most.
Nicolai took my hands and pressed them into the pillow above my head. "Keep these here." There was an edge to his words. Magic. Whenever he spoke like that, I couldn't refuse his commands. They were absolute. My hands were going to stay up.
Which didn't mean I wasn't going to struggle anyway.
"I think it's about time I introduced you to the rest of the coven," Nicolai mused, his gaze traveling down my body. "Every vampire needs a coven. Even you, pet."
I didn't know what to say in response to that, but I'd learned that it was best to keep my mouth shut, anyway. As long as I wasn't being asked any questions.
"Coven-less vampires lead the worst kind of lives. They're the lowest of the low. Trust me on this." His thumb stroked along the line of my jaw. He liked to touch me. His hands were almost constantly on me. The worst part was that there was a part of me that didn't mind. That craved his touch, even.
I should have hated it. The way he held me captive, the way he manipulated me... and I did. I did hate it. But that hate never got me anywhere.
There was no way out of this.
So why shouldn't I enjoy the parts that I could?
No, I couldn't think like that.
I bit my lower lip, trying to distract myself from the voices in my mind. My sire chuckled, as if he knew exactly what was going on inside my head. His thumb moved up to brush my bruised lip. "What have I taught you about the coven?" he asked.
I narrowed my eyes at him, feeling like spitting in his face. I didn't do that, but I didn't give him the answer he wanted either. "Covens are for suckers who can't make it on their own."
Nicolai regarded me quietly, then turned to the bedside table to get something out of the drawer. My muscles tensed as I berated myself mentally. Mouthing off to Nicolai wasneverworth it, no matter how good it felt in the moment.
"Let's see if I can make you remember," Nicolai said. To my surprise, he held a roll of duct tape in his hands. What was he planning to do with that? Tape my mouth shut, apparently. For a second or two, I couldn’t believe he’d actually done that. How was I supposed to answer him when I couldn't speak? "Did you know that vampires don't technically need to breathe?" he asked, and then he pinched my nose shut.
What? I looked at my sire in horror. Of all the sick shit he'd pulled so far... Was he really going to suffocate me? No, he wouldn't.... At least, I was pretty sure that he wouldn't. Something in my brain snapped, though, because I hated,hatedthat feeling of not getting enough air—of not getting any air at all. It was a visceral fear, something that went beyond even animal instinct.
I tossed my head to the side, moved on the bed, trying to get away from Nicolai. His grip was iron, though. One hand on my nose, one on my hips. And I couldn't breathe.
I kicked at him. He smiled at me. "I thought you wouldn't like that." He knew something I didn't, and I hated him for it. Hated him for the way he blocked my airwaves too. If I could just breathe, just for a second... I squeezed my eyes shut, my lungs burning. "It's not comfortable, is it? Trust me, though, you can't die of asphyxiation."
I wasn'tworriedabout dying. I just... I had to breathe! If I could just get him off me... or get that tape off... My hands wouldn't move, though.
"I can tell you're trying to fight your orders." There was a smile in my sire's voice. He was enjoying this. He always enjoyed it when I suffered. "Things would be so much easier for you if you stopped fighting."
Right... as if I could just do that.
You've done it before,a voice in my head spoke up. It was the one I liked the least. The one that always told me to please my sire, to do everything I was told to do. To take my pleasure in his.
It was probably related to that part of me that craved his touch. Some sick sort of vampire instinct. But Nicolai was right. Things always became so much easier when I leaned into that side of me.
I wasn't ready to admit, that, though.
When Nicolai released his fingers from my nose, I breathed in a huge gulp of air as quickly as I could. "See?" Nicolai asked. "You're still alive, or undead. I wouldn't harm you, pet."
Not physically, maybe. I wanted to glare at my sire, but for once, I was smarter than that. He ripped the tape off my mouth. "Let's try this again, shall we? What did I teach you about covens?"
"To be loyal," I said, as calmly as I could while still gasping for air.
"Now, was that so hard?"
