The Vampire King’s Captive

MARIA

“You need to rest.”

“No.”

“Would it kill you to listen to me?”

”Yes.”

Maria was going to kill him. She was most definitely going to kill him.

After she’d miraculously managed the push the rock off him-honestly, she still didn’t know how she’d been able to do that-they’d discovered that his leg bone had fractured. He was going to be okay, but he needed to rest in order for that to happen.

And the man had absolutely no intention of resting.

The moment she’d pushed the rock off him-after he’d stared into her eyes for long as though he didn’t know the kind of creature that she was-, he’d staggered to his feet, wrestled his sword out from under a rock, and after searching for the second one without progress, he’d given up and limped out of the remains of the cave with her following behind him, wincing with every step he took.

It was crazy. He was the one in pain and although he grimaced as he walked, she was the one actually forcing him to rest and give his leg time to heal.

“We’re not going to make any progress with you walking like this.” She tried to reason with him again, but her words fell on deaf ears.

“We are and we will.”

“Look behind you, blockhead.” She snapped, frustrated. “We can still see the cave. We’re moving at snail’s pace.”

“If you’re tired of walking, then by all means stop.” He snapped without actually looking back at her. “You could sleep under one of the trees. See if you’ll live to tell me about your experience.”

Gods, what was wrong with him?

“I’m not doing it for myself. I’m trying to do this for you-”

“Then don’t.”

He cut through the next set of clogged bushes they came across, swinging the sword with more force than was necessary. He was talking his anger out on the trees, that was for sure. Why he was angry though, she was not sure.

She was only trying to help him and he would realise that if he was not so hard-headed. The man was limping, his steps now reduced to half of what they usually were. Not to mention, his leg was bleeding. He was losing strength.

The only reason he was still able to walk after experiencing what he just did, was because he was an old vampire. For beings that weren’t as old as he was, they would have passed out by now, either from pain or blood loss-and that was exactly what she was trying to prevent from happening. Not particularly because she cared about him, no, but because if anything happened to him, it would affect her too.

He was the only reason she was still alive and even though he’d only saved her because she was a means to an end for him, she didn’t care. What mattered was that he’d saved her from those incubi.

Last night and this morning had been terrifying for her. At first she had not known that it was na incubus that grabbed her because he’d grabbed her from behind. It was when he’d taken her up there and she’d seen the rest of them, that she knew what they were, and what they’d taken her for.

Her first thought had been ‘over her dead body’. Then the next had been her remembering that incubi lived in caves-some caves, anyway-and they had not been careful anymore. Her third had been that she was going to die up there, because there was no way she was going to be a sex toy for a bunch of incubi.

One could imagine her surprise when her captor had appeared up there, fighting them to get to her.

That, alone, was enough for her to help him in turn when he’d gotten stuck with that rock.

She couldn’t believe that he’d actually contemplated cutting his leg off. Thinking about it alone was crazy. But then again, the vampire was crazy.

She heard a sharp intake of breath and her eyes focused, searching for the source. A twig had caught on her captor’s leg. With a wince-one he probably hated that she’d heard-he lifted his sword high, intent on swiping at the twig.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

“Careful!” She cried, but the sword was already coming down fast.

It missed his legs by mere centimetres and she released a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding.

He cocked a brow at her as if asking her what the hell her fuss was about–she even imagined him using those exact words-then he bent and pulled at the stick. Apparently, the stick had dug into his injury.

There was no expression on his face as he pulled it out but she caught a slight tremor in his hands and she knew that it had to have hurt him so much. If only the stubborn man could just listen to her and have them rest for a while.

When they went back to walking, his limp became even more pronounced and finally, fucking finally, he suggested that they rest on a clearing under a tree.

It was when they’d sat down on the ground with their backs against the tree that she realised she hadn’t eaten in a day. How was her stomach not killing her? How was she not weak?

It was probably the adrenaline from the events of the past two days. It was like her life was suddenly one exciting thing. She was suddenly marked important. So important that two realms were fighting because of her.

Sure, she’d always been known and feared. But she had never been important. No one actually gave a fuck about her. Until now. And it didn’t make her feel any better to know that the only reason both realms were fighting over her, was because of what they believed she could offer.

Pushing the thoughts out of her mind, she decided to strike a conversation with him, knowing that it was a twenty-eighty percent chance that he might respond. Twenty percent chance that he might reply and eighty percent chance that he might not.

“Why are we going to your friend’s home?”

He surprised her by answering. “Because your father is an ass.”

She supposed she should be glad that he had answered her after all. Plus, she wasn’t even pissed; her dad was an ass. Although that wasn’t the word she would choose for him if it were up to her.

“No. I mean, why are we going there?” Realising that he was having a hard time understanding the question, she explained. “Why are we going away from the castle?”

He rearranged his body on the tree, until he was a few centimetres closer to her, his left leg drawn up and the injured one stretched out in front of him. He had one hand on his sword and the other, making patterns on the sand.

His head hung low, which caused his hair to float forward and shield his face from her, so she wasn’t able to see him but she could tell that he was sweating. The way his jet-black hair covered his face was so bloody sexy, she found herself unable to look away from him.

“Again, because your father is an ass.” He turned to her briefly and she caught a flash of his startlingly green eyes before he looked away. “The castle isn’t safe at the moment.”

That was true. But still.

“Then why not stay somewhere else for the meantime, then go back when its safe?” She verbalised her thoughts.

She could have sworn that he almost rolled his eyes. “Thats exactly why we’re going to Corey’s place.”

She perked up at the little slip of his friends name. She didn’t have to guess to know that he had not meant to share that bit of information. “Is that his name? Corey?”

He gave her a cutting look, but refrained from saying anything further. He was probably cursing himself in his mind for not being more careful. She didn’t understand him. It was not like she could do anything with his name.

Knowing that she was playing a dangerous game, but not caring because she was already entangled in danger, she asked, “And what’s yours?”

He faced her, his body tilting infinitesimally in her direction. “You think I’d tell you?”

“Yes.” Maria answered simply.

“Why?”

He turned towards her again. It was almost like he was not aware of the movement. It intrigued her and at the same time, she discovered that she was gravitating towards him too, unknown to her.

When she spoke again, her words came out in a husky whisper.

“Because there’s no reason you shouldn’t.”

His eyes danced between her lips and her eyes and as if with great effort, he finally settled on her eyes. “For all I know, you could do something with my name.”

With a private smile on her lips, she lifted her hand and curled her finger around the collar. “This collar you put on me ensures that I won’t.”

What was she doing?

Whatever it was, it felt too good to stop.

“Tell me your name, vampire.” She whispered the words, her voice ten times huskier than it usually was-and that was saying a lot.

His green eyes followed the path of her hair, where it cascaded pasty her shoulder and down, resting just a few inches below her breasts. She was positive that his eyes lingered on them for a few seconds.

She almost wept with frustration when his eyes came back up and she saw that in place of molten green, they were now a frosty green.

“Never.”