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  A panther thought he was equal to a vampire?

  The vampire shot an irritated look at the panther before once again fixing his intense gaze on me. I stared back, aware I might never have another visitor if I missed the opportunity. The bloodsucker was my only ticket out of here.

  Soft noises rose from outside the door.

  I tilted my head to listen. The vampire and the panther weren’t alone. They had a team, waiting out of sight. They were stealthy, but I could detect them.

  They were all vampires, and none of them had heartbeats. Jezebel wasn’t among them, neither was her vampire lover.

  I wanted to know what had happened.

  Another vampire horde might have taken over this lair. That would have been a nice change. I could have missed the sound of battle in my insulated hell hole.

  A vampiress strode in with a cocky air and stood on the other side of the sexy vampire. She crinkled her nose at my stink, and I smirked at her.

  She was a pale-skinned, green-eyed knockout. Her blonde hair flowed down to her elegant shoulders, which suddenly made me self-conscious of my wild, knotted hair.

  The panther growled at her, disliking her presence in the room. He’d marked this cell as his space.

  The male vampire ignored the beast, his gray eyes never leaving me.

  “Jade,” he addressed the vampiress without turning his head. “Your presence is not required. Clear the area. No one gets near. I need to interrogate this girl alone.”

  Surprise marred Jade’s beautiful, cold face, and a muscle twitched on her jaw. Judging from the reaction, I’d bet money, if I had any, that he’d never dismissed her like this before.

  Her icy eyes shot knives at me. That look told me all I needed to know—she regarded me as a rival and a threat.

  What had I ever done to this bitch for her to be so hostile?

  I gave her a taunting grin. I didn’t like people looking at me like that.

  “Yes, my lord,” she said, and retreated as swiftly as a shadow.

  I made a mental note of Jade’s speed, as well as that she was his weapon, and perhaps more than that.

  And this vampire dude in front of me was a lord.

  He stepped closer toward my cage, primordial power rolling off him. I flashed a disarming smile at him to make him come nearer, and he did.

  “Hello,” I purred. “Who the fuck are you?”

  He frowned at me, and then his eyes widened, as if he was struck by lightning.

  His heart started beating and I had to force myself not to reel back from the surprise.

  What the actual fuck?

  I pricked my ears, tilted my head, and listened again. In the entire area on this level of the floor, there were only three heartbeats—his, the panther’s, and mine.

  Why did he suddenly have a heartbeat? I purred, and the vampire’s heart started pumping.

  The panther snapped his head toward the vampire lord and bared his teeth in a half-snarl. I hadn’t been mistaken. The panther heard the vampire’s heartbeat as well and he wasn’t thrilled.

  The vampire stumbled back, clutching his hand over his heart. An instant later, he realized his own reactions and quickly removed his hand from his muscled chest.

  His expression became unreadable once again. He stepped toward me aggressively and stopped a foot from my cage. I didn’t back down, but shock slammed me silent as heat rushed between my thighs as he entered my proximity.

  His nostrils flared, as did the panther’s.

  Intense heat materialized in both the vampire’s and the panther’s eyes.

  What kind of freak show is this?

  Despite my fatigue from being starved, I clenched my fists on my side to stave off the liquid fire that continued to twirl around my lady bits, teasing and taunting my awakened lust. I’d never experienced anything like this. My body was out of control, and I didn’t like it one iota.

  “What the fuck did you do to me, vampire?” I hissed. “And why has your heart suddenly started beating? You’re supposed to be undead, just like any other bloodsucker, right?”

  His gray eyes narrowed, flashing with dangerous light that concealed his increased interest in me.

  “I didn’t expect you to have such a foul mouth and horrible manners.” His voice was rich and stern; he was used to everyone obeying him. “That’s exactly my question to you, girl. What did you do to end up here? And who are you?”

  Despite hating vampires, despite my pent-up rage, I knew I shouldn’t piss him off. I always had a temper, even as a powerless prisoner, and my fatigue wasn’t helping me stay collected.

  I rearranged my facial expression, hiding my scowl behind a sweet smile. “Let me out, and I’ll tell you everything.”

  I even managed to send him a sultry look.

  I had seen the flicker of intense hunger for me in his eyes. He was good at concealing it, but I was better at discovering my opponent’s weakness.

  Jezebel had once told me that no vampires could resist her blood, and my blood was superior to hers. She had no power—I’d never sensed an ounce of it in her. She’d complained that she was but a vessel used to bear a monster. But power coursed in me, screaming to get out every second of the day, yet the cage trapped both me and my power.

  It was only natural that this vampire craved my blood.

  “I’ll even let you have a mouthful of my blood,” I whispered. “I guarantee you it’s like nothing you’ve ever tasted. All you need to do is open the cage.”

  The panther growled angrily and possessively, as if he didn’t like what I had offered to the vampire.

  A wave of heat and amusement flashed through the vampire lord’s eyes, so fast that none but I could detect it.

  “So you want to get out?” he asked.

  “Who in their right mind likes being in a cage?”

  “How long have you been here?”

  “Too long.”

  “How long?” he repeated

  “Since I was three years old,” I said flatly.

  The panther snarled, and a wince passed over the vampire’s cold marble face. And again, it vanished in an instant.

  Hmm. The vampire lord didn’t like showing emotions.

  “And you’ve never been out of the cage?” he asked, his voice clinical, as if he was analyzing a bug he poked around.

  I was starting to lose my patience with him. He wanted answers out of me, yet he didn’t seem eager to release me. I wouldn’t give him anything until he set me free.

  “If you want any information from me, you’ll have to open the cage first.”

  “You’ll need to answer a few more questions before I decide—”

  My strategy of being sweet and enticing wasn’t working. If I wasn’t going to get out of here, I had nothing to lose by being myself.

  I flipped him the bird. “Make me, motherfucker,” I said, baring my teeth. “Why don’t you come in here and get the answers?”

  His face darkened with anger. I’d bet he had never suffered rudeness from anyone. I’d watched him dismiss his minions and they obeyed him as if their lives depended on it.

  He was out of luck with me. I was a hell of a woman. He, and everyone else, could eat dirt if they thought they could intimidate me or make me follow any rules or social hierarchy my mother had tried to embed into my head when I was a young girl.

  The panther, however, chuckled in approval at my defiance.

  How could a beast even laugh? He must be extremely intelligent. I glanced fondly at the panther and controlled my urge to pat the white stripe on his nose. It was the only white on his pure, shiny black hide.

  Sensing my affection, the panther edged toward me but kept his muzzle an inch away from the cage.

  Smart beast.

  I wasn’t afraid of him, despite his formidable build. Strangely, I was so drawn to him.

  I stuck my hand out between the bars, carefully not to touch the iron. I couldn’t give the vampire a hint that the bar was riddled with spells. I touch
ed the panther’s snout, and he leaned his face into my hand with genuine affection.

  The vampire growled at the panther. I’d thought him a rock who preferred not to display emotions.

  “Reysalor, that’s enough,” the vampire lord said. “Quit playing. We have business here!”

  The panther stuck out his tongue and gave me a rough lick before he padded back and snarled at the vampire in protest.

  These two—a vampire and a beast—acted like rivals.

  The vampire wasted no time stepping a half a foot toward the cage, shortening the distance between us.

  I stood my ground. If he lashed out to grab my throat, I could use his hand to touch the iron bar and see if the spells worked on a vampire. If they didn’t burn him, my black fire would love to get acquainted with him.

  His piercing gray eyes swirled to liquid silver in an instant as they seized my gaze. The cold fire inside them tried to freeze me. Holy smokes! The fucker was using his power to enthrall me. If he achieved that, he’d make me spill my guts for free and bare my belly to beg for a scratch.

  I peeked deep into his eyes, as if mesmerized. I even licked my lips to add to the effect.

  “Now let’s backtrack a little, girl,” he demanded.

  “Okay,” I said meekly.

  “Who are you?”

  “I’m Cassandra Saélihn. How did you find me? Have you heard of me before? Did you really come for me? Who sent you?”

  He frowned at me. His hypnotized subjects probably never bombarded him with questions.

  “I’ll ask the questions,” he said firmly. “And you’ll answer them truthfully.”

  “Yes, sir,” I said cheerfully.

  He gave me another stern look. “Cassandra—”

  “No, I go by Cass,” I said. “Call me Cass. Only my mother calls me Cassandra. I don’t really like that name.” I furrowed my brows. “It’s too formal, too old-fashioned, and unattractive. By the way, what’s your name? Does the panther have a name, too? He’s adorable!”

  That earned me another scowl from the vampire, though the panther grinned at me. This vampire lord was really no fun, despite that sexiness rolled off him constantly, even when he was so rigid.

  “Fine, Cass,” he grated. “You won’t disrupt me again with long, unrelated answers. You’ll get to the point.”

  I nodded like a good girl. “Okay, must get to the point. No longwinded answers. What’s your next question?”

  His lips thinned.

  “Who imprisoned you?” he asked.

  My playfulness vanished. “Jezebel, queen to the vampire king. Have you overthrown him and his army? Is that why you’re here?” I shrugged. “That’s perfectly fine with me. My enemy’s enemy is my friend.”

  “What did I warn you about longwinded answers?” he asked.

  I blinked. “Huh?”

  “Why did she imprison you?” he asked.

  “Now this is getting boring,” I said with a yawn, and I didn’t even bother to cover my mouth. He didn’t deserve my politeness. “I don’t want to play anymore. Just so you know: your enthrallment experiment has failed. Do you do this a lot—bewitch naïve women? What’s your success rate?”

  His gray eyes widened in disbelief. Clearly, his success rate was high. Maybe he’d never failed before today.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” I said. “Got a thorn in your eyes?”

  The panther rolled on the ground with barks of laughter, and the vampire cursed under his breath.

  He gave up hexing me with his vampire power, his eyes wary now.

  “Who are you, girl?’ he asked again, his tone softening a notch.

  “If you want to know, you’ll have to let me out, bloodsucker,” I said, stepping back, about to go lie down on my bed while he made his decision.

  I was done with his game.

  A wave of vertigo hit me, and my knees buckled. My hands spread in front of me, in an effort to cushion my fall, but to no avail. I hadn’t realized that I’d been so weak after my confinement and starvation.

  My left cheekbone hit the hard ground first.

  The panther growled in urgency, and the vampire shouted my name, “Cass! Cass!”

  “She’s starved!” I heard an unfamiliar male voice, but there was only one vampire in the room. Was the panther talking? I was hallucinating. “We need to get her out now and feed her. I shouldn’t have listened to your bullshit about testing her first. If any harm comes to her, Lorcan, I’ll make your life fucking hell. No, I don’t even need to do that, the fucking gods will do you in better than I!”

  I blacked out before I could see this new man who had spoken for me

  3

  When I blinked back to consciousness, shouts, screams, and curses hurt my hypersensitive ears.

  I was still down, my face planted against the cold ground. My head throbbed from the splitting pain, but mostly from hunger. I slowly peeled open an eye, taking in the partial surroundings.

  Jezebel was in the room, along with her vampire husband and other vampires.

  A golden crown sat atop the vampire king’s head. He narrowed his eyes at me, as if I was a menace.

  I struggled into a sitting position. The vertigo wasn’t gone. I raised my head and grinned viciously. “Hello, Mother,” I purred. “Nice of you to finally visit. What did you bring me this time? Your husband and more? How creative.”

  King Dario glared at me, but I winked at him. I was glad that for the first time a lot of people knew of my existence. I wasn’t Jezebel’s secret anymore, which meant I might finally have a chance to get out of this fucking cage.

  But it was a bit humiliating having them all look at me like I was an animal in a zoo.

  I ignored everyone but fixed my gaze on the vampire lord and the panther.

  “Hey, Lorcan,” I said. I’d gotten his name before I passed out. “Have you decided to let me out?”

  “Yes, Cass,” the vampire lord said. “I’m getting you out.”

  My heart jerked, and hope lit in my veins. Despite my nausea, I shot to my feet.

  “Really?” I asked, grabbing the bars, and the iron burned into my skin. I yelped as smoke trailed up from my palms. I loosened my grip.

  The panther whimpered, as if my pain hurt him.

  A muscle twitched on Lorcan’s jaw. “Don’t touch the bars,” he instructed. “Step back, Cass.”

  “No, High Lord!” Jezebel cried. “She can never be set free. She’ll doom us all.”

  “Seriously, Jezebel, how can I hurt anyone like this?” I asked, spreading my arms to show others how harmless I was.

  Everyone could see that I could barely stand. Maybe I was a bit more dramatic than necessary, but I couldn’t let the crazy bitch convince them to keep me in the cage. I couldn’t let her paint me as a monster.

  Fear makes people do crazy things. Fear made my mother lock me up in here for over a decade. But who was I kidding? For fuck’s sake, the room was full of vampires. They were more of monsters than I.

  “If you set her loose, she’ll destroy this world,” Jezebel screamed, even though everyone in the room had super hearing. “She carries the mark of death. And this is for her own protection. This is the only place they can’t find her.”

  “Who are they?” Lorcan demanded.

  “The gods,” Jezebel said, her eyes on him, innocent and pleading.

  Lorcan regarded her coldly.

  “What kind of mother locks her child in a cage for her entire life?” I hissed. Finally, I got to discredit her and make her look like a fool. “Only someone who’s either crazy or a true monster.”

  Jezebel flinched as gasps rang through the group in the room.

  The panther snarled at my mother, his amber eyes burning, as if he wanted to tear her throat out. In a flash, he moved to stand between Jezebel and my cage, guarding me.

  “Back off!” King Dario hissed at the panther, who only bared his fangs, ready to attack. “Jezebel is my queen! I demand you respect her.”
/>   Lorcan gave the panther a look, but the beast refused to retreat.

  “Shut up, Dario,” Lorcan said, and turned to the beast. “Reysalor, I need your blood.”

  The panther growled threateningly at Dario one more time before padding back to Lorcan’s side, his eyes not leaving the vampire king and his queen.

  Sharp claws appeared and extended from Lorcan’s hand, and with them he slashed open his palm. Dark crimson blood gushed out.

  I blinked. What was he doing?

  The panther tilted his head to the side, and Lorcan’s claw sliced across the space between his shoulder and neck. The vampire lord spooned the beast’s blood onto his palm and mixed the blood with his. Then he dipped a finger into the mixed blood and drew runes on the frame of the iron door.

  No beast would expose its neck to anyone, but this beast was doing it for me.

  Jezebel stared at Lorcan in horror as she realized his intent. “No!” she screamed as she charged at him.

  The panther moved like a black arrow and slammed into her. The force of it threw her against the wall. She collapsed, and he snarled at her. He was obviously making a great effort not to bite her head off. For a beast, he had incredible control.

  I watched him with fascination.

  Three vampire guards zoomed toward the panther, claws out, to take him down.

  Before I could shout a warning, Lorcan lashed out, a longsword in his free hand.

  The sword rose and fell, and three heads tumbled down to the ground with a thud.

  My jaw dropped. He impressed the hell out of me.

  Maybe Jezebel was right about one thing—the outside world was hazardous. In a blink of an eye, I’d seen death.

  A power I wasn’t familiar with stirred in my belly at the sight of blood and violence. It wanted to be unleashed. It wanted to play. It craved destruction. I was a little taken aback. Maybe I did have a monster inside me. Maybe there was a reason my mother kept me completely isolated all these years.

  No, there was no excuse for her behavior. I was done finding excuses for her inhuman treatment of me a long time ago.