Chapter Sixty-One
Allie
When I regained consciousness, it took my brain time to process what had happened. Marcos had used a spell to knock me out, and I was assuming he’d also moved me from SpellBinders. Where? I had no idea. Opening my eyes, I discovered I was not in some creepy warehouse or dank basement. Based on the lack of windows, I probably was in a basement, but the entire room was extravagantly decked out with plush sofas and a king size bed. I was lying on one of the plush sofas with a soft blanket covering me.
“About fucking time you woke up,” Marcos muttered in a bored tone. “I was beginning to worry that I’d have to leave and miss seeing your initial reaction. It would have been a pity if that had happened.”
“You kidnapped me,” I accused lamely.
Marcos just laughed. “Yeah, I kidnapped you, Al. I can’t believe it took two tries. You have no idea how much I want to hurt you after that asshole warlock of yours burned my arm. I wanted to beat you into unconsciousness instead of using that spell, but I figured it was best to get you out of SpellBinders before you figured out that your call from the police was a fake.”
I was blaming the spell for the fact that my mind was having so much trouble processing what Marcos had just said. My heart slammed against my chest, but I worked hard to stay calm because I needed a clear head to figure a way out of this mess.
“You’re the one killing the succubi?” I asked. Even with all the evidence staring at me, I couldn’t believe it. Sure, Marcos was an asshole, but he had nothing to gain from this. In fact, the killings had inconvenienced him. “Why would you do this?”
“It’s good business.” He was lounging on one of the sofas at the far end of the room, looking as bored as he sounded. “Sure, it’s a pain replacing the staff we kill, but the money makes it worth it.”
Adrenaline was doing a great job of clearing my mind. I stood and faced Marcos.
“Good business?” I demanded. “I always knew you were scum, but this is low even for you.”
Marcos shot to his feet and closed the distance between us. The back of his hand made contact with my cheek, knocking me to the ground.
“Stupid cunt!” he spat out. “You’ve always thought you were better than me, but you’re nothing more than a brainless little cock tease.”
“Don’t hit her again,” came a familiar voice from the stairs near the back of the room just before Nick emerged.
“Run, Nick!” I shouted. “He’s crazy, and he’ll kill you.”
Nick chuckled, and it sounded nothing like the easygoing laughter I was used to hearing from him. “I think I’ll stay. You may as well call me Nikolai,” he said. “Soon, you’ll call me Master. I’d love to hear you call me that now, but I know it’ll take time to train you.”
Not believing what I was hearing, I shook my head. “We’re friends.”
Marcos grabbed my hair to pull me to my feet as he laughed. “See? You really are a stupid cunt. I knew you’d fall for poor Nick’s story about being denied by the woman he loves. I knew you’d be dumb enough to protect him and take him with you everywhere.”
Nick glided toward me, looking more like a killer than the sweet guy I’d thought I knew.
“I wasn’t sure anyone could be that gullible,” Nick muttered, reaching out to stroke my swollen cheek with his cold hand. “You know, I’d planned to just kill you, but after Marcos’ first failed attempt to abduct you, we couldn’t get you alone. I was fine with finding another succubus, but Marcos was determined to kill you after Dylan injured him. It was a matter of pride to him. That’s why we came up with the idea of me befriending you to get you alone. It was all just a game, but after spending time around you, I knew I had to have you. Not to kill you, of course. Killing you was no longer an option after I got to know you.”
I tried to pull away from Nick, but Marcos simply tightened his hold on my hair until I was sure he’d end up ripping chunks of it out.
“You almost ruined all of my plans by taking that stupid test.” Nick sounded angry. “Had you completed the marriage ceremony, I would have been forced to kill Dylan, and I kind of like him. Naturally, I’ll see him a few more times so we can talk about how much we miss you. Then I’ll have to disappear. It wouldn’t be good for Dylan to see me after we finish the spell involving the succubus essence. That would definitely tip him off to my involvement.”
“I thought you liked me,” I said, feeling like Marcos was right about me being stupid.
“I do,” Nick murmured as he leaned forward and grazed my neck with his fangs. “If I didn’t like you, I’d be killing you right now.”
“If you liked me, you wouldn’t have kidnapped me,” I muttered.
Marcos gave my hair a vicious tug, which made me cry out in pain. Nick gave him another sharp look. “Don’t hurt her, demon. I paid you well for her, and I am the only one who can discipline her from this point forward.” His face softened when his eyes fell on me. “Hopefully, you won’t force me to hurt you, because I’d hate to leave any marks on your beautiful skin.”
“Why are you doing this?” I demanded of Marcos.
“Money,” he said with a shrug, releasing my hair and stepping back. “Why else would I do it? If it weren’t for the money, I’d kill you and send pieces of you back to your warlock for the pain he put me through. Lucky for you, Nikolai paid me well to keep you alive.”
“So, you’re also helping him kill people for money?” I asked in disbelief. While I wasn’t entirely surprised that he’d take money to help kidnap me, killing was something I hadn’t expected. “So, that’s why you’ve been wearing long-sleeve shirts. How badly did Dylan burn you when you tried to abduct me the first time?”
Rather than answering, Marcos glared at me, which made Nick laugh.
“It worked out for the best, anyway,” Nick said. “If he’d caught you that night, you’d be dead, and I never would have realized how much I care for you.”
“Care for me?” I asked in disbelief, wondering why I was even bothering to argue with the deranged vampire.
Nick actually looked hurt. “I could kill you.”
“Instead, you’ll enslave me,” I muttered.
“It’s not like that, Alana,” Nick insisted, and thankfully, he took several steps back, giving me some much-needed space.
“Then how is it, Nick?” I demanded, figuring I couldn’t really get in much more trouble than I already was.
“My name is Nikolai,” he ground out before taking a deep breath and releasing it. “Of course, you probably won’t be happy at first, but you’ll get used to things. Life will be pleasant for you once you learn your place. We’ll still be friends, Alana, and we’ll have centuries to enjoy each other’s company.”
“You know nothing about friendship,” I told him. “If you were my friend, you wouldn’t want to keep me here against my will.”
“If I weren’t your friend, I’d have you strapped to a ceremonial table, naked, while we sliced you open,” he snapped. “Marcos really wants to make you suffer, and I’m the only thing standing in his way.”
“Go ahead and make him angry, Al.” Marcos’ evil smirk promised dire consequences if Nick decided to stop protecting me. “I’m dying to get you on the ceremonial table so I can spend hours harvesting your blood and energy while you scream and beg for mercy.”
I swallowed hard because I didn’t want to show my fear. It was what Marcos wanted. I wasn’t sure what Nick wanted, or Nikolai. I guess it made sense to call him Nikolai. Nick was a sweet guy who had been my friend—a guy who’d never really existed. Nikolai was a monster who killed without remorse, and who had manipulated me into believing he was my friend.
“You’ve seen my reaction, why not just leave?” I snapped at Marcos. Getting him out of the room meant I only had to worry about Nick when I tried to make my escape.
“Nikolai promised to let me watch part of the training process.” Marcos moved to my side with a smirk. “I’ve been trying to teach
you your place for the last year with no luck, so I figured this would be entertaining.”
“Come here, Alana,” Nikolai said, holding out a hand to me.
I shook my head and backed away slowly.