Toil And Trouble

  Ryder yanked my head to the side as he inhaled deeply, cupping my mouth with his hand. He ripped part of his shirt and gagged me. I watched myself strain against the cuffs as I kicked against him and nailed him right in the face. Furious, he ripped my pants, thrusting his head into the junction of my thighs as he bit into my groin. As I watched it, my thigh started aching, like it had its own memory of the attack.

  But, this was virtual reality and in it, Sinjin never called for Ryder which meant one thing… Ryder could see his intentions to fruition.

  But, I wasn’t about to watch him rape me. And I definitely wasn’t about to watch it with a group of spectators.

  “Enough,” I said, a lump in my throat.

  I dropped the letter on the floor, the light beams dancing across the hardwood. Rand smashed it with his shoe and the light began to dim until it was impossible to make out what it was.

  “I….I have to go,” I said, feeling the sting of tears give way to a deluge. I stood up and had to steady myself against the chair, suddenly feeling dizzy and uncomfortably hot. I rushed from the room and headed down the hallway.

  “Jolie!” Christa called after me but I couldn’t stop. All I knew was I had to get as far away as I could.

  I started running, hurling myself down the stairs until I reached the kitchen. Throwing open the kitchen door, I felt my lungs sting as I inhaled the frosty night air. I shot out the door and turned to avoid the warring soldiers, tearing as fast as I could in the opposite direction. When I couldn’t catch my breath and tears were blurring my vision so much that I couldn’t see, I forced myself to stop.

  The trees around me began to spin and I leaned against an elm as I trembled in the freezing night air. Images of Ryder burned in my mind, images that would never leave me.

  “Jolie,” Rand said, grabbing my elbow and pulling me into him. I collapsed into his outstretched arms, heaving with sobs. He kissed the top of my head and squeezed me tightly, breathing in my ear. “I will never let Ryder near you, I promise,” he whispered.

  And for one moment I actually felt safe. One brief moment. But, I knew it wouldn’t last. “There won’t be anything you can do if she wins.”

  “I will always protect you. No matter what.” He held my head between his hands and pulled me away from him so he could look into my eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me what that bastard…did to you?” The moonlight shone on his handsome face. A face full of concern.

  “I did tell you,” I started and then realized what he was hinting at. “He didn’t rape me, Rand, Sinjin stopped him. The film was a promise of what could be.”

  Rand’s lips were tight. “I will never let him touch you.”

  I closed my eyes, trying to catch my breath, trying to clear the images of Ryder from my mind.

  “Jolie!” Christa yelled as she threw her arms around me. “It’s okay!” she whispered exhaustedly.

  But, it wasn’t okay. It was far from it and for the first time in a long time, I was completely and utterly terrified.

  seven

  I had to find Sinjin to explain my reasons for going to battle, that’s all there was to it. Rand clearly wouldn’t help me so I could only hope Sinjin would. After our horn-locking incident, Sinjin had proven in no uncertain terms he could easily snap me in two. The only way I’d ever be able to overpower him was…by drinking his blood. It was the only way I could defeat Ryder, so it had to be done.

  I slept all day, and now it was well into night. Stretching, I stood up, carefully avoiding Plum who slept undisturbed at the foot of my bed. I slipped into a pair of jeans, a sweater and my down jacket, and finished by pulling on my sneakers. I was about to walk out the door but decided to check myself in the mirror.

  My hair was a mess. With just a thought, the sleep-induced frizz was replaced with sleek and shiny locks with only the most natural hint of bounce. I blinked and my lips flushed with baby pink lipstick, my cheeks turned rosy and my eyes outlined in coal grey, while my eyelashes darkened to a velvet black. So, I wanted to look nice, so what?

  Without a minute more to waste, I hurried out of my bedroom door and ran down the stairs, aiming for the back entrance of Pelham Manor. As usual, Rand’s legion was busy with training and finding Sinjin would be akin to finding the proverbial needle in the haystack.

  A fairy passed me and I reached for his hand.

  “Excuse me, but I’m trying to find the vampire, Sinjin. Have you seen him?”

  “No,” he said, briskly yanking his hand from my grasp while he kept walking. Jerk.

  The best chance I had of finding Sinjin was by searching through the soldiers so I decided to follow the rude fairy back into the faux battle. At the mouth of the battle, I paused. There was no way in hell I was voyaging into it—it would be too easy to accidentally get nailed by some stray fireball or get in the way of an overzealous wolf…the list went on. Instead, I stayed on the sidelines until I spotted a vamp who looked somewhat familiar.

  “Excuse me!” I shouted. Casting me an irritated glance, he restrained his opponent with a raised hand.

  “I’m looking for Sinjin,” I said, offering an embarrassed smile.

  “He’s feeding,” the other vamp informed me.

  “Where?”

  “Back at camp,” the first vamp replied. “Back at camp” sounded so boy scouts on a jamboree—so completely weird to be coming from a fanged mouth.

  I thanked him with a wave and scurried back up the hill, towards the vampire pits. Sinjin was feeding…I wasn’t sure why the news didn’t sit well with me, but it didn’t. I knew there were humans here for that purpose, but for some reason, I hadn’t actually envisioned what that meant. Of course, Sinjin would also have had a human to feed on.

  When I reached the vampire pits, they looked deserted. I made my way closer and couldn’t see beyond the horizon of the tents set up for their human inhabitants. The tents were butted up against one another so there wasn’t a way to breach the vampire encampment. I continued around the perimeter, hoping to find a break so I could locate Sinjin. I finally found a small pathway etched between two tents and entered.

  Along the perimeter, torches provided some illumination but inside it was as dark as…the inside of a coffin. I tripped over a casket, trying to accustom my eyes to the dark. The canopy of trees overhead eclipsed the moonlight so I couldn’t even rely on that. I scanned the area, trying to find any hint of life…or the undead. Failing that, I continued forward, having to inch my way along the caskets. I heard the sound of voices and could see the profiles of two people in a nearby tent, backlit by the torches. Maybe it was Sinjin.

  I slowed down to decipher if one of the voices belonged to Sinjin. If it was Sinjin, what would I find upon entering? I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. And furthermore, how did one announce one’s arrival? It wasn’t like I could knock or ring a doorbell. I stood just outside the tent, listening but couldn’t make out a damned thing.

  “And what might you be doing?” A voice sounded from behind me.

  I leaped about three feet and turned to confront a man, er vampire, I’d never seen before. His glowing eyes endowed him with a certain monsteresque quality.

  “I, uh, I’m looking for Sinjin…Sinclair.”

  “I bet you are. Are you his snack for the evening or are you the main course?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “I’m neither.”

  “Pity for him. Perhaps you’d like to share that luscious body with me? I haven’t fed yet this eve.”

  He ran an ice cold finger down my cheek. I backed up until my ankles bumped against another casket.

  “I’m not on the menu,” I snarled.

  “Feisty,” he grinned, his fangs protruding over his lower lip. “I like my food spicy.”

  Then he lunged for me. I pushed against his chest, lost my footing and fell through the opening of the tent I’d been eavesdropping on. I didn’t have a chance to apologize to its inhabitants because the vampire was on me, burying his head in the crook of my neck. I felt th
e scrape of fangs and thrashed against him.

  “Get off me, you son of a…”

  “Stephen!” It was Sinjin’s voice. “Remove yourself from the lady immediately.”

  The vamp surged to his feet and with a deep bow of reverence, backed up until he was at the entrance of Sinjin’s tent. I waited for my heart to slow down and then rolled over and stood up. Sinjin nodded to the vamp who immediately vacated the tent.

  “So, he attacks me and you’re just going to let him walk away?” I demanded.

  Sinjin was sitting in a chair opposite me, but all I could focus on was the redhead in his lap with blood streaming down her neck onto her bare breasts.

  He smiled. “He sensed your humanity, Love, and humans in this encampment are considered fair game.”

  “Real nice,” I said, pressing my fingertips to my neck as I realized how close I’d come.

  “Now, tell me why you have come, Poppet, possibly to join us?”

  I dusted myself off and gave him a glare. “No.”

  He cupped the woman’s breast in his large hand. “Then why have you come, Pet?”

  I braced my hands on my hips. “It’s private.”

  He nodded and faced the now irritated woman. “Candy, will you excuse us?”

  Candy? Really?

  She glared at me but the glare morphed into a sensual smile once her attention returned to Sinjin. I just dropped my gaze to the floor, not wanting to focus on the blood dripping down her body. It resurrected unwelcome images of Ryder.

  “But, we just started, you can hardly be full.”

  “I am not satiated, Darling, but if Jolie needs me, she is my priority.”

  Thank God for that. I stepped aside as Candy stood up and offered Sinjin a kiss on the lips. And it was a loud one, sounding like a toilet plunger mid plunge. He accepted it but then tapped her on the butt which happened to be in the shortest skirt I’d ever seen and turned her around, sending her on her way. She glared at me again as she left the tent but I just smiled, not knowing what else to do.

  “I’m sorry I interrupted you,” I started. “You should have told me to leave if you…hadn’t finished.”

  He shook his head. “I would much rather spend my time with you, Love. Perhaps you would care to provide my dessert? Your blood was the best I have ever sampled.”

  I shook my head. “Sorry, but no.”

  “Very well, what can I do for you, Poppet?”

  I sighed. “I need your help, Sinjin.”

  He closed his eyes and smiled. “Words I love to hear from your lips.” He opened them again and studied me. Standing up, he took the four steps separating us, until I was uncomfortably close to him. I backed away, butting up against the side of the tent. I glanced up and noticed his black button down shirt was half undone, revealing taut pectorals with the lightest dusting of black hair. I gulped.

  “How can I help you?” he whispered.

  “Before I tell you how you can help, I want to preface this by saying I’m going to have to trust you, Sinjin. I can’t turn to anyone else.”

  “I am intrigued, Poppet.”

  I nodded and thought about the best way to deliver my appeal. Best to just come out with it. “I want to go to battle.”

  He nodded and didn’t seem fazed at all by my request. “Why?”

  Why was better than no. Maybe we were making headway.

  “For two reasons. The first is that I personally want to kill Ryder. When he nearly drained me and then tried to force himself on me, I made a commitment, Sinjin. I promised to kill him to make up for what he did to me and what I’m sure he’s doing or will do to other women.”

  Sinjin nodded. “I had planned to kill him myself for those exact reasons.”

  I shook my head. “It needs to be me, Sinjin. Not you and not Rand. It’s my revenge.”

  He nodded. “And your other reason?”

  I dropped my gaze and attempted to take a step back but found myself pre-empted by the tent wall again. I could just make out Sinjin’s grin in the glow of the torchlight. The reasons why he didn’t allow me any room weren’t lost on me…Sinjin, next to Odran, was probably the randiest of Underworld creatures.

  “Well, my other reason might seem stupid to you…”

  “Nothing about you strikes me as stupid, Pet.” He leaned into me until we were uncomfortably close. Close enough to kiss.

  I swallowed hard. “I want to make sure you and Rand will be okay.”

  He chuckled but there was a strange expression in his eyes. Something deep, something serious. “I can take care of myself, Poppet, and Randall is a very strong warlock.”

  “I know, but that doesn’t change the fact that I want to make sure you’re both okay.”

  “I do appreciate the concern. If something were to happen to either of us, you could just bring us back, no?”

  I had thought of this. “I don’t know. You’re already dead for all intents and purposes so I’m not sure I could bring you back.”

  He nodded. “Very good point, Poppet. And Randall?”

  “Every time I’ve brought someone back from the dead, Rand has helped me do it. I believe it’s a blend of our magic. I couldn’t bring that witch back when I tried to with Bella. Maybe that’s because my magic only works when it’s melded with Rand’s.”

  “Another good point. You have thought this through from all angles, it appears.”

  “Yes, I have. The risks are too big to take. And, knowing what Bella has in store for you…”

  Sinjin smiled. “I appreciate your concern, Poppet. It is…” He leaned closer to me until we were an inch or so apart and breathed into the crevice of my neck. “Satisfying.”

  I closed my eyes against the feel of his breath as it sent shivers up my spine. “Will you support me?”

  He pulled away, thank God. “I have always supported you.”

  I guessed that was a “yes”. Relief was sweet. “Thanks, Sinjin.”

  “And what does Randall think of you going to battle?”

  “Rand forbade me from any participation.”

  “Ah.”

  “You can’t tell him about this, okay?”

  “Of course, Love, of course.” He paused a moment and then smiled down at me. “Do you expect to go to battle as unprepared as you were when we sparred?”

  Hmm, Sinjin was astute. “No,” I started.

  “And how do you plan to remedy that, then?”

  I swallowed. This was the part he probably wouldn’t like. “Well, there are two things. Prior to my kidnapping, Rand had hired Ryder to train me in the art of self defense. But because you’re so much stronger than Ryder is I’m sure you could do a better job.”

  “I like this plan,” he said, appearing to ponder it. “You said there were two…things, though?”

  I nodded and focused on the shadows that appeared to flicker and dance along the tent walls according to the burning patterns of the torchlights.

  “Yes, the other is that I need…I need to drink your blood.”

  He paused for a second and then threw his head back and laughed, distancing himself from me.

  “It’s really not that funny,” I said, starting to wonder if the old Sinjin I knew was surfacing. I’d anticipated the fact that this couldn’t be all smooth sailing. He turned his back on me and walked to the other side of the tent before facing me again.

  “Poppet, I am a Master Vampire. Nobody feeds from me.”

  I sighed. “I understand that, Sinjin, but you’re the only vampire I could turn to and the only vampire I trust. That, and you’re the strongest.”

  “Varick is the oldest and strongest.”

  “But, he won’t help me and I wouldn’t want his…blood anyway.” I mean, hey, I’d just met the guy.

  “I would lose all respect if any of my kind learned I had allowed a human to feed from me.”

  “I’m a witch.”

  He crossed his arms against his broad chest and eyed me, as if sizing me up. “Yes, you are a witch
, Pet, but human all the same.”

  “I won’t tell anyone,” I said, beginning to sound desperate. I’d guessed he’d be difficult but I’d hoped his affection for me would stop him from rejecting me outright.

  “Do you know what my blood would do to you?” he asked, sidling up to me again, his muscular chest begging for my attention.

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “But you are well aware what my saliva did to you?”

  “It healed me.”

  “My blood is much stronger, Poppet.” The idea of drinking his blood suddenly struck me as something…sensual and I wasn’t sure what I thought about it. Yes, Sinjin was a babe and a half but…

  “Would it make me stronger?” I asked.

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Could I defend myself against Ryder?”

  “Yes.”

  “Would I be strong enough to kill Ryder?”

  He cocked his head, considering it. “Perhaps.”

  “Then it’s a bet I’m willing to take.”

  He laughed and leaned into me as if he were about to kiss me. I closed my eyes—I just couldn’t help it, it was like an automatic response.

  “I have not yet agreed, Love.”

  I opened my eyes. So, he hadn’t meant to kiss me? Now I just felt like a dumbass. “I would protect you, Sinjin, against Bella,” I blurted haplessly, embarrassment staining my cheeks.

  He smiled. “I do not need your protection. I am stronger than any in Bella’s legion.”

  Okay, there was nothing I had to offer him that would in any way equal what I was asking for in return. So…sometimes you just have to beg. “Please, Sinjin…”

  “There is one thing,” he said with an infective smile and I had to gulp down the thrill that invaded my stomach.

  “I’ve sworn off men and I’m not into casual sex,” I interrupted, almost more as a reminder to myself.

  He chuckled, not in the least bit offended. “Why have you sworn off men, Pet?”

  “Because they are a pain in the ass and they’ve brought me nothing but misery. I’ve decided to become celibate.”

  “Pity, Poppet, you are such a lush little package,” he said, eyeing me from head to toe. “Much as I would enjoy making love to you, my thoughts had run along a different course.”