Possession of Souls, Page 5

  “Let him go!” I yelled. “He’s nothing to you! Why are you doing this?”

  Damien turned to me face him. “Because I can,” he sneered. “And I need you to understand I’m the one in control here.” He regarded me with a heated expression, and I stared back furiously, tears rolling freely down my cheeks.

  Suddenly, his demeanor changed, and his next words frightened me even more.

  “My, you’re lovely when you’re angry,” he said with a softer voice this time, tilting his head a bit while he surveyed me closely. “I find I quite enjoy our little spats. There’s a smoldering fire that burns inside of you, and it’s tantalizing.” He lifted his thumb, wiping away one my tears before taking it and sticking it in his mouth to suck on it. “Mmm. You’re positively delicious in every way,” he taunted, elevating an eyebrow, his gaze burning into mine.

  A cold, fearful chill settled over me, and I knew I was treading on dangerous ground. “Damien,” I croaked hoarsely, trying to reach him somehow. “Please don’t do this. If you need me to beg, then fine I’ll beg, but please don’t hurt my family.”

  He studied me curiously for a moment. “What will you offer me in return?” he asked bluntly, catching me off guard.

  “I … I … I don’t know what you mean,” I stammered. “What do you want?”

  Lust leapt into his eyes, and I knew I’d asked the wrong question. “You know exactly what I want, Portia,” he growled, and he pulled me closer, forcing his mouth against mine.

  He froze me completely. I was helpless to move at all, but I could feel everything, and my insides were cringing. Had my stomach been able to convulse I would’ve heaved, but instead I was completely imprisoned in his grasp.

  His lips moved roughly against me at first, before gentling. Then he brushed his them back and forth over mine in a feathering motion, before getting harder once again, slipping his tongue inside my mouth, exploring me.

  He grabbed me tighter, wrapping an arm around my waist and sliding a hand up my spine to thread his fingers into my hair, deepening the kiss I couldn’t, or wouldn’t, ever possibly want to respond to.

  Damien lingered for several moments before he pulled away, sucking my bottom lip into his mouth as he did so. He opened his eyes to stare into my frozen ones, and I felt his teeth sharpen, biting into my lip enough to draw blood. A look of rapture crossed his face before he closed his eyes, as if to savor what he tasted there. After a few seconds he glanced at me again. He let my lip, now throbbing from his actions, slide slowly from his mouth.

  “You and I could be so good together,” he whispered, nudging the end of my nose with his, scrutinizing me carefully. He tilted his head away from me slightly and reached down to lift one of my wrists near his face, inhaling deeply. “You’re like a beautiful bouquet. Could you imagine all of this power laced in between us? We’d be unstoppable, you and I,” he murmured against my flesh.

  He sank his teeth painfully into me, drawing heavily for several seconds on the blood which rushed to meet him before he let go, dropping my hand carelessly back to my side. He placed one of his thumbs under my chin and tipped my head back, leaning down to lightly place a kiss against my collarbone.

  “There are so many places I want to taste you from,” he said softly, before he stroked his tongue over me, then biting there as well. He drew hard, painfully so, and I wished I could scream.

  He stayed there for what seemed like forever, feasting, and I could feel myself growing weaker, and weaker, until blackness threatened to overcome me.

  Damien finally lifted his head and looked at me, a trail of my blood running down his chiseled chin.

  “Do you see now?” he asked, staring straight into my eyes. “I’m the one in control here. I can have you whenever I want you, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me. Not you, not him, not your father. I’m the only one.”

  My vocal cords were suddenly free. “Why?” I sobbed, unable to understand why he wanted me so badly.

  “I need you for something, and I need to know I can trust you. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to extract that promise from you, because I know if you give me your word, you won’t back out on it. Your honor and loyalty won’t let you.”

  “What are you talking about? What do you need me for?” I asked, searching for any sign of humanity in what could’ve been a strikingly handsome face had he not been so cruel.

  “You’ll find out shortly, but first you must promise you’ll help me.”

  I opened my mouth to argue, but he brought his fingers to my lips.

  “Shhhh,” he said, shaking his head slightly. “Let me explain the terms to my agreement.”

  I didn’t say anything, fear stilling my tongue this time, and so after a moment he continued.

  “Vance can regenerate, that much is true, and he can do it with or without fresh blood. However, if he has to do it without the blood it will take him an extreme amount of time … months in fact. That’s why it took me so long to get back to you kids. It’s kind of hard to find a fresh blooded witch around when one is buried six feet underground.”

  He gave me a stern look, his lips pressing into a thin line, and I swallowed hard in reflex.

  “Now, while he can regenerate, there are also ways to make sure he stays dead too. You don’t need to worry your pretty head about those details, but you can rest assured I’m aware of them.

  “As far as your father goes, his fate rests in your hands as well. Half of the conversion process has been done—my drinking of his blood. He only needs to be fed my blood now to begin his demonic change. Or if needs be, he can be easily drained and taken care of.”

  “Please don’t hurt him anymore,” I whispered, struggling to maintain some control on my overwhelming mental and physical exhaustion.

  “Then give me your promise,” Damien said, squeezing my arms tightly, digging into my skin which helped me to be slightly more alert. “When I need your help, you’ll give it freely. They,” he nodded to where Vance lay crumbled on the floor, and over in the direction I’d seen my dad, “will get to live, and I’ll give you my word I won’t touch you or try to compromise your vows to Vance. But if you don’t …,” he let the sentence trail off, a bemused look settling on his face as he glanced down my body once more, making his intentions more than clear.

  “You expect me to just give you a blind promise without even knowing what it is I’m agreeing to?”

  “I do,” he said without a moment of hesitation.

  “How do I know you aren’t going to ask me to do something which will harm them? This could all be a trap of yours to get me to do damage to those I love. I know how you enjoy these manipulating little mind games.” I stared at him.

  “You bring up a very good point. You don’t know what it is I’ll ask of you.” He reached out to stroke a finger lightly down my chin. “But it would hardly serve my purpose to have you kill them. Then what would bind your promise to me? No, I’ll secure their help as well by having your word. Vance will do what I say if he knows it’ll keep me from you, and you’ll do what I say if you want them both to live.

  “It really is a brilliant way to do things. Don’t you see? Everyone will get to be happy then. Your dad won’t be turned, and you’ll be returned to your precious husband, mostly untouched. I would think this is exactly what you would want.”

  He eyed me again, and his gaze followed the trail of his fingers over my shoulder, back down to my arm. He gripped me firmly, drawing me closer so my body was in full contact with him, his hot breath blowing against my skin.

  “What’s it going to be, Portia?” he asked, his voice soft but harsh sounding, and he wrapped his arms around my hips, grinding me to him.

  The intimate contact with the hard planes of his body made my head spin, and I felt sick. I closed my eyes, scrunching them tightly together, my jaw clenching in protest at the words which were about to leave my mouth.

  But my mind was made up. I opened my eyes. “You have my word,” I choked ou
t in a whisper, willing to do anything to get him away from me—to protect my dad and Vance.

  “Done,” he said, releasing me both from his grasp, and his magic, and I crumpled helplessly to the floor.

  I had no idea how long I’d been drifting in and out of consciousness, before I felt like I’d built enough energy to move myself to where Vance was.

  One hand in front of the other, I pulled my depleted form across the chilly floor, trying to push with my feet as I inched along, almost like a fish flopping helplessly out of water.

  Vance was lying where he’d fallen in a puddle of his own blood, his body already cold and stiff once again.

  Crawling up next to him, I lifted my arm to his mouth, attempting to drag my wrist over his teeth to cut my skin, but his fangs weren’t present making them too dull to tear the tissue.

  I turned over onto my back in exhaustion, laying my head against his stomach, not caring I was now resting in the pool of his blood. I took several deep breaths while I stared up at the ceiling, feeling more than a little helpless over our situation.

  My mind kept flitting back to the blind promise I made to Damien, one I couldn’t get out of, even if I wanted to, because I wouldn’t just be sacrificing myself but my dad and Vance as well.

  A sob escaped my lips involuntarily, and I tried to contain the trembling in my body by clenching my fists tightly at my side. I couldn’t afford to lose it, to let myself go. Damien would be watching for weaknesses he could prey upon, things that would give him an edge over me. I couldn’t let him see me this way, allowing him to know he was destroying me completely.

  I dug my nails harder into my hands—trying to get control, until I could feel them biting through my skin. With the pain came the sensation of something else—something cold.

  Lifting my hands in wonder, I inspected them, seeing the bits of frost that gathered in the crescent shaped grooves in my palms.

  Ice. I half smiled to myself. My powers were coming back.

  Laying one palm on top of the other, I concentrated as hard as I could, finally mustering enough energy to spike a tiny ice shard clear through my other hand. Blood trickled out before beginning to flow freely from the wound.

  Rolling onto my side, I placed my injury against Vance’s slightly open mouth, letting my blood run inside him. The ice shard protruding from my flesh, though it was slowly melting, kept the Awakening from being able to heal closed.

  My eyes drifted heavily. I forced them to stay open, looking to see the signs of Vance’s regeneration beginning to work once more. A pink flush spread across his skin. Once I was certain he was healing, I couldn’t keep them open any longer.

  Moments later I heard him gasp, and his teeth sank sharply into my hand so he could drink from me. I knew it was going to take everything I had left in me to restore him, so I didn’t fight it—letting myself slip completely away.

  Chapter 6

  When I resurfaced it was to find myself in Vance’s arms. We were still on the floor, but he’d sat up, moving so he could lean against the wall. Though he held onto me tightly, he was sleeping. His face was buried tenderly in the crook of my neck, and I reached one of my hands up gently to push my fingers into his thick hair, stroking it lovingly.

  He stirred slightly, letting out a soft moan before jerking suddenly awake with a wild desperation in his eyes as if he just remembered what was going on around him.

  “Portia?” he said softly, his voice filled with urgency. “Baby, are you okay?” He moved his gaze to glance down my body, and I followed the path his eyes trailed.

  I was covered in dried blood, mostly his, but a bit of my own as well, and it looked like I’d been through a massacre. It was obvious he was assuming the worst.

  “What did he do to you?” he choked out, his fingertips squeezing hard into my skin causing me to wince.

  “Vance. You’re hurting me,” I whispered, and immediately he released me, mumbling an apology under his breath. “I’m okay,” I added, hurrying to reassure him. “Most of this blood is yours.”

  He buried his face back into my neck and I heard him release a strangled sob. “I was almost positive he had ….” He stopped, unable to finish his thought, but I knew what he meant. I held him close to me, letting him vent his pent up emotions.

  This had to be one of the most difficult things I’d ever done. He was devastated and in a mental place I’d never seen him before. I also knew I couldn’t lie to soften the blow. I had to tell him the truth.

  “After he attacked you, he froze me,” I began, and the very words caused him to still.

  Vance didn’t lift his head, or say anything—he just waited for me to continue on.

  “He has my dad. He showed him to me. He’s manacled to a chair just like you were, and Damien has been feeding from him.”

  “Oh, Portia,” Vance let out a deep sigh, hugging me tighter. “I’m so sorry, baby. I had no idea. He never said anything of the sort to me.”

  “There’s more,” I said, and I felt him stiffen again.

  “Go on.”

  I barged right in, my words coming out like an eruption I couldn’t stop, my body shaking. “He kissed me—intimately. I couldn’t do anything about it. He ran his hands over my skin, touching me.”

  Vance’s breathing rate increased and he gripped me harder. “What else,” he growled, and his rage washed over me.

  My voice trembled as I continued. “He fed from me. From my wrist, my collarbone, and my bottom lip.”

  I was surprised when Vance suddenly sat me aside, standing abruptly. He lifted his hands rubbing his face roughly, moving to his ears as if he couldn’t stand to hear any more before running his fingers up into his hair to grab fistfuls. He let out a terrifying roar of frustration that echoed loudly off the cavern walls.

  I jumped, frightened by the emotions rolling off him, but I understood where he was coming from too.

  He didn’t look at me, and I felt ashamed, dirty, violated. I wondered if he would ever even want to touch me again.

  “No!” he shouted, turning to look at me with wild eyes. “You stop it right now!” he yelled, pointing at me, and I started crying.

  “Stop what?” I asked, hating the anger I saw.

  “Quit thinking what you’re thinking!” He came over, grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking me. “This is not your fault! None of this is your fault!” His voice softened then. “You’re a victim in all of this, baby. Don’t let doubts prey on you now. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

  Yes, I have,” I said, afraid to look into his eyes, but unable to break the connection.

  “What do you mean?” His face grew guarded.

  “I made a deal with him,” I replied so softly I wondered if he could even hear me.

  “What kind of deal?” he ground out through clenched teeth.

  “I had to promise I would do something for him when he asked,” I said lamely, thinking how ridiculous it sounded.

  “What’re you to do exactly?” He looked at me warily.

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. He wouldn’t tell me.” I swallowed hard as I maintained eye contact.

  “You made a promise to him without knowing what was required of it?” he asked incredulously. “Portia! Why?”

  “Because he said he would kill you and my dad, or turn him into a demon, if I didn’t help. He said his …,” I faltered a bit, tears rolling in a river down my face, “his assault on me today was to prove to me he’s the one in charge here, and there’s nothing you, or my dad, can do to protect me. He said if I made him this promise and kept my word then he wouldn’t touch me or violate me in anyway.”

  Vance’s demeanor which had grown angrier with every word I spoke, suddenly relaxed, and he let out a big sigh of relief, pulling me against him.

  “You did the right thing.” He hugged me closely, running his hands over my hair and down my back. “I’m positive whatever he wants you to do will be awful, but you’ve bought some time, and you have protected your
self too. That’s important. You did the right thing.”

  I wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince me, or himself, that I actually made the correct decision, but the relief in his voice was apparent regardless. I knew he had truly been worried about Damien’s advances against me.

  “I’m sorry, Vance,” I said, clinging to him. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

  “Shhhh.” He placed a whisper of a kiss against my skin before he stood up, pulled me to my feet, and then lifted me.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and nuzzled my face into his chest while he carried me.

  “Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up,” he added, his voice rumbling from deep within, radiating out against my skin. I found myself smiling in spite of everything, because he looked just as bad, if not worse, than I did.

  I sat in a bubble bath with suds up to my chin, feeling like a complete baby while Vance rested on the floor, leaning against the rough stone wall by the door.

  He insisted he would watch over me while I got cleaned up first, not wanting to join me in case Damien made another appearance.

  I tried to hurry so he could get in, but he was having none of it, insisting I take my time. I decided to give into his wishes if it were so important to him. He’d been through a lot both emotionally and physically today.

  He watched me in silence, his eyes never leaving as I cleaned myself and washed my hair out.

  “I can’t fathom what he could possibly need you to do,” he said out-of-the-blue, causing me to look up.

  “Me either.”

  “The only thing I’m sure of is that he’s up to no good.”

  I figured that was obvious.

  “I won’t leave you, you know?” he said looking at me pointedly. “Whatever it is he wants you to do, I’m coming with you.”

  “Vance,” I said with warning in my voice as I shook my head. “You can’t do anything to rock the boat. I don’t want to give him any reason to break his end of the bargain. I need to know you and my dad are going to be safe.”

  He snorted in disgust, heat creeping into his eyes, and an angry flush crept over his skin.