Page 88 of Midnight Kiss
“I don’t want?—”
“If you want to live, you will bind me,” he said.
“How?” I spat. “You don’t even know how!”
“That has presented a problem,” he said. “You see, that book doesn’t have the information I need. It seems someone has removed the relevant diary entry that would’ve told us how to perform the ritual.”
Alex.
“But never fear, we’re going to extract that information shortly. In the meantime, we will … experiment with methods of bonding you to me. Conventional ones at first. And if that doesn’t work, we’ll use more unconventional methods.”
I didn’t want to know what he meant by that.
“Indeed, you don’t want to know.”
“Stop reading my thoughts.”
“Why not, my dear? Why not use the talents I’ve been blessed with,” he said. “Now open your mouth if you want to live.”
I kept my mouth firmly shut.
Again, Karn laughed. As if he enjoyed the fact that I was resisting him so thoroughly. There was a moment of silence, and then a strange noise in the darkness. Almost wet but grating.
“What is?—?”
Something coppery and bitter dropped into my mouth, and I swallowed out of instinct.
“That’s right,” he said. “Drink it. My blood will empower you and bond you to me.”
My stomach turned, and I plastered my lips shut as more blood dripped onto my face and mouth. I didn’t care about dying. I didn’t want anything to do with this bond or being a Guardian to this horrific creature.
But it was already too late.
A burning had started in my stomach, and it traveled through my limbs, paining at first and then … wiping away the aches and pains.
“This,” Karn said, “is an old magic. In the times just after vampires were ‘birthed’ into the world, we created thralls. Human creatures who worked with us and held a little of a vampire's power in their blood. It is, regrettably, not the same as a Guardian bond, according to my brief research, but it will have to work for now. It will keep you alive.”
I didn’t thank him. I couldn’t rub the blood from my face.
My nausea disappeared. Strength returned to my limbs.
“Of course, creating thralls is forbidden in modern culture and vampire society. It’s a method of control. You see, now, when I call you, you will be compelled to come to me, wherever you are. And I can do exactly that at any moment.” Karn sighed. “It will wear off after a few months, but then, I can feed you more of my blood, and you will drink it again, whether you are my Guardian or not.”
The pain was entirely gone now. My headache had disappeared too. Everything felt clearer than it had been in weeks, and I could breathe.
Alex. Where’s Alex?
The door to the chamber opened, and a second vampire entered.
I frowned.
I couldn’t see them, but I was sure that this was one vampire alone. A flash of them appeared in my mind. Blonde, blue eyes blazing, hulking and wearing a long cloak.
“Ezekiel,” Karn said. “To what do I owe the interruption?” Karn sounded pissed. Clearly, he hadn’t been finished with the vampire-splaining.
“I am struggling to get the information we need, Master,” he said. “I require your assistance.”
Karn growled under his breath. “Very well. But bring in two guards to watch her. Something is happening to her, and I want it to be curated and watched. I don’t want a powerful thrall running around our coven without her bindings.”