Page 76 of Fire in My Blood
Markus gives a short nod. “So, we conduct a systematic search of each property. But are you sure she’s not just in a basement?”
“Yes.” I close my eyes and search my connection to Erica for any more details of her surroundings, but it’s much the same as before. “The room she’s in is beneath rocks and dirt, but no man-made structure. The entrance might be in a house, though; it’s impossible to tell.”
Lyn crosses her arms over her chest. “If that’s the case, it’s a place which is well-hidden. They wouldn’t want any strange activity to be witnessed by the neighbors.”
Chapter 46
Erica
“Amen!”
I jump and straighten when the master’s last word is punctuated with a clap. He has been rambling for what feels like hours, clearly in love with hearing his own voice, and my attention has wandered.
“I believe your slave is anxious to begin.” The old creaky voice of the master has an evil ring to it. “She’s pretty, if a little old for my taste.” He pulls his hood back, revealing a narrow chin of gray skin.
I barely suppress a shudder at his words. Bybegin,I suppose he means exchanging blood, but I hope I won’t be required to bite the asshole next to me. Bile rises in my throat at the mere thought.
“Thank you, Master.” Gerard’s complete obedience to the old vampire hits me as strange. He’s scrawny and frail-looking, and Gerard is well over average in height and brawn. But I get the feeling the master is a lot older, and if old equals powerful for vampires, like in most movies and books, I guess Gerard knows he doesn’t stand a chance against the old fucker.
“You may drink from her neck, but do not take more than three ounces of her blood. She’ll need her strength to survive the transformation.”
My head snaps up in shock, and I stare directly into the master’s face. What the hell does he mean by transformation? I thought I was going to be bound to Gerard, not become a vampire.
“Do not look at me!” The master’s voice booms through the room, and I immediately lower my eyes to the floor. The power in his voice doesn’t give me a choice.
“You are a disgusting human whore, and if you were not to be bound to Gerard, you would already be dead. Be grateful for my mercy.”
I’m not sure if he expects me to thank him or not, so I keep my head down and my mouth shut. Gerard was clear earlier that I was not to speak to the master under any circumstances. He considers himself so far above humans that he doesn’t want them to look at him or address him.
The silence stretches, and I start wondering if he might change his mind about killing me. But it seems I made the right decision not to speak.
“You can proceed with taking her blood.” The master sounds dismayed, and I get the feeling he would have relished killing me.
Gerard turns toward me, and I face him. He tilts my head to the side, and I let him without resistance.
Every fiber of my being is telling me to pull away, but I already know that would be certain death. My death. Instead, I concentrate on my breathing to keep it slow and even.
The pain is sharp as he tears into my neck, and I gasp as agony radiates from the bite and spreads throughout my body.
But I welcome the pain as relief floods my body, and I clench my teeth not to laugh. Gerard’s bite is all pain and doesn’t have any of the effect Lucas’s bite had on me.
It’s finished within thirty seconds. But when Gerard pulls back, I realize my hands are fisted in his shirt, and my legs are shaking to the point of almost giving out beneath me.
I meet his gaze and am surprised to see a look of irritation on his face. Is he annoyed with me that I looked at the master, or is it something else?
“Your bite made an impression on her. That’s a good sign.” There’s a sick kind of amusement in the master’s voice, and I realize he thought I was turned on by Gerard drinking from me.
The tall man in front of me probably realized I wasn’t, though, and that might be the reason for his irritation.
“I will now take your blood.” The old vampire turns to the table behind him and picks up a knife and an ornate cup.
Turning back, he lifts the knife toward Gerard. “Come forward.”
I can’t see what the master is doing to Gerard, so I spend the time committing the faces of the remaining five vampires in the room to memory. They’re all staring at Gerard and the master and don’t notice my eyes on them. But I still keep my head tipped a bit forward to not make it obvious what I’m doing.
Based on what Gerard has told me, these vampires must all have slaves bound to them or they wouldn’t be allowed to attend the ceremony. But where do they keep the slaves while they’re here? Will I have to stay with the other slaves from now on when I’m not tending to my rapist’s needs? An involuntary shudder runs through my body, and my stomach rolls.
Gerard suddenly turns around and approaches me, but I lower my gaze to the ground not to inadvertently look at the master behind him. The tall vampire stops in front of me and grabs my chin. He tips my head back, and his eyes fill with an amused kind of malice when he puts the ornate cup to my lips.