Champion of Midnight Page 2

  “Let her go, Dorian.” The words dropped from my lips like ice chips.

  Dorian’s jaw tensed. “Excuse me? You dare to order me?”

  There it was, that primal edge that had been missing from this encounter all along, buried under a persona of civility—the lethal glint in his dark eyes, the pinprick of crimson that spoke of unbridled rage and insanity.

  “This human belongs to my house. She belongs to me.” His cultured tone had slipped into something guttural.

  “Serenity,” Drayton said. “He’s right. She agreed to this. She signed a contract.”

  I rounded on him. “Agreed to being bitten? To being used as a walking fucking blood bag? You do see the bite marks, don’t you?” I waved a hand toward the servers. “You do see what the fuck is happening here, don’t you? Donating blood is one thing, but this … This is fucking insane.”

  Drayton’s jaw flexed. “I’m sure Dorian has addressed the oversight with regards to the biting.”

  The fuck was his problem? Why was he covering for this piece of shit?

  Dorian inclined his head. “Of course.”

  The woman’s eyes widened.

  My pulse hammered in my throat with the need to hurt someone. “How about you let her speak for herself?”

  Dorian stepped away from the woman and padded toward me, a panther on the prowl.

  Drayton took a step forward to shield me. “We’re leaving. Now.”

  Dorian ignored him and kept his gaze fixed on me. “We bid for what we want here. We win and we get to reap. It’s the way of Midnight. Everything is a gamble. I suggest you educate yourself on the ways of Midnight before you get hurt.”

  Drayton’s control snapped. “Do not threaten her, Dorian.”

  Dorian blinked in surprise. “Or what, Drayton? You’ll fuck me to death?”

  The gathered broke into laughter—genuine this time—and Drayton bristled. His hands curled into fists. Shit. As much as I despised Dorian, as much as I wanted to punch his face in, we were in the lion’s den. Two nephs surrounded by at least fifty or sixty Sanguinata.

  It was my turn to grab Drayton’s arm. “Let’s jet.”

  We turned toward the door.

  “Please!”

  I spun to face the woman, who, by sheer force of will, had broken Dorian’s compulsion. She fell to the ground, exhausted, her hand reaching for me. “Please don’t leave me here with them.”

  She was someone’s daughter, someone’s sister. Somebody loved her just as I loved Jesse. I’d thought the winged were bad, but this … This was something else. Rage bubbled up inside me, and my mouth developed a mind of its own.

  I approached Dorian, not caring that he was a head and a half taller than me, that his fangs could tear me to shreds, or that we were in his territory at his mercy. Yeah, my mouth didn’t give a shit about that. “You like to gamble, huh? Like to bid and play to win?”

  Dorian cocked his head, intrigued. “You want to play, little neph?”

  I licked my lips. What the heck was I doing? But the human’s eyes had lit up with hope, and there was no going back now.

  “Yeah, I want to play.”

  He crossed his arms. “I’m listening.”

  “Let me take part in your house games. I win, and every human gets the option to leave if they want.”

  “Serenity, no,” Drayton cried.

  A tray or something metallic clattered to the floor to my left. I kept my gaze on Dorian, my muscles vibrating with adrenaline. “Unless you’re scared your big, bad Sanguinata players will lose to a girl.” I batted my eyelashes. “I mean, they’ve already lost to the Lupin two years in a row. Maybe you’re just not that good.”

  His lips twisted in amusement, and some of my bravado evaporated. What did he have to be cocky about?

  “Do you even know what the games are, little neph?” Dorian asked.

  Shit. No one had filled me in on the details, but there was no way I was telling smug-arse that. “Of course I know what they are.”

  “Damn it, Serenity,” Drayton snapped.

  “Hush!” Dorian replied. “Let her speak. She has fire. I like that in a woman.”

  Ew. I crossed my arms under my breasts. “Do we have a deal?”

  Dorian’s lips peeled back, exposing lethal fangs. It wasn’t a snarl, it was more of a … a come-on? “You have a deal, neph. But I have a condition of my own.”

  My mouth was suddenly dry as a subconscious part of my mind picked up on a threat I’d failed to consciously recognize. I shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “Go on.”

  He leaned in so his sweet, coppery breath wafted into my face. “If you lose, you give yourself to me.”

  “Serenity, no.” Drayton yanked me toward him. “Stop this. Stop it now.”

  But I couldn’t, not with all those eyes on me—the serving girls and boys with their hearts filled with the possibility of freedom.

  I gently extricated my arm from Drayton’s grasp and turned back to Dorian. “If I lose, you can do what you like with me. If I win, you let go of every human who wishes to leave, and you change the house recruitment contracts to allow future recruited humans to leave if they wish.”

  Dorian smiled smugly, and my hands itched to slap him.

  Time to take a step away from temptation. “We have a deal?”

  “Oh, yes, neph. We have a deal.”

  Chapter 2

  We left the castle, drove over the bridge, up the path, and out the gates in silence. All the while, the explosion was brewing. It crackled in the air and made my scalp prickle. Sure enough, once we were about half a mile away from the Sanguinata grounds, Drayton pulled up on the side of the road and turned off the engine.

  “Drayton, I—”

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Drayton slammed his hands against the wheel. His shoulders rose and fell in agitation.

  “Drayton, chill. I can do this.”

  He turned on me. “Do what? What have you just signed up for? Have you any fucking idea? Huh?”

  “It’s a game. Like a test of skill or something.”

  He grabbed my shoulders and squeezed. “You stupid, impulsive fool. The games aren’t a test of skill, they’re a test of survival. They will hunt you, Serenity, and they will kill you.”

  Ice trickled down my spine. “Wait, no, that can’t be right. He said if I lost then I’d be his, but if I lose, I’ll be dead.”

  He released me and ran his hands over his face. “This is my fault. I should have spent more time filling you in, briefing you. If you’d been informed … It’s my fault for being such a fucking moron about everything. If I hadn’t avoided you …”

  He was muttering to himself now, berating himself.

  “Drayton, what the heck is going on?”

  He sat back in his seat, his eyes on the empty stretch of road ahead. “If you lose, you die. But then Dorian will have you. He will raise you from the dead as one of his. You will belong to him.”

  “What? That makes no sense. I’d be dead.”

  “The Sanguinata can raise dead nephs and turn them into Sanguinata if the body is fresh enough. There is something in their blood, like a virus, an infection. They can’t infect humans, but they can infect other nephs. But only when our bodies die, and it has to be pretty immediately after death.” He shifted in his seat. “Do you see why you can’t do this? You’ll be up against seasoned Lupin and Sanguinata, killers trained to hunt. Trained specifically for the games.” He grasped my hands in his. “They call them the killing games.”

  The killing games. I was meant to kill or be killed. Gooseflesh broke out over my skin, and I pulled my hands from his as my pulse spiked in fear. I was no assassin. Sure, I could hold my own against rippers and bloodsuckers, but so far we’d worked as a team. But solo, against Sanguinata and Lupin, in a bid to stay alive? I didn’t have what it took.

  “What if I just run and hide and stay alive until it’s over?”

  He pinched the bridge of his nose. “You could try, but the games s
pan three days and two nights. They would find you. The object is to collect flags and kill your opponents. To win, you’d have to stay alive and collect more flags than the House of Vitae.”

  “Oh.”

  “Serenity, you don’t have to do this. It’s not like you signed a contract or anything.”

  No. There was no legal obligation, but those humans needed me. They needed me to help set them free.

  I swallowed the lump of fear in my throat. “So, train me.”

  “What?” Drayton shook his head. “Serenity. No.”

  I looked up and met his gaze steadily. “I am not abandoning those humans. So, train me, and give me a shot at surviving.”

  He turned away, started the engine, and peeled away from the curb.

  Shit.

  ***

  “What did you do?” Bane crossed his arms over his chest and looked down his nose at me.

  He was in standard Protectorate gear, just back from patrol if the mammoth sword strapped to his back was anything to go by. Shit, how did I always forget how big the guy was? Big and scary, and he wouldn’t hurt me, not maliciously anyway. It didn’t stop the cozy study from suddenly feeling dark and forbidding.

  I took a deep breath. “I did what I had to do to help those humans. Isn’t that what we do? Protect humans?”

  He tucked in his chin. “Yes, Harker, that is what we do. But these humans made a conscious decision to accept the protection of House Vitae. They signed a contract. They receive protection for the blood they donate.”

  “Protection?” My voice rose an octave. “They’re being treated like walking blood bags. Bitten, abused, and kept against their will. The Sanguinata are just as bad, if not worse, than the winged. At least the fuckers beyond the pearly gates are honest about the terms of the transaction. The Sanguinata lie.”

  Bane sighed and dropped his arms to his sides. “They don’t lie. The contract is clear. It states that they must provide the Sanguinata with blood to the extent that it is not life-threatening to the human. If families sign up, they can rotate which adult donates for the whole family. Aside from the no biting clause, there is nothing to state how the blood will be extracted.”

  I didn’t bother to hold back on the sarcasm. “So, it’s the humans’ fault that they fail to read between the lines?”

  His violet eyes darkened. “This is the way of Midnight. It is a food chain, a balance that you must not interfere with. I know it seems barbaric to you, having been raised in Sunset, but this is how we live.” He moved around the desk and leaned against it, his body a mere foot or so from mine. If I took a step, I’d be in his personal space. “If you mess with the balance, you force the hunter out of hiding. You lure the demon out from beneath the veneer of civility, and if that happens, then anarchy isn’t far behind.”

  He had a valid point. Heck, what did I know about Midnight? But what was best wasn’t always right.

  “I understand what you’re saying—”

  “Good, then we’ll forget all about it. Dorian will deal with the Sanguinata illegally recruiting, or he’ll pretend to. Either way, he won’t risk continuing. And we can move on to our next case.” He picked up a file from the desk. “I’m going to let you run point on this one, with Drayton on hand to advise. See what you can do.”

  Damn it, he was dangling a carrot, and I was so ready to bite, but if I did that, if I went back on my word, the faces of those humans would haunt me forever. The blonde girl’s face came to mind—her frightened eyes and her quivering hands. That could have been Jesse.

  “I’m not backing down.”

  Bane’s amiable expression tightened. He pushed off the desk and advanced into my personal space. “That is an order, Harker. Not a request.” His voice was a warning rumble.

  “You can’t order me to not take part in the games. What I do in my free time is none of your business.” Shit, I’d gone all squeaky again.

  His lip curled, and fuck, there was that fang. “Free time? What free time? From now on, you have no free time. This case”—he shoved the file at me—“is your life. You will stop only to eat or sleep until you’ve put it to bed.”

  My mouth was like sandpaper. I licked my lips and he tracked the movement.

  “You work for me. I own you. And don’t even think about trying to quit, because that order I pushed through to allow your sister back to Sunset can just as easily be rescinded.”

  My eyes widened and my pulse raced. “You wouldn’t.”

  “Try me.”

  My chest tightened with rage, and I grit my teeth. He was blackmailing me into backing down and leaving those humans to the Sanguinata’s mercy.

  “You’re a cold-hearted bastard. You know that, Bane?”

  He snorted. “Yeah, Harker. Born and fucking bred. Now get the fuck out of here and work that case.” He turned away, dismissing me.

  ***

  The file lay untouched on my bed while I paced the room, still fuming from my encounter with Bane. How dare he? How dare he blackmail me and order me about? Argh. Fuck him. I was taking part in those games whether he wanted me to or not. I’d find a way.

  No, you won’t.

  “Oh, there you are. Decided to show up then, did you? Where were you with some dagger action and advice earlier?”

  I’m sorry, Serenity. I would have been here if I could.

  He sounded tired. “Are you all right?”

  He chuckled. I’m a voice in your head, what do you think?

  Had he just made a joke?

  You can’t take part in the games. If you do, you will fail.

  “Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence.”

  Oh, I have confidence in you, Serenity. The problem is you don’t have confidence in yourself.

  “What the heck does that mean? I agreed to take part in the games, didn’t I? That’s pretty confident, as far as I’m concerned.”

  He sighed. You doubt your abilities. You refuse to assimilate with the darkness.

  “That’s because it’s the darkness. The name kind of gives it away. It’s my demon, and I’m in no hurry to give in to it. I’ve seen what the demon looks like. I saw Drayton’s when it took over.”

  That was Drayton’s demon, not yours. The demon is the other side of every nephilim, and the relationship between the two is unique to that pairing. It is often viewed as a separate entity, but it is not. They are simply two sides of the same coin. For too long now, the word has carried negative connotations, but did you know that in its original incarnation, the word “daimon” meant a divine power, a guiding spirit, a tutelary force?

  “No. I didn’t.”

  No, you think only of evil and harm. Drayton’s daimon takes over and feeds to protect him, to ensure his survival. It is singular in its goal. Nephilims’ daimons are a gift from your Black Wing ancestors, and they wish you no harm, because to do so would be wishing harm on themselves. Your darkness is your demon. It’s a part of you. And until you recognize that, you will never be whole.

  His words resonated inside me. But my shields had been my crutch for too long. He’d proven that the darkness would listen even without the shields, and that I didn’t really need the walls, but it was one thing jumping off a cliff when you were high with craving and another to do it stone-cold sober.

  You know I’m right.

  My stomach squirmed.

  Do you ever wonder how the daggers know when to materialize?

  “Um, you tell them?”

  He snorted. You tell them, or at least the subconscious part of you does. The part that is primed to protect you. The darkness. Your demon.

  No…

  The daggers are connected to it, and once you let it in, once you accept it, you will have control of the daggers.

  All my life, the hunger had been a separate entity. Or had it? I’d certainly treated it as a separate entity. Had I made this happen? But then how else would I have coped in a district of humans?

  It’s time to make some changes.

  �
�I know, but—”

  A knock on the door interrupted my flow. Crap. “Come in.”

  Ambrosius retreated back to wherever he came from.

  Drayton stepped into the room. “Bane said he gave you a file?”

  I crossed my arms and glared at him. “Tattle-tale.”

  He rolled his eyes. “It’s called protocol.”

  “No. It’s called being a snitch.”

  He pressed his lips together. “The file?”

  He obviously wasn’t going to bite. I waved a hand toward the paperwork on my desk. “I thought the MPD didn’t do paperwork.”

  “We don’t. Not unless it’s passed to us by the MED.” He stepped farther into the room. “What is it?”

  “I haven’t looked yet.”

  He arched a brow. “Really?”

  His tone said it all. He knew I was still stinging from Bane’s reprimand, but he was surprised I hadn’t devoured the contents of the file—my first official case. He picked up the file and flipped it open.

  “Oh, shit.” He held it out to me.

  “What?” I took it and stared at the familiar arrogant face glaring back at me from the photograph pinned inside. It was the kelpie guy from The Deep. Cassie’s ex, Killion. In all the hullabaloo, we’d completely forgotten to ask her about his man-eating ways, but it looked like he’d been up to his tricks again.

  A partially devoured body had been located in the south cove, and it wasn’t the first time, according to the file. But although Killion was a suspect, the evidence was circumstantial at best. He’d been seen speaking to the victim earlier that evening. Spotted in the vicinity where the body was found, that kind of thing. The MED wanted us to investigate, to gather evidence, prints, and teeth impressions, things the MED wouldn’t be able to obtain. They wanted us to put a stop to the killings.

  I closed the file and handed it back to Drayton.

  “So, you’re running point on this one,” he said. “What’s our first call?”

  I grabbed my jacket off the end of the bed. “First, we talk to Cassie.”

  His face sobered. “I was hoping you wouldn’t say that.”