to a halt under the window.
The man in the chair was maybe in his late twenties, trim but muscular, his floppy fair hair almost masking his eyes. Another vampire. She could sense it. There were grazes on his face and both his lips, and one eye was swollen. He sent a wary glance in Leila’s direction as he watched Caleb approach her.
She kept perfectly still, her breaths curt and erratic behind her gag as Caleb stepped astride her hips. His eyes, darkened by the moonlight, were as hostile as the room he was intending to either slaughter or imprison her in. Eyes she didn’t dare break from as he placed the tip of his sword against the base of her throat with an unnervingly steady precision.
‘Leila, meet Tay. Tay, meet Leila.’
She shot a nervous glance at Tay, who anxiously glanced back at her.
‘You two might have a lot in common,’ Caleb said as he slid the sword slowly down her cleavage and over her knotted stomach, before stepping away again. ‘Tay’s been a very bad vampire, even if he does insist on denying it.’
Tay’s nervous gaze locked on Caleb as he approached, his wrists straining under the pressure of the ropes that bound his arms to the armrests.
‘Tay made the unforgivable mistake of thinking he could double-cross me and Jake. Swindle us. Unfortunately he made the fatal error of overlooking the loyalty of our nearest and dearest work associates – associates whose loyalty can’t be bought at any price.’ He pressed the tip of the sword against Tay’s throat.
Tay’s eyes bulged in fear. His hands clenched, his wrists and legs straining against the restraints, the veins in his neck and his temple throbbing.
‘Even more unfortunately, I have a complete intolerance for anyone who thinks they can deceive me.’ Caleb pushed the tip of the sword into his flesh, just a little, but enough to make him bleed. Tay squealed behind his gag, his eyes wide and pleading as they stared up into Caleb’s. ‘Which Tay should know only too well,’ he added. He lowered the sword again and stepped away, twirling the heavy weaponry as if wielding a child’s toy.
As he sauntered back over towards her, she knew it would be the easiest thing in the world for him to drive the blade through her right there and then. But she guessed that wasn’t his intent.
Not yet.
Caleb crouched beside her, on the far side from Tay. She flinched as he brushed a few loose strands from her eyes and cheek.
‘I’ve been mulling over what to do with you, Tay,’ he said, addressing the bound vampire despite looking at Leila. ‘Whether to make an example of you or make you disappear like you never even existed.’ He slid the back of his cool hand gently down over Leila’s throat, the tension thickening in the already dense room. ‘Then along comes the perfect solution.’
Leila’s pulse raced as Caleb lay the sword beside her. He pulled a roll of leather from his back pocket and unravelled it to reveal an array of syringes. Her heart leapt.
Hell, no, this wasn’t happening. He couldn’t drug her again. Whatever he was planning, she couldn’t be unconscious. She stared up at him and shook her head, her eyes wide with panic.
‘What’s the saying?’ Caleb removed one of the empty syringes, flicking off the lid. ‘Killing two birds with one stone?’ He met her gaze. ‘Don’t worry, sweetheart, this will only hurt a little.’
Caleb wrapped his cool hand around her forearm and pressed the tip of the needle against a vein in the crook of her arm. Leila pleaded behind her gag, cried out in protest, but still he slid the needle inside.
She flinched, closed her eyes and twisted her head away, wincing as he extracted her blood.
Withdrawing the needle, he left Leila palpitating as he stood and strolled back over to Tay, the loaded syringe in his hand.
And then she knew.
The horror struck her hard, fast and painfully.
She knew exactly what was coming next.
❄ ❄ ❄
Caleb stood in front of Tay, the vampire’s
The man in the chair was maybe in his late twenties, trim but muscular, his floppy fair hair almost masking his eyes. Another vampire. She could sense it. There were grazes on his face and both his lips, and one eye was swollen. He sent a wary glance in Leila’s direction as he watched Caleb approach her.
She kept perfectly still, her breaths curt and erratic behind her gag as Caleb stepped astride her hips. His eyes, darkened by the moonlight, were as hostile as the room he was intending to either slaughter or imprison her in. Eyes she didn’t dare break from as he placed the tip of his sword against the base of her throat with an unnervingly steady precision.
‘Leila, meet Tay. Tay, meet Leila.’
She shot a nervous glance at Tay, who anxiously glanced back at her.
‘You two might have a lot in common,’ Caleb said as he slid the sword slowly down her cleavage and over her knotted stomach, before stepping away again. ‘Tay’s been a very bad vampire, even if he does insist on denying it.’
Tay’s nervous gaze locked on Caleb as he approached, his wrists straining under the pressure of the ropes that bound his arms to the armrests.
‘Tay made the unforgivable mistake of thinking he could double-cross me and Jake. Swindle us. Unfortunately he made the fatal error of overlooking the loyalty of our nearest and dearest work associates – associates whose loyalty can’t be bought at any price.’ He pressed the tip of the sword against Tay’s throat.
Tay’s eyes bulged in fear. His hands clenched, his wrists and legs straining against the restraints, the veins in his neck and his temple throbbing.
‘Even more unfortunately, I have a complete intolerance for anyone who thinks they can deceive me.’ Caleb pushed the tip of the sword into his flesh, just a little, but enough to make him bleed. Tay squealed behind his gag, his eyes wide and pleading as they stared up into Caleb’s. ‘Which Tay should know only too well,’ he added. He lowered the sword again and stepped away, twirling the heavy weaponry as if wielding a child’s toy.
As he sauntered back over towards her, she knew it would be the easiest thing in the world for him to drive the blade through her right there and then. But she guessed that wasn’t his intent.
Not yet.
Caleb crouched beside her, on the far side from Tay. She flinched as he brushed a few loose strands from her eyes and cheek.
‘I’ve been mulling over what to do with you, Tay,’ he said, addressing the bound vampire despite looking at Leila. ‘Whether to make an example of you or make you disappear like you never even existed.’ He slid the back of his cool hand gently down over Leila’s throat, the tension thickening in the already dense room. ‘Then along comes the perfect solution.’
Leila’s pulse raced as Caleb lay the sword beside her. He pulled a roll of leather from his back pocket and unravelled it to reveal an array of syringes. Her heart leapt.
Hell, no, this wasn’t happening. He couldn’t drug her again. Whatever he was planning, she couldn’t be unconscious. She stared up at him and shook her head, her eyes wide with panic.
‘What’s the saying?’ Caleb removed one of the empty syringes, flicking off the lid. ‘Killing two birds with one stone?’ He met her gaze. ‘Don’t worry, sweetheart, this will only hurt a little.’
Caleb wrapped his cool hand around her forearm and pressed the tip of the needle against a vein in the crook of her arm. Leila pleaded behind her gag, cried out in protest, but still he slid the needle inside.
She flinched, closed her eyes and twisted her head away, wincing as he extracted her blood.
Withdrawing the needle, he left Leila palpitating as he stood and strolled back over to Tay, the loaded syringe in his hand.
And then she knew.
The horror struck her hard, fast and painfully.
She knew exactly what was coming next.
❄ ❄ ❄
Caleb stood in front of Tay, the vampire’s
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