Vampire King: Escape Part 2

"Ah!" The guard's hands went to his neck. "Oh, Ambi!"

A chunk of the guard's neck lay between Samuel's teeth as he ripped the rest of the neck apart. Red blood and green mucus dripped down Samuel's chin. Veins stuck out from the fleshy meat as it still moved. He spat it out.

"No!" The guard waved his arms. "Please!"

With a wooden dagger in his other hand, Samuel stabbed him. Cold blood squirted on my arm. Samuel shoved him into the street. The now dead vampire's body crashed to the ground with a boom. The stench of rotting flesh floated up from the corpse.

I formed my hands into fists. I didn't have Ty and Samuel's strength, but I refused to return to the castle. I would rather fight and die than be drug back to slavery. The last guard battled Ty. They grunted with each lunge, punch, and block. I got behind the guard and kicked his back. Pain bit at my feet, but he slipped on a puddle of slime and collapsed to the ground. Ty soared in the air, landed on the fallen guard's chest, tore it open, and sliced his heart with a wooden knife. I scanned the area. All the guards were dead.

"What were they looking for?" Samuel's hand captured me from behind. He dragged me to the edge of a dark alley and pressed me into the brick building's wall.

"I-I can explain." I climbed out of his hands.

Samuel wiped the blood off his face with his coat. "Take off your shawl."

"Ease up, Sam." Ty showed up by my side within seconds. "I was going to tell you once we got into the sewers."

I concentrated on not vomiting and breathed in and out, desperately trying not to look at the blood and mucus now dripping from Samuel's coat sleeve.

"Take it off," Samuel barked.

With shaking hands, I pulled the shawl off my shoulders and dropped it to the ground.

"You need to back up. You're scaring her." Ty attempted to position himself between Samuel and me, but couldn't squeeze in. "She's a domina. I knew in the bar when I saw the edge of her robe."

"And these white symbols on the collar?" Samuel touched some of my embroidery and then yanked his hand away as if they were repulsive.

I whispered, "It means-"

"Silence!" Samuel roared. "You had your chance to tell me the truth."

Flinching, I leaned my body into the wall. The grooves of the brick dug into my skin, but I welcomed the tiny hurt behind me instead of confronting the huge vampire in front of me. With my left hand, I fingered my locket at my neck. The cold metal calmed me a little as I stroked it.

"She's untouched," Ty explained. "No vampires have drunk her blood or had s.e.x with her. That's what the embroidery means, unless the castle has changed their codes from the time I guarded there."

"You're right." I tipped my head his way and hoped to find an alliance with Ty. "I'm untouched."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Samuel gazed at Ty.

"Because we need the money and I figured you wouldn't do it if you knew." Ty edged closer and s.h.i.+elded me a little more. "She wants her freedom. That's what we do, help people find their path out of slavery."

"But we don't a.s.sist the king's wh.o.r.es," Samuel spat out the words and narrowed his gold eyes on me. My panic transformed to rage.

How dare he?

"I'm no one's wh.o.r.e." I released the locket and clenched my hand into a fist. "You don't want to help me, then that's fine. Move so I can do it myself."

I stepped to the side. Samuel blocked me with his arm, so fast I almost wasn't sure if it had been there the whole time.

"You know my face and my name. If you get caught, and you will, you'll give me up as soon as they even think about your punishment."

"No, I won't." I shoved his arm with all my strength, but it wouldn't budge. I blew out an exasperated breath. There was no reasoning with him. "Fine. Will you help me?"

"No. I'll probably just drain and kill you."

Ty chuckled and moved away from us until he was on the wall behind Samuel. "Don't worry, domina. He's no killer of women. He's only trying to scare you."

Samuel's lips lowered into a frown. I remained where I was, just in case. I'd witnessed Samuel tearing a vampire's neck away with his teeth. I didn't want to make him my enemy.

"I promise I won't say anything," I mumbled.

"Dawn is approaching. I'm too pretty to burn," Ty said. "Let's go and discuss this later."

"No," Samuel barked.

Ty whistled a tune and peeked around the corner. "Dead castle guards aren't a great scene to be around. These guys are night watch. They march around the city making sure dominas haven't strayed off to forbidden places. The guys will be expected to return to their post."

Samuel remained quiet. The gold in his pupils flared to a brighter shade.

"I can give you more of my blood," I offered.

Samuel leaned his head to the side. "And has Octavia requested you give me something more?"

"No." I wrinkled my forehead. What is he talking about?

"Those vials of Brie's blood could buy my Victoria a house and me several top brand horses." Ty returned to us. "I'll take her myself if you're worried."

"No. She belongs to me until she's in Zumaya." Samuel shook his head. "I should have never listened to Octavia."

"I don't belong to anybody," I declared. "And all I need you to do is get me out of Capitol City. I can find my way to Zumaya on my own."

"But you won't. Not if I have anything to say about it. Now take off your robe." Samuel's eyes remained on mine as he s.n.a.t.c.hed off his coat, threw it to the ground, and pulled off the black s.h.i.+rt he had on under it. His waist rippled with sculpted muscles. His chest and shoulders bulged and spoke of great strength. It was one thing to a.s.sume he had a big frame, another to have it confirmed with the moons' light. Claw marks decorated his shoulder. Vampires could heal most wounds quickly. I wondered what beast scratched him to the point the injury could not heal.

"Wear my s.h.i.+rt so we won't have any more guards bothering us." He slung the s.h.i.+rt at me.

I caught it. "Please turn around."

Ty faced away from me. I waited for Samuel to turn, but he simply flashed a wicked grin.

"Go ahead and take off the robe," he said. "I'm not interested in what is under it. After your lies, I won't be putting my back to you."

Whatever.

Slowly, I slipped out of my robe. The chiffon slid down my trembling skin. "And will you want more blood?" I murmured as the robe dropped to the ground.

The moons' light shone on my teal undergarments, but I didn't flinch or cover myself. As a domina, I had to undress in front of guards, castle doctors, and unknown inspectors at least five times a day. They always checked my body for unpermitted bite marks. What kept my hands shaking as I stood half naked in front of Samuel was the possibility he wouldn't help me, that instead he would just drain me of my valuable blood and sell it.

I swallowed a large gulp of anxiety. Still smiling, his focus drifted down to my neck and then to the curve of my cleavage as it pushed out of the satin bra.

"I can give you more blood, as much as you want, as long as it doesn't kill me," I said.

"I don't want your blood. I'm no king," he whispered, yet his fangs extended farther down from the top of his lip. His hand went to my breast. I jumped as his fingertips touched my locket.

"This will be your payment." He traced the silver locket's edge with his thumb. Once again, my blood reacted, rus.h.i.+ng to the center of my chest. I pressed myself further into the wall.

"The locket has no value." I removed it from his hands. "The robe cost three times more than this trinket."

"But the locket means something to you, so I want it." Samuel s.n.a.t.c.hed it away. The chain snapped in half. A few of the links fell down my chest, rolled over my b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and dropped to the ground. I gritted my teeth until my gums ached and held in my protests while he clutched the locket in his huge hands.

"Can I at least have the picture in there?" I asked through clenched teeth.

"Is it a picture of your king?" Samuel inquired.

"No. It's a picture of my husband and girls back in Zumaya. You can have the locket, but the picture is mine. Just in case I don't make it home, I want to see my family's faces before I die."

Samuel averted his eyes. A low groan escaped his lips. He handed the locket back to me. "Never mind. The vials are enough."

I placed it in my bra and tucked it near my right breast.

Ty giggled into his hand. "See. Samuel is a big softy. He only plays the bully for people who don't know him well."

Samuel scowled.

I put on Samuel's s.h.i.+rt, pulling it over my face. His sweet aroma drifted from the thin material and reminded me of the purple herbs my mother used for creating her popular scented candles. She died three years ago with the food shortage from the drought. I inhaled the memories, sucking the fragrance through my nose like it would make my home or mother appear.

"Enough." Samuel slowly backed away. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry." I dropped the material from my nose. "Your s.h.i.+rt smells sweet like tenna herbs."

"Don't you worry about what I smell like." Samuel ran his fingers through his blond-and-black strands. His fangs vanished. He stomped out of the alley, saying nothing else. The ma.s.sive muscles on his shoulders and back flexed with his movements.

"Relax, domina. Sam will warm to you eventually." Ty picked up Samuel's gray coat and my robe off the ground. "Come with me. Our camping area is near."

Chapter Three.

"You first, domina." Samuel raised a sewer cap and pointed into the darkness.

The two moons hung in a horizontal line and signaled dawn was near. We'd walked through the city for hours, remaining within shadows and hiding in darkened corners when other vampires were on the streets. I gazed down into the hole and could only see darkness. I sniffed and caught a disgusting stench. It seared my nostrils. Coughing, I covered my nose with my arms. The area reeked of vampire bodily waste, decayed blood ripped of life. Nothing was worse than the odor, not even feces or rotting flesh. It stunk with sharp, metallic whiffs and garbage undertones. Since the majority of a vampire's diet was blood, their waste came out stringy and red. I'd learned this vomit-inducing fact from my maid on my first night in Capitol City.

I can't go in there.

"Get in. The sun will be up soon," Samuel hissed. This was the most he'd said to me since leaving the alley.

"Don't worry," Ty a.s.sured me. "There are only friends down there and refugees like yourself trying to escape the city."

"Thank you." I delivered a half smile to Ty and avoided Samuel's glare as I climbed down into the sewer. Ambi, help me. I breathed out my mouth and tried my best not to gag.

The gloomy s.p.a.ce swallowed me up. Hot metal served as the ladder's rungs and burned the palms of my hands. Since it is underground, the sewer must retain a lot of heat. I refused to whine or complain, knowing Samuel would seize the opportunity to use it as an excuse for why I shouldn't be with them. The blistering ladder rungs burned my fingers. Scars formed. The flesh on my palms hardened. Plus, it was so dark. I couldn't even see how bad the injuries were as I journeyed farther down. A sc.r.a.ping noise sounded above. I looked up. Ty pulled the sewer cap down, which meant Samuel must be the person right above me on the ladder.

"Are you okay, domina?" Ty asked. His voice soothed me in the darkness.

"Yes," I called back, still climbing down. Something crawled up my ankle. I kicked it away with my other leg and quickened my pace. Don't think about what it was. Just concentrate on something else. I pictured my husband Ethan the night I left Zumaya with the castle guards. He'd told me that I'd sacrificed myself for our town and family, that he had never deserved me. I waved his comments away and embraced him. I begged him to take care of our girls, Lily and Rose, and make sure they knew who I was and what I'd done for them.

My left foot slipped off the ladder and somehow my grip left my hands.

I screamed, falling into the darkness, grasping for anything, and only feeling wet, hot stone slip out of my fingers. "Help!"

My hair rose with the rush of wind as I dropped. The s.h.i.+rt rippled and scaled up my body. Strong, warm hands clasped onto my waist. A ma.s.sive arm hooked around my back. My b.r.e.a.s.t.s pressed into a hard chest that rose and fell into the curves of my body.

"Oh, my Ambi!" I wrapped my arms around my savior's neck, smelling the sweet, earthy scent of tenna herbs. Samuel? "Thank you."

Samuel only grunted. I pulled my s.h.i.+rt down with one hand and kept the other one around him. We remained on the ladder and didn't lower.

"Are you okay for me to take us down?" His lips brushed my right ear. He inhaled. I shuddered and was glad he couldn't see my blus.h.i.+ng face within the darkness. His chin rubbed against the curve of my neck. It had the rough edge a man gets when he hadn't shaved in a day or two. I relished in the rough surface, gripping him tighter, just happy to be alive.

"Yes. I'm ready," I said.

"Did you catch her?" Ty yelled. "Sam! Domina!"

"Would you shut your mouth?" Samuel growled and carried us down, gripping me firmer than he needed to. "I have her."

"My name is Brie," I mumbled into his shoulder. His natural cologne wrapped around me.

"And why do I need to know that?" His lips tickled the skin under my ear. His fingers trembled around my hips.

"Because you both keep calling me domina." I leaned away from him right as the edge of his fangs grazed my skin. Did he just try to bite me or am I imagining things?

"I call you domina because that's what you are," Samuel insisted.

"It's what I was. Now I'm just Brie. What if I only called you pathfinder?"

A sigh left his lips. A fevered intensity flickered from his hands and drowned me in his heat.

"Why are you so hot?" I asked.

"You feel it too?"

"Yes. It's pretty hard for me not to feel it."

"We're on the ground now." He cleared his throat and released me from his grip.

I landed on the sewer's surface and edged back and waved my hands to feel where I was at. Then the area illuminated around me as several candles were lit. At least ten human faces glowed within the candlelight. Some seemed old. Others were children. A female vampire with broad shoulders and wide hips stormed toward us. Her brunette curls bounced as she marched my way.