I Am Only One {Mature Vampire Romance}

Book 3|25. Betrayal

Tension bled from his shoulders. His eyes widened with confusion. His bottom lip quivered, unsure what to make of my strange words. Likely never having been comforted before, he didn't know how to respond.

There was one thing I wanted him to understand, and be absolutely certain of. My pupils dilated, fury rolling off of me, as I seethed, "And know this...it will never happen to you again."

"Yes, Mistress." He nodded, biting on his lower lip. A single tear rolled down his cheek. Now, he just looked lost.

I wiped the tear away with the pad of my thumb and stood to my feet. "Tobias, please take Matthew to your room and find him suitable clothing."

Matthew got to his feet and followed Tobias out of the room. Stepping to the side, I squatted down again, this time in front of a young girl. She looked to be in her early twenties, but looks could be deceiving, especially since she had been so abused. Torture tended to age a person. Her head remained bowed. Silent tears fell down her face, but she didn't dare move, not even to wipe them away. Her arms remained stiff at her sides. Her long auburn hair slung over her shoulder. The tresses a shield to mask her face, as the beads of liquid splashed silently onto the carpet beneath her.

"Talon?" I called over my shoulder.

"Her name is..." his voice cracked, "...Maya."

I spun my head to look at him, startled at the emotion in his tone. There was more to this young girl than just a fellow pet. She meant something to him. I was sure of it.

Talon's eyes were pained with emotion, his lips pulled tight. I couldn't bear to see his suffering. I got up and closed the distance between us. His gaze never left mine. He held it as a lifeline. I reached to his face, soothing the side of his cheek with my fingertips, and whispered, "Who is she?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. I waited. He swallowed thickly, his Adam's apple moving. "She is Amelia's sister."

Oh!

I nodded my head in understanding and stepped back. We were not alone, so I kept the words of comfort, meant only for him to hear, to myself. Now wasn't the time. I didn't want him to break down. He had already been subjected to the two asshole guards. He didn't need more trauma. We would talk later. Returning to my crouched position, I whispered to the girl, "Look at me."

Her head came up and her hazel tear-filled eyes met mine. They were swirling with pain, darkened by her suffering. Maya's attention shot behind me, distracted when Marku said something to York. She stared at him with stark fear, causing her to shudder hard.

I was on my feet again in an instant and spun to face him, my hands on my hips. He stopped talking to York and raised his eyebrows at me.

"You are upsetting her. You need to leave!" I hissed.

He rolled his eyes. "I can assure you I have never touched the girl."

"But she knows who you are, and you're scaring her," I insisted.

He smirked.

I wanted to slap that smirk right off of his face. I walked over to him, and got into his face. "It wasn't a request. You need to leave."

Anger clouded his eyes, turning them dark and stormy. He met my unspoken physical challenge by eliminating even more space between us. We were just inches apart as I glared up at him. He spoke slowly and carefully, "Please do not forget that you are a guest in my home. I will not be ordered about. You would do well to remember your place."

"And what is my place exactly? Naked with my legs wrapped around your cock?" I spat.

He made a heavy sound of irritation. A muscle twitched in his jaw. His words came out through clenched teeth, "Your words, certainly not mine. Regardless of how low you think me, try to remember that I have already offered you a position of honor elevated above all others, twice – as my queen. So, no, I think we are past the point where I consider you just a piece of ass!" His glare was icy, but also something else. He had let me in. For just an instant, he had let me past his normal façade of cynicism and sarcasm.

I stepped back, stunned and confused at his words. I didn't know how to deal with him like this. I didn't want to think he might be capable of genuine feelings, least of all, for me.

He took my cue that I was backing down, and shocked me even further when he offered, "York and I will wait for you over there." He nodded toward the chairs at the far side of the room. And just to be sure his authority was understood, he added, "But I have no intention of leaving."

"Fine," I mumbled. It was a compromise. I would take it. The pets wouldn't be here long anyway. While Marku had disposed of the guards earlier, I had sent a text to Kieran. He was on his way to the hotel now, to collect them and return them to Armand's kingdom. I didn't want them here even a moment longer than they had to be.

Marku nodded. He and York crossed the room to settle into the chairs. I turned and walked back to Maya, squatting once more. Again, I kept my tone as gentle as possible, as I resumed questioning," How old are you?"

She tried to catch her breath, but it came out more like a whimper and a hiccup. "Eighteen, Mistress."

"How long have you been a pet?"

"Three years." Her voice was barely audible. Even with my advanced hearing, I had to strain to hear her.

Three years?!

That meant she was fifteen when she first became a pet?! I struggled to keep the bile down my throat at the concept of a child so young, enduring so much.

Tobias had reentered the room, and Matthew settled back down next to Maya, now fully dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. I focused on Maya again. "Tobias is going to take you to my suite, so that you can get dressed. He won't hurt you. You can trust him."

"Yes, Mistress." She stood shakily to her feet, and followed him out.

We continued the process, while Talon introduced me to another two females, Lark and Noelle. Last in line was the other young man. I resumed my crouched position and Talon began without my even asking. "His name is Elian."

Right away, I knew there was a problem. Talon's voice was cold and hard. I turned to look at him. His jaw was clenched, and I could hear his teeth grind. I needed full disclosure and said, "Speak freely."

Talon remained silent.

Shock reverberated through my bones.

Talon never disobeyed me.

There had to be a reason. I turned to Elian and commanded, "Face me."

His head snapped up to mine. I hissed angrily, "What did you do to him?"

Elian recoiled back from my furious expression, shaking, as he stuttered, "I...I betrayed....him."

"How?" My tone was as cold as steel. My eyes flashed.

"I...I told Mistress about him and...Amelia."

.

As usual, I felt we were going to be further along in this chapter, but alas...it will be next chapter when the drama gets very tense...

Oh, oh...we are super close to 100K reads...which is just incredible. You guys are fucking awesome!!!