Blood Lust (COMPLETED)

Chapter Forty-Five: Martyr

The room suddenly erupted in a blinding light. I barely had time to squint against it when it dulled to a soft orange glow. As my eyes adjusted I noticed a massive iron chandelier hanging above my head. It held at least fifty candles, all looking like this was the first time they'd been lit in decades.

And they weren't the only ones.

Throughout the room, rusty candelabras and wall-mounted torches were alight, revealing old cobwebs and dusty pews surrounding either side of the small pit I was chained in. And occupying those seats were dozens of snarling, red-eyed vampires.

They glanced from Gabriel to wherever Gildoroy was standing behind me, as if they were wondering what to do next.

"Stand down." I heard Gildoroy command lightly. "It is merely my son. I am quite certain I can handle him."

He came back into my periphery, stopping to my left and placing a hand on my head.

My skin crawled at his touch.

"You handle me?" Gabriel snorted. "Just as you handled me during our last altercation?"

Gildoroy gently weaved Nero's fingers through my hair, and then yanked up, stretching me until my chains were taut. Thankfully I was still numb from Aiden and Duke's blood --the hair pulling alone probably would have made me cry if I could feel it.

"Ah, but this time is different, is it not?" Gildoroy gazed down at me, eyes carrying a fake warmth. "Yes, your cronies are no doubt outside the cave, just as they were that day. With the exception of one lackey, or course." His head snapped up to leer at Dean Lachlan, arrogance marring Nero's young face. "How is the pirate, by the way? Dead, I presume."

Unable to turn my head, I gazed at the dean out of the corner of my eye. His chest was still rising and falling rapidly, but his face was a smooth canvas of impassivity. And though the rest of his body was rigid with anger, his voice never quavered as he bit out, "He lives, but barely."

"I see." Gildoroy spoke with a hint of amusement. "I should not be surprised; that swarthy prick has always been the most resilient of your subordinates. I can see why you chose him to be your second."

"Indeed." Gabriel gave an almost imperceptible nod. "Though his resilience is of little benefit to me at the moment, seeing as how he is comatose."

Lucius was still in a coma?

Why?

Was the bag of my blood not enough to heal him?

I tried to get a good look at Gabriel, to question him with my gaze, but Gildoroy had me by the roots of my hair. I was completely immobile.

"Comatose, you say?" Gildoroy seemed to light up at the news. "It is not death, but it is acceptable. He is out of the way, and I can devour our queen's lifeblood without fear of --"

An abrupt series of loud snaps interrupted Gildoroy, and one by one, the seated vampires fell from their pews, howling in pain. Out of nowhere, Lucius came to stand beside Dean Lachlan, his rugged face triumphant as he flicked his wrist in Gildoroy's direction.

With a grunt, Gildoroy released me to hit his knees. "You seem to move quite well for a comatose man." He chuckled, sounding pained. "I suppose we have our queen to thank for your miraculous recovery."

"The one and only." Lucius swept his arm out while giving me a courtly bow. "Apologies for taking so long to arrive, my queen. You shall be free in two shakes."

He seemed...chipper.

Was it because of my blood?

"How do you plan on accomplishing that, exactly?" Gildoroy was slowly rising to his feet, hurt scrunching up Nero's face. "In case you have forgotten, siren blood courses through Nero's body. And the only way to truly take down a siren, be it half-breed or pure, is through decapitation."