Chapter 54 – Of Course It's a Trap
Myrnin saw me change direction and roared, "No!"
I didn't stop.
Instead, I fought my way through the tangled mass of bodies all around me. Amelie's power vibrated through me as I dodged, skirted and attacked with abandon, never really focusing on a single mark. It wasn't necessary for me to identify each of my opponents. I just had to keep moving.
I reached the outskirts of the crowd just in time to see Ciro disappear through a side door. He had Abby tucked under one bicep, her arms and legs flailing viciously as she fought. The look of frustration on his face was evident as he worked to contain her erratic movements. A small smile played at the edge of my lips. She sure as hell wasn't making it easy for him.
Once the door clicked shut behind them, my anxiety reached epic levels. I knew if he managed to get away with her, she wouldn't be alive for long. But she wasn't the one he wanted.
He wanted me.
Shit! This was bad. I knew I was taking an incredible risk, because the odds of his maneuver not being a trap were probably slim and none, leaning much closer to the none option.
But I couldn't stand by and do nothing. I was stronger now and had accomplished multiple fighting skills. If there weren't too many of them, I might have a chance. Yeah, that's the reasoning I decided to go with, as I made up my mind and shot forward after him, bursting through the door less than a second later. Only to find him waiting for me with a cocky expression on his smug face. Five burly vampires stood behind him.
Of. Course.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
But, it didn't matter. I wasn't going to just let him take her.
Abby hissed vehemently, "Claire, run! Leave me!"
Ciro leaned down to her ear and explained patiently, "Shush now, my dear...You are wasting your breath. She would never do that."
He straightened his stance and refocused on me. "So predictable...I knew you would take the bait. You just couldn't stand by and let an innocent be hurt, could you? You know you are too kind for your own good. I wonder how long that will last now that you're a vampire, with Amelie's powers flowing through you, nonetheless. I suspect it will be just a matter of time before your cruelty comes into full bloom. Not that you aren't lovely just as you are," he leered.
Void of conscious thought, my brain automatically lashed out, viciously attacking their minds, searching for any weakness or any ground that it could exploit.
Oh! What the hell did I just do?!
I inhaled sharply, startled by my own body's reaction. In the past, I had automatically shoved both Myrnin and Gwion out of my head on occasion, because apparently, my little brain does not play well with others, and did not like the invasiveness of a second consciousness in its personal space.
But this was different.
This was a subconscious aggressive attack. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. I had never felt Amelie's powers more extremely than I did now. The sensation consumed me, vibrating all of the way through to my fingertips and toes. It made sense that maybe her power had a good idea that I just hadn't thought of yet. Shit, I had to stop this rambling thinking.
I coerced myself to refocus.
Ciro's eyes had widened at the force of my attack when it washed over him, but he held strong. I cursed whatever drug he had taken that kept him immune.
One of the vampires behind him must not have taken as high of a dose, because he dropped to the ground and struggled to get back to his feet.
He glared at me.
I smiled back at him.
I concentrated my attention back on Ciro and ridiculed him, "Well, well Professor Silver...I am not at all surprised you found it necessary to protect yourself with five bodyguards. We both know I am way too much for you to handle one-on-one."
His eyes lit up at my challenge.
I tried not to cringe openly.
"Take her," he ordered.
Without hesitation, all five vampires lunged toward me. The first one made the mistake of trying to grab me with his arms extended out in a bear hug. I ducked down, avoiding his hands and punched him in the throat. I heard the bones in his neck break as his body hurled back several feet. He returned to his feet and spit blood from his mouth.
I didn't have time to focus on him because two more were already upon me. I spun with a vengeance, kicking one squarely in the jaw while my fist drove into the stomach of the other.
For a fleeting moment, I thought I might actually win.
But there were too many of them.
Suddenly my feet were swiped out by a vampire behind me. I landed hard on my back, all of the air forced out of my lungs with a woosh, white-hot pain radiating down my spine. Immediately they were on top of me, and none too gently. I guess they wanted a little payback for the hits I had inflicted.
Ciro ordered crisply, "Get her up. We need to go."
"You punk ass bitch!" I snarled at him, writhing angrily in their grip, as they dragged me to my feet.
The vampire, whose throat I had broken, held onto Abby and hissed, "What do you want to do with this one? Should I kill her?"
"No, bring her with us. My butterfly might need the nourishment, although I doubt I will allow it. But just in case, better to have it on hand."
My stomach roiled to hear Ciro refer to me as his. I would find a way to die before I let him hurt me again, I swore to myself.
I was quickly forced toward a waiting black Escalade, and jerked roughly into the back seat, with a hulking vampire gripping me tightly on both sides. The interior was extended with two rows of seats facing each other, similar to the vehicle that Gwion, Myrnin and I had ridden in upon our arrival. Ciro eagerly climbed in and sat facing me. I felt the vehicle accelerate as we sped off into the night.
Ciro extracted black gloves from his coat pocket and slipped them on. I stared at him in confusion, wondering why the hell he felt he needed gloves. The answer was quickly obvious when he reached down and opened an ornately decorated silver box. I expected to find some sort of concoction or elixir to weaken me. Instead I was appalled to see two sets of silver handcuffs and a silver dagger with a carved jade handle.
WTF?!
Ciro watched my expression intently, and his lips curled into a cruel grin at my look of horror. He explained slowly, "You see, Beauty, I don't want to drug you this time. Instead, I want you to be fully awake and fully aware and 100% focused on me when I touch you, and when you scream my name."
I was floored and sickened by his words and spat, "What happened to your first promise of not taking advantage of me like that?"
"That changed when you were so much more than I had ever hoped for. The unquenchable fire inside of you draws monsters like me toward it like a moth to an open flame. I am hopeless to resist the dark appeal of it. I am going to break you slowly and carefully, and then I am going to make you mine."
I couldn't help my sharp intake of breath and snarled, "I will never be yours! I am already irrevocably claimed and bonded to Myrnin. There is nothing you can do to change that."
He appeared unfazed by my declaration and refusal. "You see that is where you are wrong, beautiful butterfly. I can and I will break that bond," he replied in cruel anticipation, running his tongue over his lips.
I shuddered uncontrollably at the thought.
My world began to spin out of control.
He couldn't do that, could he?!
The look on his face told me he absolutely believed he could. My entire body stiffened as I locked down my emotions. I refused to show him my fear, even though the thought of him taking complete ownership over me like Gwion had done with Amelie, was truly the worst fate I could conceive. Worse than being electrocuted. Worse than dying.
No, it couldn't be possible.
Myrnin had told me it wasn't possible.
I glared at him. "You do not have the mental skills to do that, nor do you have the sexual skills to coax any kind of response from me."
"We shall see," he replied pleasantly, completely unaffected by my anger.
The vampire on my left asked, "Do you want me to remove her shoes so that you can lock the second set around her ankles?"
Ciro responded lasciviously, "Oh that will not be necessary. I want her legs wide open for me."
I sneered fiercely, "You want to be between my legs? Go for it. Because I will crush you in half."
"Shush now. No more talking. You might find it just a tad bit difficult to speak once you are wearing these. However, scream if you like. Don't feel like you have to keep it in." He was clearly stroking himself though his pants as he instructed me, in eager anticipation of my pain.
The vampires at my side forced my arms out. Ciro let go of his dick long enough to select one pair of handcuffs and leaned toward me. A chain around his neck slipped out of his shirt, revealing a tiny key. I knew it had to be the key to the handcuffs.
"You sick son of a bitch!" I snarled through gritted teeth, still fighting them. The sound strangled in my throat when the handcuffs were wrapped around my wrist and clinked shut, and the silver began to literally burn my flesh.
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