12. Kali

Amaros stared at me, waiting for me to follow his command. His dark green eyes studied me, and all I could see in them was death. I stayed rooted in my spot, terror sinking into my bones. Vampires of any sort scared me. But him? He radiated a power that seemed to take over the entire room. One that made my survival instincts burn—telling me I needed to do anything to escape him.

"Kali, go," Zan gritted out through clenched teeth as he glanced over his shoulder at me. "Now."

My heart tightened at his words. He'd spent all this time keeping me alive, and now he was demanding me to get closer to his father? My eyes turned hard, and I lifted my chin before slowly moving across the room. The tension was stifling, and Tim was watching everything without saying a word. I didn't know whether he realized who Amaros was, but he looked so similar to his sons that it would be impossible not to figure out.

I halted about five feet from Amaros, and he cocked his head, studying me with a cold gaze. His eyes dropped to my feet before slowly trailing higher.

"Closer," he said, his nostrils flaring as he sucked in a large breath.

My steps were small, but he took two large ones of his own, making my stomach knot painfully. I went rigid, keeping my eyes locked on his as he continued his inspection of me from less than a foot away.

"Your blood…" He trailed off, confusion flashing across his face. "I've only smelled something that unique once. Years ago. Hers wasn't quite the same, but the similarity—" He cut himself off, an unsettling frown appearing on his lips.

I must have expressed some shock because he suddenly chuckled.

"I am very old, Kali," he informed me. "It will take more than that government lotion to hide the scent of blood from me."

My face paled. Gia was decades old as a vampire, and the lotion even fooled her. What else did his age allow him to do? Would my tattoo be enough to keep him from entrancing me?

"You know who I am," he stated, his amusement growing. "All humans fear me. As they should."

"Yes," I answered, finding my voice. "I know who you are."

"Are you scared of me?"

"Yes," I answered honestly, digging deep for my courage. "And like every other human, I also hate you."

I couldn't see Zan, since he was standing behind me, but I could feel his burning stare on my back. Pax's mouth parted in shock, and Viggo nearly choked on air as they both gawked at me. Tim hadn't moved a muscle, his eyes not leaving Amaros.

A laugh erupted out of the deadly vampire, but it wasn't joyous. It made chills crawl down my spine as my shoulders tensed. Every moment I was in his presence, I was waiting for his fangs to appear. I expected him to either feed on me or kill me. Or both.

"How old are you?" was his next question.

"She turned twenty-five about four months ago," Zan answered for me.

I was aware of every muscle on my face, and I fought to keep my expression the same. He lied about my age. Why?

"Really?" Amaros's intense stare swept over me again. "Are you sure she's not a Shadow?"

"I'm positive," Zan said, his usual confidence back in place.

"Interesting," Amaros murmured. He moved, slowly circling me. I kept still, watching him out of the corner of my eye until he disappeared behind me. Even all my training couldn't help me control my heartbeat. Having a monster at my back had my nerves more on edge than they'd ever been. A couple of seconds later, he reappeared, taking the same spot in front of me.

My breath hitched when he reached for me. He tugged on the chain of the necklace, pulling it out from under my shirt. I stayed completely still as he ran his thumb over the oval charm, staring at it before lifting his eyes to mine.

"Do you know what this means?" he asked in a low voice. "And this time, I want her to answer."

His warning for Zan was perfectly clear, and no one else spoke in the room. My pulse thudded in my ears, my mouth going dry.

"It means I'm Zan's," I said in a hissed whisper.

"And?"

His question had my head turning to look at Zan, but fingers roughly grasped my jaw. Disgust tore through me as I was forced to look back at Amaros. He didn't release me, his hold firm but not painful.

"Answer me," he ordered, his voice menacing.

"It means I belong to him," I forced out, repeating the words that Zan had told me the night he locked it around my throat. "The other vampires leave me alone."

"That's it?"

"Yes." It came out almost like a question because I had no idea what else he expected me to say.

"Do you like Zan?"

He was speaking softly, but this was an interrogation. And after Zan had lied about my age, I didn't know how to answer. What else had Zan told him about me before this? If I got caught in a lie, what would Amaros do to me? Fear rattled through me, but I stood firm, keeping my eyes narrowed at him as his grip tightened slightly on my jaw.

"I like him better than you."

Again, I could feel Zan and his brothers staring at me from my answer. Amaros's lips quirked up, as if I were entertaining him. Better than him ripping my throat out. I was half convinced that I wasn't going to survive tonight, and I wasn't about to spend it begging for my life.

"Feisty," he murmured before turning around and looking at Zan. "How long have you had her?"

His question made me bristle, but I bit my tongue, staying silent. My gaze wandered around and then down as I tried to calm myself while Amaros wasn't focused on me. My eyes landed on my boot when I noticed it was untied. I bent down to tie it as Zan answered.

"Almost two months."

I froze, my fingers gripping my shoelaces. How had it only been less than two months since I met him? It seemed so much longer. I continued tying my boot until I noticed the top of my stake pressed against my ankle. I blew out even breaths, attempting to control my heartbeat. Amaros was so close to me—with his back turned. He didn't feel threatened by me, meaning I had an advantage.

Could I kill Amaros Kane? Probably not. My stomach fluttered. But what if I could? The entire war was being spearheaded by him. The other vampires followed him. I had no doubt that they'd follow Zan and the twins if Amaros was gone.

But even though I didn't exactly trust the three of them, I already knew that they were a better choice than their father. They might be dangerous and cutthroat, but at least they seemed to show some humanity. Something I didn't think Amaros possessed. It could give humans the advantage they needed to fight against the vampires.

Even if I did succeed in killing him, I still wouldn't survive the night. Zan might feel something for me, but watching me stake his father? Amaros was his blood, while I was nothing but a human he enjoyed sleeping with. I wasn't stupid enough to believe he and his brothers wouldn't kill me.

But I reached for the stake anyway. I would never forgive myself for not taking this chance. It was what I'd been trained to do for years. My fingers trembled slightly as I plucked the stake from my boot and quickly shoved it under my shirt, tucking it into my waistband. Then I finished tying my boot before standing back up.

I hesitated to look around the room, terrified that one of them had witnessed what I'd just done. When I finally raised my eyes, relief cut through me when my move seemed to have gone unnoticed. Amaros was still talking to Zan, neither focused on me. Pax and Viggo were muttering something among themselves, both of them looking at their father.

I went still when I locked eyes with Tim. His gaze drifted down to where I'd hidden the stake, and he jerked a small nod. A silent way to encourage me to do it. He didn't say a word, his head turning away from me when Amaros spun around to face me again. Zan stiffened, taking one small step this way before he stopped, looking like he was forcing himself to stay still.

"Welcome to the family, Kali." Amaros's statement sounded far from welcoming. To me, it was a veiled threat, and I swallowed around the lump in my throat as he strolled closer. "I want my son to be happy. Do you think you can make him happy?"

Something nauseating unfurled in my stomach. "Yes."

"As a human, you still have empathy," he murmured, his eyes sliding to Tim. "But you can't have that when you're with us. Do you understand?"

He was playing a game of some sort, and I didn't know how to answer. I licked my lips, my eyes searching his cruel face.

He chuckled. "I want your help, Kali."

"With what?" I asked, managing to keep my voice steady.

"We are going to ask this human a few questions. And if he doesn't answer…well, I'm sure you can guess what we'll do."

"She's not ready for that," Zan spoke up, his voice tight. "I'll do it."

"No," Amaros snapped. "I want your girl to do it."

"Do what?" The question was barely out of my mouth when Amaros snatched my arm, dragging me with him. His grip was unescapable as he brought me closer to Tim, who stood rigidly.

"We're going to ask him some questions," Amaros declared, yanking me in front of him before letting go of my arm. "And if he doesn't answer…you'll be the one to punish him."

My heart dipped, a cold sweat breaking out over my skin. "I can't. He's bigger than me. Stronger. I don't have a weapon."

"I want to see what you're made of, Kali." He seemed to enjoy saying my name. The way he spoke it made terror take hold. In his eyes, I was Zan's, but that meant I was in his family. That I belonged to him too. I did not fucking like it. "You have strength, I can tell. My son wouldn't have chosen a weak woman. Now, you're going to show me."

Both Pax and Viggo were in my line of sight, and a second later, Zan appeared. He halted about five feet away, his gaze on his father. His usual vibrant green eyes were dark and stormy, his lips pressed together as if he were swallowing the words he wanted to say.

"I want to know if the Clovers know what PARA is hiding in that building," Amaros murmured, his voice a notch lower. More dangerous. Threatening. "I know they moved whatever it is to Project Hope a few weeks ago. Building 1403. What's in there?"

Tim glared daggers over my shoulder at Amaros. "I have no idea. But if I did, I'd rather die than tell you."

"That will be arranged if you don't prove yourself useful." Amaros stayed behind me, making me even more uneasy. "You have one more chance to answer."

"Fuck you," Tim spat out.

"Go ahead, Kali." Amaros's hand landed on my lower back, giving me a small push forward. "Change his mind about giving us answers."

I didn't move a muscle, my chest heaving as I stared at Tim. Disobeying Amaros would only make this worse on me, and on Tim. The pain I gave him would be far less than the torture Amaros would inflict. With my palm open, I raised my hand and slapped Tim across the face. It was hard enough for pain to sting my skin, and I let a look of apology cross my face when Tim met my eyes again.

"Not good enough," Amaros hissed. "Hurt him, Kali."

"I don't know how," I forced out, my voice wavering.

In a second, he was in front of me, his hand wrapping around Tim's throat. His fingers dug into Tim's skin, cutting off his air immediately. On instinct, Tim clawed at Amaros's hand, but his fight was nothing compared to the vampire's strength.

"Fear is the best kind of threat," Amaros murmured, glancing over his shoulder at me while Tim's face turned a shade darker. "You bring them to the brink of death. Let the terror overwhelm their mind. Then you do it again and again."

I tried so damn hard to fix my expression before Amaros looked at me, but I knew I'd failed the second his lips tipped down in a frown. He didn't release Tim, even as he stared at me.

"You're worried for him. Scared," he stated. "Do you know him?"

"I don't like seeing any human suffer," I said thickly.

"You're lying," he shot back. "Don't play me for a fool. It will never end well for you."

"She's from Project Hope," Zan cut in. "The same city as him. I'm sure they've seen each other."

Amaros's eyes flicked to his son. "You failed to mention that."

"I didn't think it was relevant."

"Everything is relevant when it comes to dealing with PARA." Amaros suddenly released Tim, leaving him gasping for breath as he turned toward me once more. "Are you hiding secrets? Secrets that could help us?"

"No," I answered stiffly.

My word only brought him closer, and he reached behind me, his hand fisting my hair. I bit back my cry when he tilted my head back, forcing me to look at him.

"She found some hawthorn," Zan bit out. "She can't be entranced right now."

"Is that so?" Amaros questioned, his eyes not leaving mine.

Viggo forced out a laugh. "Our fault. We raided a PARA truck and brought the hawthorn back here."

"We're not used to having a human in our place," Pax muttered.

They were lying for me. Again. Though I didn't think it would help. Amaros was solely focused on me, and even if he couldn't entrance me, it still seemed like he was going to try. His fingers were still painfully tangled in my hair, but he was keeping me an arm's length away. He was calm. Unbothered. He had control of this room like he most likely did everything else in his life.

But then he turned to speak to Zan. I couldn't even hear his words, because I was too engrossed in the sight in front of me. Amaros's chest. His heart. Unguarded. This was it. My chance. Quite possibly my only one.

I didn't let myself overthink it. My fear would only get in the way if I did that. Trying to keep my body as still as possible, I reached under my shirt, my fingers wrapping around the rough wood.

Then I moved, raising my arm and aiming straight for Amaros's heart.