31. Kali

This was not fucking happening.

I stared at the door, waiting for Zan to unlock it. Every word he told his father was running on repeat in my head. Nausea roiled in my stomach, and I gripped the stake even tighter. I'd taken it out of my boot the second I realized what Zan was admitting to. Was he lying? He had to be. He promised he wouldn't do this to me. From what I knew, it was next to impossible to get pregnant while on my period, but there was still a chance.

Could I trust him?

There was a large part of me that was convinced he was lying to his father. But what if he wasn't? What if he acted like he cared for me just to get to this moment? My heart clenched painfully. The thought of him lying to me hurt more than I ever cared to admit. But I had a feeling he knew I could hear their conversation. There was no other reason for him to lock me in this room. Was that his way of letting me know that his words were lies?

Either way, there was no fucking way I was going to submit to him. Hearing how his father spoke about me had me seeing red. I was not some object to be used at anyone's discretion.

A chill ripped through me when the quiet click of the lock interrupted my thoughts. A second later, the door slowly swung open. Zan stood there, his eyes immediately going to the stake in my hand. I searched his face, trying to figure out what the truth was. I considered myself a good liar. But Zan was an exceptional one. Unless he gave me a hint, I'd never figure out what was true.

"You haven't been successful with that against me yet," he murmured in a low voice, nodding at my weapon. "This time won't be any different. Put it away, Kali."

I was very aware that Amaros was listening to every word. Disgust skated over my skin at that thought. My focus went back to Zan when he stepped toward me.

"Stay back," I hissed vehemently. "I heard everything, Zan."

"That doesn't change anything." His voice was cold. Detached. Was this for his father's benefit or the real him? Fear took hold, and I swallowed through the growing lump in my throat.

"I'll do it," I promised hoarsely, ignoring how my voice trembled. "I'll stab you in the heart before I let you fuck me."

"You can try."

Was that a hint of pride in his gaze? It disappeared as quickly as it came, and I tried to sort through the tangled emotions I was feeling. If he was lying to his father about this, then he was doing this to protect me. Or he'd been lying to me this entire time. I couldn't chance it.

I waited for him to get closer, and then I lashed out, stabbing him in the shoulder. I yanked it back out, retreating before he could grab me. A muscle in his jaw tightened, and it was the only outward sign that it caused him pain. My move was something he could have dodged. He'd let me dig the stake into his shoulder. Why?

"Kali." My name rolled off his tongue as a warning. "Fighting this will make it worse."

"Worse?" I let out a cold laugh. "Nothing is worse than this."

This time he attacked. But his movements were slower than usual, and I easily ducked under his arm before racing out of the room. My heart pounded against my ribs as I fled down the empty hall. I had no idea where I was going. No plan. Other than this hallway and Zan's bedroom, I hadn't explored this place. I did know this house was locked down, which meant there was no escape. But none of that mattered. I'd run until I couldn't anymore.

My boots slapped against the wood floor, and I gritted my teeth. If I had any chance of hiding, I needed to be quiet. The necklace lay heavy on my chest, a reminder that even if I was dead silent, Zan could still track me. The defeat lining my veins threatened to slow me down, but I pushed past it and rounded a corner to see another long hall in front of me.

I spared a glance over my shoulder, the lights on the walls letting me see that Zan was nowhere in sight. My pulse thudded. He wouldn't have lost me so easily. I slowed my pace, creeping forward, and grabbed the closest doorknob. It didn't move, making me wonder if any of these doors were unlocked. My chances of finding a place to hide were becoming smaller.

I hurried forward, letting out a cry of surprise when Zan popped into the hall ahead of me. How the hell did he get there? I whirled around, heading the way I'd just come.

"No," I screamed when he snatched my wrist.

He pushed my chest into the closest wall, keeping his hand between my shoulder blades. His other hand fisted my hair before he forced my head back. His lips found my ear, and I cursed myself when heat trailed through my veins at his touch.

"I'm keeping it, Kali," he breathed out so low that I almost didn't catch it. "Don't fucking forget it while you try to stab me."

I froze up when he lightly kissed my exposed throat. Keeping what? The promise he'd made to me? Was this his way of telling me that he'd lied to his father? Zan's kisses became harder, and I knew he was sucking hard enough to leave a mark.

Claiming me as his.

I didn't miss what Amaros had told Zan in the study. His father fully expected me to fight against this. Zan knew that. Was this why he didn't warn me beforehand, to get my honest reaction? I squeezed my eyes shut. Just from that silent question, I realized what was running through my head. I believed Zan. Trusted that he was doing this for me. But he was acting like this to appease his father.

This night was going to end with him fucking me. There was no getting around it.

I was going to fight every damn second of it. Because I knew Amaros was listening. And it pissed me the hell off that this was being forced on me. But fuck me, I trusted Zan. I believed he wasn't mating with me. If I found out he was lying, it would destroy me. And I'd do whatever the hell I could to wreck him and his family. But I had a feeling my instincts were right, no matter how hard it was to swallow.

He moved his hand off my back, and the next thing I knew, his fingers were slipping under my leggings, and he swiped them over my pussy. My face flushed when I remembered I was on my period. He didn't seem to care. He was still gripping my hair, making it impossible for me to move.

"I'm going to fuck you," he murmured as he played with my clit. "But first, I want you soaked for me. Begging for more. You'll hate it, but you're going to enjoy every fucking second of this."

His voice was a mix of threat and dark desire. If I wasn't confident that he was putting on a show for his father, I'd be drowning in panic. Instead, my pussy throbbed, wanting more of his rough touch. Fuck, there was something wrong with me. Trusting a vampire. Especially with something like this. Yet here I was, arching my back into him.

"That's it, Kali. Accept it. Give in to me."

His words jolted me back into action. My anger slammed back into me full force, and I struggled against him. I reached back, swinging my stake blindly. He released me, dodging my attack. The second I was free, I spun around and feinted a move to the left. When he followed, I darted to the right and slammed the tip of the stake into the side of his stomach.

"Shit," he grunted, stumbling back a step.

The stab wasn't deep since I'd purposefully held back. I didn't want to seriously injure him. I yanked the wood out of him and bolted down the hall. I glanced over my shoulder to see that he still hadn't moved. But he was staring at me, so I threw him a wicked grin. His eyes widened slightly, and I caught relief filling them. There it was. My small sign that my instinct was right. He was lying to his father, not to me. I couldn't deny there was still a part of me that was uneasy about it all. A small shred of doubt that refused to leave. But after everything I'd been conditioned to learn, that was to be expected. He was the kind of monster I'd been trained to hate.

A monster that was slowly taking over every crevice of my heart, cementing the idea that life would never be the same.

His devilish smirk had my heart skipping, and I faced forward again right as he started chasing me. He wasn't being quiet about it. His heavy footsteps echoed down the long hall, and fear flitted through me, as though I was truly being hunted. The only difference was the heat building in my stomach, since I knew the predator stalking me wasn't going to hurt me. He was going to make me scream in the best kind of way.

I skidded to a halt, ducking into a small passageway that I nearly missed. Instant regret hit me as I got farther. There were no lights in this tiny hall. And I had no idea where it led to. I jogged as fast as I dared with my hands in front of me. My heartbeat was deafening, and I could barely hear over it as it thudded in my ears. The back of my neck prickled. I felt more exposed in the dark than I had in the lit-up hall.

"You can't hide in the dark from me."

His voice came from right behind me, and I whipped around with the stake already raised. I couldn't see a thing, and I gasped when he snatched my wrist, halting my attack. He pushed me until my spine hit the wall, and then his lips were on mine. He nibbled on my bottom lip, demanding I open my mouth for him. I refused until his other hand snaked up my shirt and he pinched my nipple. Pleasure combined with a slice of pain had me sucking in a breath. He took advantage of my moment of shock and forced his tongue inside my mouth. He pressed my wrist against the wall next to my head, preventing me from using the stake. I moved to bite down on his tongue, but he pulled away before I had a chance.

He chuckled. "You're going to have to try harder than that, Kali."

I scowled, annoyed that I couldn't see him. Since one of my arms was still free, I decided to use that to my advantage. I would never be able to beat him by fighting. So I shoved my hand down his jeans, wrapping my hand around his swelling cock. He went entirely still, a ragged breath leaving him. His hold on my wrist slackened just like I was hoping. I wasn't sure if he was doing it on purpose or if I'd actually shocked him. Either way, I was taking advantage of it.

"What's wrong, Zan?" I purred as I stroked him. "You think you could touch me and I wouldn't return the favor?"

I could feel his stare on me, and I gave him one last squeeze before ripping my arm from his hold, waving the stake around as I pulled my other hand from his jeans. I swiped my weapon at him when his fingers grazed the hem of my shirt. He muttered a curse, proving I'd gotten him somewhere, but I didn't spare another second. I was already running through the darkness until I was back where I started in the main hallway.

I didn't even realize where I was heading until I stumbled into the doors of the rotunda. Knowing Zan was right behind me, I shoved the doors open and entered the massive room. I spotted the glass door in the back that led outside and headed for it. I made it to the edge of the pool before Zan caught up to me. I let out a shriek when he banded his arm around my waist while tearing the stake from my grip with his other hand.

"That was fun," he whispered gruffly in my ear. "But the chase is over, Kali."