Chapter 25

Twenty-Five

GRAYSON

I groan as I lift my head and take in my surroundings.

I’m not necessarily surprised to find myself in another cell, though this one is far more degrading than the last one I was forced into. Three of the walls are constructed out of gray cement, while a fourth is composed of steel bars. The floor is cold to the touch and covered in a liquid I really, really hope is just water. There’s not a single piece of furniture. All I’ve been left with is a scratchy-looking blanket frayed at the edges.

“Sleepy Beauty awakens,” a familiar accented voice remarks.

“Sleeping Beauty,” I correct automatically as I force myself to my feet and step closer to the bars separating me from my captor.

Vladimir Popov grins, revealing two rows of sharp teeth. His red eyes gleam ominously in the darkness of my prison.

“They vant to see you,” Vlad says, still smiling.

He always wanted to see me fall from grace.

I wonder if he took over my position during my…extended absence.

“They truly know how to make a guest feel welcomed,” I murmur as I bring my hand to my head.

My fingers come away sticky with blood.

Instead of responding, Vlad reaches into his pocket and procures a set of heavy-looking iron keys. He sticks the largest one into the padlock and twists.

“Don’t keep them vaiting,” Vlad says, gesturing me forward with more contempt than courtesy.

I wobble slightly, my head spinning, but manage to regain my footing. Thank fuck for that.

Vlad eyes me with thinly veiled distaste. “So it’s true.”

“What is?” I don’t spare the vampire a second glance as I move towards the steep staircase that will lead me to the Elder Chambers.

“You haven’t fed.”

Vlad’s words cause my feet to freeze. Something cold and insidious circles my neck like a noose.

Unlike popular belief, if a vampire doesn’t consume blood, they don’t pass away. Yes, there have been a few cases where a vampire went centuries without feeding and lost function of their limbs, but they were still alive.

Blood merely enhances our powers. Makes us faster. Stronger. Smarter.

There’s always a dull ache in my chest that demands I feed. It’s like I’ve been walking through the desert for years and stumbled upon an oasis of fresh water. Only years of iron self-control allow me to resist the temptation.

I ignore Vlad’s remark and continue up the staircase, noting that the door has been left ajar. Voices reach me, but they’re not as clear as they would’ve been if I’d been well-fed. Still, I know immediately who’s on the other side of that door.

The Elders.

My suspicion is confirmed when I push open the door the rest of the way and seven heads swivel in my direction.

At first glance, one would think that I’ve just intruded on a party. Beautiful women in long dresses mingle with striking men in suits and ties. On closer inspection, however, I can see the red of their eyes—an indication of their power. The darker the eye color, the more powerful a vampire is.

“Grayson! Welcome, my boy!” Edward lifts his arms and smiles cordially, but I could never mistake him for anything less than a shark in the water. “It’s been a long time.”

I don’t bother to speak. Anything I say—any excuse I give or argument I make—will be used against me. These monsters want nothing more than to see my blood spilled.

I can’t let them know about Izzy.

“We missed you when you…left us.” Piper DeLong sniffs disdainfully, even as her eyes devour me from head to toe. She smooths a manicured hand through her mane of chestnut hair. “Where did you go?”

“Around,” I respond curtly, shoving my hands into my sweatshirt pocket.

“Is that any way to treat the vampires who raised you?” Telly Montgomery asks, cocking her head to the side. A coil of black hair cascades down her cheek, but she brushes it away with a flick of her wrist.

The vampires who raised you.

Ha.

What a fucking joke.

They forged me into a monster—one who hunted and killed for them. But now this monster is free of his restraints, and he’s out for blood. Only one being holds his leash, and it’s not any of them.

All of this started when my mom passed away and I was thrown into the foster system. My second foster family recognized immediately what I was and contacted the Elders. They allowed me to continue living with my foster family…if I trained with the vampires at night. They taught me how to kill with a stone-cold efficiency that might’ve terrified me if I were anyone else.

As it was, the only thought that pulsated through my head was my need to protect Izzy. My Gracie.

If that meant killing the Elders’ enemies, then so be it.

But then Kain reached out to me and threatened my reason for existence. I left the Elders without a backwards glance.

Something they’re not happy about, if their dour expressions are any indication.

They consider what they did for me a gift.

I consider it a curse.

“Look at him.” Piper waves a hand airily in my direction, still holding her champagne flute. I wonder if it’s alcohol that she’s drinking…or blood. “Look at his eyes.”

“When did you last drink, boy?” Edward demands with a scowl.

Unlike the vampires here, I never drank to kill, only to survive. I needed my powers to complete the tasks they assigned me. However, when I moved to a different town and discovered that wolves inhabited it, I chose to forgo blood. I didn’t want the dogs sniffing out what I am.

“Those must be contacts,” Telly says, sniffing. “There’s no way he hasn’t fed?—”

“Can’t you sense the lack of magic in him?” Tika Lemont interrupts, a frown on his face.

“I suppose it makes sense.” Edward scratches at the stubble on his jawline.

Despite being over three hundred years old, he doesn’t look a day over thirty.

Another benefit of drinking fresh blood.

“What makes sense?” Piper licks at a droplet of red liquid that has spilled from her cup.

“He couldn’t allow the shifters to discover what he was.”

Edward’s words cause an icy chill to skate down my spine.

How much does the powerful bastard know?

“Why was he with the shifters in the first place?” Marcus Brown frowns severely, cutting harsh lines into his pale face.

“Isn’t that the million-dollar question?” Edward moves forward slowly, calculatingly, his eyes trained on me the entire time.

Every muscle in my body locks together when the stench of death and decay assaults my senses.

“Did you want to abandon your family, Grayson? Is that why you left?” His words are practically a purr—a noise that might’ve been seductive if it wasn’t so damn terrifying.

“I heard that some Hunters visited a few wolves,” Piper interjects, not bothering to hide her glee.

“Did you have a part to play in that, Grayson?” Marcus asks.

All of them are staring at me. Assessing me with their penetrating eyes.

I don’t know how to respond, how to get myself out of this mess.

Edward abruptly grasps my chin, his nails digging into my skin. I don’t allow any of the pain I feel to reflect on my face.

“You’ve always been such a good boy for me and the others, Grayson,” he says, his words both a praise and a threat. Abruptly, he releases me, his shark-like smile growing until it threatens to cleave his face in two. “Maybe a good night’s rest will jog your memory.” He looks over my shoulder. Vlad?”

“Yes, Elder?” Vlad materializes beside me with an expectant smile on his face.

“Show Grayson back to his room, would you?”

“It would be my honor.” Vlad bows his head reverently and then reaches for my arm.

I allow him to grab me, to tug me along, because what other choice do I have?

Edward’s voice carries to me just before I reach the staircase. “And Grayson?”

I tense.

“Next time I see you, I want the truth. Tell me why you left, and maybe I’ll allow you to live.” And with that, Edward turns away, reengaging Piper in conversation.

Vlad gleefully pulls me down the staircase, his enhanced strength causing me to stumble.

Izzy, I’m so fucking sorry.

I make a vow, right then and there, that I’ll never give her up, no matter what the Elders and their lackeys do to me.

I’m sorry.