9. Chapter Nine

Unbelievable.

Un-fucking-believable. How could she have been so stupid to let him take so much.

Was she that blinded by love? That she’d give her own life for his?

Something lurched in my chest. An ache of a memory long since forgotten.

Elspeth.

At one time she’d been my everything. But then Lucifer had twisted those memories into a nightmare that had destroyed me every day in the Pit. Over and over again until the memories were tainted and ugly.

I looked down at Lori in my arms. She loved him. Even with all his faults, this woman loved Lucifer, shared a soul and heart with him. If I wanted to destroy Lucifer for what he’d done to me, I’d have to destroy her too.

Lori was the key to my plan. I was only planning on killing Lucifer but the fact that I could break his heart too, well, that just sweetened the deal.

Didn’t it?

The corridors flew past me as I used my speed to get back to my quarters. I had to save her because I needed her alive until the conduit was ready. I was so close. Almost everything was in place, I was just waiting for the next lunar event and then the real fun could begin.

Until then, I’d just have to make sure Lori stayed in line.

Hmm, that might actually be enjoyable.

I wasn’t surprised she had so many people wrapped around her little finger. There was definitely something alluring about her. And the way she kissed was like she devoured you from the inside out. Consumed your every breath until you were begging for her to save you with just one more taste of her lips.

Maybe I didn’t have to destroy her. Maybe I could keep her after all this was over.

I burst into my room and immediately went to the bed. I relaxed against the headboard and cradled her in my lap. Her head lolled backwards onto my shoulder and her heart was barely beating.

She was such a fool. I tore a gash in my wrist and brought it to her mouth. My blood trickled down her throat. She wouldn’t need much to regenerate what Jasper had taken. I was old and being the original vampire had its perks.

After a few seconds, her fangs pierced the sensitive skin at my wrist and a moan that was a mixture of pain and pleasure rumbled deep in my chest.

Yes, she was definitely worth thinking about keeping after all this was over. If there was enough of her left…

Her eyes flew wide, the dark crimson irises ringed in flames flashing with a myriad of emotions. Rage. Need. Hatred. Confusion.

She retracted her fangs and scrambled away from me, her ass rocking against my suddenly aching cock. It was a natural reaction to feeding someone. I didn’t always indulge when I was feeding, but there was something tempting about her. Something that fired up my blood in a way no one had done for centuries.

“I hate you,” she spat as she wiped my blood off her chin.

A surge of desire had my trousers feeling uncomfortably tight. I liked that she was feisty.

“No, you don’t,” I replied with a chuckle. “You don’t know what to make of me. And that scares you.”

She stared daggers at me but didn’t respond.

“Look, whatever way you look at it, we are tied together. I am your sire, and you will be forever linked to me. The sooner you get on board with that the better. Now, about this little item I want you to steal for me—”

“I won’t do it.”

”Yes, you will. Let”s not pretend otherwise. You will do as you”re told, or Jasper will die.” I wasn”t in the mood for playing games. I needed her on board, and she needed to know she couldn”t escape.

Lori looked to the floor, her teeth worrying her bottom lip. ”Fine,” she said as her gaze snapped back to mine. ”But no harm will come to Jasper while I”m away. Swear it to me. Swear it on Elspeth.”

My heart gave a sudden lurch in my chest. ”How do you know about her? Who told you?” I barked.

”No one told me. I shared your dream.” A look of disgust passed across her face, and she squared her shoulders. She knew what Elspeth meant to me and she must have felt how much in the dream judging by that reaction.

”Fine.” I wasn”t happy about being backed into a corner. ”I swear on the memory of Elspeth, no harm will come to your vampire until you return. Happy?”

She nodded. ”It will do.”

I snorted. Did she even realise how much of a power she had over me with that single name?

”What do you need me to steal?”

I patted the spot next to me on the bed. ”Sit with me, and we will discuss it.” Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. ”I won”t hurt you. I need you alive, remember?”

She hesitated for another moment but eventually sat next to me on the edge of the bed, keeping as much distance as possible between us.

”Now, it”s a small item but very powerful. Have you heard of the lapis lunae?”

”No. What is it?”

”It”s just a stone. Very small.” I grabbed her hand and held it open, tracing a small circle around it. ”About the size of your palm.”

She snatched her hand away with a scowl. ”What does it do?”

”You don”t need to know that.”

”But—”

I held up a finger. ”Ah-ah. Don”t interrupt, little one.”

She glared at me. ”Don”t call me that. I”m not your little one, and I am more than happy to gut you if you call me that again.”

”I”d like to see you try,” I replied with a smirk. ”Anyway. Moving on. It”s located in the vault beneath the mountain. It”s a perfect spherical white stone. You will steal it for me and bring it back here.”

“Perhaps it isn’t there anymore?”

I didn’t miss the faint trace of hope in her voice. “Sorry, it’s definitely there and it’s the only thing that will stop me from killing everyone you love.” I tapped my chin. “That’s quite a list of people now, isn’t it? So much choice for little ol’ me.”

“You’re an asshole,” she snapped bitterly.

I shrugged my shoulders. “I’m a villain, love. Pretty sure it goes with the title.”

She gave a fierce growl and launched at me, her claws extended and aiming for my eyes.

I didn’t even give her a chance. I caught her wrist and used her momentum to role her beneath me, pushing her face first onto the bed. I pulled her arm up her back and settled my weight on her as I straddled her hips. Her legs wriggled uselessly behind me.

She screamed into the bed in frustration and tried to throw me off her. I pushed her arm higher up her back and she immediately stilled.

“Have you quite finished your tantrum, little one?” I asked soothingly.

“Fuck you!”

“Mmm, tempting but we don’t have time for that. You’ve got an appointment with a witch to keep.” As soon as I realised that she was strong enough to beat my compulsion, I knew I had to find a different way to imprint my command in her.

“Why?”

“Because I need to ensure you obey me. Can’t have you running to your little friends to tell them all my plans now, can I?”

She growled. “I don’t want to do it.”

I smiled. She sounded like such a petulant child. “If I let you go, do you promise to behave?”

“No.”

I laughed at that but let her go anyway. She wouldn’t beat me. “Come on. Up you get.”

I tried to help her up, but she brushed me off, slapping my hands away. Such a feisty little thing. I almost admired it.

Her bright eyes met mine and I could feel every flame of defiance in them burning my skin as she stared at me. She was going to fight me every step of the way, and damn, if that didn’t excite me.

“You don’t need to do this, Mordecai.”

Anger and rage surged up, hot and instant. “I do, Lori. And you aren’t going to change my mind. He needs to pay for what he did to us. I will destroy him, and I will enjoy it.”

“Mordecai, please. Don’t do this. Don’t make me do this.” Her bottom lip trembled as she begged me for something I’d never be able to do. This hatred had been with me for so long, it was a part of me, carved into my very bones and weaved through every breath that I took. And I was never going to let it go, no matter how prettily she begged.

“I can’t. I’m sorry.” My words were barely above a whisper, and I realised, I was sorry. Where the fuck had that crept up from? Must just be her emotions I could feel through the sire bond. I refused to believe it was anything else.

“Come on. Time to see the witch and then I can send you back to that shithole you call home,” I said gruffly, my mood darkening with all the memories and emotions that were starting to resurface. I needed to focus on my end goals, and not the confusing little hellcat in front of me. She was most likely going to die, and I couldn’t get attached.

Then why couldn’t I shake the feeling that she’d already sunk her claws into me?