Cruel Stakes: Vampires & Vices No. 2, page 19
“You’ve handed me over to your queen like a prize?” I ask him, a wobble in my voice betraying my attempt at stoicism.
“Brisa needs to build her line back up. You should be grateful she chose you,” he responds, and then he melts into the crowd of vampires surrounding us. It doesn’t make sense. I thought he hated her. Maybe he does, but he still did what was best for her over what was best for me––what he promised me.
“So, you’ll be my master?” I ask Brisa, even though I already know the answer. I’m stalling. I’m in disbelief. I’m––
She answers by extending her fangs, grabbing hold of me, and sinking her teeth deep into my neck.
Chapter 30
My limbs go numb and then limp. Excruciating pain shoots through me, followed by exquisite euphoria. The bliss seemingly heals me, sending me away. One second I am standing, and the next I am on the ground, Brisa leaning over me, feeding on me like she’s probably done to countless others before, but to me, it’s like falling in love for the first time. I smile at her, enjoying every incredible second. I don’t care that her venom stings because it’s so wonderful, and much stronger than Hugo’s was. Perhaps that’s because she’s the queen, and the oldest vampire alive.
The last of my thoughts run as dry as my veins.
She is lost to me, everything’s in a fog, but my body is still incredibly alive. It’s as if every cell is being rattled, shaken, burned, and transformed by her venom. Brisa sucks and sucks, drinking my blood until my vision blurs, the edges going black, and everything tunnels. I don’t like that, so I close my eyes. I don’t scream because I don’t want her to stop. So I sigh, letting it happen, willing it to happen, whatever it is.
But somewhere, somehow, there is still a part of me that is fighting this, a part of me that’s the little girl, that’s the teenager, that’s the grown woman. All of them are Eva, and she is lashing out. She wants her life back. And she wants Brisa dead.
I am that girl.
She is me.
But I am also this new thing, this soon-to-be vampire. Brisa finally pulls away but stays leaning over me, her amber eyes ablaze like hot coals. “I can taste Hugo’s venom in you,” she whispers low, eyes growing angrier by the second. She knew that he was going to take me as his own that night, but she didn’t know that he had already fed. At least I don’t think so, because with her, it’s so hard to know what she’s thinking. “I have half a mind to kill you right now,” she sneers as her lips softly caress my cheek. “But once you are mine, Evangeline, you will be unable to resist anything I ask of you. You will be loyal to me through our bond. And perhaps that will be your punishment. Because if you hate me, this transformation will force you to love me instead.” She inches back and smiles wickedly.
My mind slowly rolls back to me, and I search for Adrian, but he’s not here. Where could he have possibly gone at a time like this? Does he really feel so little for me that he’d leave me here in my most vulnerable moment? But no, my most vulnerable moment already happened, and he was very much there for that. My heart crumbles all over again. Tears burn in my eyes as I search the faces of the people watching me. It’s a sea of faces with predatory claims in their hungry eyes, as if they can smell the last of the human blood still left in my body. I look away and try to sit up, but it’s useless. I’ve lost too much blood. I was strong once, and now I can hardly remember what that felt like.
Brisa holds her slim arm to my lips and blood fills my mouth. I start to choke on it and try to turn away but she’s too strong and holds me in place. It flows down my throat and I gag on it for what feels like ages. When it’s over, she lifts me easily into her cold arms as if I were nothing but a small child. Even though I’ve got at least twenty pounds on her, her vampire strength is unmatched. She walks me into the little crypt and lays me down on a flat slab bed.
“Sleep now, my little one,” she coos like a madwoman, “for when you wake, your past will be nothing but a burdensome dream, and your true life will start.” She steps away, watching me for a long moment with a satisfied smile. It’s like she’s tucking her child into bed, not killing a human. This is sadistic. This isn’t what I want. The tears release from my eyes and stream down my cheeks, mixing with the wetness of my bloodied neck.
No. This can’t happen.
She can’t leave me here. Where’s Adrian? Why can’t I speak?
Will I be able to fight this on my own? Somehow, I know I won’t.
A sob racks through me right as something burns, prickling at my hands. Is it the venom working its way through me? The fiery pain gets hotter and hotter, crawling its way up my arms.
Brisa steps back.
I finally find my voice. “What’s happening to me?”
“I knew from the first moment that I saw you in person and had a chance to smell your blood that you were different,” she says, “and I was thrilled. You had to be mine. Adrian agreed.”
“Why?” My voice scratches at my throat. The burning continues.
She leans in and whispers against my ear. “Just between you and me, it’s time for a new generation of royal children. Soon they’ll all be replaced by worthier sons and daughters, even my precious Adrian must be culled. You think you hate me but, darling, that will change. Don’t you see? You’re exactly what I’ve been searching for.”
Realization is like a sharp arrow to the chest. Brisa’s the one who’s been killing the princes––and pinning it on everyone else.
“But why me?” The question still remains.
“Because you’re special. You’re part of them, but now you’ll also be part of us. You’re both––exactly what I need.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The pain intensifies, and I scream out, “Please stop this!”
A light flashes so bright that my eyes cannot handle it and I squeeze them shut. There’s a scream––Brisa’s scream––and then more screams that aren’t hers. All the vampires, the fledglings, everyone . . .
And then there’s nothing.
And I’m nothing.
Chapter 31
I don’t know how long I’m lost to the heat. Hours? Days? Or maybe it’s merely minutes. But I’m there for all of it, and I don’t know what it means. Fear wracks me for the eternity that I lay waiting, terrified that I’m transforming into one of them. If I could crawl out of here I would, but I can’t move. Finally, the burn dissipates enough for me to open my eyes and not be blinded by the light. I peer at my hands, but there’s no sign of scorching. They’re not even red.
I look around, expecting to be walled in here since that was the plan. Brick by horrid brick, we were to be locked into our crypts like a child in a mother’s womb until it was time to be born again. But there’s no wall keeping me in, and I stand, heading toward the entrance. When I peer out, I don’t know what I’m expecting, but not this. Because it’s nothing––nobody is here, no vampires to watch over us, no lights, no torches.
Just emptiness.
But I can see everything, every crack in the cobbled walls, every old bone stacked up, every booted footprint in the dirt, all of it. It’s as if I’ve walked outside in the middle of the day rather than far under the city of love. Doesn’t matter––I’m out of here.
I sprint my way down the stooped hallway of musty old bones and back up into the church and then outside, moving faster than I ever have before. The sun has already crested over the horizon and I immediately jump back into Notre Dame’s shadows. Could this be it? Could this be my opportunity to end my life now instead of starting a new one as a monster? I always thought I would be able to offer myself to the sun if this happened, but now that I’m faced with the reality of my situation, I’m not so sure I’m strong enough.
I reach out a tentative hand, one finger pointed, prepared for it to burn into dust. I imagine the pain to be similar to what it was in the crypt, or maybe even worse, but when it slides into the sunlight, nothing happens. The light wraps around my fingertips, same as it always has. I slowly step the rest of the way out, and still nothing happens. I sigh in relief, sobs once again wracking my body. I fall to my knees and tuck my head against my chest, crying. I’ve never been much of a crier, but this moment is perhaps the one I’m most grateful for in my entire life. Because I’m alive. I’m here. I’m safe. And I’m still me.
And at this point, all I can do is cling to the hope that Adrian didn’t lie to me about this one important thing. He claimed that if I didn’t stay for the three nights that I could avoid this transformation. I growl to myself because how can I trust anything he’s ever said? And how could I have been so stupid as to let him manipulate me like he did? I walked into his trap willingly! He’s proved who his loyalty is to, and it isn’t to me.
I sigh and stand back up, walking out to the sidewalk. My transformation hasn’t happened, and I’m worried that maybe I have too much venom, maybe it will kill me, but maybe it’s exactly what I need to set me free. My senses are full-on. With Hugo, they’d come and go, but now that I have Brisa’s venom in my veins, I am ablaze with power.
And it’s time to run.
There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that I’m going back into that crypt or anywhere near a graveyard ever again, nor am I going around vampires anytime soon. I’m about to become a hunted woman, is my guess. Thank goodness it’s daylight because I have to get out of here. I need to find a way to escape Paris and never return. Where should I go? Where can I be safe from them? They can smell me, that I already know, but will they be able to smell me enough that I can’t take on another identity? Because if they find me, I’m as good as dead. I can fight and I’ll take down as many as I can, but I know what Brisa is capable of, and I know her numbers.
My mind whirls with possibilities and then it hits me; I can’t go back to New Orleans. Ever.
The realization hurts perhaps more than anything else. Maybe even more than realizing Adrian betrayed me, had kept important secrets from me. He knew I would resist the moment when his queen took me, and so he never said a word. He knew, and there’s nothing he could ever do or say to make me forgive him. I’m done trusting vampires, and I’m done with him.
My hands continue to burn, but no light escapes from them. I think back to what I saw with that blinding light, not wanting to admit it, but forcing myself to anyway. My palms had light exploding from them, the brightest light I’ve ever seen. I fist my hands at the thought, wishing they were cool. Maybe I’ll find a place where I can dip them in the river. The sidewalk I’m on is wide and stretches for miles. The river is below, but unreachable from here. I keep walking. Take this one step at a time. First, wet my hands and cool the burn. Second, get out of here and find somewhere safe to hide. And finally, figure out what is happening to me.
A little red convertible sports car with the hood back pulls up next to me, screeching to a halt. The face that peers up at me from the driver’s seat makes me stop in surprise. I don’t know who I expected to find me. Felix, maybe? But I saw the look on his face, he’ll never forgive me for what I did with Adrian. In my weeks at Versailles, I kept imagining my friends busting me out of the palace. What an idiot I was to give up on them. When they needed me most, I was useless. And Kenton paid the ultimate price.
No, it’s not them smiling at me, and it never will be again.
It’s Leslie Tate. “Climb inside, Eva,” he says wearily, “we have so much to discuss.”
I step back, about ready to jump into that river to get away from him. The last thing I need is another man intent on using me for his own agenda. “Did you send them in there? Was that your doing?”
“They would’ve with or without my help,” he insists.
“How would they even know where to look? You came into Adrian’s suite that night of the attack. What did you take?”
“Join me and I’ll tell you.”
I glare.
He puffs out his breath. “Listen, Brisa’s takeover of Versailles is international news. Once your friends figured out that’s where you’d most likely be, they came to me. Not the other way around.”
“I’m done with you,” I growl out, and then I start walking again. He drives beside me and I keep talking. “Look, I know you’re something different, okay? I know you were willing to slaughter my friends to get at Adrian. And that tells me all I need to know about someone like you.”
“Get in the car, or I will make you get in the car,” he calls back, “this isn’t a negotiation.”
“I can’t trust you.” I laugh maniacally. “You can go now.”
“Believe me, Eva, you can’t trust anyone. But that’s not what’s important right now. Right now, we have to get you to safety, and I know how to do that.”
“I can take care of myself.” Other vehicles go around him and some of them honk. It’s early enough that he doesn’t slow traffic down too much, but try telling that to the taxi cabs. Not that he’s the type to care.
“Don’t you wanna know what you are?” he calls out. “Do you want to know what’s happening to you?”
I don’t look at him even though my interest piques. I open and close my hands, but I already know the light has vanished. My hands are normal, and maybe it’s a good thing that he didn’t see what I saw in that crypt.
Or maybe it’s all in my head. Maybe it was some kind of hallucination from Brisa’s strong venom. But no . . . that couldn’t be. Because I wasn’t sealed into that crypt. Because Brisa responded with words about who I was. Because when that prickling happened in my hands, the flash of light followed. And then the screams. And then nothing.
I stop short with a gasp.
Is it possible? Did I kill the vampires? What kind of light did I emit down there?
And if she’s dead, then the vampires of the world are now subject to whoever their highest masters are in the bloodlines, masters who might want to hurt the humans far more than she ever did. And if word gets out about what I did, then I’ll become the most wanted person on planet Earth.
For once, I hope a vampire is alive and well . . .
I stop and walk over to Tate, leaning over the edge of the car. “Can you really help me?”
“I can really help you.” He nods. “Now please, Eva, get inside because we don’t have much time.”
I have nowhere else to go.
No one else is willing to help me but him.
And most of all, I need answers.
So against my better judgement, I do what he says, opening the car door and sliding into the passenger’s seat. He speeds away before I even have a chance to buckle myself in. The air whips through my hair; it’s mostly down by now. And my makeup must be a mess. And my dress is torn and bloody. I’m still wearing the sheer angel wings. I reach back and untangle them from my dress, then toss them out. Let someone else have them or let them be garbage, but I don’t ever want to see them again.
As we drive out of the city, we sit in silence, nothing but the wind to listen to. We drive and drive and drive, a race against the sun. And somehow, deep down, I know that he’s taking me somewhere I’ve been waiting to go my whole life––because whatever Tate is must be whatever I am, too. I didn’t want to face it, but it explains why I was never able to see my own aura, why the vampires took such an interest in me, why Remi gave me that wink, why Brisa said what she said before the light took over.
Her last words echo in my mind: Because you’re special. Because you’re both.
A Letter From Nina
Make sure to get ready for Wicked Sun! And thank you for reading Cruel Stakes––I hope you enjoyed this story. I wrote it during one of the hardest times of my life, and found a lot of escapism in this world and with these characters. Thank you to the fans of the series for keeping this alive and the momentum going. I love you so much for what you did for me. If you haven’t read the Blood Vow bonus scene yet, please join Nina’s Reading Party on Facebook and get that.
Happy Reading,
Nina
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my editor Ailene Kubricky, cover designer Yocla Book Designs, proof readers Sarah Mostaghel, Kate Anderson, and Cassie Buethe, the ARC team, and all the readers for making this happen. Thank you to my husband Travis and my mom Karren for all you did for me during a really tough time. I’m beyond grateful for everyone’s love and support.
About the Author
Nina Walker writes YA paranormal romance, urban fantasy, dystopian fantasy and more. Cruel Stakes is her 14th novel. She lives in Southern Utah with her sweetheart, 2 kids, and 3 pets. She loves to spend as much time outdoors exploring the real world as she does exploring other authors’ brilliant imaginations.
www.ninawalkerbooks.com
Facebook Reader Group “Nina’s Reading Party”
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Nina Walker, Cruel Stakes: Vampires & Vices No. 2
