Beholden (9 page)

Erou watched the hunter turn around and walk away, noting how Zari still held herself stiffly, even though now she was with her real Master.

Alexandru waited for his pet to speak but she didn’t, and for some reason her silence made him uneasy and, if he were to admit it, guilty as well. When they reached the building where the infirmary was and she still hadn’t spoken a word, he asked finally,
Are you still feeling ill?

She shook her head.

Ah. She really didn’t want to speak to him then.

Are you mad at me for leaving without a word?
It felt a little petty, but he acknowledged that it had been rude of him to do it in the first place.

She shook her head again.
 

It was an emergency involving my work. But I know that is no excuse. I promise I won’t do it again.

She shrugged.

He frowned.
Are you really going to sulk the whole time?

No. She was not. Because she
hadn’t
been sulking from the start. The problem was that she was tongue-tied. She hadn’t expected herself to be, but she was. It had started the moment she saw him.

They reached the infirmary without his pet speaking a single word or even looking at him. The school nurse was there, but one look at Alexandru’s face and she obviously thought better of greeting him in a cheerful tone like she usually did. Instead, she was brisk and efficient, getting Alexandru to lay Zari on the nearest bed.

The nurse asked her several questions and concluded her diagnosis with an advice of getting more sleep and food in her system. “It sounds very simple, but it’s not. You’re close to being anemic and that’s no good for a pet. It’s your obligation to be in good health for your Master, in the event that he needs to drink from you.”

Zari only nodded, the nurse’s words stinging. There it was – another reason why she did not make a good pet. No wonder Alexandru hadn’t signed that contract with her. The thought was so depressing, she didn’t realize the nurse had tactfully left them alone until her Master spoke.

“Are you ready to tell me what’s wrong now?” Her Master’s face suddenly appeared above her, Alexandru bending down to peer at her face.

She gasped, his electrifying proximity causing her to fall back against the bed on her elbows.

Something that tasted disgustingly like jealousy flared up inside him. Had he not seen her getting so close to that damn knight-like vampire a while ago? And now, all of a sudden, she wasn’t able to bear his presence up close?

He moved forward aggressively, caging her between his arms. The more he pushed forward, the more she backed away on the bed until she found herself lying flat on her back, with nowhere to move.
 

Alexandru was now crouched on top of her on all fours, her body between his arms and legs. She glanced up fearfully, and his green gaze captured hers.
 

Her Master growled, “Why are you moving away from me?”

She opened her mouth to answer, but then, sensing her voice was going to fail her and give her away completely, she snapped her mouth shut.
 

Alexandru stared at his pet broodingly.
Do you want to be Erou’s pet now?

She jerked in surprise.

Is that it?

She found herself searching her Master’s gorgeous face for a clue to his real feelings. Why was he asking that question? Was it because he was jealous, or was it because he was fine with giving her away?
 

I won’t get mad if you say yes.
Alexandru found himself wanting to laugh bitterly the moment he said the words to his pet. Not get mad? Yeah, sure, that was true because if she did want to be another man’s pet? He wouldn’t just get mad. He would go berserk.
 

And that – that wasn’t good.
 

None of this was good anymore, and sooner or later he knew he would be forced to make a decision.

Zari was stunned when her Master abruptly pulled away from her. He was visibly on edge, his body taut with tension. Her heart jumped to her throat. Was this it? Was he going to tell her it was over? When he turned to her, intent on speaking, she panicked.

Zari blurted out, “I had a vision a while ago.”

Alexandru’s face turned grim. “What did you see?”

“It was like what you said. It started with a color – red.” She thought about telling him that the visions also had to do with her possible death but decided against it. She didn’t want him to think she wanted his pity.

“How did you see it? What were you doing? Where were you when it happened?”

Her cheeks flushed at the question.

He said flatly, “You were with
him
?”

She nodded.

“So that’s the way it is then.”

No, it was not! She wanted to cry out in protest, but she could only look at him. If he really wanted her as his pet, shouldn’t he be telling her now that he wouldn’t be giving her up – no matter what? Wasn’t that what he
promised
the day he claimed her?

But then…he hadn’t really claimed her, had he?

Alexandru felt strangely empty. He had never felt like this before, not even when…no, that was nothing like this terrible waking emptiness inside him, telling him that it would be worse if and when Zari did become someone else’s pet.

But if that was what she wanted, would he really be selfish enough to keep her against her will?

The beast in him roared in protest.
He had given her a choice,
he thought savagely. He had asked her several times and he had warned her he would not let her go if she said yes. It was not his fault that she changed her mind.

When his eyes slowly went to his pet, he saw her lip trembling and it was obvious she was doing her best not to cry.

He didn’t want her crying, dammit – not those kinds of tears, anyway.

“Sleep here for the night. I will have enforcers posted at the door so you will not need to be worried. You are not to leave this room until I am sure the danger’s been averted.” Alexandru moved to the door, pausing when his hand reached the knob. “Once we have this case related to your vision resolved, I promise we’ll talk about you becoming…someone else’s pet.”

Alexandru left without looking back.

The door closed behind him.

One, two, three, four,
she counted to herself.
“Fifty,”
she whispered to herself. Alexandru would no longer be able to hear her now. And that was when she started to cry, covering her mouth because even so, she didn’t want to accidentally make a sound.

Chapter Eight

Alexandru was carefully tending to the Venus flytraps his pet had him nurturing in the greenhouse when he suddenly felt the hairs of his nape standing up and evil eyes glaring at his back.

“Rule #23.5 Verbal abuse from Masters should be considered a serious offense and violators should be sanctioned accordingly.”

He turned around, saying in exasperation, “I haven’t even said anything yet.”

She continued glaring at him.

He threw his hands up. “What do you want me to say, pet? I’ve already apologized for that incident, have I not? I have expressed my support for this proposal of yours—”

“The sanction for this offense is for a Master to serenade his pet in public.”

His brow shot up.

She said seriously, “And it has to be a Sam Smith song. No one sings love songs like Sam Smith, Master.”

He looked at her like she was crazy. “Who the fuck is Sam Smith?”

When Erou received the summons from Alexandru, he knew what it meant. A meeting at midnight in a location outside the school? It was a duel, definitely, and one he was determined to win.
 

But when he reached his destination, he was stunned to find the hunter accompanied by his men, and all of them were dressed for battle.

He said in disgust, “I had expected more from you, Lord Alexandru.”

Alexandru only smiled. “Is that so?”

Someone stepped out from behind the older vampire, and Erou was even more surprised to discover it was Zari. She was not wearing her school uniform. Instead, she had on a cotton shirt and jeans, and her feet were clad in heavy-duty sneakers. He shook his head in confusion. “What are you doing here?”

She appeared just as shocked. “What are
you
doing here?”

What the hell was this? Had the human girl just been leading him all along? Erou said coldly, “I’m not sure what game you’re playing—”

“I’m not playing any games,” Zari protested, her eyes darting nervously between Lord Erou and her Master…for now.

A smile that didn’t reach his eyes still playing on his lips, Alexandru was the one to answer the younger vampire, drawling, “Relax, Lord Erou. This is no setup. As you appear to play a special role in my pet’s life, I thought it would be prudent you were made aware of the truth about her.”

Erou asked warily, “And what’s that?”

“She is no ordinary human pet. Zari is a soul seer, one of the last of her kind in fact.”

The younger vampire shook his head in disbelief. “A soul seer?” Like many, he had believed that reports about soul seers still existing were just rumors.
 

“You must swear to keep this a secret, of course. Too many are willing to be in possession of a soul seer’s skills.”

“I will never do or say anything that will harm Lady Zari,” he countered stiffly. “But I must confess, Lord Alexandru, I don’t understand why you’re telling me this.”

Instead of answering the other vampire, Alexandru glanced down at his pet, who still stood quietly by his side. “Do you know what Lord Erou was thinking when he came here?”

Slowly, she shook her head. Although his tone and gaze were both unreadable, Zari had a feeling she wouldn’t like his answer.

“He thought I was challenging him to a duel. For your ownership.”
 

Her gaze flew to Lord Erou in dismayed surprise.

Behind her, her Master continued, “And despite seeing me with my men, he did not back out. He still intended to fight me – and even my men – for the right to claim you.”

For a moment, their gazes locked, Master and pet.

He waited for her to say something.

She waited for him to say something.

But the silence remained, and Alexandru was eventually the first one to break it. Looking away, he gestured to his men, his voice turning brisk as he said, “But we can talk about that later. For now, we have a case to solve.”

Glancing at Zari, he asked, “Is this about the spree of murders in the nearby towns?”

“Correct, Lord Erou. An astute guess to make. Lady Zari should be quite impressed.”

Erou flushed at the mocking approval in the older vampire’s face, knowing that the hunter was well aware he had said it because he wanted to make Zari realize he truly could be of help in cases like this. When standing next to the five-hundred-year-old vampire, Erou knew his measly ten years of fighting paled considerably in comparison.

Zari, however, appeared truly impressed. “You knew about it, too, Lord Erou? I hadn’t heard anything about it, I’m afraid, and I’ve been trying to get a vision the whole time I was here.”

He said readily, “It’s not your fault, Lady Zari. The enforcers did their best to suppress the news.”

Alexandru knew he should have been the one to say something like that to his pet. But he was not that kind of Master, and he wouldn’t be like that, he told himself grimly, even if it meant Zari choosing someone ‘kinder’ than him.
 

Kinder, ha. A kinder Master might be able to wipe away her tears, but it wouldn’t be able to keep her alive when the world learned about who she really was.

Even knowing it was childish, Alexandru stepped in between the two. They had been looking at each other far too long.

“I never thought someone like you could be this immature,” Erou said under his breath, making sure his voice was low enough to be undetectable to human ears.