Isadora (Masters Among Monsters Book 2) (5 page)

Present day - Somewhere…

BLACK.

THAT WAS all Leo could see. A dark abyss stretching out ahead of him.

“Leonidas Chapel, what have you done?”

The question came out of nowhere as Leo squinted, trying to see more than a few feet in front of himself. The voice was familiar. It was the same one he’d heard in his weird flashbacks and visions. The one who’d claimed that he, and two others, had been created to destroy Alasdair and his kind.
 

Yeah, the delusional one.

“Who’s there?” he asked. “Who are you?”
 

His mind was reeling, but it didn’t hurt as it usually did when he had these weird-ass moments, which were apparently part of his everyday life now. It was more a feeling of euphoria. A high like you get after popping some E. He felt as though he could fly yet, at the same time, like maybe he should sit. If this was what Vasilios’s blood was going to do to him, he had to admit that it felt fantastic.
He
felt fantastic.
 

“Leonidas.”
 

His name was an admonishment as it rattled inside his head. He clutched his temple, and that was when he realized he was still stark naked.
 

“You have done the unthinkable.”

Leo wished he could see whoever was addressing him because he really wanted to give the jackass a piece of his mind.
Unthinkable? I didn’t have a fucking choice.

“We always have choices. You, however, have made the wrong one.”

Leo scoffed. “Oh, I see. So I was just supposed to what…die?”

“No,” the voice thundered. “That is not your purpose.”

Leo ran a hand through his hair and gripped the back of it in a tight fist. “Oh…so they were supposed to die? Alasdair. Vasilios. That’s kind of impossible. They’re fucking vampires. You know, as in immortal? Not to mention they’re very
old
vampires and I’m just me. The human. How was I ever going to hurt them? So yeah, good luck with that. You backed the wrong horse in this race.”

“Silence.” The word was clipped and sharp, like the snapping bite of a rabid dog.

Leo immediately shut his mouth.
 

“You are far too impulsive in your actions and words. We should’ve seen to it that you were better prepared. Elias was such a good pupil, but we made a grave misstep in your education.”

“Elias,” Leo said through clenched teeth. “Yeah, what’d you teach him? To lie?” He gave a disbelieving snort. “If you could get a message his way, which I’m sure you can, you may want to tell him he’s in a shit-ton of trouble thanks to you. It is
you
who’s causing all of this, right? Which leads me back to my first question: Who the fuck are you?”
 

“You already know the answer to that. Your blood burns these creatures, melts them as sure as the sun. Think, Leonidas. Think back and remember. Remember a time prior to your fascination with all things deadly. What were you drawn to?”

Leo pondered the words, letting them infiltrate in his mind. “Greece. I’ve always loved Ancient Greece. That’s my heritage, where I come from. The people, their customs, their…gods,” he said, his thoughts lingering over the impossible.

“There is a reason for your dedication. A reason for your calling. Your heritage—it runs much deeper, much stronger than you ever imagined.”

Leo rubbed the bridge of his nose as he squeezed his eyes shut. This dream was fucking bizarre. Was that also a side effect of Vasilios’s blood? Some almighty guy claiming…
what exactly?
 

“What are you saying? Tell me,” he demanded.

“Remember when you once valued your life?”

Leo lashed out. “I
still
value my life. Why do you think I did what I did? And why should I justify myself to you?”

“Because
I
created you,” the voice bellowed. “That is why. You were designed with one goal to fulfill, and currently, you are failing.”

Leo’s eye twitched as the annoyance turned to anger. “How can I fail when I don’t even know what I’m supposed to be doing? If anything,
you
failed. If you created me, then maybe you should have taken a little more time. Maybe
you
should’ve thought more about the one thing we humans have that has fucked up your plan.” As his final words rang out into the vastness surrounding him, his breathing quickened.
 

“And what is that?”

Leo straightened his shoulders and glared at…
well, nothing
, as he said, “Free will.”

The silence was so loud that it was close to deafening. That certainly wasn’t the case, however, when he heard the next spoken words.
 

“Whoever said you were human, Leonidas?”
 

ALASDAIR WALKED OVER to where Leo lay on the mattress. His body was strained from head to toe, and his neck was arched back at an awkward angle. The left side of his body was twitching, and as he continued to convulse, Alasdair looked to Vasilios for answers.
 

“What is happening to him?”

Vasilios studied Leo, and then his gaze darted to his. “I don’t know. I have never fed a human before. Other than the ones I’ve killed and then decided to keep around as an afterthought. That’s an entirely different matter altogether, I would assume, since they’re dead. Wouldn’t you agree?”
 

Alasdair looked back to Leo and wondered if Vasilios’s blood mixed with whatever ran through his own was too much for the human to take.
Will he die after all?
And why did the thought of him dying bother him so?

He stroked his fingers through Leo’s hair and then froze when he realized what he was doing. Then a hand rested on his shoulder—Vasilios.
 

I, too, hope he wakes. I rather like your little yielding’s spirit.
 

Alasdair angled his head to Vasilios so he could gauge if what he’d pushed inside his mind was true, and his earnest expression was telling. He really did want Leo to wake, and if he did, what would become of them then? What would be their dynamic going forth?

That’s easy enough. You will both live to service me, of course. Whenever and however you like. That’s simple enough, is it not?

Alasdair was about to reply to the sarcasm when Diomêdês spoke up.

“Would somebody please tell me what the plan is while we wait for the human to either die or wake the fuck up? I’m growing impatient.”

Diomêdês was a daunting presence under normal circumstances. Right now, his demeanor was bone-chilling. So quiet that, usually, one never knew what he was thinking. He was elusive, yet when he did choose to open his mouth and speak, everyone within hearing distance stopped to listen.
 

Alasdair and Thanos knew little about what went on between Isadora and her sire, but from what they could gather, the male was a watcher, not a doer. He lived a celibate life as far as the act was concerned, yet Isadora never once complained, never spoke of the relationship they shared, and she seemed to worship the very ground he walked upon.
 

Vasilios stepped forward and fingered the corner of one of the bedsheets. “You don’t mind if we cover ourselves, do you? While I couldn’t care less about being on display, I feel as if the moment has somewhat passed.”
 

Alasdair waited as Vasilios snagged a sheet for himself and then tossed one over to him. They both covered up, and while Vasilios began to pace back and forth, Alasdair took up a spot on the mattress beside Leo.

“The plan, Vasilios. You said you had one,” Diomêdês reminded him.

“I do. However, it requires that we keep a level head. Something you aren’t always so good at.”

Everyone knew of Diomêdês’s temper, and like with most vampires, it was hard to divert his attention once a mood struck. The difference between a normal temper and Diomêdês’s, though, was like the difference between a snowflake and an avalanche.

“I can see that you are suffering,” Vasilios said as Diomêdês got off the mattress and took several shaky steps towards the single recliner in the room.
 

As he practically fell into it, he raised a hand to his head and bit out, “How astute of you.”

“No need to get waspish.”

“And no need to be antagonistic. Just tell me the fucking plan.”

Alasdair shifted on the bed until his back was against the headboard, knowing enough to stay out of the feud. Leo’s head was in his lap as his body continued to spasm in different directions, and he found himself concentrating all of his efforts on willing the man to wake up.

“When the human wakes, he is going to take Alasdair back to his office. Back to where Isadora was taken. He worked with the one who has her. He knows of him. Knows where he lives. So we can track him down.”

As a low snarl filled the room, Alasdair raised his head. Diomêdês’s eyes had turned inky black, and his fangs had slid into place. He looked ready to kill, and his attention was focused on Leo.

“He knows who took my Isa?”

“He does,” Vasilios said as he walked towards the enraged vampire. “He knows a lot of things, brother, and I believe keeping him alive and close is in our best interest.”

Diomêdês stood, and Alasdair’s natural instincts had him shifting Leo off his lap so he could crouch in a protective stance alongside the vulnerable man.
 

“And you decided this without consulting any of us?” Diomêdês asked.

“I made a decision based off the facts presented at the time. My first instinct was to kill him. Imagine what we may have missed had I gone through with that impulse.”

The Ancient’s legs trembled, close to giving out on him, so he lowered himself back onto the chair. “And what changed your mind?”

“My cock,” Vasilios said without an ounce of remorse. “But, soon after, the human himself.
 
He offered to be of use to us. He said that he would take us where we need to go. It was a good offer, so I made a decision. However, I do not trust him in the slightest, which is why the only way I would agree was if he drank from me. This way, I can make sure he returns, and I can also get inside his head at any given moment.”

Alasdair didn’t realize how tense he was until Diomêdês relented and gave a swift nod.
 

“You did the right thing. Isadora… She is growing weaker with every passing minute. I fear she doesn’t have much longer.”

Vasilios knelt by Diomêdês’s feet and placed a hand to his thigh. “I can see the strain in you. How do you feel?”

“Not too well, brother. Not too well.”

“And I’m sure your little exertions in here did not help conserve your energy.”

Diomêdês gave a false smile, and his fangs gleamed. “You are enough to try the patience of a saint. You are lucky you do not answer to anyone. They would be forever disciplining you.”

Vasilios sighed. “’Tis true. Which is why I’m fortunate enough to be my own master.”

A tentative hand grazed Alasdair’s back and had him turning. Leo’s eyes had opened and he was blinking rapidly as he tried to focus.
 

“Welcome back,
file mou
.”

Before Leo could utter a sound, Vasilios was over by the bed in a flash, and Diomêdês was right behind him, hauling Alasdair to his knees.
 

The fucker might have been weaker than usual, but he sure as hell was still stronger than him.
 

Diomêdês shoved him aside and reached for Leo’s wrist, yanking him in until their noses touched—and that’s when everything went to hell in a hand basket. Leo pried the Ancient’s fingers loose, causing a vicious curse to escape him, and then he flashed over to Alasdair’s side and silence filled the room.

As all three of them rounded on the human, Leo lowered his hands to cover his groin. His blond hair was disheveled, and when he realized what he’d just done, his mouth opened and shut as if trying to formulate some kind of response. But Vasilios was the first to speak.
 

“Well, that will make the next time we all visit a bed rather interesting. Wouldn’t you agree,
agóri
?”

As Alasdair continued to watch his yielding, he caught a look of wonderment on Leo’s face and knew one thing for certain: He didn’t
disagree.