A Blood Seduction (Vamp City #1)(39)

She turned to Arturo for help, saw the apology swimming in his dark eyes, and understanding crashed. This was why he'd brought her here. This. Not, as he'd told her, to search for Zack.

Arturo turned back to Cristoff. "She has a half brother who was taken by one of Lazzarus's vamps. I have a contact within the kovena. I can find out if the brother possesses any magic, if it please you."

She stared at him, her scalp crawling with his betrayal. He knew exactly where Zack was. He'd known all along.

"Do it, but say nothing of the sister. She is our secret, for now."

Quinn stared at Arturo, willing him to meet her gaze. "Will you bring Zack here?"

He didn't turn. "No. He belongs to another."

"Please!"

He whirled on her, all warmth gone from his eyes. "Forget him," he snapped. "He's lost to you."

"You lied to me."

"I said what I must to keep you from trying to escape." And this time she saw only truth in those hard eyes. This had been his intention all along. To bring her to his master.

Cristoff laughed softly, a sound that formed ice crystals in her veins. "I call Arturo my snake for a reason."

On a burst of fury, she tried to get at the vampire who'd betrayed her, but Cristoff held her fast, binding her against him with an iron arm until she could barely breathe. She trembled with outrage and a deep, quaking terror.

"Go, now," Cristoff ordered his snake.

And Arturo did, walking away without a backward glance.

Arturo's gut twisted with guilt as he descended the brick steps, leaving behind the suffocating confines of Gonzaga Castle. The sorceress hated him for what he'd done. Rightfully so. But they'd needed a sorcerer badly, and she was the first they'd found in more than two years of searching.

He'd known what she was the first time he'd tasted her. As Bram said, she carried no scent of magic, but the taste of it in her blood was strong for those who knew what magic tasted like. And Arturo knew.

Ah, her blood was sweet. But she was Cristoff's now.

The guard opened the front gate, nodding as Arturo passed through onto the paved sidewalk, leaving the lit compound behind with long strides. Letting the darkness embrace him.

Cristoff knew her value. He wouldn't hurt her. At least, he wouldn't injure her unduly. He couldn't risk it. But Arturo knew all too well what Cristoff was capable of, and it chilled him to the bone to leave a fully mortal female in his master's hands.

But he'd had no choice. It mattered not if he'd taken a liking to the woman. Or if his blood heated every time he touched her soft, warm flesh, every time he smelled the sunshine in her hair.

There was far too much at stake for a bit of pleasure to get in the way.

He crossed the dusty, empty road as he made his way back to the sanctuary of his home, remembering the look on Cristoff's face as he'd presented his gift, the sorceress. Cristoff had been pleased. Well pleased, and the notion stroked satisfyingly within him. He'd done well this day even as he knew the furious betrayal in those green eyes would haunt him for a long, long time.

Perhaps an eternity.

Chapter Eight

"Delivery! Now!"

Zack set down his hammer atop the roof of the small brick building he and the other slaves had been working on since his arrival in Vamp City. Swiping the sweat out of his eyes, he scrambled for the ladder, fighting and jostling with his companions until they were all in danger of falling off the roof. No one wanted to be the last one down. The last always took the brunt of their master's whip.

He managed to beat two others down the ladder and took off at a run the moment he reached the ground, determined to stay in front. Following the other slaves, he rounded the corner to the wagon that must have pulled up while he'd been hammering, a wagon laden with crates of fruits and vegetables and boxes containing only God knew what. It didn't matter. He and the other slaves were the ones who would carry it inside even though the vampires could lift a hundred times what the humans could.

Most of the guys were grabbing two crates at a time, but Zack didn't need to prove anything to anyone. He grabbed a single crate of vegetables. But he'd only taken two steps from the wagon when the whip sliced down his back. Fire exploded, and it was all he could do not to lose the crate in his hands.

"More, you ninety-pound weakling!" the vampire yelled.

Gritting his teeth against the mortification as much as the pain of the lash, Zack set down his crate, returned to the wagon for a second, then dropped it on top of the first and struggled to lift them both. Motherf*cker. His back bowed, his muscles shaking with strain, he made his way after the other slaves, knowing that if the f**king vampire whipped him again, he'd lose both crates. Then he and Mr. Whip would get to know one another way too well.

Sweat rolled down his temples, his face red with strain. He wasn't weak. Not weak. He'd just never seen much sense in spending hours in the gym like the meatheads. Programmers didn't need muscles. Unfortunately, slaves did. But he wouldn't be a slave forever. He'd find a way to escape - when he was stronger, when he'd solved the puzzle of this place. Then he'd rescue Lily and Quinn. He wouldn't let himself even think about whether or not his sister was still alive.

Struggling to move one foot in front of the other, to keep going, he eyed the door the others were entering, held open by a female slave. He'd never been in this part of the house before and was mildly curious. If he made it that far without dumping his crates.