Caged Queen (Blood and Magic 1)

Chapter Six

Thane

We should rip them apart. Every single filthy witch crammed into the room should be lying dead at my feet already. Their life’s blood fountaining into the air. And they would have been. If I hadn’t of liked Emrys’ plan.

What my blood brother lacked in blood lust, he more than made up for in pure deviousness.

Watching as he stepped forward towards the dark-haired witch, I fought the urge to roll my eyes as he scooped up her hand in his. bowing over it, he brought it to his lips. She didn’t fight back. But a shiver of disgust went through her body when his cold lips pressed up against it.

Some people, men and women alike were lovers of our cold lips. Even amongst her own kind, there were vampire junkies. Those little powerless witches who sold themselves to us. Gave us their blood freely.

But the girl standing frightened but stoic on the rug wasn’t one of them.

“I am Emrys, one of the masters of this city. And you Aspen have been a very naughty witch.” Emrys was keeping his voice smooth trying to charm her when anyone with eyes in their head could tell it wouldn’t work. Aspen was a witch in the truest sense of the word and the power running through her veins made our glamours almost useless.

If my brothers plan was to sweet talk her into what he was about to ask, then he was going to be disappointed.

“Ask her your god damn questions Emrys.” I snarled. My patience snapping. Being in that room. Surrounded by the filth of the witches was making me twitchy. The urge to lay down ruin on them all was almost unbearable.

He threw a glance behind him. His golden eyes flashing angrily. “You have forgotten your manners brother.” He reprimanded.

I didn’t care about manners, or feelings. Those things were for humans. Weak and easily broken humans.

“Death or you come with us.” I snapped. “Those are your choices.”

Her eyes lifted to meet mine and I knew her answer before she even opened her mouth. “I will never go with you willingly. Death.” Her slim shoulders straightened. She was brave, I would give her that but the fear was there as well. A bitter note on my tongue that soured the sweetness of her magic.

“Death?” I drew out the word. Stepping around her, I slipped one hand under her dark ponytail. My fingers closing in around her throat. she didn’t fight me as I pulled her backwards against my chest.

Sweetness. Her scent flooded me as I bent my head to the smooth skin of her throat. against my lips my fangs elongated, cutting into the tender flesh. I wanted to sink them into her. taste for myself how sweet and full of power her blood was. but that wasn’t part of the plan. Instead, I pressed my lips to her pulse point. It bounced under my tongue. A rapid panicked drum.

“Thane.” Emrys warned with a growl. But he wasn’t angry not really. One look at him told me how excited this was making him. Points of fangs pushing against his lips, the same as mine was.

He wanted me to bite her.

But it wasn’t part of the plan.

Pulling my head away, I tightened my grip on her throat. throwing a smile around the room at the terrified witches. They were angry, their hatred flowing over my skin. But they wouldn’t lift a finger to help the girl at my mercy.

Cowards.

Every single one of them were cowards.

“Do you choose death, aspen?” in rhythmic squeezes I tightened my hand round her windpipe. A second to cut off her breath, a second to allow her too. It heightened her fear. Made her squirm against me without her even realising it. and it wasn’t just my fangs that were growing. I pressed her closer to my body. “The death of everyone you love?”

“W-hat no.” wildly she tried to tear herself out of my arms, it was useless. “My death not my family, my mum.”

“Is this your mum, aspen?” Emrys had the older woman’s wrist to his lips. His lips pressing over it in what looked like a seductive kiss. I knew differently. His fangs would be grazing her skin. Aching to bite deep into the artery there. The witch in my arms knew it as well. “Will she taste as sweet as she smells, I wonder?” Emrys was still all charm. But his voice was colder now.

Sometimes it was easy to forget how cold blooded he could be sometimes under all his charm and old-fashioned gentlemanly ways.

“Leave her alone, I…” Her shoulders slumped and I knew we had her. she realised that our choice was never really a choice at all. We had been counting on her love for her family and she hadn’t disappointed us. “I will come with you.”

With a flourish Emrys stood back, bowing slightly to her mother, he sent her backwards to careen into the witches with barely a flick of his hand. His golden attention now fixed on Aspen. “Your word must be your bond, Aspen.” He c****d his head to the side studying her. “We do not take to traitors kindly. Your vow is the only thing that will keep the people you hold dear safe. “ He cupped her face between his hands. Trapping her between our bodies. If we needed to breathe, I knew we would both be panting. “If you go back on your word, I will kill them all. Every single witch in my territory. Do you understand?”

She nodded mutely.

“Your words Aspen.”

“I understand. I will do as you asked.”

Emrys flashed me a triumphant smile. “For the rest of your natural life and beyond?”

She stiffened but just for a second. She wanted to question the and beyond bit but something, good sense maybe made her bite her tongue. “Yes, I swear it. just leave my mum alone.”

The love she held for her birth giver made her weak. Easy to manipulate and even easier to control.

“Thane.” Emrys nodded his head and I stepped away with a grin. Easily he took my place behind her. but instead of holding her by the throat like I had done. He gripped her chin. Forcing her head up so she couldn’t look away from what was about to happen.

“This is what happens to traitors.” Easily I caught up the male witch who had led us here. The coward who had sold her out whilst giving his word that he would help. I hated witches but I hated cowards even more. Curving my fingers around his windpipe, I pulled him around to face her. “You sold out your own kind George.” Tutting I shook my head, almost like I was telling off a naughty schoolboy. I could feel his throat working under my fingers, the gurgles that were coming from his mouth were desperate pleads. But no amount of pleading now would be able to help him.

“Please no.” Aspen’s voice was a desperate plea for another person’s life. Even if that person had sold her to us.

Ignoring her totally, I ripped into his throat. my teeth tearing into his flesh like a rabid dog. There was nothing graceful or elegant about how I did it. I purposely made it messy. It was more of a show than my need to feed. Red hot blood gushed against my tongue, filling my mouth and spilling over. I didn’t swallow any of it. I let it drip down my chin and fall to the floor as I worried the man’s open jugular like a dog with a bone.

With one final gnawing bite, I let him drop to the floor. Spitting the chunk of flesh out of my mouth, I grinned at the sobbing witches watching before letting my eyes fall on the one we were there to claim.

She was crying silently. Fat tears rolled down her face as Emrys held her head in place. Kicking aside the still gurgling body of George I crossed the room to her. curling my arm around her waist I pulled her body out of the arms of Emrys. My lips crushing down on hers, I forced the blood of her fellow witch into her mouth.

At her back. Emrys groaned. “By the blood of your own people, you are ours now Aspen.” Almost hungrily he tried to take her away from me and it was only my answering growl against her bloody lips that stopped him.

I would not let her go. Not so soon. Kissing her. feeling blood flow from my mouth and into hers was almost as good as feeding. Almost as good as feeling her life blood filing my mouth. It was like I was breathing in her power. Taking it for my own.

Like we were about to take her for our own.