The Vampire King’s Captive

MARIA

“Wait here.”

That was what Maria’s captor had told her almost ten minutes ago before he’d walked into the dark aclove off to the right of where she stood.

After a long day of walking, they’d finally reached the demon realm. Before today, she hadn’t known that it was possible to cross between realms on foot, but it was actually possible. She’d simply thought that they were merely travelling to a friend’s home that was in the next town, but then after reaching the ends of the forest, they’d come to a wall. The end of the forest.

At least that was what Maria had thought. Until her captor had stepped through stand he’d. Scared and a bit excited, Maria had stepped though it too and she’d appeared next to her captor.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

The other side of the wall was a town. The streets were not that busy-probably because it was dark-but she could see a few people milling around, their horns telling her that they were demons. She also saw a few that didn’t have horns and she briefly wondered what they were.

Was it possible that other factions of the lore lived with the demons here? That was strange.

They’d walked a short distance with people giving them questioning stares, before they reached a part of the town that was very dark, except for a tall building that was lit up slightly. That was the point where her captor had told her to wait behind while he ventured into the building.

Saying that she was nervous would be a huge understatement. Seeing him walking away from her had started up a strange feeling in her stomach-one that felt a lot like worry.

He was a big man and he was also very powerful. Frankly, the most powerful male she had ever seen. Yet she couldn’t help worrying over the fact that he might be in danger.

What if he actually was in danger? What if he was outnumbered?

What if he had simply left here there and found his way?

She worried endlessly.

If he had truly abandoned her there, then that was the worst possible thing he could have done to Maria because she’d never been in the demon realm before, didn’t know her way around and not to mention, she still had her collar. She would be totally helpless, unable to defend herself and she’d wronged a great many people. Some of them being demons. If they found her and tried to kill her-

No, they wouldn’t be able to recognise her.

She didn’t have her glamour anymore and they all knew her with it. No one, except Ariti had ever seen her without it. Whoever came across her would probably see a weak, helpless girl and try to help her.

Or try to take advantage of her.

She straightened, looking around. She needed to get the hell out of here. She couldn’t just sit around and wait for…

A big familiar build appeared from within the darkness, the little light from the building giving his body a warm glow. His strides were lazy and sensual, his shoulders broad and pulled back proudly. His head was inclined and green eyes of a predator glowed back at her, lighting her body up in an instant.

Her captor.

He’d come back for her. It was embarrassing how just what the sight of him coming towards he did to her body. She would rather have her nails pulled out than admit it out loud.

He stopped a few feet away from her. She waited for him to wave her over or do something to let her know that she should come to him, but he just stood there, staring at her.

Two could play that game.

She folded her arms under her breasts and stared at him back. How did he expect her to know what he was trying to tell her when he didn’t want to say it? Sure, she understood, but sh wasn’t a bloody mind reader. She would assume she didn’t understand.

But then his stare hardened and she gulped, her eyes darting away. Shit. In that short second that her eyes had darted away, he’d won. And he knew it.

She hissed, stomping over to him. When she reached where he was, he didn’t wait for her to follow before he started back down the path he’d come. She hesitated a bit when she saw that they were going into the tall lit building. The only lit building in the street.

Why was that?

What if he was going to kill her? What if she was just willingly walking after him like some clueless lamb that didn’t know it was about to be slaughtered.

Her hackles rose even more when she stepped into the place and saw how packed it was. She was not even exaggerating-the place was packed to the brim. Filled with creatures with huge horns, some small, and some downright adorable.

She’d never hung around demons before, but the few she’d seen were temperamental. Violent. She’d automatically ruled them off the faction of the lore she’d like to make friends with if she ever had the opportunity.

Maria was quick-tempered to a fault, but she was nowhere near as angry as a demon.

Which was why she was completely flabbergasted to see demons laughing and making jokes as they took long swigs from their cups. Were these demons a different breed from the ones she’d seen back at the palace?

As they made their way between the bodies, one demon bumped into her, causing her to stumble forward and bump into her captor’s back, but not before her hand brushed the demon’s horns.

“Sorry,” she mumbled to the man, her eyes widening a fraction when his eyes flashed blue then back to their original brown colour. His lips parted and his eyes roved over her body slowly.

Confused and a bit thrown from the way he was checking her out so obviously, she stepped a bit into her captor, but that wasn’t necessary because he was already wrapping his hand around her upper arm in a hold that clearly screamed possessiveness. In contrast to the way she’d felt when the demon stared at her with blatant interest, her breaths shallowed when her captor gripped her.

It seemed to take a great deal of effort before the demon could pull his eyes off her and turn to her captor and the way the demon’s eyes narrowed when it landed other captor made her curious. She looked up at him and saw that there were fires brimming in her captor’s eyes and he looked like he was one second away from ripping the man’s throats out.

Her throat worked on a nervous swallow. The demon was almost as big as her captor, if not just as big. A fight between them would be disastrous.

Speaking to her captor, she said, “You stopped walking.”

She was hoping to get him to keep walking so that he wouldn’t fight with the demon, but she didn’t know if she was going to succeed. He never listened to her; Why would he listen to her now?

Why would he want to fight with the demon anyway? The man didn’t do anything except ogle her with obvious interest with laser-like eyes as if he could see through her clothes.

That was when she remembered she wasn’t wearing a bra. Shit.

Even at that, she was glad to be seeing a man that stared at her with interest and looked like he actually wanted to do something about it. Not one that gave her a look that suggested he wanted to eat her whole, then the next minute, he stared at her with so much hatred it choked her.

Anger hardened her voice and she said, “Lets go.”

She complemented the words by tugging her arm out of his and finally, the anger bled from his face as he looked down at her. With one last cutting look at the demon, he turned away and continued walking. Maria didn’t spare another look at the demon before walking after her captor.

They finally came to the front of a bar where a few demons sat, engaged in conversation. The bartender, too, was a demon-a very handsome one-and when his eyes landed on her captor, they lit up with recognition.

“Your Majesty,” He started with a smile that transformed him from handsome to gorgeous. “We haven’t seen you in such a long time.”

Maria wasn’t even surprised. He’d been here before.

“How are things, Elijah?” Her captor asked in a polite neutral tone she assumed was reserved for acquaintances and friends. She’d doubted he had the latter-until he mentioned the friend’s house they were going to.

This wasn’t it and she was going to ask him what they were doing here once they were away from these people.

Before the bartender could answer, a woman came from around the counter.

Now, Maria had seen beautiful women before-she was a sorceress, of course she’d seen some of the most beautiful women in all the worlds-but beauty had ranks and the woman coning towards them was in a rank all of her own.

Her hips swished seductively from side to side as she walked, her long chestnut brown hair flowing down her back and bouncing with her movements. She was tall and lithe-the exact opposite of Maria-and her red painted lips were curved in a seductive smile as she walked towards them.

Not them-her captor.

This drop dead gorgeous woman walking towards them knew her captor. And from the private smile on her lips, they knew themselves on a far more deeper level than friends knew each other.

This woman was her captor’s lover.