Ash (Fire & Blood Book 2) Read online

  “Yes.” I sucked in a shuddering breath. “You have to truly train me to kill you, knowing that I will eventually try to do it. That's the deal I'm making with you, Ravage.”

  “Fine. If I teach you how to kill me, you need to give me something in return. What are you offering?”

  “Every time you teach me how to kill you, you can drink from me,” I said the words in a rush. “You can do it as often as you want. They will only be dry bites. There will be no sex or touching me more than you have to for feeding. You can only drink from my wrist. But if I'm not satisfied that you're truly teaching me how to kill you, I will not feed you more than the weekly requirement. You have to convince me that you're actually teaching me what to do.”

  “A dry bite whenever I want it is not enough. I will accept the feedings, but I want something more than that, Kori. I want something tender,” he said.

  The idea of being tender with this man in any way made me so angry, but I had the distinct feeling that I was on the right course here. Ravage wasn't going to let me walk out of here in a year. He'd already shown me that in so many ways. I had to learn how to defeat him permanently to escape, and I was almost positive that this was the only way that I'd ever truly learn how to overcome this master vampire.

  “I'll sleep in your bed, but you can't touch me.”

  “We have an accord,” he said, automatically. “But I'm old school, Kori. You are my consort for the next year and day, even if you're openly trying to kill me. If you feed or have sex with anyone else, it is treason. They will die for it, and if I'm angry enough, you will too.”

  “I know the terms for a consort.”

  Ravage leaned into the doorframe of the palace with a smirk on his lips. “A gallon of liquid silver would put me out for long enough so you could cut off my head and separate it from my body. You'd have to keep my body and head separate as I might repair if they were ever joined. It would be best to destroy both. I'm immune to fire in life and probably in death, too, and I don't recommend using it. Crushing with large enough boulders would work, so long as you could make sure no one would move the rocks and reassemble my remains.”

  I cringed at the images rapidly forming in my head.

  Ravage reached for my arm, and automatically I stumbled back, losing my footing. My heart flipped, and my stomach dropped, and I was almost relieved when Ravage grabbed my arm and stopped me from tumbling down the long stone staircase. I still said, “I thought you weren't going to touch me without my permission.”

  “Unless it's to save your life. In those circumstances, even my soldiers can touch you. You are not leaving me for a year and a day, and that includes by dying.” He tugged me forward and through the door of Nightendale castle. When we were inside, he kept hold of my wrist. “Are you satisfied that I taught you how to kill me. That one, you don't even need any skills you don't already possess. I even have liquid silver in this palace. It's in my treasury. The key is hidden in my room. You could kill me tonight if you devise a way to trick me into drinking a gallon of liquid silver.” When I didn't respond, Ravage lifted my wrist up to his mouth. His fangs traced over my skin, making me shiver. “Are you satisfied, Kori?”

  “Y--yes,” I said.

  “Good.”

  The tips of Ravage's fangs pierced slowly into my flesh, and stars burst across my vision as pain exploded through my arm. It felt like electricity was jolting into my flesh and shattering my bones. His fangs were burning metal prongs, pushing into my skin, but I couldn't pull away. Ravage slid his teeth in deeper, and I screamed as the pain thrummed down from my arm and into my chest. My nipples tightened, feeling as if electricity was crackling through them, and between my legs, a very different sensation started to swell. My clit throbbed, and I cried out as pain and pleasure clashed within me.

  Ravage's fangs pushed in all the way, and then he pulled them out and started to suck. I had only experienced that one dry bite before, and the pain had been unmatched to anything I'd experienced prior or since. This one hurt a thousand times more. It was as if my arm was being branded with fire, while at the same time, a horrible pleasure stirred in me. Wetness surged down my thighs as my core clenched and released. My legs wouldn't support me, so I slid to the floor, and Ravage kept my arm pulled up, stretching my shoulder.

  My vision went dark, and an all-consuming euphoria washed through my center, making my whole body clench. I had to gasp to get oxygen. My core threatened to explode and burst at the seams, as an orgasm ripped through my center and made my skin tingle. Wetness poured out of my pussy as Ravage's tongue licked around the wounds on my wrist, and then he released me to pool on the floor.

  My eyes opened slowly, and I stared through a haze at Ravage's green eyes. “Clearly, you didn't understand what it truly means to have a dry bite from a thousand-year-old master vampire. You are my consort now, Kori. You will feel no shame when you orgasm for me. Do you understand?”

  I could barely make my lips work enough to speak. “You don't get to decide when I feel shame.”

  The truth was, though, I didn't. I wanted to feel ashamed of the world-shattering orgasm I just experienced, but nothing washed through me but hatred--hatred for this man and the untenable situation he had placed me in. “Your bites might make me orgasm, but you'll never get any gratification from me.”

  “Oh, I will, Kori. That was part of our deal. It may only be once, but I plan to take gratification from you that will last a lifetime.”

  Chapter Three

  Death

  One year later.

  Wind whipped across my face, and the wheels screeched like a colony of bats beneath my feet. The grimy walls of the underground tunnel between Nightendale and Seattle Dome sped by, just past my nose. Hate smoldered in my center, dormant and waiting to be unleashed on the king who stole my mate a year ago today.

  Ash, my pack brother, stood beside me with his hand squeezing my shoulder like he could restrain me. No one could, and he clearly knew it. Worry and anger flowed through our pack bond, like a wind fanning the embers of hate in my heart.

  My other packmate, Ruin’s hand landed on my other arm. “I know I've said this a thousand times, but I think this is a mistake. We need to calm down, regroup, and come up with a better plan.”

  I didn't answer. The argument was long over as far as I was concerned. We had done everything to break Kori out through conventional means over the last year. Nightendale sent one final train with the news that they were cutting trade routes with all of the other domes and underground kingdoms. A letter from Kori arrived that day too, informing us that she planned to be Ravage's consort for a year and a day when he would set her free. The letter ended all agreements between us. That same day, the rebel army collapsed the tunnels to Portland and damaged the rail line down to Nightendale. No communication had gone in or out of either kingdom in a year.

  Six times now we'd attempted to break into the underground kingdom of Nightendale. The first time we’d rappelled down from caves high above when a freak wind tossed us around, and we plummeted past the city. Our injuries had kept us laid up for weeks. The next attempt was scaling the rock face, but the ground had started to shake, and boulders tumbled down to cut off our path. The most recent attempt had been tunneling through the stone, but warriors had discovered us before we’d made any real progress, and we’d barely escaped with our lives.

  Ever since my confrontation with King Ravage a year ago, I was sure that he’d been working with the Sorcerer, a blood mage who possessed multiple mage powers. Duchess Dread had all but admitted to us that she orchestrated the rebels retaking Portland on behalf of King Ravage.

  He had seized our kingdom and imprisoned our mate, and I would have my vengeance.

  “It’s been a year. Kori clearly doesn’t even want to be saved.” Ash crossed his arms over his chest and leaned just inside the train door. Of the three of us, Ash had the hardest time adjusting to life back in Seattle as the disgraced Kings of Portland. Within days of our return, h
e’d shorn his voluminous curly blond hair short, giving us no explanation on why he did it. The constant scowl on his features had made Ash’s chiseled cheeks and jaw look even more severe. Even now, his sandy brows were puckered together in a frown that matched the bitter scowl on his full lips.

  The anger I felt pulsing from him had been a constant sensation since three days ago when a train arrived without warning. We hadn’t even known that the tracks were operational. Queen Hell believed that Ravage had done it hours before sending the train. The messenger who arrived in Seattle was a large blond warrior from Nightendale who sneered at us as he handed a letter to the Queen of Seattle.

  It had been a royal invitation to the wedding between Koribella Ignis and King Ravage. Kori should have been released from her imprisonment tomorrow night, instead, she planned to marry the king who abducted her.

  The queen had let me issue the response.

  My letter said simply: I challenge you in a death match for the rank of master vampire.

  The warrior returned with a response from King Ravage the next day.

  Accepted.

  Ruin peered past me at Ash. “Really, Ash? Ravage took Kori’s memories. No matter what we find in there, we have to remember that she’s the victim here.”

  His words were for Ash and Ash alone. I was the last person who needed a reminder of what Ravage did to my mate.

  “I’ve made up my mind,” I said.

  We fell silent after that, listening to the train rattling under us. And when the wheels screeched as the brakes were applied, I had to grip onto the metal doorframe to stop myself from leaping out.

  Ruin's hand patted my shoulder. “No good doing King Ravage's job for him, friend. The train is about to—”

  I jumped. Wind whooshed past me as I leaped out of the open door and landed in a crouch on the uneven stone. Soldiers broke away from where they waited on the platform and rushed toward me as I stood and strode purposefully toward the lower drawbridge. I dare anyone to get between me and locating my mate.

  Only one bridge was being lowered into the city. From what I could tell, it was the main bridge, but it was still only wide enough for three of us to stand abreast. The night we were forced to leave Kori behind, I hadn’t even known that the bridges lifted until every feasible route into the city was taken from us.

  The warriors said nothing as they surrounded me, flanking me on each of my sides.

  “Fuck, Death,” Ruin panted from just behind as we stepped onto the glowing bridge. “You know we just had to jump out of that moving train, you jackass.”

  I could feel Ash just behind me as well, but he remained silent. We came out of the cave, and Nightendale stood there before us. It was the exact same as the day that I made one of the gravest mistakes of my life. The entire structure had been carved out of stone. Thin bridges webbed over the cavern below. The city looked as if it was made of glowing jewels nestled in the wall of the massive cavern.

  I took the steps two at a time, and Ravage waved a hand, presumably telling my guards to fall behind, because that was what they did. The man hadn't changed at all either. He still wore a loose tunic and distressed jeans. His hair was long and sandy blond. His features were sharp and bold and the gleam in his green eyes triumphant. “What do you want to do first, Death, see Kori or threaten me?”

  “What do you think?” I growled.

  Ravage turned on his heel, heading into a long hallway that was larger and darker than I remembered. He threw open a wooden door, sending it banging against the stone wall, then he stormed up a narrow stairway.

  Ash caught up with me. “The guards fell behind, Death. We're walking into a fucking trap.”

  Ravage slowed at the top of the staircase, turning down a hallway, and then opening the door to a room and stepping inside.

  “Ravage... how many werewolf allies did you have when you took over, Dallas, Texas back in the time before the domes? Your journals here just say two packs.”

  Her voice stopped me dead in my tracks. It was as if my muscles seized and refused to go any further. Ash halted at my side too, but Ruin stepped straight into the room.

  “Kori,” Ravage drawled from inside the room, “This isn't a good time to discuss battle strategy. Not while my enemies are here.”

  There was a crashing sound, and I lunged into the room to see Kori standing with a glass of burgundy liquid pooling at her feet. Glass shards from a broken bottle reflected the orange firelight that illuminated the room. It was a study or library or something with more books than I'd seen since before the apocalypse. A leather-bound journal hung from Kori's hand, opened halfway through. Her hair was up in a messy bun at the top of her head, and she wore something that I hadn't seen in decades, sweatpants, and an old, worn sweatshirt. Her face had no trace of makeup. Her amber eyes moved between us. First , her gaze passed over Ruin, then Ash, and then it stuck on me.

  Kori's lip trembled, and she wheeled around to face Ravage, who had leaned against a bookcase with a hand to his chin. “How dare you?”

  “Death is the one who challenged me to a death-match, Kori. He wants to be a master vampire. To be a master, you have to kill one, and the one he wants dead I guess is me.” He shrugged. “I'm not the master who leashed him for a hundred years and forced him to do unspeakable evils, but clearly Death cares more about other grievances.”

  Kori's mouth dropped open, and she stepped forward, about to step on the broken bottle when all four of us lunged toward her.

  Ravage was there first, swiping the shards away with his boot, and blocking the rest of us. Kori continued toward us like she didn't even notice. She held up her hands, and I thought for a second that she was going to reach for me, but she halted a few feet away and started shaking her head.

  “Ravage, you call this off right now,” she shot over her shoulder. “Is this what I'm going to deal with for eternity? You're so jealous and possessive that you can't even let them go live their lives?”

  Ravage laughed and shook his head. “He challenged me.” He pointed a thumb my direction. “What part of this is so hard for you to understand?”

  “The part where I am not near stupid enough to believe that you didn't orchestrate this down to every minute detail of this very moment. It's been a year, Ravage. You need to get over my past. What's next?” A tear dropped onto her cheek. “Are you going to have to kill every client I had while I was a courtesan?”

  “Only the ones who challenge me in death matches.” He crossed the distance slowly, rubbing his chin while a smirk sat arrogantly on his lips. “According to vampire law, I can't withdraw from the challenge once I've accepted it. Only the challenger can withdraw.”

  Kori swallowed hard, and her amber gaze slid over to me. Tears slid down her cheeks. “Death, please. Withdraw and leave this place. Go live your life. Be happy.”

  I didn't even know how to begin to understand what I was seeing. I had been half expecting to find Kori in manacles, chained in some sort of sex dungeon. Kori seemed more relaxed and herself than I'd ever witnessed before. The room smelled of fire and wine, and the overriding scent over it all, was something indescribably her. Her sweet honey scent clung to the air like she lived in this library, studying the dusty tomes, researching battle tactics. Ravage had given her the life she'd probably always wanted. But she didn't seem happy. Had she ever been happy with me? We had been so consumed with the takeover and not knowing who to trust, we'd brought Kori to sex parties and sidelined her from the politics.

  It was as if I was seeing a glimpse into the future, I hadn't known I'd wanted for us, but I wasn't part of it, and she wasn't smiling.

  “This isn't just about what he did to you. Ravage helped the rebels overthrow our kingdom for his own reasons, Kori,” I said, because it was the only thing I could think of to say.

  “It wasn't yours, or mine, and it's not his.” She nodded toward Ravage. “Ravage already confessed to me that he was behind the attacks at Courthouse Square. He killed people I cared abo
ut, just like my family killed people you care about. But as far as I’m concerned, the war is over. Portland will never be under vampire rule again if I have anything to say about it. It belongs to the humans.”

  “Kori has spent this last year studying ways to kill me--between feeding me her blood and sleeping in my bed.” Ravage lifted his brows. “It's strange--seeing the bits of the future and knowing the outcome of events--I'm not a fan of the headaches. How did you deal with those?” He tilted his head.

  “I didn't get headaches.”

  Ravage snorted. “Well, at least having access to Kori's Tempus powers makes me confident when accepting challenges”

  “Ignore him. He's goading you ...” Kori fell to her knees before me and clutched her hands before her chest. Her body was in a submissive pose, but her eyes were fierce. I could swear that there was some message in her blazing gaze, if only I could discern it. “Please, Death. Listen to me. You have to withdraw from this fight and forget me. Forget Portland, and whatever you do, forget Ravage. Leave while you still can.”

  “Kori, get off your knees.” Ravage's voice lost any trace of amusement. “You're going to be the Queen of Nightendale soon. You can't prostrate yourself before a warrior.”

  “Don't talk to me, Ravage. You did this to hurt me, and—”

  I reached for Kori. I didn't know what I was thinking. I wasn't thinking, that much was clear, but she cut off what she was saying and dodged away like she thought I might hit her. Kori was so eager to get away from me, she fell back onto her ass before climbing to her feet and hurrying toward the other side of the room. She stopped before an open door and turned back, but instead of looking at me, her gaze found Ruin's eyes and softened. “Talk some sense into him, please. This is my home now. Look around here, Ruin. It's different than the dome.”

  With that, she left.

  Chapter Four

  Kori

  I woke with the feeling that someone was watching me. The warmth of fingers, inches from my neck made my skin prickle with awareness. Trying to keep my breathing even, I kept my eyes closed, hoping Ravage would leave.