Solaris

I scraped myself off the floor and sat up, my entire body sore. My head spun as I scanned my bleak surroundings. I rolled my neck and winced. Damn Xander for biting me and me being too weak to fight him. Black and blue splotches mottled my neck and continued down my arm. I gently ran my fingers over the puncture wound. Crusty blood flaked off, turning my stomach. Thank goodness I’d blacked out while he was feeding on me. I thought I’d never wake up again. At least the nocturne prince had some self-control.

My stomach rumbled, reminding me I hadn’t eaten much of anything in days. Kaige’s blood was hardly sustenance. A pang ripped through my heart, creating a tiny fracture across its surface. The worst part was that this pain was all mine. I hadn’t felt Kaige since right after taking his blood, and I felt hollow and empty like a Halloween pumpkin with its insides scooped out. Why did he give me his blood? It was clear now that he didn’t care about me at all. It must have been to save his own butt. He didn’t want me spilling his secrets.

As much as I hated the thought of seeing Xander again, I hoped he’d turn me in and get this over with. If Kaige’s blood were still in my system when the royal guards questioned me, the existence of the blood bags on the plane would die along with me. At least I could help avoid a war.

Footsteps echoed down the dark corridor. I frantically searched my cell for a weapon of some sort. There was nothing. Black dirt and impenetrable stone walls boxed me in. At least Xander had untied my hands and feet so I could run if given the opportunity. And claw and bite. I wasn’t above any of that.

“Good morning, human.”

My throat tightened, and my stupid traitorous heart accelerated at the sight of his face. A face that didn’t belong with that hollow voice and those cold eyes.

Xander’s fangs dropped the moment he unlocked the cell door. He closed it behind him, but I never heard the lock engage. A twinge of hope simmered inside.

He loomed closer and for the first time I noticed subtle differences between the handsome princes. Besides the straight hair, Xander’s nose had a small bump as if he’d broken it and it never properly healed. This twin’s face was narrower and drawn, while Kaige’s cheekbones were less pronounced. Kaige was decidedly the better looking of the two. Stop that. Don’t think about him.

“Why are you staring at me?” Xander’s rough voice interrupted my inner ramblings.

“I’m not.”

He stalked back and forth in front of me, his hands trembling. He wedged them inside his pockets after a few passes. His breath was coming in ragged gasps, as if he’d run all the way over here. He finally stopped and squared off with me.

“I’m turning you in to my father today.”

“Fine.”

Red-rimmed eyes stared at me, dark shadows lining underneath. They traveled down my face to my neck and the blood-encrusted wound. He swallowed and wiped away a drop of saliva from the corner of his mouth. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

I’d seen this before. Not in a nocturne obviously, but in humans who had become addicted to pharmaceuticals. Our neighbor had been arrested and sent to prison for trading goods in exchange for others’ monthly pharmaceutical allowances. I remembered the crazed look in his eye. It was exactly like the one staring at me now.

The hair on the back of my nape prickled. If Xander bit me again, I wasn’t sure he’d have enough control to stop.

I took a step back. “So when are you taking me to your father?”

He staggered as if I’d punched him in the stomach. He cleared his throat and shook his head. “Soon.”

I took a long breath trying to slow my elevating heartbeat. It was thudding so loudly I could hear it. I didn’t want to think about what it was doing to Xander. He was pacing again, his shoulder blades squeezed together.

“Tell me something,” he whirled around. “How is it that you ended up flying over the Shadow Lands anyway? That area is restricted to government personnel only, is it not?”

I nodded. “I’m not really one to follow rules either.”

“I thought that no one in Imera was wealthy enough to own an airplane, except maybe someone from the Collective.”

“They’re not. I stole it from them.”

His jaw dropped, showcasing his gleaming white fangs. “Well, I didn’t expect that answer.”

“I imagine you wouldn’t have. You don’t know a thing about me.”

His jaw twitched. “I know your blood is extraordinary, and it’s all I can think about.”

I gulped. And I’d thought I’d been doing so well keeping him distracted. “You have to forget about it. Once you turn me in, you’ll never have human blood again.”

He cursed. “That damn prophecy. How could something so good be so wrong?” He crouched down in front of me. “Do you have any idea how alive I felt after just a taste? It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. But the hunger—the hunger it has awoken inside me is relentless.”

His eyes veered to my throat again, his pupils blazing silver. Paralyzing fear rushed through every cell in my body. Now I knew how a deer felt.

“You can’t bite me again, Xander. You could kill me, and then Kaige won’t honor his side of the bargain and throw the trials.” I tried to keep my voice steady, but even I could hear the panic building.

“What would it matter to my dear brother? What difference would it make if I kill you or the royal guards do?”

Good point. It’s not like he cares about me or anything. I wrung my hands together. “Because you promised him, and a deal is a deal.” It was the best I could come up with.

His navy eyes narrowed. “And you say you only spent a day with my twin? It seems you know him better than most.”

“I’m good at reading people.”

A smirk pulled at his lips, and I shuddered at the thought of another pair of similar lips I’d recently had a close encounter with.

“So what am I thinking right now?”

I chewed on my lower lip. “You’re torn. You want my blood, but you know it’s wrong. Very wrong. You want to be king more than anything, and so you’ll make the right decision. You’ll turn me in now before you do something you’ll regret.”

He raked his hands over his face and let out a long sigh. “I already have done something I regret, and I don’t know that I can ever go back.” He leaned in and sniffed my neck.

A thousand spider legs crawled over my skin. I suppressed a shudder and remained perfectly still. “You don’t want to do this, Xander. The more you have the more you’ll crave.”

“But I just can’t help myself.” His tongue darted out and flicked over the dried blood.

Oh vomit. I swallowed down the acid crawling up my throat. I shifted and brushed up against something. I glanced down and found the glass vial wedged between the wall and my thigh.

Xander’s fangs scraped over my neck, sending a trail of goose bumps over my flesh. I grabbed the vial and smashed it into the side of his face. He staggered back, a string of curses erupting from his mouth as blood drenched his cheek. I jumped up and dashed toward the door, praying it wasn’t locked. I wrapped my fingers around the bars and pulled. It swung open. Yes!

I raced down the dark corridor, my heart lodged in my throat. I pumped my arms back and forth as I sped toward the opening at the end of the tunnel.

Two hands clamped down on my shoulders, and I stopped breathing.

Xander pulled me into his chest as I kicked and squirmed. It was no use; he was much too strong. One arm fastened around my waist, and the other twisted my head to the side.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his incisors lengthen. “No! Please, don’t!”

“I have to. I need it.”

His fangs tore into my flesh, and my head fell back. The searing pain ripped through my neck like a hundred hot knives. Black seeped into the corners of my vision, but I fought the urge to pass out. I had to fight. I had to stay alive.