An Unacceptable Mate

Chapter Forty Three

    "What do you want from me?" I croaked, not quite able to glare. I was too defeated because of what I now was.

Violem's golden eyes travelled the length of my body and then he smirked. "Acera is a very lucky vampire. Though I do not believe this about you two being mates. It's an impossibility. There is no evidence to support your claim. Therefore, I am obliged to fix this...misunderstanding. I will take you as my slave and kill each of these miserable bastards."

His slave? This could only be a bizarre dream.

  "But, of course, there is another option. I have a series of questions and you must answer them honestly. If you lie, I will begin the killings, understand?" he questioned, tilting his head to the side, golden eyes intensifying. They held me fixed to the ground.

I nodded once, swallowing against a dry throat. This wasn't making sense. He wanted me to answer some questions? That could not be his only intention. If he just wanted the truth, he could have used mind invasion, couldn't he? So why put peoples' lives at risk?

What was his true plan?

He smiled, though it was not a reassuring smile. "Good. My first question is simple. How old are you? Specifically."

I wavered. "Well...I'm not aging anymore and I don't know how long I've been a...v...vampire," I managed to breathe out. "For."

No one spoke so I just estimated. "Seventeen years, eleven months and three weeks."

One week until my eighteenth – something I'd never be able to reach.

  "You're so young," Violem muttered absently.

I was practically unborn compared to every single one of these vampires.

He contained his speculation and twisted the dagger in his hand, making Benji whimper. The blade was winking at me with an evil glint in its eye, the edge starting to cut through his throat, drawing blood.

    "You said you wouldn't hurt anyone if I told the truth," I reminded, strength bursting through the clouds of misery.

He lifted the blade to his mouth and licked the blood from it, eyes trained on mine the entire time. I shuddered in disgust. "I said no such thing. If you lie, someone dies. I can still hurt whomever pleases me."

I gritted my teeth, holding back all things I wanted to scream at him. My opinion on the matter would only decrease all of our chances.

  "Question number two," he said calmly, placing the blade back to Benji's throat. "Have you ever had sexual intercourse?"

My eyes widened. "What the f...no!"

His golden eyes sparkled as they dropped to my chest, then down and all the way back up to my eyes, lust pounding in his gaze. It was utterly violating, especially when my true lover was a mere three metres to my right.

  "I'm glad to hear that. I've never fucked a vampire virgin before," he said softly.

Acera struggled against the chains, growling in warning. Violem found this humouring.

  "Question number three," he said, eyes trained on Acera who was glaring at him, jaw locked and amber eyes glinting with fury. "Are you in love with Inerra?"

I was about to say no when I held my answer down. The truth was I didn't know. Right now, I felt I only loved Acera. But that didn't mean I didn't care for Inerra. We'd grown fond of each other and it wasn't like I didn't feel attracted to him sometimes. Did that count as love?