Hupotasso (Vampire Bachelor Games #2)

63

63

“So how do they get their victims?” Yin asks as we sit, feet up in front of the fire, eating strawberries.

I rest the bowl on my growing belly and shake my head.

“It’s called ‘procurement.’ Each royal house has a dedicated staff member who ‘procures’ victims for the vampires who live there. And by procures, I mean kidnaps.”

Yin nods, frowning.

“Where do they get these people?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.”

“Who does it for Falcon’s castle?”

“His bastard half-sister Asumpta. She’s like a beautiful dark reaper and, if you ask me, more than a little mental. I’m one hundred per cent sure she knew Viper had me in his thrall and did nothing to stop it. I think she’ll do anything to see the downfall of that house. Although I do think she likes Eleanor, perhaps even loves her. She saved her life when Tatyana attacked, anyway.”

“We’ll get to her,” Yin nods, “but back to the procuring. How often?”

I shrug.

“I used to think they had to drain someone every day, I mean because Falcon did in The Games, right? He killed more women than most bachelors do on the show. I think I added them all up, and between him and Giselle they killed most of the contestants in our series, although the public wouldn’t know that. Anyway, I digress. I think they need to feed on humans more like once a week, and the rest of the time they eat human food.”

“What makes you think this?”

“Caroline. She ordered a redhead once a week and ate her in front of me.”

“Fucking hell.” Yin sits up and stares at me. “You must have been horrified.”

I talk around another strawberry; I’m so hungry all the time now, and lately I’ve been craving fries — I have no idea why. I hardly ever ate them before.

“Honestly, I was more shocked to learn Falcon was doing the same. But I’ve seen soooooo much worse now, Yin. I’ve almost become inured to the deaths, if that’s a thing. I know that makes me sound like a horrible, horrible person, but seeing dead people, thinking about killing people, it just doesn’t shock me like it used to. I literally plot how I’m going to murder Viper every single day.”

“Let’s talk about Viper,” she says quietly, watching my expression.

I try not to show how I feel about recounting his total control of my mind and body, but I know I’ve paled.

“Nothing specific,” she adds hurriedly, “just Viper in general.”

I shrug.

“I can’t tell you much. I asked Asumpta about him before I began to suspect she was in league with him, but she wouldn’t tell me anything other than to more or less corroborate my opinion that he was a sick motherfucker.”

I don’t remind her that he rapes animals. That kind of information only needs to be said once, and it’s not likely to be forgotten.

“So, he spends all his time at the castle?”

“No,” I frown, “periodically he goes elsewhere. I don’t know where, but usually only for a day at a time. Now that I think about it, he probably goes to wherever the schoolgirls are delivered. I know Asumpta isn’t allowed to procure kids for Falcon’s castle. Even though they’re mostly teenagers, I’d say she delivers them someplace else for Viper. It didn’t lessen his grip on my mind, though. I still had to do everything he’d told me to do.”

“Like sleep with this vampire called Jag,” Yin supplies.

“Yes,” I swallow hard, the strawberry feeling like it’s lodging in my throat as memories resurface. “He’s not like Falcon or Viper. He’s good. He’s literally been my champion from the start. I’m so disgusted with myself for convincing him I loved him and seducing him to betray his best friend.”

“It wasn’t you,” Yin says firmly, placing a hand over mine. “You can’t be considered you when your mind and body are controlled by someone else. Nothing you did during those weeks was you. Understand?”

I nod. I’d already come to the same resolution myself when I was in the castle. It was the only way I could compartmentalise the horrible things that I had to do or have done to me under Viper’s calculated ministrations. It wasn’t me, it was him, I was just a body, nothing more. By telling myself that I’d managed to lock myself, my real self, up safe and secure inside my mind. Thankfully I hadn’t completely lost myself, or thrown away the key, because the moment his hold on me broke, I resurfaced. Admittedly I wasn’t wholly myself. I was a little worse for wear. But thank God for Yin and her common-sense, no-nonsense approach. Every day I was becoming more me. Just a stronger, more deadly version.

“Anyway,” Yin gets my mind back on track. “We know Viper wants to destroy your marriage and Jag’s friendship with Falcon. We know that much.”

“Yes,” I muse out loud as my thoughts begin to collide, “and he’s not smart enough to do it by himself. I know him, Yin. He’s a bloody idiot. It must have been someone else’s idea. He couldn’t have come up with it himself.”

“You said he told you to start sleeping with Jag when Tatyana was there.”

“Yeah,” I frown. “I guess it could have been her idea.”

“And you said Tatyana was Spider’s minion.”

I nod.

“Oh shit,” I drop the strawberry I was nibbling and look up at her as the pieces all fall into line. “It was all a ruse, all a lie.”

“What was?”

“Viper’s kidnapping, Falcon having to go on the show to get Spider to set him free. It was all bullshit. Viper and Spider are working together!”

“That’s excellent news,” Yin grins.