Taken: The Vampire's Concubine: Part Two Read online

  Taken: The Vampire's Concubine

  Part Two

  By: Desiree Broussard

  Copyright Notice:

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events listed in this book are products of the author's imagination, or used fictitiously.

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  Taken: The Vampire's Concubine Part Two

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  © 2014 Desiree Broussard

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  Chapter 1

  “What is the meaning of all this?” Kosmas roared out from across the room, his powerful voice easily heard by all.

  With a quiet gasp, Keely turned her head to stare at him. Kosmas stood straight and tall, with his hands on his muscular hips. He now wore a long sheathed sword, the handle resting against his flat abdomen. The hard planes of his face were stark in the glow from the chandeliers. In that moment, he looked every bit of the vicious vampire that Keely suspected them all to be.

  Several guards formed a pyramid behind him, but Kosmas didn't appear to notice. His dark eyes were narrowed at the vampires that stood in the entryway of the ballroom, his body taut with tension. The crowd immediately parted as he stalked across the room. Keely frowned, the significance of it not unnoticed. Just who was Kosmas to the people of Legionnaire?

  “I asked you a question,” Kosmas continued as he moved closer to Laryn and his men. There was no hesitation in his steps. “How dare you show up like this, without any invitation. I've never been the type of man to appreciate surprises. Haven't you learned that, after all of these years? Just say the word... I'd only be too happy to give you a refresher.” Even his voice sounded dangerous, his words menacing.

  “I didn't know I needed one,” Laryn boldly proclaimed, with a cunning look in his dark eyes. “After all, isn't the concubine market open to everyone? Our reproductive issues affect the vampires as a whole, it's not just restricted to the Neiyadians. Would you deny us the chance to fill our own area with our offspring? Or maybe you just feel threatened by our presence... What's the matter, brother? Are you worried your little concubines will prefer real men to the dandies lined up in this room?”

  Zander stiffened behind her. Although they weren't touching, Keely could sense the tension running through his body. He didn't like them, in fact, he appeared to be alarmed by their presence. His reaction disturbed her more than words ever could. It would take a lot to make a strong man like Zander react in the manner in which he was. Was their market to end in bloodshed, then, winner take all?

  She couldn't take her eyes off of the Seiyadians. Every bit of her barely-controlled fear manifested as she studied their newest arrivals. While the Neiyadians were at least civilized, these vampires were anything but. Keely trembled as she took in their wild hair and cruel expressions. A few of them even had dried blood on their chins, it was as if they'd fell upon their meals and ravaged it. They were so savage they wore it, almost like clothing.

  With the exception of a slight tightening of his firm lips, Kosmas didn't reveal anything, be it fear or anger. Zander leaned forward, his mouth only inches from her ear. In a whisper, he growled out, “I hope and pray that Kosmas doesn't allow them in, but politically, he might not have a choice. None of the others have ever been interested in attending a market, so this hasn't been an issue before.”

  His voice dropped a notch, his tone growing insistent. “If he does let them in, though, avoid them, Keely. As a whole, they are battle hungry and cruel, you wouldn't survive living amongst them for long. Should they be allowed to mingle, don't even look at them. And for God's sake, don't choose one of them as your mate.”

  Zander didn't have to worry about that. “I won't,” she promised, her voice little more than a whisper. Keely didn't turn around to face him. Deep inside, she was furious. Zander could have had her himself, had he wanted more than the brief time they'd spent together. It would have made their current situation a moot point, she wouldn't have had to fear the market's newest arrivals. It hadn't been enough for him, though. He was satisfied and content with the use of her body, but nothing more, so long as he could honor his precious commitment.

  Kosmas sneered at Laryn, his upper lip curled up in disgust. His eyes thoroughly examined each male before coldly dismissing him. “There really is no competition here. If you meet with all of your women in the condition you are now, as a whole, you must be one sexually-deprived community. No wonder you face reproductive problems. A woman would have to be blind to bed you... And with a very tolerant sense of smell.”

  He held up his hand when Laryn menacingly growled. “You'll be allowed to enter and mingle,” Kosmas bit out, his tone anything but friendly. “I warn you now, though, at the first sign of trouble you'll be removed.” His hand hovered over the hilt of his sword, his face as hard as stone. “And not necessarily with your heads still attached.”

  Laryn laughed, but it wasn't a happy one. To Keely's ears, it sounded chilling. He rubbed his hands together with a look of gluttonous delight on his swarthy face. “So be it.” He shot a quick look over his shoulder at the vampires that stood behind him. “You heard Kosmas. Let's mingle.”

  The ballroom was deathly quiet. The musicians started playing again when Kosmas nodded in their direction. It didn't dissipate the uncomfortable atmosphere of the room. Everyone remained frozen in place, exchanging curious looks and whispers with one another, in their outdated outfits and rich, voluminous gowns. It was a bizarre moment. If she'd ever doubted she'd found herself in some type of alternate universe, the vampires proved her wrong. “If it were up to me, I'd take you out of here right now,” Zander spat out, almost as if he could hear her thoughts.

  Keely swung around to face him, her body filled with outrage. “You know what, Zander? I've just about had enough of you. How dare you hover around me and act like you're concerned? Either tell me to claim you or get the hell away from me. Don't insult me by acting like you want to protect me, though. If you really cared, all of this wouldn't be an issue.”

  His own green eyes stared down at hers, his expression harsh. He didn't meet her challenge, though, much to Keely's disappointment. “Fine,” he hissed back. “Have it your way. Good luck... You're going to need it.” With that, Zander turned and marched away.

  Nobody was dancing, but the conversations started up again. Keely remained at her perch against the wall. She much preferred the potted plant for companionship, compared to the others in the room. Kosmas walked across to a raised platform before taking a seat in the throne. It only confirmed her suspicions. Kosmas was someone very important to these vampires, possibly even their king.

  Despite the crowd, his eyes immediately sought her out. For a moment, Keely could do nothing more than stare back at him. There was something extraordinarily sexy about his powerfulness, and it had nothing to do with his muscular build and masculine face. Keely's thighs clenched as she thought about finding herself underneath all that maleness. He wasn't the type to wait for a woman to approach him, rather he was the type of man that took what he wanted. As attractive as he was, she was sure he had no opposition. What woman cou
ld resist his charms?

  Keely was new to sexual attraction. Upon her arrival to Legionnaire, she'd been a virgin. Within twenty-four hours, though, her virginity was now a thing of the past. To her surprise, she found herself attracted to two very different vampires, but where did that leave her? One of them wouldn't mate her, and the other one was keeping his distance.

  Two vampires stopped several feet in front of her, their backs facing her. Keely froze, immediately recognizing them as part of Laryn's group. They hadn't seen her, though, which quickly became clear from their conversation.

  “Laryn told us there were five,” one of them growled to the other one, his head moving as he slowly scanned the room. Keely was barely able to hear him over the music and conversations, but nothing could have convinced her to move closer. “I'm only counting four.”

  “She has to be here somewhere,” his partner replied, in a flat tone of voice. “It's too bad we can't take all of them. I've never fucked a human female before. The vampire bitches are nearly as strong as the males are, which takes all the fun out of it. My cock feels like it's going to blow, just thinking about having a woman underneath me that can't fight back.”

  Keely nearly vomited. A human female could die a lot quicker than a vampire, too. She hoped that the other women were wise enough to select the right mates. A woman wouldn't last long with animals like the Seiyadians. Keely pressed herself deeper into the leaves of the large plant, all but sitting in it.

  The first male cast a wary look at Kosmas. “Let's just find her. Laryn wants to look at all of them before making his choice. I say the sooner the better. I'm not eager to go up against Kosmas. I once heard he took out twenty vampires, without any backup.” And with that, both of them left.

  Keely sighed as she collapsed into the nearest seat. Sooner or later they spot her, after all the ballroom was only so big. “Creeps,” she muttered to herself. Hadn't they heard that the concubines picked their mates, not vice versa?

  She froze into place. The Seiyadians had forced their way in, and her captors had allowed it. What would happen if they decided to take a concubine, instead of playing by the rules and waiting for one to choose Laryn? Would Kosmas bend the rules on that, too, just to avoid the stress and hassle?

  Keely couldn't take anymore. Standing up, she eased her way along the wall, headed in the direction that Kosmas had entered from. Luckily for her, none of the guards seemed to notice. Their eyes were trained on their newest threat, not the women. It was now or never. She had to get away from them.

  The tall double doors were wide open. Casually, Keely crept toward them. The ballroom was crowded with men, their height going a long ways toward concealing her. Sweat dotted her hairline and the back of her neck, but she forced herself to continue.

  After what seemed like forever, she finally stepped into the large hallway. Quickly, Keely moved out of the doorway before leaning her back to the wall to listen. To her relief, there was nothing but the normal sounds of conversation. She turned to hurry down the hallway, with no clear destination in mind. Anywhere was preferable to the ballroom full of lust and dangerous vampires. Somehow, death by sex just didn't sound that appealing.

  The double doors closed behind her with a definite click, the sound echoing down the now silent hallway. Keely came to an abrupt stop, her heart rate accelerating. With her breath escaping her lips in harsh pants, she slowly turned around.

  “Going somewhere?” Kosmas asked silkily, the heat of his dark eyes searing her despite their distance. He was no longer wearing his sword, but he wasn't any less lethal. Kosmas was like a tightly-leashed tiger, a deadly threat to anyone he set his sights upon. And God help her, his eyes were locked onto her like he was starving. He slowly advanced on Keely, the anticipation building with each step. There was no escape for her... And she knew it.

  “Are you not enjoying the festivities?” he continued, his dark eyebrow arching up in question. “Do we bore you, little concubine?” His eyes slid down her body, stopping to linger at her heaving breasts. Almost as if it were an afterthought, he added, “You're aroused.” It wasn't a question. “Maybe you're in need of different entertainment? If so, just say the word. I'd be more than happy to oblige your request.”

  Kosmas stopped only a foot away, but he made no move to grab her. His eyes burned into her, the heat suffocating her. Keely took several steps back. He was so large he seemed to swamp the hallway, but every inch was lean and hard. The power emanating from his body aroused her, but it also frightened her. Kosmas could snap her like a twig.

  “I-I-I,” Keely stuttered out, immediately feeling foolish. Finally, she found her voice. “I don't want to be in there,” she replied, in a stern voice. It was the voice she'd often used on the men back on Earth. She'd had a lot of practice with turning would-be suitors away. “I don't want to be here, and I refuse to be given to those monsters.”

  To her surprise, Kosmas threw his head back and laughed. The lights in the hallway doused his skin with a golden glow. Up close, Keely could see the slightest hint of stubble. For some reason, it surprised her. She would have expected a vampire to be pale and incapable of growing any facial hair, not tanned with a sexy shadow of beard growth.

  His laughter stopped abruptly, his square chin dropping back down so he could stare at her again. “I can assure you that you'll never go with the Seiyadians,” he informed her, his gravelly voice even deeper. The finality of his statement held a warning that Keely didn't like. Whatever he was about to say, she wouldn't like it. She just knew it.

  Kosmas was unaware of her dread. “You will pick me tonight,” he boldly proclaimed to her. “I've decided I'll have you as mate.”

  “No,” Keely denied vehemently, while her body screamed yes. Despite her height, the top of her head barely reached his collarbone area. She trembled in need and want as she thought about being taken by his large body, night after night. She wanted him, but it wasn't enough. She'd wanted Zander, and it hadn't been enough. “I refuse to be mated.”

  “Oh, you'll be mated,” Kosmas said, in a definite tone of voice. “And it will be to me. That hot little body of yours is just begging for a solid fucking. It's something more than that, though,” he mused, as if it confounded him. “If I thought once would be enough, I would have already taken you and been done with it. I find I can't bear the thought of another male touching you, though, so we will mate, and you will be mine.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Your resistance offends me. If you were another concubine, I would marry you off to one of the Seiyadians. Be grateful that I desire you. As my mate, you'll have the best of Legionnaire, but be warned. I have an enormous sexual appetite, and being with you has seemed to stoke it to a feverish pitch. I plan on fucking that beautiful little body until my interest has waned. After that, your only duties will be to carry my offspring.”

  “Oh, really?” Keely shot back, his words making her angry. “And where would you be after you tired of me, huh? I doubt a man of such great sexual appetites would ever be faithful, but yet I'm certain you would expect me to be. There's no way in hell I'm agreeing to mate you.”

  She made to turn away, but his hand on her arm stopped her. He spun her back around to face him. “I don't need your agreement,” he muttered softly, his fingers locked tightly. “I didn't even have to give you this courtesy of choosing me. You'll either do it, or I'll choose you. And you won't like it if I have to lose face in front of my people by ordering you to be mine.”

  For the first time, Keely felt a true fission of fear in his presence. She didn't back down, though. The vampires might be able to control her body, but they would never be able to control her spirit. “Fuck you,” she replied, her voice filled with every ounce of the hate that was churning inside of her. “If you were any kind of men, you wouldn't have to abduct women and force them to have them.”

  “Oh, you doubt my masculinity?” Kosmas asked coldly, his perfectly shaped lips tightening angrily. “You think to insult me when you stand there
so coolly, with Zander's scent lingering all about you? Clearly, you didn't turn him away, and now you will show me the same courtesy.”

  He buried his hand in the back of Keely's hair before forcing her head back. “You have the face of an angel, but does it disguise the heart of a temptress? You've got me tied up in knots. Will the taste of your plump lips free me or only bind me further?” His eyes briefly raked over her face as he lowered his lips to hers.

  To her surprise, Kosmas kissed her gently. Keely had expected him to take her roughly, possibly bruising her lips in the process. Against her better judgment, her body responded. Kosmas groaned with satisfaction. He lifted her up so her mouth was lined up with his, before backing her up to the wall and pressing her against it.

  Somehow, Keely found her legs spread and wrapped around his waist. The area that had been so thoroughly ravaged by Zander was sore, but it started to burn with renewed need. The wall was hard against her back, his heated muscular body pressed tightly to her front. Keely couldn't help the small moan that originated from the center of her pleasure. Kosmas grinned against her lips.

  His shaft pressed against her wet core, the thin material of her pants nothing more than a formality. Her nether lips and passage were swollen from use, but even then, her body still craved the rigid flesh probing at its entrance.