Taken: The Vampire's Concubine: Part Four

  Taken: The Vampire's Concubine

  Part Four

  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.

  Taken: The Vampire's Concubine - Part Four

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  © 2014 Desiree Broussard

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  Chapter 1

  1553 Earth's AD

  The dark sky was clear and cloudless, the three moons bright as they hung high above Legionnaire. It was a picturesque sight, much too breathtaking for the scene on the rocky, dry ground underneath them as hundreds of vampires battled to the death.

  Kosmas roared, the veins in his neck bulging as he shoved the other vampire away from him. The Seiyadian grinned, blood dripping down his chin an instant before he leaped at Kosmas. The battle was intense between the two, but it ended a moment later when Kosmas removed his head with a quick slash of his sword. Tossing his body down the ravine, Kosmas turned to survey his surroundings.

  The night was loud and filled with the sound of pain-filled screams as vampire came against vampire in the fight for the right to rule Golden Harbor. The greedy Seiyads were determined to capture the city for their own, as well as the people that called it home. The thought of being taken by them was unbearable. Under their rule, the Neiyadians would be nothing more than slaves, existing solely for their pleasures until they decided to end them. Kosmas would rather be dead.

  They were fighting in a canyon outside of the city. When his guards had alerted them to the upcoming attack, his men had been ready. Hidden in various nooks and crannies, they'd surprised them as they passed through. It was a fight to the death. They were doing all they could to keep the Seiyadians away from their mates and young. The rocky terrain shifted the battle into their favor.

  A vampire leaped in his direction, aiming for what he believed to be his unsuspecting back. Aware of his approach, Kosmas whirled at the last moment, impaling him on his sword. The vampire screamed in rage, using his feet in an attempt to pull his body off of the wide blade. Roughly grabbing his hair, Kosmas wrenched his head from his body, ending his life forever.

  The countryside was littered with bodies, the air thick with the smell of blood. It incited the vampires into a frenzy, adding to their already high levels of blood thirst. Their movements were faster than the eye could see, which only added to the danger. Had the Seiyadians been mortal, the battle would have only lasted for minutes. As it was, though, each side was equally matched in strength and power. It could go on for weeks.

  In the darkness of the night, Kosmas watched as five of their enemies completely surrounded Joaquin, a fellow guard and friend. They taunted him cruelly as they moved in, certain they'd found victory in numbers. Gripping the hilt of his sword tightly in his large hand, Kosmas sprinted in their direction. Jerking the first vampire away, he jumped right into battle, slashing at will. The two men rotated until they were back to back, tirelessly fighting the horde that surrounded them.

  For every vampire that Kosmas took down, another one quickly moved in their place. He dared a quick glance around them, his expression turning to disbelief. It was a trap, one carefully arranged in an effort to capture both men. But why?

  Joaquin quickly reached the same conclusion. “They are determined to take us,” he said in a low voice intended for Kosmas' ears only. “Or they are determined to kill us, I don't know which.”

  It was true. The Seiyadians were keeping his men heavily engaged, but they weren't swarming them. All of their focus seemed to be on Kosmas and Joaquin, but why? Neither man was considered any more important than the rest of the guard, although Kosmas was the highest ranking out of all of them.

  It was a pity that there wasn't time to capture one of the Seiyadians and question him. Or torture him for answers, if needed. Kosmas wasn't above it, not when it came to the protection of his people and their freedom.

  “We're winning,” he told Joaquin, his voice grim. “The rest of the guard is taking them down, slowly but surely. Just hold your ground until they can reach us.” If one of them fell, the other one wouldn't stand a chance in hell, not with the number of vampires coming at them.

  Two Seiyadians grabbed Kosmas, attempting to separate him from Joaquin. With a well-aimed punch, he broke the first vampire's nose, while burying his sword into the second vampire's throat. Pulling it free, he finished them both, not unaware of the slight delay in his actions.

  Immortal he might be, but his body was tiring. It was there in the slight tremor of his legs, in the heaviness of his arms. The fight was fierce, and he hadn't stopped for a moment. He couldn't. The idea of them taking Golden Harbor was unacceptable, especially since he knew Nora was there.

  Nora was from another part of their world, a female vampire recently relocated to Golden Harbor. After her family had died during a Seiyadian attack, her relatives had taken her in. And one night at a festival, Kosmas met her, falling in love with the delicate beauty immediately.

  Nora was tall and slender, with thick coal-black hair that fell down to her hips like a silken curtain. Naive and inexperienced, she was everything he wasn't. Kosmas had never felt so protective over anyone, and as the weeks had passed by, he knew he couldn't live without the soft-spoken beauty.

  They were to be mated. He'd already asked, and she'd already accepted. Their relationship had moved quickly, but it didn't concern Kosmas. Nora was everything he wanted in a female, in a mate. She was his future, and he saw no reason to delay it. Kosmas wanted her, and whenever he wanted something he got it.

  Thoughts of Nora seemed to invigorate him. As soon as the battle was over, he was going to her home to claim her. Life on Legionnaire wasn't always easy, and none of them had any guarantees of a tomorrow. He would mate her that very night.

  Emboldened by his thoughts, he never considered the condition of the vampire behind him. Suddenly, Joaquin yelled, the sound hoarse and filled with agony. The vampires in front of Kosmas stepped away as they lowered their swords, their faces filled with victory.

  Kosmas glanced behind him, his blood chilling as he watched Joaquin fall to the ground. The other man was gutted, his intestines protruding through the open wound. The large vampire in front of him smiled as he yanked Joaquin up by the hair, cutting through his neck in one quick motion.

  “No!” Kosmas yelled, spinning around to face those that were jeering at him. He raised his sword, determined to take out as many as possible, but he was stopped immediately as silver chains were thrown around his neck and torso. The cool night suddenly turned hot. Fire shot through him like acid, the agony unbearable. Kosmas dropped his sword as his muscles rebelled against the silver's poisonous elements.

  A black hood was pulled over his head, blocking out the world around him. Inside the stifling darkness, he was left with nothing to distract him from the torment of his bindings.

  * * * * *

  Kosmas woke up slowly, painfully, against the iron fence, his body filled with shame. Not only had be been outsmarted, but he'd lost consciousness, and his enemies knew it. He felt disgraced.

  He attempted to lift his head a
way from the bars before hissing in pain. He was chained to them with silver by his neck, wrists, and legs. Without the silver, he could have easily broken free, but with it he was as weak as a baby. He could do nothing more than grip the bars and hope to remain on his feet as he met his death. The Seiyadians would make it as painful as possible, of that he had no doubt. Kosmas was feared as much as he was hated. To them, he was a prize. They would torture him for as long as his body could withstand it.

  A group of vampires walked up to him, laughing amongst themselves as they cruelly taunted him. They were just one of many, although the majority of them preferred to watch him from a distance. Kosmas surveyed them with his upper lip curled up in a sneer, determined to show no weakness. From the sheer size of the horde, it appeared that every vampire in the area had come to observe his upcoming torture.

  As the three turned away, bored by his lack of response, one of them spat on Kosmas. Unable to wipe it away, he glared at the other male with death in his eyes. If by some miracle of fate he survived, one day the vampire would pay. He never forgot a face, and he wouldn't forget this one. “You better hope I die,” he growled out, his voice promising retribution. “Because if I don't, I vow to you now... your days are numbered.”

  For just a moment, Kosmas read fear in the other vampire's eyes as his sneer slipped from his face. He quickly covered it up. “This scum bores me,” he told his companions, stepping away in the pretense of leaving. “But I can't wait for what's coming next.”

  All three of them laughed, their expressions filled with anticipation. They walked away, but not before Kosmas heard one of them say, “Do you think we'll get a turn? I'd love to have a piece of that Neiyadian whore.”

  Kosmas frowned, their words penetrating the rage and pain that fogged his mind. Neiyadian whore? Dread filled his body. Had they managed to overtake Golden Harbor?

  Surveying the crowd again, he noticed it consisted strictly of males. Wild and unkempt, the Seiyadians were a scary, disgusting lot. Even worse, though, they were cruel and heartless. Most of the vampires on Legionnaire lived in fear of them, ever watchful of the day that the Seiyadians might decide to their attentions in their direction.

  Kosmas yanked against his chains, although logic told him they wouldn't budge. Where was his men? By then, they should have been aware he'd been taken. Tension coiled in his stomach, along with something that felt strangely like fear. If alive, the guard would have been there, launching an attack against those that held him. Unless they were already dead themselves.

  Helplessness, grief, and rage boiled up inside of him, his muscular body rigid from pain and hate. Kosmas had no idea of how many hours might have passed him by, or even days. It was certainly long enough for his enemies to have taken the beautiful town while destroying the residents within. He mourned the loss of his friends and comrades, his shattered mind easily picturing Nora's face. And then he prayed to the God of the mortals that her death had come swiftly. Please, don't let her have suffered.

  Kosmas lost all will to survive. Without Nora, what was the point? He didn't want to go back to his empty existence, his nights filled with a never-ending loneliness that visits to the whores never seemed to cure. In the purity of Nora's eyes, he'd finally found himself... and the man he was meant to be.

  His wild eyes swung over the dry, dusty center of Diabolos. The air was murky, their entire world locked into perpetual darkness, but on this night the blackness was broken up by torches and fires. The flames illuminated the harsh planes of the men's faces, their black eyes more animalistic than human. It was the very vision of Hell, complete with Legionnaire's own version of demons, and Kosmas was right in the middle of it.

  A woman was brought out, her body twisting and fighting the arms that restrained her. The crowd parted to let them through. A black hood was pulled over her head, hiding her face from his sight. Kosmas stiffened again, his stomach churning.

  “Leave the woman alone,” he shouted, as they forced her down on a wooden turntable. The majority of the crowd ignored him, their eyes fixated on the struggling female in anticipation. Kosmas had never felt more sickened in his life.

  He continued to yell in his rage, damning his helplessness as they ripped at her clothing until she was nude. They were vile, despicable, had his arms been free he would have attacked them. His own pain no longer mattered, it didn't even register in the face of his horror. The Seiyadians strapped her down, leaving her legs bent and spread as she cried out for mercy.

  In his weakened state, he never heard the soft click of the door behind him as it opened. A woman stepped out, dressed in a black cape with the hood pulled low over her brow. She was followed out by two vampires, as another one observed them from the darkness of the stone building behind them.

  “Hurry,” she hissed to the two guards, as she leaned close to his back.

  “Mother?” Kosmas asked in disbelief, straining his neck to see behind him. It had to be a delusion. How else could she be there?

  “Quiet,” she muttered harshly in his ear. “We must make haste.”

  The faceless woman in the middle of the crowd screamed, but Kosmas could no longer see her as the vampires closed in on her. Kosmas ignored the guards as they released him from the iron bars, his thoughts only for the helpless captive. “They've got a hostage,” he whispered, his voice ravaged. “We have to help her.”

  “Fool! She's here because I arranged for her to be,” she informed him, grabbing him roughly around the neck from behind. “I exchanged her, as well as a great deal of coin, for you. Time is running out, though. We must leave now.”

  His guards had released him from the fence, but Kosmas still wore the majority of his chains. He leaned over to retch from the combination of his mother's words, and the poison from the silver. His mother was heartless and cruel, he knew it well, but he hadn't realized just how far she was willing to go. As relieved as he was to be free again, he was disgusted and shamed by her methods.

  Kosmas straightened up, a determined expression on his face. “I want the three of you to leave. I'll meet you outside of Diabolos, but I can't leave her behind.” It was a suicide mission, but Kosmas had little choice. His pride would never allow an innocent to take the fall, even if it meant his own death.

  Believing the matter to be settled, he turned to look back at the horde. He missed the nod his mother gave the guards, and the grim expressions that settled over their faces. The crowd parted, allowing Kosmas a glance at the defenseless woman, his mind blocking out the actions of the men that surrounded her. One of them ripped the material from her head as he gaped in recognition.

  Kosmas drew in a harsh breath, staring in disbelief at the woman in front of him. “Nora,” he rasped, preparing to vault over the iron bars. The bastards had his intended, performing unspeakable acts to the woman he had proclaimed as his own. “They've got Nora. You gave them Nora.”

  It was the last words that he said. Silver chains came down around his neck again, just an instant before he received a stunning blow across the back of his head. Kosmas struggled against the bindings, but his skull was fractured. He was struck again as he fell to his knees. The ground rushed up to meet him, and he knew no more.

  Chapter 2

  2051

  It was ecstasy.

  Keely woke up to the sensual sensation of a satin sheet underneath her naked body, and the most decadent taste in her mouth. To her surprise, she gripped Kosmas' muscular arm in her hands, her lips suckling at his skin. With each pull of her mouth, more of his blood coated her tongue. Delicious. He tasted as sweet as honey. She was drugged on his blood, she realized belatedly, but she was too high to care.

  Kosmas stared down at her with lust burning in his eyes. It only stoked the forge inside of her. His large hand slid to the back of her hair, his fingers entangling within it. Firmly, he urged her to take more, but Keely didn't need any encouragement. As delicious as he was, she could drink him forever.

  “I can scent your arousal,” he mut
tered thickly, harshly, in the silence of his massive room. “And God help us both, you're driving me wild.

  Kosmas wore nothing but a pair of pants, the muscular perfection of his body displayed in the golden glow from the candles and fireplace. A dim chandelier hung above his massive bed, the position of it reflecting into the ornately-trimmed mirrors that hung on the walls. Everything around her was gold, from the bedding set to the vase that rested on his mantlepiece, and suddenly it was brighter than it had ever been.

  Keely dropped his arm as she came to her knees, her hungry arms reaching out for him as she snaked her body around his. “I want you, Kosmas,” she told him, her voice throaty. She rubbed her body against his arousal, sighing with pleasure as she reached down to free him. His shaft felt like granite underneath her hands. She shivered in anticipation as she imagined him probing between her legs with it. “Take me.”

  A small voice within her warned her that all was not right. Keely ignored it, unwilling to heed its call. All she cared about was having the man in front of her. In any way she could.