Dark Exodus (The Order of Vampires 2)

She reared back and flashed her fangs. “How dare you call me such a name, you gnarled old crow!”

His eyes bulged. He was not gnarled.

“I will not allow you to disregard our hard-earned values and traditions to bear your breasts to a room full of animals.”

“Animals? Funny, not one of those animals broke into my home and mistreated me like you’re doing now.”

“Yes, animals. I read their vile thoughts. Why don’t you explain to me how you were able to reject my compulsion earlier?”

Her brow kinked and she momentarily stopped struggling. “I don’t know.”

“You must know.”

“I don’t. I just… did it.”

“And what was it you did?”

“All I did was say no.”

“Not a word I enjoy.” Especially from her.

Her eyes narrowed as she blew a hank of hair out of her face. “I’ll tell you no again and again whether you like it or not. I’m not going with you.”

He chuckled softly. “You will. I have ways of getting you to comply.”

“Like taking away my free will? How noble and progressive of you, not at all primitive or barbaric.”

“Brat.”

“Bastard.”

He arched an eyebrow, tired of her insolence, and her eyes widened.

“No!” she shouted, launching her body toward the pillows attempting to get away and bearing her backside to him in the process. Too little, too late.

He jerked her back to pin her body beneath his weight, bearing his fangs and hissing into her ear. “What did I tell you about telling me no?”

Her breath hitched, and she stopped fighting. His body hardened at her well-earned surrender. Then she whimpered, and he sensed her absolute fear.

“Larissa?”

“Get off of me.”

He couldn’t let her go, not without a promise that she would obey. “Give me your word you’ll do as I say—”

“I said no!” Her objection plowed through him like a bolt of lightning. It hurled his body off of her with such force that he slammed hard against the wall.

His teeth clacked and his skull rattled as all went black. Again.

Chapter 9

“Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no! Not again!” Larissa paced around the bishop’s limp body in a full panic. This was the second time she knocked him out, and she had no idea how.

Why was he here? And why was he following her? Silus couldn’t possibly have so much power within The Order that the bishop would run an errand for him? Did he?

Maybe she severely underestimated her husband. There was no way she could outrun a male the age of Eleazar King. She was done. Now that he knew where she lived and worked, there would be no escaping him.

“This is not good.” She couldn’t give up.

Wrapping the sheet around her body, she quickly returned to the bishop and nudged him with her toe. Nothing.

She chewed her lip and glanced at the door. Where was Cain when she could use help? How much time did she have before the bishop woke?

“Okay, Fabio, it’s time for you to go.”

She grabbed his foot and tugged his weight toward the door. His shoe slipped off when she stumbled and tripped into the far wall. “Damn it.”

She tossed the shoe aside and grabbed his foot in a tighter grip, grunting as she dragged him across her apartment floor. He didn’t rouse, not even when she shoved him through the front door and accidentally hit his head on the corner.

It was late, so the halls were dark. A quick probe into her neighbor’s apartments confirmed everyone close by was deep asleep. She sent out a strong compulsion for them to stay sleeping as she hauled the bishop’s long body off the floor.

“My goodness, you’re heavy.” His body was lean but dense with muscle.

The sheet around her slipped and she panicked, modesty taking priority. She released her hold of him and caught the material before it could fall to the floor. The bishop, however, was not so lucky. He landed with a heavy thud, and she winced.

“Oops.” She hoisted him back up and shuffled his weight across the hall to the trash chute.

The trap door whined open with a scrape of metal. It was going to be a tight fit.

Leveraging his weight into the opening, she first guided his feet into the opening. It took some finagling, but once she worked his hips into the chute, the rest of his body followed easily. She meant to send him off gently, but at the last moment, she lost her grip, and his body went sailing down the chute with a loud clatter and the metal door snapped shut.

Larissa blinked, jaw hanging wide. Did she really just throw the bishop into a dumpster?

Her gaze skittered to the shadows, assuring herself no one witnessed such behavior.

She ran into her apartment, grabbed his shoe, and chucked it down the chute as well. “Sorry.” She bit her lip. “Maybe I am a brat, but no means no.” When the trap door slammed closed, she winced.