"No doubt with you as the almighty dictator of all."
"Perhaps." He looked across the large room and the other tables.
The neck strap allowed me to rotate my head just enough to glimpse a part of the room. It was obvious he and his cronies could strap down a hundred people in this place, judging from the length.
"There are those greater even than us who may have a say in who rules, however," the vampire said, eyes focused on something I couldn't see.
"Daelissa," I said. I knew she was involved in this mess. With my mind recovering from the horror of Maximus feeding on my blood, another thought occurred to me. "Where's my sister?" Cold dread laced my skin and plunged into my stomach. Please let her be okay.
His eyes snapped to me. "Your sister?"
"Where are you keeping her? Did you hurt her, you son of a bitch?"
Maximus regarded me for a long moment, one eyebrow arching. Understanding lit his expression. Then he threw back his head and laughed.
Bastard! Suffused with rage, I struggled against the bonds, but the diamond fiber resisted. Frustration welled in my chest as Maximus's laughter echoed across the large room. I loosed my inner demon and let it feed on rage, my helplessness. My desire to crush Maximus to a pulp. Stars of pain burst into sight as horns erupted from my forehead. My body swelled. And suddenly, I couldn't breathe. I felt my neck bulge against the straps, biceps and wrists straining at the material. As my body attempted to manifest into full demon form, it was choking me to death.
The world disintegrated before my eyes and my inner demon gave up. Woozy from lack of oxygen, my head lolled as far as the restraints would allow.
"Not going to work, little spawn," Maximus said, still sniggering. "And here I thought you knew how strong diamond fiber is."
"I will kill you," I said, in a rasping voice. "Laugh all you want, you filthy, leeching parasite, but I'll kill you and save my sister, you perverted sack of douchebaggery."
The vampire roared with laughter. "That's a good one. I'll have to save it for later." He reached out and casually slapped me on the cheek. "Because I'm feeling mildly compassionate, I'll tell you this, boy. I don't have your sister. The joke's on you."
My mouth dropped open but no words came out. Something in the vampire's eyes told me he wasn't lying. Why would he at this point? I lay completely at his mercy. The bastard hadn't been laughing because he had my sister—he'd been laughing because he didn't. I'd been lured down here. Tricked. Not even my demon form could get me out of this mess, and if the Templars tried to save me, Maximus's minions would tear them apart with enchanted bullets.
Maximus tsked. "Poor little spawn. Looks like Daelissa played you for a fool." He shook his head, speaking in the mocking tone people usually reserved for babies. "Don't worry too much. She does it to everyone, even me. I suggest you rest. I'll be hungry again in a few hours, and you'll need all the energy you can muster to replenish the blood I took earlier." He winked and walked behind me. A door squeaked open. For the first time since awakening, I sensed another cold presence outside the door. A female presence. My lips curled into a tight smile and it was all I could do not to laugh. Maximus was an idiot and I'd be out of here in no time.
I waited until Maximus's footsteps faded down the hallway before making my move. Closing my eyes, I extended a tendril toward the female vampire standing guard outside. I felt her cold aura. Overwhelmingly positive emotions welled from her, mostly adoration mixed with lust. Apparently, she wanted to break her off a piece of Maximus. All the better for me. I could manipulate most females into sexual feelings, thanks to my incubus skillz, but with her already feeling the way she did, luring her in here to cut me loose would be a snap.
Equalizing my emotional state with hers took a moment, because I wasn't feeling particularly lustful or happy at the moment. I eased my tendril into her aura, opening the channel to feed.
Alarm spiked. Anger quickly followed. The door banged open and a woman in her early twenties stormed in and stood over me. Long brown hair, matted and tangled, framed a pale homely face. She wore one of the pink