Captive of the Night (The Mate Games: Pestilence, #3)

by K. Loraine

It seemed like I was the only one who saw the writing on the wall. Our mate was gone. And a monster had taken her place.

“He’s like the fucking vampire whisperer,” Remington muttered behind me. “Look how calm she is with him. Why isn’t she making him shit his pants?” “Vampire privilege. She must recognize her kind. Animal instinct or what have you.”

It brought everything into sharp relief. The lies I’d been telling myself. The things I’d tried so hard to deny. I loved my wife. Desperately. I would not survive losing her again.

“Well done, petal. You’re very nearly ready.” “For what?” I asked with a moan as he collected his spend and slid his fingers inside me. “To take your place in the night at my side. No longer a captive, but a queen.” “I’d rather be a duchess.” “As you wish.”

Be human, they said. It’s fun, they said. Fucking liars. I’d like to get off the ride now and go home, please.

“I love to watch your skin go red and bloom with bruises during our play. To collect your tears on my tongue and your cries in my mouth. But this, what you’re doing to yourself now, is a different kind of pain. Your heart is my responsibility, mate. Mine to protect. That is the one thing I never want to see harmed, because that kind of damage doesn’t heal the way your skin will.”

“I don’t know. One time I knocked a kid over with my hands.” “You shoved him?” “No. I didn’t touch him. I promise. It was light. Like Ironman, but without the suit.” I jumped up and shoved my hand forward to show him what I meant. “Kaboom!”

But like newly mated Queens—who also have more than one mate, by the way, although five is the traditional number—her instincts demand she surround herself with them.

“Hello, Asher. What are you drawing there?” What the fuck does it look like, padre? A cucumber? It’s a giant purple demon. Of course that’s not what I said. I didn’t speak a lot in those days, but as soon as little Asher opened his mouth I felt our consciousnesses merge, just like they had the last time. “A superhero.” “Oh, wow. Does he have a cape?” he asked, coming to crouch beside me. I shook my head. “Just a tail and some horns.” He raised a brow. “Horns? That doesn’t seem like something a superhero would have. A monster, maybe.” “Pan’s not a monster! He’s my friend! Don’t be mean to him.”

Was I burdened with trauma and years of anger and guilt? Yeah, sure. But the hard shit was what made the good so damn good. Without it, there was nothing to appreciate.

Find her. Take her. Hold her down and breed her until cum is dripping from her and they all know what she let us do.

God, I’ve been such a fool. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Fuck, I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I doubted this for even a second. I can’t believe I hurt you. I’ll spend my life making it up to you. Please, baby. Please forgive me. I missed you so much.

“And just to clarify, this began after you marked your mate’s body?” “Yes. Not long after that.” I rolled my lips, pressing them together as I shot an amused look at Gabriel. Which one of us is going to tell her that when she claimed the man, she also claimed the demon soul inside him? Not it!

“This is hardly the time for a seduction, Heathrow.” Remington dragged a hand through his hair and paced like a caged animal as he watched us. “That’s an airport, you insufferable donut. You meant Heathcliff. Do me a favor and at least insult me properly in the future.”

He ran his nose along my neck until his lips reached my ear, and in Pan’s voice, he said, “I’ll kill them all and take you as my prize, ma petite monstre. You’ll never be rid of me. You couldn’t leave me if you tried. Not now that you’ve marked me as your mate.”

You and your brother are my pieces. I already had Pan in place well before, but he needed a vessel for my grand plan to work. Along came your stupid father, and then, bam! You were born. Such a pathetic little human child, but perfect for my plot.”

“Everything was wiped out save those chosen by God. We’re told about Noah and his ark in the Bible, but you rarely see mention of what happened to the supernatural creatures. If not for the rise of a vampire Queen who was granted her power by the Fallen, the vampires would have been wiped off the face of the earth. She ensured their survival. It was her sole duty. Her strength was unmatched, and she was revered until she was betrayed.” “Someone killed her?” I asked. “Aye. And her court. But what the Fallen put into motion never stopped. The bloodline has continued for millennia, and a Queen only rises during a time of great peril. You are the harbinger of our doom, but also our only hope.”