13__There's a human in my castle

Kamilla’s eyes were wide as she watched the man dangle above the ground, Viktor’s hand wrapped firmly around his throat. She gasped. He was going to kill the vampire.

She took a shaky step forward. “Vi-Viktor…”

“Do you know,” Viktor growled, his rage emanating off him in hot waves. “…whom you’ve just laid your filthy hands on?”

Kamilla’s hands covered her mouth. The man couldn’t breathe! She stared at him as he looked down at Viktor, his eyes filled with desperate fear. He made gurgling noises as Viktor’s hand tightened.
Viktor was ruthless, showing not an ounce of mercy as he slowly ended the man’s life. “The price for harming my Queen is death,” he growled.

Kamilla gasped in fright as the vampire opened his mouth on a guttural cry of pain as his body crumbled before her eyes, turning into nothing more than dark ashes.

She stared at the ground around her, watching the dark ashes get scattered about until they disappeared. Releasing a breath of disbelief, she looked back up at Viktor just as he lowered his arm and slowly turned to face her.

Kamilla jerked back at the fury in his glowing greens.
Oh, he was angry. He was livid.

She gulped and inched back. Okay, this was where she had to play it safe.
He’d just sent someone into the afterlife before her very eyes, she didn’t want to be that Vampire’s travel buddy.
With a gulp, Kamilla peaked up at Viktor as he took slow, purposeful steps toward her.
Her fingers fiddled with the dark cloak covering her body as she thought of excuses. What could she say?!
Viktor was staring at her so intensely, Kamilla could hardly breathe. She bit her lip. Damn, he was so going to roast her over an open fire!

When no excuses came to mind, she let out a hopeless cry, looking up at him in surrender.
“Okay, I’m sorry!” Kamilla yelled, her eyeballs swimming in tears.
Viktor narrowed his eyes. “Sorry? Sorry?! That’s all you’ve—”
He didn’t get much further before she darted forward and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him to her.
Viktor froze, staring at the dark stone wall behind Kamilla.

“I said I’m sorry,” she mumbled. Her voice was muffled against his shoulder, but he heard her. “I know you told me not to leave, but I really miss my mom, she’s all I’ve got! And FYI, I didn’t go all the way out, I didn’t leave Onyx! I swear I was going back to you when that rat jumped me—”
Kamilla would have kept babbling if Viktor hadn’t jerked her back and silenced her with his mouth on hers. Her entire body tensed at the unexpected kiss, but when he wrapped his arms around her inside the cloak and held her tightly to him, she relaxed, the tension easing from her like melting butter.
Viktor’s mouth moved erotically against hers, hot and powerful, stirring more than just her hunger. His mouth on hers did something deeper than physical. It called to the depth of Kamilla’s soul and bound it tighter to Viktor’s, making them inseparable. It was enchanting.
When he pulled away, his breathing ragged, Viktor could hardly process what was happening within him.
“You…” he whispered against her lips. “…do something to me. Something dangerous, Kamilla.”

She slowly opened her eyes and lifted her gaze to his, staring at the plain awe in his eyes. Was Viktor awed by her? Kamilla swallowed. That was good. Because she suddenly wanted him to be absolutely crazy about her.
Before Kamilla could respond, Viktor grabbed her hand in his, turned around and walked straight at the wall before them. Kamilla’s brows shot up in alarm, but immediately the air transformed and Viktor was suddenly pulling her through a corridor in his castle.

Kamilla blinked around her. How does he do that?
“Uhm… Viktor?” she called him as he pulled her along. He said nothing so Kamilla went on. “Since, you’re keeping me here and I’m like half Vamp and all… can you teach me how to teleport like that?”
“No.”
Kamilla frowned. She opened her mouth to spitefully tell him how big his head looked from her viewpoint when he suddenly stopped.

Viktor abruptly turned around with a frown, his gaze traveling around the place. His head tilted to the side and Kamilla saw his eyes give a slight glow as his grip tightened around her hand.

“There’s a human in my castle,” he murmured.
Kamilla scoffed. “Uh, yeah. Me.”
Viktor gave her a look that showed doubt over her mental stability. “Don’t kid yourself.”
Before she could get inconsolably offended, he turned and resumed dragging her down the hallway.
The came to Viktor’s library and he made to go in, but Kamilla stopped.
“Wait.”
He looked at her.
“What’s that?”
Viktor frowned. “What?”
It was Kamilla’s turn to frown. “Don’t you hear that?”

When he shook his head, Kamilla walked off down the hallway. She’d definitely heard a scream.
Viktor called to her as he followed, but she silently walked on.
“Your hearing is even better than mine,” Viktor mumbled. “And she thinks she’s only half. Only half, my ass.”
Kamilla ignored him and kept walking.

They reached a different wing of the castle and Viktor held her elbow. “Why the hell are we in Damon’s wing?” He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

Kamilla held a finger over his lips when it came again. A scream. One of pain. Viktor’s eyes darkened. He’d heard it too.
Kamilla blinked up at him and whispered, “By any chance, does Damon make it a sport to torture helpless human girls?”
Viktor’s glare shut her up.
“Of course not!” he snapped. “Let’s not jump to conclusions.”

Kamilla pursed her lips thinking of the smear of blood she’d seen on Damon’s mouth. Viktor walked further into the wing and she followed.
“Wait!” someone yelled. Kamilla and Viktor both froze and stared at each other.

“No, Damon! Wait, wait!” came another scream. Kamilla frowned. The woman knew her torturer’s name?
Kamilla and Viktor’s gazes locked when they heard Damon’s exasperated voice.
“You want to fix it or not?” he asked.
“It hurts!” screamed the female voice.
“Dislocated shoulders usually do!” Damon screamed back.

Viktor had heard enough. Kamilla quickly followed after him as he stalked over to two tall double doors and unceremoniously threw them open.
A loud gasp came from the corner of the room and Kamilla peaked around Viktor’s shoulder to see a women huddling uncomfortably on the bed, her wide eyes staring in their direction.
Damon was less surprised as he slowly stood from the bed.
“Viktor.”
Viktor said nothing, only walked slowly into the room, studying what to him was a bizarre creature huddling on Damon’s bed. Kamilla studied the woman too, but with far more positive interest.

“What’s this, Damon?” asked Viktor.

Damon put his hands in his pockets and glanced at the woman. Kamilla noticed that she was clutching her right arm which seriously looked strange.
“The explanation you wanted. Viktor, this is Grace,” said Damon. Kamilla could hear the defensiveness in his voice.
“And what is she, a human, doing here?” Viktor demanded and Kamilla definitely heard the annoyance in his voice.
Damon’s eyes lowered and he shuffled his feet as his hands came out of his pockets to hang at his side.
“She’s hurt—”
“That’s not what I asked. Did you have my authority to bring her into Onyx?” Viktor demanded.
Damon’s face seemed to grow even paler than usual.
“Uhm…” came a small voice from the bed. Everyone’s eyes went to the woman huddling there. Her eyes darted to Viktor’s face before quickly lowering again. “P-please… Damon’s only trying to save me. Please don’t be angry with him. He’s just trying to save my life.”
“Grace, be quiet,” said Damon.
“And how’s he trying to do that?” Viktor asked the woman, totally ignoring Damon. Kamilla stood on her tip-toes, intrigued.

Grace’s eyes peaked up at Viktor and Kamilla. “He’s… he’s taking my blood.”