Chapter 35

Elena's POV

Elder Ambrose's cold hands forced their way under my torn shirt, he tore away my bra with a single violent motion, exposing my breasts to the chilly air.

"Perfect," he whispered, "So young, so vital."

I tried to cover myself, but he pinned my wrists above my head with one hand, his face lowered to my chest, and I cried out as his frigid mouth closed around my nipple, his teeth grazing the sensitive flesh. The violation sent waves of revulsion through me, my skin crawling wherever he touched.

"Please," I begged, tears streaming down my face. "Stop."

He lifted his head, a cruel smile revealing those unnaturally sharp teeth. "Your fear makes your blood sweeter," he said, inhaling deeply. "I can smell it pumping through your veins."

His free hand traveled down my stomach, fingers hooking into the waistband of my underwear. I thrashed beneath him with renewed desperation, but it only seemed to excite him further.

"Be still," he commanded, "Accept what's happening. You'll find it much more pleasant if you surrender."

Some part of me wanted to obey. Was this some vampire ability to influence minds? I bit down hard on my tongue, using the sharp pain to clear my head. *No. I will not surrender.*

Just when I'd nearly exhausted my strength, a commotion erupted from somewhere in the house. Shouting voices, something shattering, heavy footsteps running up the stairs.

Elder Ambrose's head snapped up, his attention momentarily diverted. It was the opening I needed. I twisted violently beneath him, managing to free one leg enough to drive my knee hard into his groin. Even for a vampire, it was enough to make him grimace, his grip loosening just slightly.

"Help!" I screamed, my voice raw with terror and desperation. "In here!"

Elaine's shrill voice carried down the hallway. "You can't go in there! We have an arrangement!"

"Get out of my way!" A familiar voice roared, followed by the sound of someone being shoved aside.

My bedroom door exploded inward, wood splintering as it was kicked clear off its hinges. Dominic stood in the doorway, in a movement almost too fast to follow, Dominic crossed the room and seized Elder Ambrose by the throat, tearing him away from me with such force that the vampire's body slammed into the opposite wall, cracking the plaster.

I scrambled backward on the bed, pulling my torn clothes around me as best I could, watching in shock as Dominic held the vampire suspended against the wall, feet dangling above the floor.

"Who are you?" Dominic demanded, his voice deeper, rougher than I'd ever heard it.

Elder Ambrose's initial shock gave way to a cold smile despite the hand crushing his windpipe. "I might ask you the same question," he wheezed. "But it hardly matters. I am her new groom. She is to be married to me tonight."

"No!" I cried out, afraid Dominic might actually believe him. "That's a lie! My stepmother sold me to him, I never agreed to anything!"

Dominic's grip tightened visibly.

Elder Ambrose's eyes narrowed. With a sudden burst of strength, he broke Dominic's grip and launched himself across the room, moving with supernatural speed.

But Dominic was faster.

He intercepted the vampire mid-leap, slamming him to the floor. Elder Ambrose hissed, his features transforming, skin stretching tight over his skull, eyes blazing crimson, fangs extending to their full, terrifying length.

"You're not human," the vampire spat, scrambling to his feet. "What are you?"

Dominic didn't answer with words.

He stalked forward, every movement predatory. "I don't need to kill you to teach you a lesson." His eyes flicked briefly to me, then back to the vampire. "I only need to know exactly how you touched her. Your teeth? Your hands?"

The vampire suddenly fell silent, visible terror creeping across his features.

"What's wrong?" Dominic asked, his voice deceptively soft. "No more threats? No more bravado?" He moved closer, forcing Elder Ambrose to retreat until his back hit the wall. "What part of you touched what belongs to me?"

I'd never seen such naked fear on anyone's face before, supernatural or human. Elder Ambrose's eyes darted to the window, clearly calculating an escape route.

"Any part of you that touched her, has no right to exist anymore."

Dominic's hand shot out, wrapping around the vampire's throat once more. "Apologies won't save those parts of you that defiled her." His claws pressed against the vampire's skin, drawing beads of dark, unnaturally thick blood. "But perhaps screaming might entertain me enough to make your punishment shorter."