The Vampire Twins' Breeder

The Vial

Chapter 16

Aurelia’s POV

The hand over my mouth was rough and smelled like beer and sweat.

I tried to scream, but the sound died in my throat, muffled by the stranger’s thick palm.

My eyes were wide with shock. I looked at the dark hoodie, trying to see the face of the man who had broken into my room. I struggled with everything I had, kicking my legs and clawing at his leather-covered arms, but he was too strong like a wall of muscle.

"Stay quiet," he growled right in my ear and I shivered.

Before I could try to bite his hand, he pulled a thick black cloth from his pocket and wrapped it tightly around my head. Everything went dark. I couldn't see the room, I couldn't see the open window, and I couldn't see the light from the fireplace.

He bundled me up in a heavy cloak, lifting me off my feet as if I weighed nothing. I felt the cold air hit my skin as he leaped out of the window.

My stomach dropped as we

moved through the air. I expected to hit the ground and die, but he landed softly, his feet barely making a sound on the grass.

He started running and I tried to thrash around, but he held me in a grip of iron.

I heard the distant sound of horses. The neighing was getting loud and frantic, soon, I was tossed onto the hard surface of a carriage floor.

I heard the crack of a whip and the sudden jerk of the wheels. We were moving fast. The carriage bounced over rocks and roots, throwing me against the wooden walls. I was terrified. I thought about Draven. I thought about Caelum. Would they find the room empty? Would they think I had finally run away on my own?

Minutes passed, or maybe hours. The carriage slowed down and finally stopped. The door creaked open, and I was hauled out.

The man carried me for a short distance before dropping me onto the dirt. He reached down and ripped the blindfold off my eyes.

I blinked and looked around. We were in a thick bush, far away from the castle walls.

The trees were tall and dark, surrounding us like a wall. I looked up at the man. He had pulled back his hoodie. He wasn't a vampire. He was a werewolf.

"Who are you?" I gasped, trying to crawl away. My hands were covered in dirt and my towel was slipping. I felt exposed and cold.

"I’m the one who didn't get caught," the man said coldly. "I was with Silas, we were the scouts sent here. Now, he’s dead because of those leeches, and you’re in there living like a queen while our brothers bleed."

He stepped closer, looming over me. "Why are you living with the vampires? You’re one of us. Living with those blood-sucking monsters is an abomination. It’s a disgrace to the pack. It’s a disgrace to your blood."

I shook my head. "I didn't want to be there! They took me! I was in the forest, and Caelum caught me. I had no choice. They locked me up."

It wasn't completely a lie.

The man leaned down and sniffed the air, his nose wrinkling in disgust. "You don't even smell like a wolf anymore. You smell like soap and vampire silk. You must be a very weak and useless wolf. That’s why I don't recognize you. You're an Omega, aren't you? A little nothing that they decided to keep as a pet."

I flinched. He was right. I was an Omega. I was the lowest of the low. But the way he said it made me feel sick.

"It doesn't matter what you want," he said, his voice turning cold. "You’re going to do exactly what I say. If you don't, I’ll go straight back to the Silver Fang pack. I’ll tell them I found a runaway. I’ll tell them you’ve been sleeping in the beds of the Princes. Do you know what the punishment for deserting the pack is?"

"No," I whispered.

"They don't just kill you," he asked wickedly. "They strip you of your skin while you’re alive. They hang you from the elder tree and let the crows eat your eyes while you’re still breathing. They make sure your soul never finds peace. Your family will have to watch. They’ll be the ones to light the fire at your feet."

I felt the bile rise in my throat. I almost threw up right there in the leaves. I thought about my father’s cold face and my stepmother’s cruel smile.

They would do it. They would watch me die and be happy that the shame I brought them was finally gone. I couldn't go back. I couldn't let the pack find me.

"What do you want?" I asked, my voice trembling.

The man reached into his jacket and pulled out a small glass vial. It was filled with a thick, clear liquid that seemed to shimmer in the moonlight.

He held it out to me.

"You’re going to take this back to the castle," he said. "And you’re going to put it in the Princes' food. Both of them. Make sure they eat every drop."

I looked at the vial, my heart hammering. "Is it poison? Will it kill them?"

"It’s not for killing," the man said, though he didn't sound like he cared either way. "It’s to subdue them. It will take away their strength and dull their senses. It will make their power vanish for a few hours. Once their strongest warriors, the Princes, are down, it will be easy for the werewolves to take the upper hand. We will break the gates and end this city once and for all."

I felt a wave of relief. It wasn't to kill them. It was just to make them sleep or make them weak. I didn't want to be a murderer.

But then I thought about Caelum. I thought about how he had bathed me and promised to protect me. I thought about Draven, who had saved me from the guard.

"I can't," I said. "They’ll know. They’ll smell it."

The man grabbed my hair, yanking my head back. "You will do it. If you don't, I’ll drag you back to Alpha Kael myself. I’ll tell him you were a willing w***e for the vampires. Think about that when you’re deciding whose side you’re on. You’re a wolf, b***h! Act like it."

He let go of my hair and pushed the vial into my hand. My fingers closed around the cold glass.

"I'll do it," I said, my voice barely audible. "I'll put it in their food."

The man smiled. It wasn't a kind smile. He reached out and touched my face with a rough, calloused hand. "Good little girl. Now it’s time for you to go back home. You’ll pretend none of this ever happened. You’ll tell them you were just taking a walk in the gardens or something.”

He pulled out a white handkerchief from his pocket. I thought he was going to wipe the dirt off my face, but as he moved closer, I smelled a sharp, sweet chemical scent.

"Wait—" I started to say.

Before I could struggle, he pressed the cloth over my mouth and nose.

I tried to hold my breath, but he held me tight, forcing me to inhale. The world began to tilt.

My head felt heavy, and the trees started to spin. My limbs felt like lead, and I couldn't keep my eyes open.

I felt myself falling, but the man caught me. He held me in his arms, his face the last thing I saw before everything went black.

"Sleep now," he whispered. "When you wake up, you'll be back in your cage. And then, you'll finish the job."

I fainted into the darkness, the small glass vial tucked tightly into the palm of my hand.