Apex Predators (6 page)

He led her to the bathroom and opened a large walk in
closet. One whole side of the closet was woman’s clothing. “I prepared for your
arrival, as you can see. This is all yours, your under garments are in the
wardrobe, get what you want to wear.” He went to the other side of the closet
that held his clothes.

She went to the wardrobe first. It had bras hanging on
silver carved hangers and the drawers held varieties of underwear and some
other bras.

The largest three drawers held lingerie and sleepwear.
Everything had tags on it, and was her size. She selected a matching black bra
and underwear set. All the clothes were nicer than anything she’d ever worn.

She chose a simple casual silk slip dress. It was a deep
gray with spaghetti straps. It wouldn’t bother her back and it went past her knees
a little ways.

He had already left the closet. She walked into the
bathroom. He took what she had and sat aside and led her to a shower.

It was massive, it had dual shower heads and a glass
fireplace lit in the wall. He hit a button as he pulled her in it and water
sprayed from different directions. She flinched as it hit her back. He turned
her so her back was pressed to him and the water hit her front.

The creature behind her was the biggest enigma. He had
hurt her once, yet he had watched her fight for her life and be hurt and he was
the one who hurt her back in the first place but now he stopped water from
hitting it to cause her further pain. He handed her a wash rag and a vanilla
body wash. She scrubbed her face and body. He took a different rag and
carefully washed her back. When he was done washing himself he stepped out and
came back with a towel around his waist and wrapped one around her.

They dressed and brushed their teeth silently. He watched
her brush her hair and then he led her through the bedroom, through the sitting
room and out into the hall. The first thing she noticed was Piper wearing the
same dress she was in red. “You two can explore the house; do not leave from
inside of here.”

He kissed her and walked away with his brother who winked
at Piper before walking with him.

They immediately hugged each other in the gentlest fashion
aware of each other’s back injuries.  They listened and when they could no
longer here the brothers on the stairs they went forward.  The house was like a
castle, room, after room, after room.

“How has he been to you?” She asked her friend.  Instead of
a response her friend slightly lifted her dress. Hickies were trailed up her
thighs. “I don’t understand it Morgan, were not that special, and were missing
something.” She felt the same exact way.

“He made me take his blood.” She said as they walked down a
hallway. “So did Cieran.” She had never called Caedmon by his name, Piper was
making more progress than she was apparently.

“Listen, we can’t escape from here. We have to get them to
trust us enough to take us somewhere ‘Private’.” Piper said with air quotes.
“How though?” She asked.

“I just let Cieran have his way with me and not hold back
in bed, call it whatever you want but them and sex seem to go hand in hand for
power plays, where else does a woman give her all at?” She hadn’t looked at it
like that. “Last night..I touched him, and he reacted like a shotgun going off,
if sex gets us freedom then

I’m willing to do whatever it takes, we can’t live here, I
don’t want to be like them Morgs.”  She didn’t either but she had never been as
sexually comfortable as Piper was.

“I can’t forget who he is and what he has done Pipes, how
can I just let go?” Piper placed her arm on hers and they stopped walking. “We
have to do this if we ever want the hell out of here, sex isn’t bad it’s
actually the best I’ve ever head and there’s something wrong with me for saying
that, fake it, we can do this, this should be easy compared to what we were
just doing.” She looked at her friend.

“When did you become the level-headed one?” She teased.
“Since our lives became a nightmare.” They entered into a large kitchen where a
man with a butcher knife was chopping up fish and another was drinking
something. Both stopped and looked at them. The hostility was obvious.

“You’re the bitches who killed my brother.” The man with
the butcher knife said facing them. “Then he deserved it.” She shrugged. His
face went red and he lunged at her knife raised. Piper was slammed to the
ground by the coffee cup man and he slammed his foot down on her back.

She yelled in pain but she couldn’t help her she barely
missed getting sliced into. She grabbed the man’s hand with the knife and they
struggled against one another. He wouldn’t drop the knife. He was far stronger
than she was and tore out of her grasp. He shoved her and knocked her across
the kitchen.

She saw a pot of water bubbling on the stove and went for
it. As he ran after her she grabbed the pot and tossed the water on him. He
screamed in agony and she swung the large pot and hit him in the head. She
grabbed his dropped knife and plunged it into the other mans shoulder who was
trying to drag Piper to him. He yelled and she grabbed her friend and they took
off through the house.

She heard yelling and then the sound of footsteps running
after them. She didn’t know the house well enough to know where to go. They
turned down a hall and ran into the homes foyer where she smacked into Caedmon
and Piper was grabbed by Cieran.

The two men skidded into the foyer and Caedmon moved her
beside him. “Is there a reason she is running from you two?” He looked them
over. “Wesley.” He called out. A big bald headed man came into the foyer. “Yes
Master Caedon?” What was with this master stuff?

“Please take your two broodmates to the red room.”  Wesley
grinned and snatched the two now very scared men up. They begged for him to not
do whatever he was about to. She didn’t want to know what the red room was and
she felt a little sorry for the men.

They had reacted to them killing their family. Even if they
deserved it she knew it had to hurt.

“Come on.” He led her to a dining room where breakfast
foods were sat on the table.  He pulled out a chair for her and she sat. He sat
beside her. Piper and Cieran sat across from them.  

“After the Apex tonight I’m taking you to dinner.” Caedmon
said to her. How romantic she thought grimly. “What will happen to them?” She
skipped over the dinner comment. “They will be skinned and left to hang for
awhile.”

He sipped his drink after saying this like he just announced
the weather. He was a very sick man. “I have something for you.” He said again
as they finished eating. On their way out of the dining room, Piper and Cieran
with them they headed towards the stairs.

“How many are there?” She asked as they walked. “After
tonight there is one more trial in four weeks, the winner of tonight’s trial
will be moved to the main house until then.” She nodded. She wondered who that
would be.

He led her back to his room where a long white box lay on
his bed. “Open it.” He said from beside her. She slowly went to the bed and
lifted the lid off of the box. She stared down at a long sheer white dress;
black heels were laid on top of it. She didn’t know what to say.

She wanted to cry. On one hand Caedmon acted so sweet,
fucked like a beast, was sexy as hell, rich, and intelligent. On more than one
hand Caedmon was something out of a mythical horror story, immortal, off his
fucking rocker, sick, and a man whore.

Her own suitors never did anything for her and here was
this sick asshole giving her something. This didn’t mean shit in the big scheme
of things. He had her fight for her life in these stupid Trials and hit her
with a whip because she tried to get away.

 Kira had set them up to get them here and she didn’t feel
bad about her death anymore. She had been responsible for so many women dying
in that arena.

“Why are you upset?” His smooth voice snapped her back to
the moment. She shook her head and looked at him. His blue eyes were locked on
her; she couldn’t look him in the face. She looked back at the dress.

“It’s very pretty.” She said after a minute. He was silent
for a moment before she felt him approaching her. “I’m not sure how to do this;
it’s been a very long time since I’ve wanted to give to a woman. I’m sorry if
I’m behind times or something.” She didn’t know what to say to him.

Tell him she could never truly love or want someone or
something like him?  She didn’t think that would go over so well with him. Then
she remembered Piper’s wise words. Fake it until their free. They had to gain
their trust.

She mentally said “Let’s do this Morgan.” She turned to
him and hugged him. “Thank you.” He didn’t react at first but when he did
instead of simply hugging her back he stepped back a little and bent his head
to kiss her. She made herself stay calm as she kissed him back. He pulled her
against him and she felt how hard he was.

She was not ready to sleep with him again. Fortunately he
had somewhere to be. “I have to go, I won’t see you until tonight, dress up
with it.” He nodded towards the box. She nodded and gave him a small smile. He
grinned at her and left the room.

She released a breath as soon as he was gone.

She wished she knew the real motive he had. There was no
way he just chose her based off her looks and personality.

She left the room to find Piper. She raised her hand to
knock but the door swung open and Cieran appeared buttoning his suit jacket. He
smiled at her and moved aside for her to enter.

That’s how she found Piper naked in his bed. His room was
exactly like his brothers but done in red. “Uh, Pipes?” She called. “Hand me
that robe.” Piper said pointing to a silk robe on a dark red velvet chair. She
picked up a cream colored robe and walked to the bed and handed it to her. She
was avoiding sleeping with Caedmon and Piper apparently loved her time with
Cieran.

“Piper…do you like him?” She looked at her friend. When
she didn’t answer right away she knew she did. How could she like that twisted
sick man? She looked at the ceiling and sighed. This would complicate things if
her friend fell to hard. She knew it.

“Morgs, I know what we have to do. I won’t risk our
freedom.” She didn’t necessarily believe that. “How, I mean why?” She asked
her. “I know what he is, who he is but when were together it doesn’t matter.”  She
just stared at her. Did she really think he would only be with her? Did she
forget the sick shit these men did?

“Okay Piper, I’ll see you tonight.” She left the room
ignoring her friend calling after her so she didn’t say something she would
later regret. Back in Caedmon’s room she lay on the bed and stared up at the
ceiling. This was a giant cluster fuck.

She was awoken by someone knocking on the bedroom door.
She got off the bed and went to the door. She pulled it open and two girls
stood on the other side one a brunette with green eyes and the other a long
haired blonde with blue. “Were here to get you ready.”  The brunette spoke.

“I can’t just get myself ready?” The blonde scoffed and
pushed passed her into the room. “To the bathroom.” The brunette said following
the blonde. They were each carrying supplies in their arms. She sighed and
followed them to the bathroom.

The blonde already had her dress. “This is beautiful he
must really like you, he just fucks me and goes about his day.” She blinked at
her, the brunette slapped her arm. She took the dress and stared at them. They
apparently weren’t going anywhere. She ripped her old dress off and pulled on
the new one.

It fit perfectly, it had thin straps and hung to the floor.
The slit bothered her though, it went beyond her thigh and she would have to be
sure the dress hung how it was now all night or everyone would get a peep. They
set to work immediately on her hair and put it in an up do, they applied almost
no makeup and they covered her back with some type of cover up powder very
gently.

Neither seemed surprised at her back. It had to look like
criss-crossed rail road tracks. The brunette beamed at her the blonde gave her
a half smile. “Alright, I think you’re ready, you’re supposed to go to the
foyer now.” The blonde told her walking out of the bathroom.

They all walked down the stairs together. She went into the
foyer and Caedmon was already there. He eyed her slowly up and down his eyes
roaming her body when they reached her face he smiled at her. “You are
beautiful, you look gorgeous.” She smiled up at him. “Thank you.”

He reached for her hand and wrapped it through his arm. “We
have a show to watch.” Her stomach turned at what was to come.

They went into the stable through a private entrance she
had never seen until now and into an elevator she also had never seen until
now. The doors opened into a large lounge type room he walked through and out a
glass door.

This was the balcony he always watched from. The view was
of the whole arena and the crowd on either side. A long bar ran behind the long
cushioned bench sofa. Piper was already here looking amazing in a black
strapless gown.

He sat her beside Piper and he sat on the other side of
her. Cieran was on the opposite side of Piper. They were soon joined by
Lorintha, a pudgy older man, a man her age, a very attractive man named Garreth
and another woman named Hannah.

The announcer’s voice boomed out of the PA after about five
minutes. A very large vampire was holding the end of a chain, attached to it,
was what she assumed was another vampire but something was wrong with it. It
was like a mutant or something.

It had regular skin but a bit pale, it was crouched down
like a dog on its haunches, slobber ran down its face and his eyes were like
black holes. His teeth were large and jutting from his mouth as sharp rows of
points with two huge fangs at the top and bottom.

It was making a weird growling sound and had a thick gold
plated collar around its neck. The announcer said his name was Buck. How was
someone supposed to fight this thing? It turned out they couldn’t.

The first set of girls into the arena were clearly newly
kidnapped they had the confused look and took in the room together. Then they
froze looking at Buck who was wiggling like an excited dog as he watched the
two girls.

The man holding his chain reached down and unclipped it.
Buck sprang forward on all fours barreling straight into one of the girls. She
gritted her teeth and put her hands in her lap as the girls face was shredded
and her screams filled the room. She fought to keep her face impassive.

Piper had gone still beside her. The other woman was
freaking out like anyone normal would but that cost her, her own life. Buck
launched in the air from the first girl to her, landing on her like a
grasshopper. She was dead within seconds.

The crowd went wild. She didn’t understand how they could
get a rise out of this. Then the thought occurred that could have easily been
her and Piper if they would have even made it this far.

The next round was a set of identical twin men. The first
men she had ever seen here that weren’t vampires. They held up a little better
than the previous victims but they both were killed in the end.

She swallowed the bile rising in her throat. The trucks
came in to remove the bodies and do the sawdust switch. “Would you like a
drink?” Caedmon said from beside her. She gave a forced small smile and nodded.
She wanted the whole damn bottle.

He was handed a small glass that he handed to her. Coke and
Rum, she thanked him and took a sip. He sat it behind her on the bar when she
was done sipping. He pulled her closer to him and turned her head.

“I’m glad you’re up here with me.” In this case so was she.
Be up here with him or be down in the arena with whatever the hell Buck was.
“Me too.” She said quietly. He smiled softly and started to kiss her. She
expected him to pull away when the next round started but he only deepened it.

He pulled away and grinned at her trying to get her
bearings as the third round ended like the others had. He had kissed her during
people screaming as they were torn apart.

Something was very wrong with this man.

She didn’t know how Piper could deal with this. The fourth
and final round was started and she was surprised the red head was still alive;
she came out with two other girls all looking her age.She figured the two were
friends or sisters based off the hair colors.

One had sleek straight hair that was a deep magenta and
hung in a chic cut straight to her shoulders while the other girl, who was
probably one of the prettiest girls she’d ever seen had an ombre effect of deep
black at the top, with deep purple blended into it and then went to small strips
of burgundy and ended in a deep orange.

On anyone else she would have thought they looked like a
clown but she looked like it could have been her natural hair color. Her hair
hung to her waist and she had pale creamy skin.

All three were in the same maid like uniform still. She
could see Caedmon’s gaze locked onto the dark haired one why Cieran was
watching the other two. The round started and Buck cocked his head as if trying
to pick which one he wanted more.

He went for the short haired girl. As he leapt the dark
haired one went for the wall and she watched the short haired girl grab the red
head and toss her into Buck. They hit the ground and Buck flipped the woman and
tore into her like she was a piece of meat.

She looked up at the ceiling trying to ignore her screams
of pain. How could someone do that!? The crowd loved this round. Caedmon and
Cieran laughed. This was funny to them?! He had slept with that woman. 

The dark haired woman ran back and shoved a sword
straight into Bucks head. The crowd jumped to their feet. The two women were
led from the arena and the crowd started to rise.Caedmon rose and held out a
hand to her. She did not want anything to do with him, she took his hand and he
helped her up.

She didn’t say a word to him; her acting skills would have
gotten her any star roles at the moment. He led her back outside and to where a
long stretch limo was parked. The door was opened for them and he helped her
inside.

They sat at the end of the car, Piper and Cieran at the
other and the people from above came in as well. Lorintha sat right beside him
on his other side. She went into her own little world to try and get herself
back on track. She had to get away.