Read Til Death (Jane #5) for Free Online Page A

since I was kidnapped, but time had become
something immaterial and unimportant. All that mattered was that I
held out until Felipe could arrive. I could not break. I had to
remain strong. I pictured his face and imagined the night he first
kissed me. His lips had felt so wonderful on mine, so sweet, so
strong.
    "What're you smiling about?"
    I blushed, having momentarily forgotten where
I was. I know, I know. How could I forget that I was sitting in a
torture chamber getting the blood cleaned off my destroyed limbs?
But Felipe's lips are easy to get lost in, even if I was only
imagining them at the time.
    "Nothing, I was just thinking."
    "About Felipe?"
    I cleared my throat and looked at the floor.
Anson took the hint quickly and finished cleaning me off in silence
before offering me the last few sips of blood. When the bottle was
empty, he took the pail of water and bottle back to wherever he
retrieved it from, then went to stand in the corner once more.
    "What does he want with me?" I asked after I
grew bored of sitting in the deafening quiet.
    My captor frowned. "To make you his queen.
You are strong, much stronger than Victoria, or so he hopes. And
you are talked about in all vampire circles. You have power over
them."
    "I do?" That stunned me. I didn't know anyone
knew about me but those I was closest to.
    He smiled at me very briefly. "Yes. Many of
the younger and weaker vampires look up to you. You are young
yourself, but have risen to a position of great admiration."
    I chewed my lip, trying to comprehend that
piece of information.
    "So what happens now?"
    Anson shrugged. "When Raymond comes back,
he'll pick a new weapon and continue where he left off."
    "Why did he bother to have you go through all
that effort then if he's just going to beat me bloody again?"
    The man in front of me bowed his head. "It
may seem stupid now, but it is a tactic of his that is very
powerful. It gives you a reprieve, a chance to hope. You start to
feel normal once more and usually you'll be fully healed within a
couple hours. You feel stronger and think to yourself 'I can do
this. I can resist.' But then he comes back, and he comes back
harder than he did before. You try to fight, but he beats you down
quicker than he did the first time. You lose the hope you had built
up in the intermission. And you start to crack. After each pause,
you'll be less resistant to his abuse, until you finally give in or
give up."
    I bit my lip. "I can see how that would be
more effective than a continuous beating. Thinking is a lot worse
than feeling."
    "Much worse. Thinking can get you in
trouble." Anson glanced at the door and took a step closer. "Now,
Jane, if you ever start feeling like--"
    We heard footsteps outside and he snapped his
mouth closed, scooting quickly back to the corner. The door once
again slammed open and Raymond entered as if he were a lion
returning back to his pride with a huge antelope for dinner. The
man had a way of announcing his presence, I'd give him that.
    "Jane, my darling," he cooed as he knelt
beside me and stroked my hand. "You are so lovely when you are all
cleaned up."
    A manicured fingernail traced along my jaw
and I pulled my head away as well as the clamp around my neck would
allow. I felt saliva pool in the bottom of my mouth and I gathered
it on my tongue. Before Raymond could pull away, I let it fly,
forcing it out through pursed lips with the biggest puff of air I
could master. The loogie landed squarely on his right eye and the
surprise knocked him backward onto his bottom.
    I tried to suppress a grin, I really did. But
it was just so funny, I found myself almost bending over with
laughter. Only the chair kept me upright. In the corner, Anson's
eyes were wide and I could see his nostrils flaring. I knew if he
could, he would berate me for doing something so stupid.
Whoops.
    Raymond rose, breathing heavily. His face was
beet red and he was visibly trying to control himself. He raised
one finger and pointed it at me.