Captive Consort

Published by EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ® at Smashwords

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2024 Jade Marshall and Rose Wulf

ISBN: 978-0-3695-1012-9

Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

Editor: Lisa Petrocelli

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

For Marlene Wulf

Mother, friend, caregiver

You are seen

You are loved

You are appreciated

You are fucking AWESOME!

CAPTIVE CONSORT

Thanatos Coven, 1

Jade Marshall and Rose Wulf

Copyright © 2024

Content Warning

Captive Consort may contain triggers for some. As readers, we find trigger warnings to be spoilers, but as authors, we understand that they are sometimes necessary. Although we are not going to list each one, there are many, please feel free to visit either of our websites for a full list of trigger warnings.

Jade Marshall:

https://jademarshallauthor.wordpress.com/

Rose Wulf:

https://rosewulf.wixsite.com/official

For those of you who wish to go in blind, please remember that this is a work of fiction, and we DO NOT condone or wish to romanticize any of the situations or actions of the characters.

Hold on tight and enjoy the ride!

Jade & Rose

Glossary

Blood Council:The Blood Council consists of the four oldest born vampires alive at any time. In all matters except those involving a bonded pair, the Blood Council determines if a misdaad has been committed and what the punishment should be. The Blood Council has the final say on any conflicts between two or more covens, regardless of bonded pairs within. The Blood Council must be present for all formal bonding ceremonies.

Consort: Mate to a vampire. After her mate marks her, the aging process stops but she is still mortal. Most consorts are born with special abilities, although some are unaware of this. Abilities will bloom once the consort and her mate are bonded. Consorts can become pregnant but it is very difficult and takes many years if it happens at all. No other vampire may drink from a bonded consort. This misdaad is punishable by death.

Consort Suite: A room in the coven house that is used for all consorts when they first arrive. All consorts need to be kept separate from the coven until they accept their fate and their mate.

Coven: Similar to a family. A coven usually consists of a minimum of four vampires living together. Most covens consist of vampires all turned by the same Maker. Some covens will allow other visiting covens from time to time. Very few covens are open to allowing rogues/strays in. There are very few female vampires.

Feral: Ferals are vampires that have given into the bloodlust. Ferals cannot be brought back from the bloodlust.

Jagter: This is the name of the faction that exists solely to hunt vampires. A hunter can be distinguished by a symbol of three arrows tattooed inside the left arm.

Maker: A Maker is the original vampire in a coven. This vampire is usually responsible for turning the other vampires in his coven and is always a naturally born vampire. Only a born vampire can turn a human. All Makers are male. There has never been a born female vampire.

Misdaad: This is the vampire term for a crime. There are several laws upheld by the Blood Council.

Oracle: Immortal deity that is neutral in all matters. She only offers guidance. Each living creature is allowed to ask the Oracle one question every ten years. This is how the coven finds the females they need.

Rogue/Stray: A vampire that has lost its coven or been banished.

The Pull: This is used to describe the undeniable attraction between a vampire and his consort. It can take place in many forms from seeking the smell of their significant other to feeling a physical attraction.

Chapter One

Scarlet

Not Where I Was Before

The first thing I am aware of when I wake up is that I have no recollection of this place. I have never been here before. I have no memory of how I got here but I do have the feeling of being in danger. There is no way to explain why I would feel this way, but I know in my heart that it is the truth. I can feel it all the way down to my very being. A darkness clings to the air around me.

Instead of letting the panic envelop me, I take a deep breath and scan my surroundings. I am laid on a large bed with a dark-stained four-poster frame. The bedding is as white as fresh snow and soft to the touch. The room is massive but only sparsely decorated. There is a dark wooden bookshelf with what looks to be novels stacked on it haphazardly, a large desk, and a single dark leather couch.

It’s quite a beautiful, gilded cage.

Standing from the bed I try to figure out how I will escape from the room. If I were invited here, I would remember it so I must have been taken. The last thing I remember is arguing with my mother. I try to remember what the argument was about, but I simply cannot draw the memory forth.

I inspect the sturdy wooden door when I reach it but find it locked, which is exactly what I was expecting. Then I move over to the large, floor-to-ceiling windows. They too are locked, and I can see thick iron bars on the outside of the glass.

I grab the window frame and rattle it, trying to get the lock to pop loose, to no avail, not that it would matter. When I finally stop trying to get the lock to give, I stare out through the glass. I am far from any city, that much is clear. There are nothing but trees and rolling hills as far as the eye can see. Even if I can open the lock on the windows, I won’t be able to go anywhere. If my guess is correct, I am more than two stories up.

Even though I swore I wouldn’t, I can feel the panic slowly creeping up my throat. I feel it wrap around me and steal all logic from my mind. The coldness of my pretty prison starts to seep into my bones, a shiver coursing through my body. I need to get the hell out of here before whoever took me returns. It’s at that moment I hear the lock in the door turn.

Turning, I see a man enter the room. He has long raven hair, a closely cropped beard, and strong features. He wears an impeccably tailored slate-grey suit with a crisp white shirt with dark swirls of ink peeking out beneath the fabric. He locks the door again once inside before he turns his attention to me.

I’ve seen this man before. Visions of him have assaulted me for the past six months. His features are burned into my brain. I can tell you everything about him, from the color of his eyes to the tattoos on his back. He may be clothed at this moment but I have had visions of him shirtless, and sweaty while exercising.

Scarlet, he says in a deep timbre, his voice somehow soothing my frayed nerves and pissing me off all at once.

It’s nice that you know my name, I cut in, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

It’s my default setting and even though fear pounds through my veins I can’t seem to control my big mouth. I think one thing and yet only derision and ridicule fall from my lips when I try to speak.

I receive no reply as he continues to stare at me. It feels as though he is assessing me, looking for something, but I’m not quite sure what. The moment stretches out for what feels like an eternity as I try not to fidget, my anger simmering in the background.

My name is Kyson, he finally says.

That’s great, Ky, I interject yet again, sneering at him. But that doesn’t explain where I am and why you kidnapped me.

Kyson mumbles something incoherent before clearing his throat. My name is Kyson, not Ky. And you are here because this is where you need to be. Where you are meant to be.

Throwing my hands up in the air, I pace the length of my opulent cage shooting daggers at him with my gaze. My bare feet slap loudly on the tiled floor.

That means absolutely nothing to me! I want to smack him. Just tell me what is going on.

You are here because the Oracle said you are my consort.

Stopping dead in my tracks, I glare at the man in front of me. How can someone so pretty possibly be so stupid?

Not one single word you just said makes a lick of sense to me! I yell.

There is a lot you don’t know but once you do, everything will make sense. His calmness has irrational irritation flashing through me.

Let me explain something to you, I huff, placing my hands on my hips. "I don’t care about anything you have to say. I’m not interested in finding out about you, your Oracle, or being a consort, whatever the fuck that is. I want to leave," I huff.

In the blink of an eye, I find myself pressed against the wall, caged in by muscular arms. Kyson is looming over me, displeasure flashing in his gaze.

Watch your mouth, he says lowly. "I won’t stand to hear you speaking