The Immortal Compromise (The Mortal One Series Book 3) by Shannon Bell Page B

of cushion was causing a throbbing pain in my back, but I assumed that this little outing wasn’t made to make me comfortable. My biggest fear was that they would kill me since they were allowing me to see where I was being taken. If they didn’t care, it meant that they didn’t anticipate me being a threat.
    Being left in the dark sucked. As I continued to watch the scenery pass out the window, I noticed we were coming into another city, and that’s when we started to slow down. I swallowed, preparing for what would be next.
    The van came to a stop and the door was opened abruptly. The tall man reached in and grabbed me by the wrist. I gave a kick at him but he only grabbed my wrist harder. “Move,” he said, pulling me out of the van with more force than necessary. Had he just asked me to follow him, I would have.
    “Where are we?” I asked.
    The shorter man stared at me and shook his head. I was brought around the back of a castle, but the details were limited because it so dark. A large door opened and the two men led me down a dimly lit hall. I tried to look at as many details as I could, but there were no lights on inside the castle. I peered further down the hall and saw no sign that there was even electricity in here. Great.
    Another large door opened and all I saw were stairs. The shorter man held the door open while the taller man walked down the stairs with me. “Keep going,” he said, nudging me down the stairs. I was going slowly and it was because the stairwell was steep and narrow. Plus, I had no idea what was waiting down there for me. I swallowed over a huge lump. I was given another nudge and tripped over the last stair, landing on my knees that were already raw, thanks to the van.
    The man, or vampire as I assumed, lit a torch on the wall. The torch sprung to life, lighting up the cellar that I was in. There was nothing in here, save for two stools. He took his time staring at me and I shrunk at his scrutiny. He made a guttural noise and then walked back up the stairs.
    “Wait!” I yelled after him, realizing he was leaving me here alone. “What am I supposed to do down here?”
    I knew he could hear me, but he kept walking up the stairs. The shorter man at the top of the stairs smiled and waved to me, and then shut the door. I could hear it being locked and then there was silence. I was alone in a cellar, with no clue as to why I was here or for how long. I’ve said it before and it’s time I say it again. Fucking vampire politics. It was the only reason I could be here right now.
     
     

 
     
     
     
     
     

     
    Chapter 11
     
    “I DON’T UNDERSTAND. If you would just let me call my sovereign,” I said for what seemed like the hundredth time.
    “Shut up, mortal,” the tall man spat at me.
    “Wenzel is on his way here,” the shorter man said to no one in particular.
    The name sounded familiar, but the accent was thick. It sounded like the name of the Bavarian sovereign and that worried me. I didn’t want to meet him alone. Not without Nico or Olivier at my side. At this point, I would even accept having Gregorio at my side. Or Costin. Anyone, really, that knew me.
    A tall man with broad, square shoulders came walking down the stairs. I saw him rather than heard him. Although his size was intimidating, he was able to walk without making a sound. His dark brown hair was cut short in a modern style. He walked the rest of the way down the stairs and came to stand in front of me.
    “You are Dylan?” He asked.
    I nodded.
    He took a seat on the other stool that was in the room. He sat across from me, studying me for several moments before saying anything. “You are the pet of the Parisian sovereign?”
    “I am.” There was more I could say, or ask, but had no idea what I was and wasn’t allowed to do right now.
    “What is his name?”
    I stared at him, wondering if he was unsure of the name or wanted me to confirm it for him. “Niccolò Marionelli.”
    He nodded. “He has not