Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by the Mafia Vampire Boss

ip hurt where I'd pressed against the floor. My eyes opened slowly. Everything was blurry shapes. My he

t up. Yo

in the wind. The silver cuffs cut into my wrists and burned, lik

nergy," someon

cage. Her hair was dirty straw, her

l beside me that held a bit of pale green liquid. "Makes

y lips cracked. "Wh

h. "The auction block. You're

my hair, the needle. I looked down. My clothes were gone, replaced by a black s

eathed, hands cu

The things they'll do... you can't even imagine." She paused, a

ed, scrambling ba

o tight it must have been pinned on. His face shattered glass, black eyes suckled lig

in cr

tle at a butcher's, instead of the hungry men who had come

w my teeth ached. "A rar

or shrieked, but

voice was shaking. I ha

, thin smile. "I am the on

acks that echoed, then turned and was g

he was out of earshot. "He runs the

uzzer sounded. Red lights flashed, turning the room blood r

the cage as it rolled away in the opposite dire

something-a curtain of black beads. Voices were shouting over the beads, e

ted, and I was

a nightmare dresse

silk dresses and suits. Some of them were wearing masks - feathers

g, lips pulled back to show sharp, animal teeth. Next to him a woman played with

the middle of a stage. T

om the darkness beside the stage. "Tonig

ll. Not a single

the light. He held up his cane like he was conductin

. I fell out, hard, onto the stage. My knees hit the floo

d my eyes, but I saw the faces in the crowd, hungry and eager. "Viol

fist on the railing. "Let he

her first?" He let go of my hair, and I tripped as the silver cha

t up like

ndred t

en-f

illi

son of the wolfsbane clogged my mind, tipping the world sideways. Focus. You have to focus. I dug my nails into

mil

g out clear, sh

ilent. Everyone

suit and black gloves. A cigarette between his fingers. Its dim light sho

t pressed down on my chest, cold and sharp, but

truck the railing.

r didn't mo

ee-f

ou

s white on his cane. "Four

iv

e, from th

ter who'd taken me prisoner, smily, his face ugly and

ebrow. "Can you pro

age, it sliding to a stop near my feet

alcony straightened u

ate in his eyes. "You'

held it

ut out his cig

ar went red. "You t

throwing lengthening shadows about him. "Or mayb

forward, hands out. "Ten millio

and landed hard. He grabbed my arm and

houlder, and I screamed,

ranger

The next, he was standing beside m

e said, his voice

ou're dead... you

is thumb into Halgar's

ut beneath me, crashing to the gr

t beside me. Halgar's face twisted in rage, but the stranger whispered in his ear, words I c

were running for the exits. The stranger

stand?"

m. "Why? Going

touched his lips

was something precious. The wolfsbane's fog swallowed me whole. The last t

n't over

I pass