Mother stood at the far end of the hall, holding something in her hands and smiling at me like a groom might smile at a bride led in on her father’s arm. The other girls stood in a row for me to walk past them all. It would be the last time I would see any of them, and the thought blurred my vision with tears. This place had been my home for almost as long as I could remember, these other girls my family, and I didn’t want to have to leave.
I wasn’t allowed to hug my friends goodbye this time—that’s what breakfast had been for—but I locked eyes with Christa as I walked. You look beautiful, she mouthed at me. Be strong.
I pressed my lips together and nodded, holding back more tears. Mother would be angry if I ruined my makeup moments before meeting my new owner.
I passed the girls and came to a halt in front of Mother. She beamed at me, as though this was the proudest moment she could think of. I guessed it was for her. This was what she’d dedicated her life to, and each time one of us left, she’d completed her job.
Christophe moved behind me. Though I didn’t see the tiny key he produced, I knew it was held in his hand. The collar at my neck jiggled slightly and then it clicked open. I sucked in a deep breath, the feeling of not having the circle of metal around my throat both dizzying and terrifyingly freeing, but it wasn’t to last for long.
Christophe removed the collar and Mother stepped forward, holding my new collar in her hands. Where the old one had been black, this one was a shiny red-gold. She stepped toward me and placed it around my throat, clicking the lock into place. The color of the metal was a symbol, just as my black collar had been. I was a fully-qualified owned courtesan now, not just a blood courtesan, but one who was raised with this sole purpose in life.
To be a companion to a vampire.
Mother adjusted the collar and then regarded me with pride. “You’re ready, Dakota. Make me proud.” Then she leaned in and kissed my cheek, her skin cool against my own. It was the first time she’d ever shown me any kind of affection.
With a couple of long strides, she went to the big metal door which shut us off from the rest of the world. She pressed some buttons on the keypad, and the door buzzed and then slid open.
“Someone is waiting for you, Dakota,” she said.
I nodded and gave a final glance back at my friends, and then took a deep breath. Holding myself tall, I walked toward the exit and stepped out into the real world for the first time in years.
Chapter Three
A man in a black suit stepped forward to meet me.
I stared at him, my heart in my throat. Was this the vampire who would own me?
But I shook the thought from my head. Of course not. It was daylight. My vampire would still be sleeping.
Behind me, the door slid shut and sealed, making me jump. A black limousine waited at the curbside, and I noticed another man, wearing an identical suit, waiting behind the wheel.
“Miss Dakota,” the first man said to me, “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance. Please, follow me.”
He stepped to the car to open the back door for me.
I hesitated, and glanced back at the now closed door I’d just walked through. The next time it opened for one of us girls to leave, it would be for Christa. My heart clenched with longing for my friends, and even for Mother. Yes, she was selling girls to vampires, but she’d been the closest thing I’d had to a real mother that I could remember.
A real mother wouldn’t sell her children.
I pushed the thought away. The few memories I had of my own mother were less than flattering—her striking me as I tried to steal a piece of cheese from the kitchen counter. Me hiding behind the couch as she stormed around our tiny house, screaming my name. Her grabbing my arm and dragging me back out again when she found me.
No, my real mother hadn’t been any better than Mother. Perhaps she’d saved me from a far worse existence.
My hungry eyes took in my surroundings before I moved toward the car. We were in an alleyway, with no discernible features. I’d only seen the inside of the training center and its small garden for the past six years, and this was my first taste of the outside world. My heart sank with disappointment. I’d been hoping for far reaching views, and flowers, and flowing rivers. Instead, I had more gray concrete walls and an equally gray ground. The only thing of any color was a sign posted to the wall in front of me, on the opposite side of the road, advertising a band playing somewhere nearby.
Trying to quell my disappointment, I slid onto the vast expanse of leather seat and the door slammed shut behind me. The man opened the passenger door and climbed inside.
My brain whirred, remembering my training. Always make a man feel relaxed and comfortable, no matter the situation. I was to flirt with those with an ego, coax the personality from the shy, flatter the ones with low self-esteem. But this man was rigid and cold, and I had no idea what personality box he fit into. Besides, I’d discovered it was a very different thing to practice with Mother and the other girls compared to talking to a real life male.
I leaned forward slightly, the material of my dress slipping around my thighs. “Please, forgive me,” I started. “I didn’t ask your name.”
“You don’t need to know my name,” he said. “I am none of your concern. We’re just paid to get you where you need to be.”
I hazarded another question. “And where exactly is that?”
“New York.”
“Is that far?”
He gave a cold laugh. “You’re already here.”
My mind boggled. New York? Had I been living in New York all this time? All we’d been told was America, no other detail. Asking too many questions was something Mother didn’t like, and we’d be punished for it by putting us in solitary confinement or making us miss meals. Not that it mattered. We weren’t allowed to leave the training center anyway. We could have been on a whole other planet and it wouldn’t have looked any different.
As the car started up and passed between the high walls of the alleyway, black screens rose up around the windows, blocking off my view once more. The only window still clear was the windshield, but as I leaned forward to try to get an idea of where we were going, another black screen rose between myself and the driver and his passenger. It was enough to let a little light in, but not for me to see through.
“Sorry, Miss,” the man said over his shoulder. “We have our orders.”
Encased in what felt like a black glass box, I let out a sigh and sat back in my seat. Sudden tears threatened to spill and I blinked them back. Was this to be my future, as closed off as my past had been? I’d been allowing myself to hope for extravagant parties and restaurants, but the truth was I could end up moving from one prison to another. No one else would care what my vampire wanted to do with me. He owned me now.
It occurred to me that I should have asked my vampire’s name, rather than the man who had met me.
Damn it. How many more mistakes would I make?
I sat in silence, my head leaning back against the leather headrest, as the car took me to my destination. The traffic made progress slow-going and it felt as though an hour or more had passed before we eventually came to a stop, though it could have been more or less, I struggled to tell.
I sat up straight, my heart pattering. Was this my final destination?
I fingered the collar around my neck, a nervous habit. How much longer before my owner removed it for his first taste? Or perhaps he would leave it in place and decide to take his first feed from a different part of my body—my wrist, or breast, or groin. The collar, after all, was really only a symbol. It wouldn’t prevent a vampire from biting me if he wanted.
The man in the passenger seat climbed out of the car and then opened my door for me. My dress swished around my legs as I swung them out of the car and planted my heels on the ground. On shaky limbs, I got to my feet and stood straight, allowing the dress to drape down my body. I caught the man’s gaze flicking down to my chest and back up again. He cleared his thro
at and then made his way to the trunk of the car. He popped it open and pulled out the suitcase containing my clothes—the only belongings I had in the world.
“This way, please.”
I looked up at the building we stood in front of. We were in a wide, busy street, traffic sweeping past in both directions, though no one appeared to be walking on our side. Everyone was avoiding us, and no one looked at me.
A wave of shame swept over me, my cheeks heating. Did they know what I was?
No, I wasn’t supposed to feel ashamed. Mother had said we were special, that there was only a handful of us in the world. My type of courtesan was like a rare jewel, expensive, and could only belong to those with the highest of tastes.
So why did I suddenly feel like a cheap whore?
It occurred to me that I could try to run. I could spin on my overly high heels and sprint, screaming to the other side of the road and beg the passersby to help me. I knew I’d been stolen as a child, but other than that, I could tell them no more. Would the police be able to take my fingerprints or a blood sample and figure out where I came from? Or would the cops think I was a complete lunatic and lock me up in a cell? Another thought occurred to me. Perhaps being locked up in a cell would be a good thing? If the vampire who’d bought me figured out that I had tried to run, he would surely kill me.
“Come,” the man who wouldn’t tell me his name said. “It will be dark soon and you need to be ready.”
A shiver tore through me. It would be dark, and then I would meet him.
I was taken into the building and toward the bank of elevators at the back. A doorman sat behind a desk to our right, but he only nodded a greeting as we passed through and didn’t ask who we were there to see.
I assumed we would be stepping into one of the elevators, but instead the man ushered me to the left, where a separate elevator was positioned.
“It’s a private elevator,” he told me as he used a card with a barcode to call the car and then gestured me through. “It only goes to the penthouse.”
“Of course,” I said, as though I knew about such things.
The car swept us upward, and opened to reveal a huge apartment.
The views from the floor to ceiling windows spread across the New York skyline. It was breathtaking. The sky turned a golden red behind the skyscrapers, the color so similar to that of the collar around my throat. The sight made me catch my breath, tears flooding my eyes. I’d never seen such a thing before, something I’d only ever dreamed of. My small life of gray concrete walls suddenly felt like a lifetime ago.
Christa would love this.
I tried not to think of my friend. She’d get her own life, too, in a couple of months… Except, it wasn’t our own life. Our lives were owned by someone else—someone I hadn’t even met yet.
“The bathroom is through there,” my guard told me, as he set my suitcase down on the floor near the elevator. “Sir will be awake soon, and I expect you’ll want to freshen up.”
I turned to him, away from the view. “What’s he like?”
He shook his head and glanced away. “I couldn’t possibly say.”
Butterflies made of lead felt like they were attempting to fly in my stomach. I wanted to be brave, but I was about to meet a vampire. Despite all of our training, we’d never actually met a real one. A real one who would bite.
And fuck.
The man who’d driven me bowed his head slightly. “I must leave you now. Please, make yourself comfortable. He won’t be long.”
I glanced toward the sunset, to the faint bright line where the sun still peeped above the horizon. Any minute now, it would set and I would be alone to face him. The elevator doors slid shut and I realized the other man had left. A moment of madness gripped me and I hurried over to the elevator and hit the button forcefully enough to hurt my finger.
“Is there someplace you need to be?”
The deep voice sounded from behind me, and I froze. My heart felt like it stopped, pausing in my chest, before lurching into my throat. Tears of fear pricked the backs of my eyes.
Slowly, I turned to face him.
A man—no, not just a man—stood, regarding me with cold, serious dark eyes. His black hair was a couple of inches in length and swept from his face. He had a wide jaw and a full mouth. His skin had an olive tone, or at least would have been if not for the vampire paleness.
“Hello, Dakota,” he said, his gaze assessing me from head to foot. “My name is Roman Kramar, and I am your master.”
Chapter Four
Mother had told me that whatever situation I found myself in, I was to always think back to my training. After six years, it should be firmly embedded in every word I spoke, every move I made, but right at that moment all thoughts left me.
Roman Kramar was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. The mild attraction I’d had for Aiden back at the training center swept into pale significance. If I’d thought it possible for my heart to stop and for me to continue living, I’d have sworn it did so in that moment.
“You understand why you’re here?” he said, his voice deep, an accent—something European—affecting it.
Training, remember your training.
I took a breath and stood up straighter and pushed back my shoulders. I smiled, though I worried a twitch in my face would give away my nerves. “Of course, sir. I’m here for your pleasure.”
“Good. Now come here.”
Taking step after trained step across the room, I sashayed up to him. His eyes were fixed on me, and I felt my nipples crinkle beneath my dress, knowing they’d be poking through it like two little bullets. Christophe had chosen this dress for a reason. He’d known exactly what he was doing.
I stopped in front of the vampire and sucked in my stomach, resisting the urge to cover my hard nipples with my arm.
“Turn around,” he growled. “Slowly.”
I did as he asked, aware of his gaze taking in every curve of my body, and came to a halt facing him again.
“You are beautiful, Dakota,” he said. “I think I got my money’s worth.”
“Thank you. I hope you’ll be very satisfied with me.”
He leaned in and brought his face close to my ear. The sensation of having him so near was overwhelming, making my head swim. “I know you’re nervous. I can hear it in your heartbeat. I can smell the fear on your skin.”
“You’re my first real experience of a vampire,” I said, trying to keep the tremor from my voice. “Everything else has just been training.”
He leaned back out and tilted his head to one side. Then he reached out and traced the back of his finger down the side of my face, making me shiver. “And I’m the first experience you’ve had of a man, too. Isn’t that right?”
I nodded. “Yes, sir.” I remembered what Mother had told me. How our virginity was one of the things that made us so sought after. “No man has ever touched me… intimately.” Or even kissed me, I thought.
“You cost me a lot of money, Dakota. I hope I’ll get exactly what I want from you.”
He didn’t say what exactly that was, but I could use my imagination.
“I’ll do everything I can to satisfy you,” I breathed. I wanted to get this over and done with—like ripping off a Band-Aid. Once I’d gotten over the initial trepidation of it all, it was bound to get easier. Unless it’s awful and he hurts you and you hate it, a warning voice spoke inside my head. No, I couldn’t let myself think like that. Mother had told us we would find pleasure in our masters if we allowed ourselves to give in to them. Only if we displeased them would we find the process of feeding and sex to be bad.
Remembering how I’d been taught to be coy and sweet and flirtatious, I made myself step forward, closing the gap between me and the vampire. He watched me with curiosity, which unsettled me more than if he’d looked at me with lust in his eyes.
“Where would you like the first taste from?” I asked, looking up at him from beneath my eyelashes. I tilted my head to one side,
exposing the side of my neck, and then ran my fingers down the side of my throat to tug at my collar. “From here, perhaps?” Then I lifted my arm to him, holding out my wrist as though offering him to scent an expensive perfume. “Or here?” When he didn’t respond, I pulled back my hand and then pinched the material at the top of my dress, and lowered the front, exposing the rounded globe of my left breast. “Or even here.”
His face turned pale and I saw a muscle in his jaw tick.
Roman took a step back, breaking the moment. “Not now, Dakota,” he snapped. “You have just arrived. You must get settled in first.”
I hadn’t been expecting him to reject me. I’d been preparing myself for my first bite, or kiss, perhaps even more. Why did I experience such disappointment?
“Oh, of course.” I was flustered.
He turned from me and strode through the apartment. I picked up my skirt around my ankles and hurried after him.
“This is to be your room,” he said when I’d caught up.
I looked around at the luxurious surroundings, the huge, four poster bed, the plush carpet, and thick drapes on the window. A three-door, ornate mahogany closet and a matching dresser were pushed up against the far wall. It was a world away from the plain room I’d grown up in.
But I hadn’t been expecting this.
“I have my own room?” I was surprised. I’d assumed he’d have wanted me to sleep with him. Wasn’t that what he’d paid so much money for?
“Of course,” he said. “You’ll need somewhere to sleep when I have other… guests here.”
“Oh!” I tried not to feel the little surge of jealousy that rose up inside me. “You’ll be bringing other blood courtesans here, then?”
“And regular women as well.” His mouth twitched with amusement. “You didn’t expect me to eat the same meal every day for the next however many years, I assume. I thought you’d prefer not to be in the same room while I’m enjoying other women, but if it’s the type of thing you’d like to join in with, too, I would be more than happy to oblige.”
Stolen: A Vampire Blood Courtesans Romance Page 2