by Ella M. Lee
Or would it be the salt-and-pepper-haired vampire who leaned back in his chair. He gave me a half-insane grin as I passed. He had a human with him, a girl of maybe twenty. She was wearing a collar, and he held her leash. She looked well taken care of, at least. Maybe he was the type who kept “show” humans, like those people who owned teacup poodles or munchkin cats or whatever. I had no idea what that life was like, no idea if it would be better than what I had now. I hated that I only had bad options to consider and hope for.
My pulse raced. If there’d been anything at all in my stomach, I might’ve been trying to throw it up.
We reached Table 15. Franklin shoved me down into a chair. I looked away, annoyed, and my gaze landed on a male sitting on the edge of the auction stage.
His gaze was fixed on me in return, curious and interested.
He was a vampire—pale, thin, with the telltale shadows under his eyes and that aura of menace they all had. His dark, glossy hair fell across his forehead. His sensual lips twisted into a small smile as I studied him, my eyes trailing over his fox-like face, long limbs, and the elegant way he held his glass.
He was very pretty, especially for a vampire. Although they tended to have pristine features, their ghoulish skin ruined the entire image. But this one…his skin was snowy and there was just something about his eyes…
Otherworldly.
His smug smile widened under my attention, revealing the slight edge of his pointed fangs. I looked away, unnerved, just as Franklin rapped my wrist.
“Mmm?” I said, casting my attention back toward him.
“Drink?”
There was a waiter at his elbow, taking his order. Franklin must’ve been in an excellent mood if he was asking my opinion about anything.
I swallowed. “Anything is fine.” I wasn’t about to be disagreeable.
I didn’t hear what he told the waiter, irrationally eager to study the mysterious vampire again. I brought my gaze back up to the edge of the stage, but he was gone.
Chapter 4
I spent an hour ignoring everything except the champagne Franklin handed me. I drank whenever I could. Alcohol had a great way of making me forget things, and I really wanted to let this night fade into fuzziness. It also made me sick to my stomach, but that was fine. I’d take the trade.
TV shows and books about fake vampires might’ve led me to believe I should keep my wits about me at all times, but there really wasn’t a need for that. Humans couldn’t fight vampires. We couldn’t escape them. Maybe it didn’t make me the best or most ambitious person in the world, but I’d learned that it was easier to be compliant.
I was sick of getting hurt. Sick of pain. There wasn’t much I wouldn’t do to get away from it. If I couldn’t have true freedom, just keeping the pain away was its own kind of freedom, the one thing I could control about my life.
I was more content with small victories now than ever before, even if I longed for bigger ones.
Franklin got up, mingled, talked to others. That was fine. Great, even. I loved it when his attention fell on things other than me. All the windows and doors here had magical alarms keyed to the imprints on the back of my hands. I couldn’t escape, so it hardly mattered whether I was within his sight or not.
Hunger gnawed at my insides, but there was no food here. I’d never seen a vampire eat a single thing, and I’d never asked Franklin if they could.
I took another sip of champagne and stared down at the empty table.
Everyone ignored me. It would be impolite to address me without addressing Franklin first, and there would be punishment here for any vampire who harmed a human they didn’t own.
I’d be fine for at least another few hours, and I was trying my best not to imagine what would happen after that.
Trying not to let myself hope that this whole building might burn down or blow up before that happened.
I looked up occasionally, trying to catch a glimpse of the vampire I’d seen earlier, but I didn’t see him. I caught sight of many vampires here with dark hair and pale skin and tailored black suits, but none of them were him. None of them had his oddly captivating presence, alluring in a dangerous way, like a beautiful wild animal.
Franklin returned. He smacked my shoulder. “Your hair is coming undone. Go fix it.”
Why the hell do you even care?
Woodenly, I got up and spotted the women’s bathroom in the corner near the entrance.
“Don’t take too long, and keep your mouth shut,” he added, catching my arm.
Damn, I really couldn’t wait to get away from him. I shook him off gently—he probably wouldn’t care about that mild disobedience—and walked away without a word.
Could I go the rest of the night without speaking to him again?
The bathroom was mercifully empty when I entered, full of marble and dim lights and soft music. I retied my hair as Franklin had demanded and wet a paper towel, dabbing my watery eyes and hot cheeks. I was pale and shaking. Hunger, not fear. I still wasn’t letting myself think about the fact that there was a good chance life was about to get worse.
Were there any nice vampires? They were all human once, right? So what happened? Why didn’t they look at humans and feel bad about the things they did?
The door swished open behind me, and I jumped.
Two female vampires entered. Twins, with light skin, and white gowns, and auburn hair—stunning, like dolls or figures from a painting.
The one on the left noticed me and let out a low laugh. “What do we have here?”
The other tilted her head. “A lone human.”
“What a shame,” the first said, giving her sister an awful smile.
I stood straighter and held up my hands. “I’m for sale.”
“We know,” the second one said.
“We don’t care,” the first one added.
Oh shit.
I took a step back. Vampires could move far more quickly than I could, almost as quick as lightning, and these two were blocking the door. I wouldn’t be able to get past them. My only other option was to scream and hope someone heard.
I opened my mouth—
The first one gripped me from behind, her right hand crushed over my lips, her left pulling my ponytail. I hadn’t seen her move. I whimpered, trying to free my arms and reach up to claw at her, but it was no use.
“Shhh…” the second one said, taking long, graceful steps toward me.
She lifted her hand and brought her fingers to my face, inhaling my scent and sighing in pleasure. Leaning in, she pressed her nose into the skin of my neck and inhaled again. I cringed away.
She shifted, pulling her vampire essence to the surface, revealing her true vampire form. Her eyes went all black, her nails lengthened to sharp talons, her skin paled even more, her veins stood out like ropes, her teeth grew.
This was what they truly looked liked under the veneer of a human form. Something from hell, killing machines, designed to frighten, constantly craving blood.
My arms were mostly pinned, but I used my hands to bat her away. She caught my wrists in one hand, laughing. Fighting her grip was like battling iron.
Off, the tiny voice inside me instructed. I froze, trying not to anticipate what would happen.
One talon carefully pulled back the collar of my sweater, and I gasped as it pressed into my skin. Drops of blood welled, and she puckered her lips on my skin, her tongue rough against me.
“Oh, sister,” she moaned.
The one holding me tilted her head closer, her lips now on my neck. I flinched and closed my eyes. They didn’t seem to care that I was off-limits, that they could be hurt or killed for handling me like this. They’d bite me next, and then I’d quite possibly be dead. There’d be pain and the rush of my blood leaving me and then nothing.
And maybe…maybe that would be okay. No more suffering. No more living in this crazy world—if this could even be called living.
“What is going on here?” a male voice purred.
<
br /> My eyes snapped open. I could barely see past my captors to a vampire leaning against the closed bathroom door. I hadn’t heard him slip in. His arms were crossed, his stance casual but deliberately so. Proud. Haughty. His face was hidden in shadow.
The vampire who’d licked my blood took a skittering step back. Her sister released me, and I sprang away, pressing myself against the sink again. The two female vampires stood like guilty children with their heads hung.
I looked back at the male, squinting into the darkness, and my breath caught.
It was the mysterious stranger from earlier, the captivating one with the dark hair.
He pushed himself away from the door and came to stand in front of the other two, his face full of disgust. I studied them out of the corner of my eye.
“Jenna, your hand,” he said.
The one who’d tasted my blood looked up, desperate fear in her eyes.
Fear? From a vampire?
“My lord…” she murmured.
My lord? I’d never heard anyone use that term in the vampire world. I wanted to study this male, but all I could manage were glances from below my lashes.
“Jenna!” he growled, his purr turning to deadly steel.
She held out her right hand, and he took it in both of his. At first, his touch was sensual, caring, loving… He touched her like he enjoyed it, like he was teasing her. He even smiled at her benevolently, a smile that revealed his pointed canine teeth.
Then he snapped her wrist like a twig.
She gasped for breath, faltering.
He cracked her elbow back, bowing it in the wrong direction.
Fear clobbered me, filling my throat and chest and the pit of my stomach, pinning my feet to the ground. Whoever this male was, he was dangerous—far more dangerous than other vampires I’d encountered.
He stroked her arm, touching the skin over the broken bones, and she whimpered. Once his hand had swept all the way down, he grasped her pinky and folded it back, breaking it cleanly. Then he did the same to her ring finger.
My heart attempted to beat itself out of my chest. My lungs were screaming, begging for air, but I couldn’t breathe. I tried with every fiber of my being to flee, but my body still couldn’t move.
And even if it could? I wasn’t sure it would help. But he wasn’t looking at me… These two clearly held his interest, and I didn’t want to wait around for him to turn his torture on me.
I finally managed to twitch, about to impel myself toward the door, when his hand fell on my arm. He’d dropped the female vampire on the floor, and she was wailing softly.
“Stay,” he said to me, the purr back.
I looked up, startled.
His eyes met mine, and they were a beautiful jungle green, rich and deep, with pinpricks of dark shadows swirling in them.
I’d never seen eyes like his before, not on any vampire or human.
The vampire on the floor sobbed louder, now in her sister’s arms.
The male pursed his lips and rolled his eyes, the slight huff of a laugh escaping him. “Get out, both of you,” he said to them. “Leave this event, leave this city.”
They didn’t wait to be told again. I wanted to follow them with my eyes, but my gaze was locked on him. They hurried out the door, and it shut behind them with a bang.
I couldn’t look away from him, even though I should’ve, even though I knew that vampires didn’t want humans staring at them.
His hand still encircled my arm, but he hadn’t otherwise moved. He studied me, his eyes roaming over my face and collarbones and cleavage and waist.
I was frozen again, my fingers trembling. Was he about to kill me? What were the chances so many vampires at this event would be willing to break the rules of the auction?
Finally, his gaze landed back on mine. “Your name?” he asked in that soft, sweet tone.
“Trixie,” I choked out.
He sighed, an exaggerated, frustrated sound. “Is that your real name?”
I shook my head.
Vampires liked direct answers to direct questions, and they preferred them given silently.
“Your real name is…?” he asked, tilting his head curiously at me.
I swallowed, trying to get my tongue unstuck from the top of my mouth. “Arianna.”
He took my hands in his, holding them up so that he could see the auction marks on the back of them. He dropped them after only a moment, and his fingers brushed my cheek. His handsome face was marred by a grimace and then a frown.
“Did one of those two give you this bruise?” he asked.
I shook my head again.
His green eyes narrowed and darkened, and something menacing glowed behind them, some sort of primal fire that gave them life and enhanced the shifting shadows.
His looks unnerved me. I’d never seen such a beautiful vampire before. No veiny, greenish skin. No huge pupils. Maybe he was using glamour magic? That would mean he was older and more powerful than I could imagine.
His fingers wandered to my collar, pushing it aside, and he inspected the cut Jenna had made with her talon. His gaze hung there. I shook, preparing for his lips to close over the wound, but nothing happened.
He brushed his thumb across the scratch, wiping off the blood, and cleaned his fingers with a handkerchief from his jacket pocket.
He took a step back. “Only a master as dumb as yours would think you are safe alone. Come on, let’s get you back.”
I worked up some spit and swallowed. I was emboldened by his disparaging and almost frustrated tone. “Who… who are you? Why did you come in here?”
Those stunning eyes pierced me again, now clear and deep. He smiled almost proudly. “My name is Ren, and I came to make sure nothing happened to my future purchase.”
Chapter 5
Future purchase?
Ren offered me his arm.
I stared at it numbly. Had I managed to catch his attention so thoroughly that he wanted to bid on me? My jaw trembled at the thought. This male had just sent two reasonably old and powerful vampires running, and the power rippling in his eyes and across every one of his movements was enough to make me want to run, too.
When I didn’t move, he took my hand and placed it on his arm, tugging me along.
He pulled us through the door, and it was a relief to be back in the noisy, crowded ballroom. No one, not even him, was likely to assault me with so many witnesses nearby.
He kept his hand firmly on mine as he guided me back to my table. Franklin was still there. His scowl upon seeing me melted into a wary, alarmed look as he took in my escort.
“You seem to have lost this,” Ren said to Franklin brightly as he guided me into my seat.
Franklin eyed Ren as though he were a dangerous and deadly snake.
“Thank you,” Franklin said, when it appeared Ren wasn’t just going to leave.
I glanced at him incredulously. I’d never seen him be so polite to another vampire.
“You are very welcome,” Ren said, his condescending smile belying the words. He studied me, and I didn’t like the possessiveness in his eyes. “I wouldn’t wander off again, if I were you. You never know who you’ll run across.”
Without another word, he turned away, stuffing his hands in his pockets and sidling off, the picture of casual elegance.
I lifted my champagne glass in my shaking hands and took a small sip.
“I told you not to talk to anyone,” Franklin grated, following Ren with his eyes.
“I didn’t,” I said. “He talked to me.”
I left out the rest of the encounter. It hardly mattered anyhow. Franklin wasn’t going to own me for much longer, and I didn’t plan on leaving this seat again tonight.
“Do you know who he is?” Franklin asked.
I shrugged, bewildered. “He said his name is Ren.”
“He’s bad news,” Franklin said, shaking his head.
Yeah, I could tell. Vampires were rarely scared of other vampires, unless the power g
ap was massive. Both the twins’ and Franklin’s reactions to Ren told me he was well above them. The demure black suit, disarming green eyes, and soft voice likely hid murderous savagery. That was always how it worked. You looked at vampires like Franklin and knew they were careless brutes but likely without much heft. But vampires like Ren? A different ballgame.
He’d broken Jenna’s bones as though he’d broken a million before, and his lack of reaction to her pain was the trained control of someone used to hurting others, someone with an extreme lack of empathy. I’d seen that in vampires before. It was no good at all that I had caught his eye.
But there was nothing I could do about it. I was already in the auction, and auctions were binding. Begging Franklin would do me no good. He needed the money. Blood cost a lot of either money or effort, and most vampires didn’t want to put in the effort. Franklin ignored me, thumbing through something on his phone that was clearly more interesting than the human he was about to be rid of.
For the next couple of hours, I alternately stared down at my empty place setting or scanned the crowd for Ren. I saw him only once, leaning against the bar. His downcast eyes and casual stance made him look almost young. Everyone else in the room was giving him a wide berth. After a minute of my brash staring, he looked up, his eyes finding mine.
His pleased grin was too close to the lovely smile he’d given Jenna just before he’d tortured her, and I shuddered.
With twenty minutes left until the auction, a guard came to our table.
“Trixie?” he said, although he was addressing Franklin.
Franklin glanced at me and waved an assenting hand. The guard grabbed my arm, and I stumbled out of my chair.
Franklin didn’t say a word as I was led toward the staging area.
Good riddance, asshole, I thought, but the sentiment felt hollow against the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.
The guard walked me past the auction stage and to a nondescript door. The large room on the other side, bare of any decoration, was filled with humans—mostly young women, but there were some men here and there, too.