Page 59 of Kiss of Smoke

I tried to scream, but the male’s arm cut off the sound.

“No, Volenta,” he said in an amused tone. “They’ll just kill you.”

A golden dragon swooped from the air, its wings fanned open as it descended. Just before its clawed feet touched the ground, it shifted to smoke. The dark mass swirled, and then a nude Lachlan stood before the wall of flames. His eyes glowed like two pools of metal, and every inch of his body vibrated with menace.

The vampire tightened his grip, completely cutting off my oxygen. I gagged, and he loosened his hold, almost as if he’d choked me reflexively and not on purpose.

The wall behind Lachlan flamed higher, and then Alec strode through in human form. The flames parted and reformed behind him, leaving his muscled body unscathed. He stopped beside Lachlan, his green eyes burning with anger and the promise of violence.

My heart threatened to pound from my chest. These weren’t the playful dragons who raced as they flew me to London. These were killers.

And they were really pissed off.

Lachlan spoke, his voice too deep to be human. “You break the treaty, Andrei. Your prince will punish you.”

“Assuming we don’t kill you first,” Alec said. As he spoke, the inferno behind him flamed higher.

The vampire’s chest rumbled against my back. “I haven’t broken the treaty. The female was fleeing you.” The hint of a taunt entered his voice. “Or was she merely sightseeing at Heathrow in the middle of the night?”

Lachlan’s eyes burned brighter than the blaze at his back. “Don’t be stupid, leech. You’re no match for us.”

“Not normally,” the vampire said. “But she’s the strongest of her kind I’ve ever felt.”

Lachlan and Alec frowned, confusion stamped on their features.

For a moment, silence reigned, with nothing but the crackle of flames around us. Then the vampire spoke slowly, his voice as surprised as their faces. “You don’t know, do you?” Now he laughed, the vibration traveling down my spine. “Oh, this is too rich.”

I struggled to draw air as his arm dug harder into my throat.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Alec demanded.

“It’s a trick,” Lachlan muttered. “Leeches love deceit.”

The vampire laughed for another long moment, as though he enjoyed their bewilderment. “It appears the trick’s on you. She’s a donum, you fools. I walked unnoticed through all of Heathrow merely because she was inside it.” He put his nose in my hair and inhaled deep. “Mmm, she reeks of magic.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, but not before I got a glimpse of Alec’s face going livid.

The vampire lifted his head but kept his cheek against my temple. “Prince Ludovic will reward me handsomely for delivering such a prize. She’ll serve our territory for centuries, enhancing our power.”

My eyes flew open.

The flames shot higher than ever. Alec took a step forward. “She’s not your prize. She’s our mate.”

“You neglected to claim her. Until then, she’s up for grabs.” The vampire’s arm tightened. “And I grabbed her.”

My lungs burned. White spots danced in my vision, which had grown dark at the edges. The word “donum” meant nothing to me, but apparently the vampire thought it was worth abducting me over.

So I could “serve” him, just as Alec and Lachlan had expected me to serve their interests, providing them with a womb so they could save their species.

Just as I’d served Josh by working while he attended law school. Putting my life on hold so he could fulfill his.

No one ever wanted me just for me. They wanted me for what I could do for them.

And in the end, they were happy to cast me aside when I’d outlasted my usefulness.

As my lungs seized and blackness threatened to descend, the memory of every humiliation, every slight, rushed back. All the shitty odd jobs I’d worked. Every quiet night alone. The missed phone calls. The excuses and half-baked apologies.

“I don’t know, Chloe. I think I was just bored.”

---