Page 87 of Pretty Little Prey
Suddenly, sharp vampire fangs pierced the side of Luna’s neck.
She gasped, her eyes going wide as Nikolai drew in mouthful after mouthful of her blood. Quick gulps. Too quick? She struggled, wiggling in his grasp to escape him before the strength left her completely. Oh Gods, was he killing her? Her vision blurred as he sucked. Her body quivered and clenched when the bite released its pleasurable high—but it was different from last time. Instead of being overcome with lust, her mind went blank. She floated, feeling drugged. Was he taking too much blood?
Then, a bleeding wrist pressed to her open mouth.
She blinked through her confused haze, trying to make sense of what was happening.
She tried to fight him, but she was too weak.
Her body went limp in his arms.
And the world faded to black around her.
Chapter 34
“You didn’t have to turn her right then,” Sly commented as he drove the men and a passed-out Luna to a hotel in the city to spend the night—considering the dragon had found their secret cabin in the woods.
The dragon’s men would never expect dark shifters in the city. Werewolves hated being away from the woods; vampires hated the crowds; basilisks hated the people.
“We could have waited a bit before we decided to turn her into a vampire.” Sly stressed, “Maybe, I don’t know,talked to herabout it.”
“Rohan could have easily killed her before we got to her,” Bastille said as he watched Luna slumber against his shoulder in the backseat of the car. “You said it yourself in the diner: she could have slipped in the bathroom and died. Prey are fragile. Predators are not. She is now immortal and safe.”
“Against her will,” Sly remarked. “I’m just saying, she had an extremely emotional day after her very first heat. She’s not exactly going to be happy that we turned her without even talking to her first.”
“We did it for her safety,” Bastille replied.
“She will never have reason to be scared or vulnerable again,” Nikolai added.
“Nik, you’ve always hated being a vampire,” Sly said. “Don’t you feel any bit of guilt for cursing her too?”
Nikolai remained silent.
“It was my decision.” Bastille added, “Prey continue to be hunted. She is no longer prey—so, she will have no enemies.”
Sly snorted. “Other thanvampire hunters.”
“They won’t touch her. We’ll protect her.”
An hour later, the men tucked Luna in under a heavy blanket and watched her sleep on the big, white hotel bed. Wanting to care for his mate and spoil her, Bastille had found the second-most expensive hotel in the city—knowing the dragon might stay in the most expensive one.
The fancy suite even had privacy doors between the grand bedroom and large living room. Plus, gold accents and fluffy rich-people pillows. Bastille smiled to himself.Nothing but the best for her.
Nikolai cursed after looking at his phone. “The dragon was spotted in the casino downstairs.”
“In this hotel?”
“Spotted two minutes ago.”
Sly cursed. “No one saw us bring her in here. He doesn’t know she’s here.”
Bastille scowled at the wall.
“We need to leave her. Show our faces downstairs.”
“Not leaving her,” Kobe grunted.
Nikolai explained his thinking, “Conrad was at the cabin; he fought with Sly. He must have told Daxton he saw her, which means he thinks we have her. If we show up without her, he’ll stop searching for us. We’ll make him think she managed to escape us.”
