Page 67 of Auctioned for Her Blood
That cop carries the syringe toward us, and I tuck my head under the protection of Ryker’s arm, but soon the weight of his body flattens me against the cold stones. Ryker’s passed out too.
The silver netting lifts, and I scream in pain, feeling like it’s taking my skin along with it. Someone shifts Ryker’s body off me, and I struggle to get free. It might be futile, but I fight with all I’ve got.
But someone grabs my shoulder and head, stretching my neck to the side, and I feel a sharp prick, followed by searing heat that radiates through my body, burning like fire inside me.
The world goes black.
Chapter Twenty-One
Ember
I wake in darkness,lying face down on something hard—stone, based on the damp, metallic scent. Am I still in Rittenhouse Square? Does the lighting go out late at night?
I want to lift my head to look around but the effort’s too great, and my head spins, like I might pass out, so I remain still, waiting for the pain to abate and hoping to convince my brain to make sense of where I am and how I got here.
Through nearly closed eyes, I realize my surroundings aren’t pitch black like I first thought. A faint glow of light flickers across the stone floor ahead of me.
“Look!” a male voice says with a scratchy voice, “one of the new ones is female.”
Someone kicks my leg. “You awake?” asks a woman, presumably the leg kicker based on where the sound comes from.
But I have no intention of moving or talking. Not yet. I’m in too much pain to move much, and my mouth is so dry it’s glued shut. But more importantly, I need to know where I am before these people realize I’m awake.
Sensing movement near my face, the air shifting, I open my eyes a crack to see feet and legs crouching beside me. They look female.
“Holy shit,” she says. “She’s human. She’s got burns on her shoulder that haven’t healed.”
“Nah,” the male voice says. “No humans in the dungeon. Only when they bring them down for food.”
“Well, she sure as shit isn’t a vampire, or anything else I’ve seen down here.” The woman straightens, but doesn’t move away.
Fear grips me, making me stiffen and causing more pain. I’m locked up in adungeon—withvampires? Where is Ryker?
“Maybe she’s a gift,” says the scratchy voice.
“Don’t be daft,” says the female. “Why the fuck would they give us a human?”
“For blood,” the male says. “And forsex.” He kicks one of my legs to the side, then the other, spreading them apart. “Look. She’s all dolled up for us too.” He chuckles.
“Are you so hard up that you’d fuck a human, Corney?” the female says. “An unconscious one at that?” She whistles through her teeth. “Surelysomeonein this godforsaken place is willing to offer up a pussy or asshole for a pity fuck.”
“Very funny,” the male says. “And my name is Cornelius, Gracen! How many times do I have to ask you not to call me Corney?”
The female, presumably named Gracen, laughs. “You can ask all you want,Corney.”
“What’s this?” a deeper male voice says, as footsteps draw near. More than one set of footsteps, if I can trust my ears.
“Who is it?” the deep voice asks.
“New prisoner,” Gracen says. “Looks human,”
“Human?” says another new voice. “No shit. The male they brought in last night is a vamp.”
I gasp, learning that Ryker is in here with me—somewhere. As horrible as this is, that’s a relief, and I send hope out into the universe that he’ll find me, soon.
“She’s gotta be here for fucking and feeding, why else?” says a new voice, one so gruff it sends tremors through my body.
“Nah,” Corney says. “Don’t make sense. She’s gotta be a prisoner. Locked up too.”
