Page 48 of Lycan King's Captives
As her words sink in, a cold shudder ripples through me. The single word resonates in the tense silence. The city. With Carina… at night. A place I spent my human years fearing. Night is when the monsters come out to play, yet now I am one of them. However, that doesn’t make me feel any better, since Xandros has ordered me never to shift. I might as well be human still, just with heightened senses.
The moonlight casts an eerie glow on Carina’s face, revealing the lines of worry and the sheen of tears her foundation couldn’t quite cover. A newfound fear grips me. If this woman, who prides herself on her strength and ruthlessness, is this broken, just what kind of terror awaits me at our destination? The car pulls up in a part of the city I am not familiar with, though it doesn’t hold the same seedy edge that Mal’s or Toby’s held at night. We stop outside a nightclub.
Stepping into the club is like entering a world I never knew existed. Neon lights flash across the darkened space, casting a surreal glow on the patrons. The bass from the music is a tangible entity on its own. Jazz music playing from speakers drowns out every sound except the beating of my heart. It seeps through my body and syncs with the pulse of fear that’s beating within me. Carina’s hold on my arm is firm, leading me further into the depths of the club.
An aura of power radiates off Carina, causing patrons to part and give way. Their eyes linger on us, a mix of curiosity and wariness. I can’t shake off the feeling of being blind to the danger as we navigate through the crowd. I glance at Carina, her icy exterior seeming to take pleasure in the control she commands.
Carina is a force, captivating and terrifying, while I stand beside her like a shadow, her presence eclipsing mine, which I am perfectly okay with; I don’t want the attention she is getting, I can practically feel their eyes boring into us. It’s clear she’s respected; out of awe or fear, I am unsure.
The thought does little to alleviate my worry. I’m the outsider, the unwanted tag along on a night that feels like a twisted version of a girls’ night out as she downs so many drinks at the bar that it would leave me on the floor. I sip mine, but as soon as I finish one, she is pushing another in front of me.
Her phone continuously rings in her bag, each time earning a growl from her that has the barmaid jumping.
After a few hours, Carina suddenly halts her drinking and her gaze meets mine, a predatory glint in her eyes. “You remind me so much of your mother,” she says, the words slurred with the alcohol she’s been consuming.
I can’t hide the surprise that washes over me at the abrupt conversation; for the most part we have sat in stony silence. I never knew my mother, though her ghost seems to haunt my every step, tarnishing the ground I walk on with her ghostly shadowed footsteps. Cursing me to a fate that was destined for her, punishing me every time I try to step out of the image of who she was. “I suppose you hated her as much as everyone else?” I ask, the bitterness evident in my tone. I brace myself for her response, expecting the same scorn and distaste I’ve become accustomed to hearing.
She surprises me when she answers. “No, actually, I find it oddly comforting, though I must admit, I do hate you. Your presence is set to ruin everything, just like my father claims. Still, you remind me of her,” Carina rambles, her words slurred and eyes glassy from the copious amounts of consumed alcohol.
My heart pounds in my chest. “You knew my mother?” I manage to ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
Carina laughs, the sound off-kilter and out of place in the tense atmosphere. She stumbles off her stool, and I am quick to reach out and steady her. Her skirt has ridden up during her stumble, and I quickly adjust it for her, when I notice a table of nearby men watching her with their leering gazes. The gazes of the men are like hungry wolves, watching their prey, it unsettles me.
“I’ll tell you a secret,” Carina whispers into my ear, her breath carrying the sweet, intoxicating scent of the margarita she has been drinking. “I loved her,” she confesses, her words sending a jolt through me. “Which is making it extremely difficult to hate you.”
Then, without another word, she grabs my arm. “Where are we going now?”
“To find something stronger, unless you’re offering a vein?” she tells me, and I shake my head. She snorts. “Didn’t think so, come on.” We’re off again, this time in search of something ‘stronger’. She doesn’t have to clarify what she means, I already know. As we leave this club, I hear the scrape of chairs. Glancing over my shoulder, I see the six men who were watching her move to leave as well.
The next stop is a blood bar. The sight of humans willingly offering their veins to the vampires is unsettling, to say the least, though not as unsettling as those forced against their will. I watch as Carina selects a woman, pulling her into a booth and out of sight. I turn away, trying to ignore the reality of this world I’ve been thrust into.
However, it’s short-lived as Carina tugs my arm and pulls me into the booth as well, closing the curtain. I freeze, as Carina lowers her lips to the woman’s neck. Her eyes flutter closed, and a soft moan escapes her lips as Carina begins to feed on her. It’s revolting, my stomach roiling with nausea and fear. I want to scream and run away from this place, but my feet are rooted firmly in place.
The girl starts to turn limp in her arms. “Carina… You’re killing her,” I whisper, pulling on the girl’s arm. She pulls her fangs from the girl’s neck, gripping the girl’s chin; the girl has a goofy smile on her face when Carina shocks me when she kisses her.
“So pretty, you best leave before I gobble you up,” Carina whispers. I help the girl stand, and a nearby worker helps her by taking her away from the other patrons toward the back near the staff entrance, yet as I move to close the curtain of the booth. I notice the men from the previous club; I make eye contact with one, the sparkle in his gaze and the way he smirks makes me shut the curtain quickly.
The danger of this situation presses down on me like a heavy weight. Carina, even in her drunk state, is clearly a well-known figure, though I’m realizing not in a good way. The men outside our curtained sanctuary clearly have scores to settle with her. However, the danger doesn’t stop there because I am no fighter and can’t shift and as I peer down at Carina slumped in her chair, it’s clear she is not only intoxicated but blood drunk.
I am grappling with panic and confusion when a foreign sound resonates through the cramped booth. It’s a ringing phone, and I search for the sound, before realizing it’s coming from Carina’s clutch. She smacks her clutch haphazardly as if that alone will make it quiet, and it falls off the chair beside her. I scoop it up, unzipping it and looking at the screen. The caller ID displays a name that sends a new wave of fear coursing through me yet also relief. He’s going to kill me. Although, he may have to get in line if my thoughts of the men outside are correct. Xandros. The ringing slices through the drunken haze enveloping Carina, she is far beyond answering it as she giggles to herself.
I swipe to answer the call, my pulse echoing loudly in my ears.
“Where is my mate, Carina!” The voice on the other end is frantic and seething. “I swear, if you’ve hurt her?—”
“It’s me, Xandros,” I interrupt him. There’s a heartbeat of silence, then he breathes out. “You’re alive,” he breathes out. I’m certain he would know if I were dead, it’s not like either of us can escape the buzz of the bond.
“You’re okay.” His words are not a question, but a sigh of relief. I shake off the thought of him caring for me. I can’t afford to dwell on that now because I know it’s only a façade.
“Where are you?” he demands, and his tone brings me back to reality.
“Some blood bank bar, Carina is drunk as shit and…” I glance back at Carina, and my heart sinks as I see her passed out against the wall of the booth.
“What’s wrong?” Xandros asks, picking up on the anxiety in my voice.
“She’s passed out,” I whisper, scanning the increasingly hostile crowd around us as I stick my head out the curtain.
“Where is her guard?”
