Page 7 of The Captive and the First Blood Game
The woman’s head snapped forward. Her dark eyes were otherworldly. They didn’t scream “fear me” like Harrington’s did. They screamed unpredictable and wild and dangerous.
B took three calm steps to put herself in front of the window. She bared her teeth, revealing the sharp fangs. “The sky is green today.”
“You can’t see the sky, B,” Harrington told her.
“The work will burn with you in it. Roses are red and violets are bleeding. Death and destruction taste like your whispers.”
Reyna’s eyebrows rose dramatically. What the hell had Harrington done to this woman?
“I brought you a friend,” Harrington told her.
“A tasty morsel. A pet pet pet. Sometimes the doorknob sings show tunes. Tell it to stop.” Then her eyes glazed over and she covered her ears. “Stop! Tell it to stop!”
“Oh my God,” Reyna whispered.
“Godhas nothing to do with it.” Harrington pushed the door open, dragging Reyna behind him into the room. Harrington wouldn’t let her get hurt, right? He needed her. He needed her blood. She was valuable.
But then he shoved her forward so she came face-to-face with B. Fear bit into her stomach, making her queasy. Holy shit, he couldn’t do this.
B sniffed the air all around Reyna, assessing her. Then she slowly circled Reyna, prowling as if she were a lion on the savannah about to take down her prey. Reyna stood very still. She didn’t even breathe. Her lungs constricted as sweat beaded on her brow.
“You smell familiar,” B said. “Have we met before?”
“No,” Reyna whispered on an exhale. She couldn’t believe she’d even gotten the word out. If she thought she had fears before…they were nothing compared to being next to this erratic, unpredictable predator.
“Oh yes, we’ve met. Underground and up on high. Beneath and within and deep under your skin.” B leaned in and ran her nose up Reyna’s arm. Reyna shivered in fear. “You smell wrong.”
Reyna swallowed hard. She had never been told that. Usually vampires told her she smelled amazing, like the nectar of the gods. She didn’t want to smell wrong to this creature. She wanted to get as far away as possible. She didn’t need to be bitten to have fight-or-flight kick in.
“Toy?” B asked Harrington.
Reyna’s eyes widened as she faced Harrington. He smirked at her as if to sayThis is what your life could be.Reyna shuddered. Dear God, no. She didn’t mask the fear; she let it seep out of her in waves. Oh God, therewasworse. There was much worse than the life she had been leading.
“Would you like her as a toy?” Harrington asked B.
B grasped both of Reyna’s arms, and then she tore off the medical tape and gauze. Reyna cried out as her wounds reopened.
B inspected the wound clinically. “She’s broken. You brought me a broken toy.”
“B,” Harrington said.
“She’s broken in here, too,” B said, thrusting her hand at Reyna’s heart. It landed with a soft thump. Reyna grunted and took an unsteady step backward. “Shattered and empty. Worms and maggots. Festering blistering aching.” She tilted her head and then giggled. “Destroyed.”
Reyna was repulsed by the words, repulsed by B. Harrington was teaching her a lesson she didn’t want to learn.
“Harrington,” Reyna said softly.
His smile was deadly. “See?”
“Yes,” she croaked.
“Broken!” B yelled and then suddenly shoved Reyna hard.
She collided with the glass, her head smacking against it roughly. She gasped as tears welled in her eyes and she slumped to a heap on the floor. Her head pulsed with pain.
Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. B was going to kill her. The frenzied look in B’s eyes revealed how gone she really was. Harrington was holding her back, but Reyna didn’t want to wait to find out. Her head felt like it was the size of the room as fear propelled her to escape this nightmare.
“I’ll kill her! I’ll kill her!” B screamed, trying to claw her way past Harrington. “She can’t have it. Doesn’t belong to her. I’ll take it all back.”
