Page 5 of Trapped By the Blood Ruby

He guided me toward the bed, still kissing me, and I let him. We tumbled onto the mattress together, his mouth moving to my neck. My lips felt swollen, tingling from his attention.

“This is nice,” I whispered, my hands resting on his shoulders.

“How ‘bout we make it even nicer,” he said, and something in his tone made me pause. His hand slipped under my dress, moving up my thigh, and suddenly this felt like too much, too fast.

“Daniel, wait—“ I tried to catch his wrist, but he brushed my hand away.

“Just relax,” he said, not stopping. “You’re so tense.”

But I didn’t want to relax anymore. His touch felt too insistent. “I think we should slow down.”

“Come on, don’t be a tease.” His voice had lost its earlier warmth. “You came up here with me. You were kissing me back.”

“Daniel, please⁠—“

“I’ll make it good for you,” he said, his hands already pulling at my dress, ignoring my struggles. “Just stop fighting me.”

Terror crashed over me. The music downstairs was too loud for anyone to hear me scream. I twisted, trying to squirm free from him, but the size and weight of his body pressed to mine made it impossible.

That’s when it hit me: I was completely, utterly trapped.

2

Techno music blared like a thumping pulse. The multi-million dollar mansion sat on top of a bluff in Sand Point. It screamed for attention—a desperate plea.

Exotic cars lined the drive. A crowd had spilled out onto the front lawn. Laurent strode past, ignoring the gaping looks in his direction. The elbow jabs as people pointed him out. As they parted to let him by.

Bodies crowded the entry, staggering past one another, hands clenched around beer bottles and red cups. Drinks sloshed to the floor as people jostled, attempting to mingle and dance.

Several centuries younger, and this would have been a feast. Instead, the unpleasant stench of sweat and flesh made his nose sting. He nearly gagged⁠—

“Wretched creatures,” he muttered before striding through the crowd.

He’d received a tip that Kath’ur would be here. Demons didn’t smell like humans. Brimstone and smoke poisoned their essence. He followed the obvious tell into the mansion until⁠—

He froze, taking a deeper inhale. Something different flooded his senses, rich vanilla with a hint of florals. A dull ache blossomed in his gums until a moment later, it faded. Almost as if he’d imagined it. He gave his head a subtle shake, then moved on, using his keen ears to rifle through the hundreds of conversations taking place all over the property.

He honed in on one.

“…you have to try this stuff, babe. It’s better than any drug you’ve ever had.”

“You…you’re sure? It looks kinda gross. What’s it called again?”

“Red Allure. It’s the best high you’ll ever feel, trust me.”

Laurent spun on his heel, stalking down the hall. His fists clenched with each step. He shook them out almost immediately, forcing himself to relax. He entered a cozy den and found a small group of young adults lounging near an unlit fireplace, stalking over to them.

One of the partiers held a small glass vial, already half empty. His gaze zeroed in on it, lips pulling back to bare his teeth in a snarl.

“Woah…” the young man said, looking up at him. “Damn. This stuff is good.”

“Where did you get that?” Laurent demanded.

“Hey dude, great cosplay. You’re supposed to be from that one show, right?” He snapped his fingers, looking over at his friends for help. “Shadowlands, isn’t it⁠—?”

“I asked you a question,” Laurent said, his voice a lethal calm.

“Hey, dude, how am I supposed to know where he went? If you’re looking to buy, you’d better—hey! That’s mine!”