Page 21 of Sold to the Dark Vampire Prince

“That’s quite common actually. It’s a stress response. A trigger causes a drop in blood pressure and heartrate, leading to fainting.” Sera paused. “I still need to give you the injection. It’s required.”

“Okay.” Dani drew a breath. “I’ll probably pass out, but I should come back around within sixty seconds.”

Yvonne shook her head in obvious disapproval.

“Ready?” Sera uncapped the syringe.

“Do it.”

She awoke to find the room spinning. Her head felt woozy.

“They’re almost ready for her,” Yvonne said coldly. “If she isn’t going out there—”

“Dani, how are you feeling?” Sera asked urgently. “If you want to go home, I can take you back myself.”

“I’m fine.”

It was a lie, but she knew if she didn’t get up right now, that all of this would have been for naught. Staggering to her feet, she gripped Sera’s arm for support, noticing the bandage that had been taped across her index finger.

“I did it while you were out,” Sera whispered as they made their way to the door. “I thought it would help and it won’t matter to the males in the room. They’ll smell the blood regardless, especially since they’ll be primed to feed. If you start to feel faint on stage, cross your legs. No one will see beneath that long dress, and it will get blood flowing back to your brain. You can also try squeezing your hand into a fist. That should help as well.”

“Thank you.”

As they neared the window, Dani could see several of the vampires had emerged from the shadows, drinks in hand, to circle the dark-haired girl. She stood motionless, head down, as they ran fingers down her bare arms, stroking her cheek like she was a pet. One of them lowered the strap of her dress and the others laughed uproariously. Dani felt tears sting her eyes, as she saw the way her hands were trembling.

Terror, helplessness, and a sickening sense of rage filled her at the sight of the girl, forced to stand there and be touched against her will. Worse, was the knowledge that she would be next. That she could turn and walk out the door, leave the auction house. But if she did that, she would be sealing Ava’s fate.

Balling her hands into a fist so hard her nails dug into her palms, she watched until at last one vampire, a middle-aged male in a business suit, signaled the winning bid, and was allowed to take his sanguine away through a private door.

She’d never even learned her name. She wasn’t sure why that mattered so much in this moment, except watching the girl in the blue silk dress disappear through the unmarked door, it felt like she was being erased, like she was now nothing but a vessel for the blood in her veins.

The door to the auction room lurched open. Dani flinched. Suddenly there was a shove at her back, and before she could react, she was stumbling out into the bright light of the stage. Forced to grab her skirts to keep from tripping, she focused on the spot at the center of the platform.

Silently, she repeated what Giselle had told her.

Eyes down, hair smoothed to one side so they could see her neck.

Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking. She drew a breath, burying her fingers in the folds of her skirt so they wouldn’t see how scared she was.

“State your name and age,” Yvonne directed over the sound system. “And why you wish to become a sanguine.”

Glasses clinked in the back of the room. It smelled like liquor, body odor and cologne. She couldn’t see any of the vampires clearly due to the brightness of the stage lighting. Sweat trickled down the back of her neck as she willed herself not to faint.

“Daniela Girard, aged twenty.”

From the back of the room, she could have sworn she heard someone drop a glass. The murmurs and side conversations fell silent. Dani’s heartbeat quickened. What did they expect her to say, that she’d always dreamed of being some rich man’s blood whore? To tearfully plead the story of her sister? She wouldn’t tell them about Ava, not at the risk some sick monster might decide they had a taste for her underaged sister’s too sweet blood.

“I think we all know why we’re here.” She lifted her eyes to the back of the room. “Perhaps we should just begin?”

There was a moment’s hesitation, and then a chime sounded, quickly followed by another. Bidding had started.

There was a laugh from one of the tables in back.

“Alex, you are full of surprises. And here, I thought you came out tonight only to look?”

A chair clattered to the floor. One of the vampires staggered towards her, a glass of amber-colored alcohol sloshing precariously as he made his way towards the stage. Her stomach threatened to turn over. Dani shrank back, which earned a roar of laughter. There was nowhere to retreat, except to knock on the door, and she couldn’t do that, couldn’t sign Ava’s death warrant.

“The smell of your blood is fucking intoxicating,” he growled, running clumsy fingers through her hair.