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HAYLEY
Enemies
I SIT ON the small swing seat in a metal, human-sized birdcage not even tall enough for me to stand. The casino floor buzzes with life as vampires gamble and socialize. Without a clock or even one of the tinted windows to peer out, I can’t tell what time it is or how long I’ve been locked in this cage on display. All I know is that I’m tired as fuck, hungry, and bored out of my damn mind. I still can’t believe Alexander blames me for the bastard who knocked me off my aerial ring and ran away with me. Apparently, I should’ve been more aware and avoided being put in the position in the first place.
He swears that if it happens again, he’ll let the fucker keep me for a while so that I learn my lesson. Because no vampire will kill a potential food source without good reason, and because I have a tracker that glitters like an earring on my ear, he purposely let me think the worst.
I should be more pissed, but all I feel is defeated. Maybe Alexander is right, and I shouldn’t have let my guard down. Then again, what the fuck was I supposed to do? It was a damn severed cock and then a head. I can’t move as fast as a vampire.
This blows.
A soft whistle hums through the air, drawing my attention away from my glittery nail polish. I shift my gaze and peer around the crowded casino, my heart fluttering for a moment. The image of the handsome stranger who gave me his blood flicks to the front of my mind, and I wish I knew his name. Alexander never even questioned how the douche vampire died or how I healed. I should appreciate my luck, but I’m afraid it’ll bite me in the ass harder than Alexander’s biggest high roller guest who travels from another territory to stay here twice a year.
“Little bird, do you need someone to set you free?” The raspy voice comes from somewhere to my right, tightening my chest. It’s not the stranger from the last show. I thought he might lurk around and approach me again, but he hasn’t. And after that kiss? I’m out of my mind. Alexander would beat me if he knew I was giving out affection for free.
I remain frozen, rocking on my seat. The feather bikini I wear is the itchiest and the least favorite out of my costumes, especially now.
“It’s okay to respond to me. Your master isn’t around, and the security will be busy in a moment.” A figure shifts in the side of my vision, moving closer but still keeping his distance.
This isn’t my first time in the cage, nor is it the first time a vampire approached me and tried to start a conversation. But there are rules I must follow, and after getting thrown in here in the first place, I’m sure Alexander would blame something else on me. It’s my job to never give anyone a reason to give me more attention than necessary. Conversing with this man would do just that. So would eye contact.
He whistles again and clinks something metal against the bars. “I suggest you answer my question, little bird. My offer to free you will only last for another minute, and I don’t think you want to be in here when shit goes down. You see, your master had one of my crewmembers killed on the job last night...but you’re already aware of that, aren’t you?”
I frown, twisting my fingers together. Who the hell is this guy?
“You can consider it a courtesy of Knox. You don’t want to disappoint your hero, now do you?” the guy adds, finally shifting into my line of sight. “He’d hate for his favorite girl to get hurt in the crossfire when he’s not here to save you.”
Knox? My whole body hums at the name as it registers in my mind that he must know the guy who saved me last night.
Unfortunately, risking injury couldn’t be worse than the punishment Alexander would inflict on me if he realizes I’ve left my cage.
“All you have to do is tell me you want out, little bird,” he continues, tapping something metal against the shiny gold metal bar. I think it might be a weapon. Fuck. “Ten seconds.”
I whip my attention to him, my heart pounding in my ears. I should be used to handsome vampires drinking me in like I’m about to become a fine-dining experience, but something about him gets under my skin and not necessarily in a bad way. Maybe it’s because he lets me look at him without trying to stick his hand into the cage or because he doesn’t threaten me with the knife in his other. Maybe it’s because he smiles. Regardless, I can’t help drinking in his features. He doesn’t look either front or backrow, and his ruggedly handsome face complements his simple yet tough attire. A glint of something dangerous lies in his golden eyes, a shade lighter than his brown hair. Rubbing his hand over his well-kept beard, he outlines his angular face, giving me a glimpse of his jawline. Muscles flex and bulge across his body like my gaze gets to him the same as his gets to me. God, help me. This is bad. I’m entranced without him even trying to open my thoughts to control me.
“Time’s up, little bird. It’s a shame. Knox will be disappointed.” The vampire vanishes, disappearing completely. My heart skips. I didn’t expect him to abandon me.
I open and close my mouth in surprise and get to my feet, hunching over a bit as to not hit my head. Now that he no longer stands in front of me, I can think. That was the strangest thing. I’m usually not so curious, but he mentioned the stranger from last night. Who the fuck are these guys? What did he mean about me getting caught in the crossfire? His comment sinks in about something happening, and I peer around the casino, spotting strange vampires loitering. They’re not any regulars I’ve seen, and one reveals a gun.
Shit. He wasn’t lying or messing with me. Something is going on, and fear clenches my chest as I think about all of the donor staff. They’ll be the first to get hurt. I can’t let it happen.
Clearing my throat, I scream, “Fire!” It’s the code word all donors are supposed to use when they think there’s trouble to alert security.
Opal materializes in front of my cage, her dark blue eyes flashing with silver. Her concern stiffens her movements. I wonder how far she was away from me and if she noticed anything before my yell.
“Opal, hurry. Shit’s about to go down,” I say, gasping.
I shake the door, rattling the lock. I flit my attention to the casino behind her, spotting a few security guards blurring across the floor. Several patrons gawk in my direction, trying to figure out why I’m yelling.
“What do you mean? Where?” Opal asks, clutching a dagger at her side. Her holographic wig sweeps around her head as she whips her attention to glance at the casino floor.
I rattle the cage again. “Everywhere. Let me out. A man warned me that there was going to be—”
Several ear-piercing pops echo through the air, startling me. Widening her eyes, Opal quickly unlocks the cage and pulls me out. She picks me up into her arms, carrying me like she has done at least a couple dozen times over the years, and even before I became the star of the show of Vampire Nights. She’s been caring for me all my life for as long as I can remember.
“Once we hit the elevators, I want you to go straight to your room, okay?” she says, blurring the world around me with her speed.
She sticks to the outer wall and crosses under the bridge leading to the strange metal tower with a lookout deck over the city. Four of its wide legs cut through the ceiling with a service counter beneath it. I’ve never been up there, but I can see the tall, triangular tower from my room, which according to Opal, is a replica of a back-world monument. The carpeted floor turns into shiny stones with a fake painted sky above, and I peer down the crowded shopping area made to look as if it’s outside. I always imagine if that’s what it’s really like somewhere in the world because the street I can see from my window is nothing like it.
