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“Here we are. Remember what I said.Behave.”
Everything about this vampire is over the top. From her style to her words, she’s drama personified.
“Do I have a choice?” I snap.
She drills me with a look of admonishment.
“Make no mistake, little girl... you will pay with your life if you don’t fall in line. I’m a peach compared to the company you’re about to keep. Be quiet and keep your head down unless you’re told otherwise. I’m not saying this to be mean, but like I said, to warn you. The people you’ll encounter in this world won’t take kindly to your lip.”
I don’t say another word. If there is one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that silence is, in fact, golden. Besides, these creatures don’t deserve my attention, so I intend to play my part, but otherwise give nothing.Survive.
“Here she is, Sir Crown.” Katina bows low, sweeping her hands outward in a graceful maneuver I’ve seen plenty of times in the movies.
The Crown—Julian—quickly sits up, looking flustered at my presence. Didn’t he summon me here? Why is he acting out of sorts? It’s me who’s internally trembling.
Lawrence snickers, quickly bringing his hand up to his nose to cover his laughter. My face remains stone, not giving anything away.
“Please, Katina. How many times must I remind you? Julian will suffice.”
Julian.It’s not news to me, but hearing it from his lips does something unwelcome to me. An unnamed emotion squeezes my heart, tightening, promising to squeeze the last beat from the steadily thumping organ. Why does he elicit such strong reactions from me? Is it that invisible magic—like at the auction—causing it? Whatever the cause, I won’t let it win.
“Forgive me, Julian.” She beams up at my captor, who appears to have relaxed. “If that’ll be all, I have things to do.” He nods, dismissing her.
Now I’m alone with them and my eyes are trained on Julian. He sits on a large throne-like chair, drinking from a golden chalice. His mannerisms here in this room are so different from the way he behaved at the auction. There, he was commanding and royal. Here today, he’s aloof and laid back, almost... cocky.
“Well, well, brother,... she is just as stunning as I remember.” The golden-haired man sits perched upon an identical throne next to Julian, smiling wide. I don’t return his smile, continuing to fix my icy stare over their heads.
“You find all things woman stunning, Law,” Julian says matter-of-factly.
My eyes lower, curious about my captors. In this light and away from all the scary people at the auction, I really look at Julian and Lawrence and I get a strange feeling. Thereissomething eerily familiar about Lawrence. Lawrence stares back at me, and every second that ticks by, the feeling grows stronger. I’ve seen him before. It appears to be a reoccurring theme here, and now more than ever I wonder if perhaps I was right.These were my monsters.
“Marina, do you see that guy over there?” Maggie asks from behind me.
“Which one?” I lift my eyebrows twice in a suggestive manner. There is a group of good-looking guys directly in front of us.
“Not them. Him.” She nods with her head. “He’s following us.”
I search for the perpetrator and my eyes land on a tall blond on the opposite side of the food court from us. He’s watching Maggie like she’s his next meal. Every step she takes, his eyes follow.
“Yeah. I’d say he’s got it bad,” I joke.
“No, Marina, you don’t understand. He’s one of them.”
There’s nothing unusual about the man. His eyes aren’t red and his canines aren’t elongated. He doesn’t have overly pronounced veins, nor is he sprouting hair all over his body. We’ve had to deal with monsters our entire lives, but this guy doesn’t appear to be one of them.
“It’s okay, Maggie. He’s just a normal guy with a hard on for you,” I giggle.
“It’s not funny, Rina. He’s been following me for weeks.”
I eye her suspiciously.
“You haven’t said anything about anyone following you.”
“Would you be surprised? I’ve been followed since I was three years old. And probably before then.”
I frown.
“You usually tell me these things.”
