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The adrenaline had worn off, and I was crashing fast.
They shoved me into an small, dank cell. Tiny white lights set in the concrete blocks around the cell’s upper edges glowed on. The two men held me against a wall and ordered me to raise my hands. The female clamped silver cuffs around my wrists, securing me to the concrete with my hands on either side of my head.
The burn of the silver shocked me out of my dazed state. The darkness swooped around me. I swallowed queasily.
The three vampires formed a semi-circle around me, their eyes gleaming blue in the dim light. The middle one came at me—a big dude, with cropped dark hair and fists like sledgehammers—and I braced myself for a blow, but all he did was pat me down. He took my phone, which by some miracle was still intact, and the slim silver blade hidden in the sole of my left shoe.
He handed the knife to the female, a curvy blonde with cheekbones that could cut glass, and pressed my thumb to the phone’s home button to open it.
He aimed the camera at me. “Smile,” he said in French.
I pulled my bloodied mouth into a sneer. “Fuck off.”
“Mind your manners.” The blond vampire twirled the knife in her fingers. “Or I’ll carve my name into your pretty face.”
I shook my head in mock-regret. “Sorry, cher, but you’re not my type.”
She hissed and touched the knife point to my crotch. “Shut. Up.”
I froze. The two men chuckled and exchanged a look.
I glared back impotently, but I shut up. Might as well save my strength for whatever was coming.
“That’s better.” The blond vampire’s gaze went to my mouth. Something dark slithered in her eyes. She ran her tongue over her fangs.
I sucked in a breath.
She didn’t want to kiss me. She wanted to drink the blood oozing from my split lip.
“Ines,” said the man with the phone.
She moved back, her gaze fixed on my mouth.
He raised the phone again. “Smile.”
I pasted a fuck-you grin on my face.
He took a couple more pictures before handing the phone to Ines. “Give this to the techs.”
She nodded and left.
I swallowed, knowing my family would receive another photo like Zaq’s, this time of me. And if Philippe’s techs had any brains, they’d change the password so they didn’t need my thumbprint and reap any data they could. Fortunately, I hadn’t used the phone for anything but to call Tomas.
The shorter vampire had tawny hair and eyes like small brown pebbles. He removed my shoes and tossed them in the hall.
“Not so tough now, are you?” he said in an Italian accent.
I snorted. “Tough enough that it took five of you to bring me down.”
He went for me, but the vampire with sledgehammer fists slapped a hand on his chest, stopping him.
“Leave it for now. No need to rush things.” The big dude’s gaze raked down my torn, bloodied clothes. “It took a week to break your brother.” A chilling curve of his lips. “I wonder how long you’ll last.”
“That’s a lie. Zaq escaped because you fucked up.” A shot in the dark, but the two exchanged a look. I forced my mouth into another cocky grin. “I’m right, aren’t I?”
“Shut it.” The big guy slammed a humongous fist into my gut.
My breath whooshed out. I wheezed and pressed back against the wall, silently cursing my smartass tendencies and trying not to pass out.
