Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 119694 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119694 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
“She will learn her place is by my side soon enough. For now, let her breathe. It is a weighty thing to meet one’s Fated Mate for the first time. She needs time to adjust.”
I know my words are true, but it’s fucking hard to let her go. My jaw tightens…my fists clench. The Blood Lust inside me howls, unsatisfied. But I force myself to stay where I am. I believe I am making a wise decision—letting her have a little time to adjust to her new reality.
If only I had known what trouble my curvy little human was about to stumble into, I would never have let her slip through my grasp.
14
Jules
I bolt.
The second Lucian—Count Tall, Dark, and Fangy, whatever you want to call him—loosens his grip, I’m gone. Bare feet slapping marble, arms wrapped around my chest and lungs burning, I run as fast as I can.
Get out. Get away. Wake up.
The mantra repeats in my head—it’s all I can think. My cheeks flame as I dart past crimson-and-black uniformed guards, their gazes raking over me. I try to cover myself with my arms, but there’s no way to hide. Every stare makes my skin crawl, shame heating me even though I’m freezing.
It’s just a dream, I remind myself, my inner voice high and frantic. A weird, hyper-realistic, vampire-mafia fever dream. Just keep moving and eventually you’ll wake up in your own bed.
I’m sure that’s true—it has to be true!
I turn down one hallway, then another, then another. Everything looks the same—dark wood, blood-red drapes, gray marble floors, endless doors. All of it over and over and over again.
My panic spikes—I’m lost in a maze!
Finally, I find something different—a stairwell. There’s a metal door marked with some old-world script in a language I can’t read. When I push it carefully inward, it creaks open and I peer inside. A spiraling staircase plunges downward, vanishing into shadow.
My heart sinks. It’s a long, long way to the ground floor. But I don’t dare take the elevator again—not with a guard stationed inside, ready to drag me back to Don Fangs, the Mafia-vampire overlord.
There is literally nowhere else to go.
I grip the railing, toes curling against the cold stone steps, and reluctantly start down.
I don’t even make it one flight.
A door bangs open below me and a guard steps out into the echoing stairwell. He’s huge—armored in crimson and black like all the rest, a weapon slung casually at his side. His eyes land on me—and go wide.
“You!” His voice booms up the stairwell. “Who are you? Where did you come from? What are you doing so near Don Lucian’s living quarters?”
“Oh God—uh—” My throat goes dry. Words tumble out anyway. “I came from Earth—I mean, the Human Realm. This guy in a long leather coat showed up in my bathroom and brought me through this stone hallway. I mean, first he came to my work and told my boss I was on drugs and drew my blood because he was pretending to do a test, but I guess what he actually did was bring the blood back here. So then he led me down the long hall and there was this gate and—”
I stop, realizing how insane I sound. The guard’s frown deepens.
“Right. An intruder.” He marches up the steps and seizes my arm in a bruising grip. “You’re coming with me.”
“Wait—no!” I stumble, protesting, but he hauls me down the stairs like I weigh nothing. My bare feet skid on the cold steps, my skin burning where his fingers clamp down.
We push through another heavy door and into a hallway I haven’t seen before. At the end stands an elevator. Not the gold-and-brass one from before—this one is glossy black, its surface polished to a mirror shine.
I catch my reflection and freeze.
There I am—pale, naked, and shivering with goosebumps covering every inch of my skin. My hair hangs in damp tangles around my face. I look small and weak…pathetic.
I fold my arms tight again, hiding my breasts, wishing the floor would just swallow me whole.
The guard jabs the button.
The elevator lets out a low, ominous groan—not the bright, cheery ding of a normal lift. There’s a sound like iron doors grinding shut in a tomb, then the shiny black panels part.
Inside, there’s nothing but shadows and a single button. No number, no floor. Just one word carved deep into the metal.
Dungeon.
My stomach flips.
“Wait—no, I’m sure I don’t belong down there!”
The guard ignores me. He drags me inside and slams the side of his fist against the button. The doors slide shut, with another grinding groan, sealing us in.
The elevator lurches to a start and it feels like the floor is dropping away beneath us. It plummets so fast my stomach slams up into my throat. I gasp and clutch the railing, trying not to gag.