Chapter 26 #2
Then, without another word, she grabs my arm. “Where are we going now?”
“To find something stronger, unless you’re offering a vein?
” she tells me, and I shake my head. She snorts.
“Didn’t think so, come on.” We’re off again, this time in search of something ‘stronger’.
She doesn’t have to clarify what she means, I already know.
As we leave this club, I hear the scrape of chairs.
Glancing over my shoulder, I see the six men who were watching her move to leave as well.
The next stop is a blood bar. The sight of humans willingly offering their veins to the vampires is unsettling, to say the least, though not as unsettling as those forced against their will.
I watch as Carina selects a woman, pulling her into a booth and out of sight.
I turn away, trying to ignore the reality of this world I’ve been thrust into.
However, it’s short-lived as Carina tugs my arm and pulls me into the booth as well, closing the curtain.
I freeze, as Carina lowers her lips to the woman’s neck.
Her eyes flutter closed, and a soft moan escapes her lips as Carina begins to feed on her.
It’s revolting, my stomach roiling with nausea and fear.
I want to scream and run away from this place, but my feet are rooted firmly in place.
The girl starts to turn limp in her arms. “Carina… You’re killing her,” I whisper, pulling on the girl’s arm. She pulls her fangs from the girl’s neck, gripping the girl’s chin; the girl has a goofy smile on her face when Carina shocks me when she kisses her.
“So pretty, you best leave before I gobble you up,” Carina whispers.
I help the girl stand, and a nearby worker helps her by taking her away from the other patrons toward the back near the staff entrance, yet as I move to close the curtain of the booth.
I notice the men from the previous club; I make eye contact with one, the sparkle in his gaze and the way he smirks makes me shut the curtain quickly.
The danger of this situation presses down on me like a heavy weight.
Carina, even in her drunk state, is clearly a well-known figure, though I’m realizing not in a good way.
The men outside our curtained sanctuary clearly have scores to settle with her.
However, the danger doesn’t stop there because I am no fighter and can’t shift and as I peer down at Carina slumped in her chair, it’s clear she is not only intoxicated but blood drunk.
I am grappling with panic and confusion when a foreign sound resonates through the cramped booth.
It’s a ringing phone, and I search for the sound, before realizing it’s coming from Carina’s clutch.
She smacks her clutch haphazardly as if that alone will make it quiet, and it falls off the chair beside her.
I scoop it up, unzipping it and looking at the screen.
The caller ID displays a name that sends a new wave of fear coursing through me yet also relief.
He’s going to kill me. Although, he may have to get in line if my thoughts of the men outside are correct.
Xandros. The ringing slices through the drunken haze enveloping Carina, she is far beyond answering it as she giggles to herself.
I swipe to answer the call, my pulse echoing loudly in my ears.
“Where is my mate, Carina!” The voice on the other end is frantic and seething. “I swear, if you’ve hurt her?—”
“It’s me, Xandros,” I interrupt him. There’s a heartbeat of silence, then he breathes out. “You’re alive,” he breathes out. I’m certain he would know if I were dead, it’s not like either of us can escape the buzz of the bond.
“You’re okay.” His words are not a question, but a sigh of relief. I shake off the thought of him caring for me. I can’t afford to dwell on that now because I know it’s only a facade.
“Where are you?” he demands, and his tone brings me back to reality.
“Some blood bank bar, Carina is drunk as shit and…” I glance back at Carina, and my heart sinks as I see her passed out against the wall of the booth.
“What’s wrong?” Xandros asks, picking up on the anxiety in my voice.
“She’s passed out,” I whisper, scanning the increasingly hostile crowd around us as I stick my head out the curtain.
“Where is her guard?”
“She didn’t bring one, we are alone… ah, Xandros?” I tell him, my voice barely above a whisper. “I think we were followed by a group of men; they were watching Carina and I at the other club,” I admit. His growl resonates through the phone, making me flinch.
“I’m on my way, and don’t you dare think about running, Sienna.” Xandros’s icy tone sends chills down my spine as he ends the call. I’m left staring at the phone in my hand, then at Carina, who is slumped in her seat.
Then whispers creep through the heavy curtain separating us from the bar. The men outside are becoming increasingly agitated, their comments growing more venomous.
“Isn’t that the vampire bitch, our future queen,” one sneers.
Another adds, “It’s unlike the future king to leave his betrothed unguarded.” Another man from the other club laughs.
“Easy pickings, I’ve always hated that bitch.” The hostility in his voice makes my skin crawl.
“I owe that king a bit of vengeance, took my fucking eye when he killed Mal,” one growls. The atmosphere outside the booth is a boiling pot of resentment and hostility.
With rising dread, I realize we are sitting ducks.
Against all logic, I try to rouse Carina again.
I could abandon her to whatever fate they have in store for her, but I would never be able to live with myself if they hurt her when I could have helped her.
“We can’t stay here, Carina. We aren’t safe here,” I whisper, pulling on her arm.
Carina is dead weight. As if on cue, the curtain is ripped open, three men crowding the entrance of the booth, their menacing expressions promising nothing good.
I’m caught off guard and stumble back and nearly fall on Carina’s lap.
The men eye Carina behind me with undisguised malice.
One reaches for her, grabbing her wrist. Summoning the last shred of courage, I force myself between them.
“Back off, the king is on his way.” I warn the man.
He smirks. “Is that right?” he laughs. I slap his wrist when he reaches for her again.
“I said leave her, if you touch her the king will kill you,” I sputter.
One man sneers—the man missing an eye. The only thing left is just a hollow socket on one side. “We best be quick, then.” His words echo in the space, and they send my heart hammering against my ribs. My words of warning have fallen on deaf ears, and I can only hope Xandros arrives soon.
As much as Xandros is feared, it’s clear he’s also hated.
I lean down to Carina, whispering, “Carina, you need to get up.” Before the words have fully left my mouth, the man snarls. The sudden glare of the bar lights is blinding. The three burly men cram themselves into the booth, their ravenous eyes falling on Carina.
Though they clearly recognize Carina, they don’t seem to know of Xandros’s mate. Their attention is solely on Carina, who has become an easier target in her current state.
“Back off!” I warn them. Their reaction is far from what I had hoped for. Their smirks turn crueler.
Another scrutinizes me and recognition flits across his face. “I recognize you, you’re Sienna… whatsy’s face’s niece,” he smirks. “Your uncle owes me $1500! Best settle that debt while here.” With that, he grabs my wrist with a grip that could crush bones.
My struggle proves futile as they haul me out of the booth and toss me onto a nearby pool table. I instantly thrash as they jerk me around like a rag doll. My legs kicking frantically while they try to pin me.
In the midst of the chaos, I catch sight of Carina being dragged away.
She comes to just in time, awareness flooding her face as she is bent over a pool table nearby.
“Sienna?” she mumbles, panic lacing her voice as she pushes off the table, only to have her head slammed against the wood.
It’s too late; they’ve begun tearing at her clothes, their cruel laughter mingling with the deafening beat of the music I know will forever haunt me.
“Do you have any idea who I am? Get your fucking hands off me!” Carina snarls, her voice echoing through the now nearly empty club.
Peering around, I see most patrons have left, even the staff have abandoned us as I kick and thrash in panic.
One of the men responds, “Oh, we know exactly who you are, love. Now you’re going to know who we are,” the man answers her.
My foot connects with one man’s face. On the pool table, I scramble to my knees, and my eyes land on a pool cue, I crawl to it.
Grasping it, just as fingers lock around my ankle.
I swing blindly with all my might; the cue connecting with one of the men’s groin.
He doubles over, letting me go. I bolt off the table, heading for Carina.
She’s managed to fight one off, when another—a vampire—has sunk his teeth into her neck.
Her scream is cut off abruptly, replaced by a gurgling sound that has my stomach churning when I am cut off by another man.
“Stay back!” I snap at him, trying to keep my eyes on both men.
Suddenly, the screech of tires outside steals my attention, my heart hammering even louder. As I turn back to Carina, I see her ripping a man’s heart from his chest.
“Oh, you’ve fucked up,” she taunts, albeit shakily. Her victory is short-lived, as another man shoves her back over a pool table after punching her. One man lay dead at her feet, leaving five to contend with.