Chapter 6
It’s surprisingly entertaining watching the vampire and werewolf leaders intermix with one another. It’s only been an hour, and despite the room being more than big enough for the thirty-two leaders, Thane has already had to stop three different fights from breaking out.
“What pound did you get her at?” a werewolf with reddish-brown hair asks, kneeling down in front of me. “Or did you find her in the wild? She looks like she’s probably a wildcat.” His predatory gaze wanders down the length of my body, stopping where the dress hugs the curve of my hip.
“Why don’t you come a little closer and find out just how wild I really am?” I coax, eager to bite his ear off.
His eyes light up at the challenge, and he leans in, but stops when Thane says, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. She hasn’t been properly trained yet.”
“Then why don’t we start her training right now?” a woman with short platinum blonde hair suggests, motioning for a few others to join in on the fun.
“Be my guest.” I whip around to look at Thane in disbelief, only to find his lips curved into a sinister smirk.
The woman bends over at the waist, waving around a piece of cheese from her plate.
“Sit.” I roll my eyes and shift into a sitting position, more than happy to give my hips a rest from the hard floor. “Well done,” she praises, dropping the slice of cheese onto the ground.
She waits for me to eat it, but I lie back down and yawn dramatically, as if she’s boring me.
“Roll over,” one of the others commands.
I do as he says without putting up a fight, and once I’m back on my stomach, I kick my feet behind me and smile at them.
“Is she mocking us?” the blonde woman asks the man who just gave the last order.
“If she is, she won’t be for long,” the red-headed man from before assures her.
“Stand up.” Again, I do as I’m told and sit into one hip with my arms crossed.
He takes a couple of steps closer so that he’s less than an arm’s length away from me.
As his perverted eyes drift slowly down my body, my hands ball at my sides. “Take off your dress.”
My fist, aimed at his face, is caught by Thane, and I’m not even sure the man registers what I was about to do.
“Sorry, Troy,” Thane offers, pulling my fist down to my side between us. His other hand slides up my spine and wraps around the back of my neck in a possessive gesture. My body falls still as he presses his lips to my ear. “That trick is for my eyes only.”
“Of course, Alpha.” The man backs away, and the others quickly disperse, leaving me alone with Thane.
His hand falls away from my neck, and relief washes over me.
One collar is enough.
He takes his place in his royal-looking chair and orders me to sit.
“Not there,” his deep voice rumbles when I start to bend down. “Here.” He points to his thigh, and my jaw goes slack.
“You can’t be serious.”
“Oh, I’m very serious.”
“I was growing comfortable on the floor,” I say in an attempt to persuade him.
“You know what happens if I have to tell you again,” he threatens, his eyes dropping to the metal secured around my neck. I shake my head, but follow his order, too scared to feel the shock if I don’t. I sit on his knee as far away from him as I can possibly get. “Closer.”
I toss my head back before inching slightly closer.
Apparently, he wasn’t satisfied, because he grabs me with both arms and pulls me into him so that my legs are in between his and our faces are only inches apart.
One of his hands rests on my thigh while the other begins unzipping the back of my dress.
“What are you doing?” I try to stand, but he holds me down on his lap.
“I’m showing everyone you belong to me.”
My heart thrashes against my ribcage as he continues to slowly unzip my dress, brushing his knuckles against my skin with each inch.
Once the zipper reaches the bottom of my spine, he stops, sliding his hand back to my neck.
The metal collar unlatches, and he tosses it on the ground, making it clash against the marble floor.
The sound draws a few eyes toward us, and for a split second, I think about making a run for it, but his hold on me is too strong.
I turn to look at him, but when I see the intensity burning in his eyes, my breath catches in my throat.
His gaze drops to my lips as he drags his fingers down my back again, scoring a path of heat across my flesh.
Once they make it to the zipper, he reaches for my hip and squeezes it, sending a heatwave rushing through me.
It devours me within seconds, but it’s not from anger.
In fact, it’s something else entirely. Something I haven’t felt since before the Last War.
Something I wasn’t sure I would ever feel again.
Desire.
Disgusted with myself, I push down the lustful feelings that are obviously an involuntary reaction to not being touched by someone for years.
His hand that’s been fixed on my thigh now pulls at the high neckline of my dress, slipping beneath the fabric covering my right shoulder.
Thane pushes the lace off in one smooth motion, and panic rises when I realize the next move he makes will leave me bare for everyone to see.
The crawling and tricks were one thing. That kind of humiliation I can handle. But being undressed in front of these monsters for them to gawk and laugh at is too much.
“Please don’t do this.” My voice cracks on the last word, and Thane’s dark brows pinch together. I know the last thing he expected me to do was beg, but he’s left me no choice.
He clutches a fistful of my hair, pulling me closer to him, and I close my eyes, holding my breath as I wait for him to rip the rest of the dress from my body.
Instead, a searing pain burns into the side of my neck.
I want to scream and push him off me, but I can’t seem to do either.
All I can do is sit on his lap, completely frozen as the burning sensation spreads like wildfire through my veins.
As the seconds slowly tick by, Thane tightens his grip like a wild animal consumed by bloodlust.
Everything around us falls away, my attention focused solely on the agony coursing through my body.
The pain is so excruciating that it steals all of the oxygen from my lungs.
It’s like every inch of me is being stabbed with tiny needles while my flesh is being burned away by acid.
I’m almost certain there’s no worse pain in the world, and it’s only a matter of time until my heart gives out.
As I wait for that moment to come, my head begins to spin, and the pain begins to numb, offering a rush of relief.
Suddenly, Thane pulls away, and I collapse into him, unable to hold myself up. He tilts my chin up, and my eyes fall to his mouth. His bottom lip is stained red with my blood, and he runs his tongue along the sharp tips of his fangs.
“You bit me,” I manage in a whisper.
“No, I marked you.”
His words sound distant, and I’m not sure I even hear them right as my eyes fall shut, drawing in a sea of darkness.
The late morning sun beams through the large windows, painting the room a golden hue. Everything feels a bit foggy and muffled as I rack my brain, trying to figure out how I got back to this room. The last thing I remember about last night was Thane sinking his fangs into my neck.
As the memories of the night begin to slowly resurface, I spring out of bed and sprint to the bathroom.
Revulsion knots in my stomach when I realize I’m no longer wearing the lace gown.
I look down at the slinky nightgown, wondering who in this godforsaken place changed my clothes last night.
Just the thought that it might have been Thane makes me want to punch a hole through the wall, but the inferno burning up inside of me is smothered when I hear a knock at the door.
I already know it must be Sienna. She’s the only one around here who would have the decency to knock.
“How was last night—” She pauses halfway through the door and grabs my shoulders, turning me into the light. “Alpha marked you?” Concern washes over her face, and it makes my stomach churn with dread.
I reach for the place I was bitten and rush off to the bathroom again. The collar is back on me, but even the thick metal clasped around my neck doesn’t hide the two puncture wounds.
“What does that mean? He marked me?”
“Umm…” She pauses, looking down at the floor. “You know how humans would brand cows?”
“He brANDED me?” A flurry of emotions slam into me, and Sienna offers a sympathetic look that only makes me feel worse. “Will it go away?”
She shakes her head. “You see those lines that look kind of like bolts of lightning?” I lean forward closer to the mirror so I can get a better look.
Thin black lines extend around both puncture holes, almost looking like veins.
“Only the strongest vampires can mark someone. The longer those lines, the more powerful they are.”
“Let me guess, these are pretty long?”
“The longest I’ve ever seen, not that that’s saying much. I’ve only ever met one other marked human, and that was before the Last War when most humans didn’t know we existed.” She feigns a smile. “The good news is no one will mess with you now.”
“You mean no one but the cruel, all-powerful hybrid who now owns me.”
She grimaces at the thought and then quickly changes the subject. “You should know he had me change you out of your clothes last night. I tried to wake you, but you were out cold. I hope that’s okay.”
“Oh, thank God!” I rejoice, leaning into the bathroom counter. “I thought he might have—”
“Alpha?” She shakes her head. “He’s a lot of things, but a pervert isn’t one of them. Can’t say the same for the rest of the wolves around here, though. They take the saying ‘men are dogs’ to a whole other level.”
“Hmm. Good to know he has at least one redeeming quality.”
She laughs and looks at her watch. “Mannaggia, we have to get you ready for breakfast!”
“Please tell me it’s not some formal breakfast with the territory leaders,” I whine, following her to the dresser.
“Nope! Just you and your mortal enemy,” she quips, bumping me with her hip.
“Mortal, huh? Meaning he can die?” Her face tightens. “I’m joking,” I reassure before she goes into full panic mode. “I’m not dumb enough to think I could go up against him.”
“Good,” she says, handing me a black, full-length jumpsuit that looks like something a spy would wear. “Because he’s over 300 years old and has hundreds, if not thousands, of kills under his belt.”
Oddly enough, the part of her statement that surprises me the most is his age. Of course I know their aging works differently, but still. The thought that he’s been around for over 300 years is just something I can’t wrap my human mind around.
While I get changed into the skin-tight outfit that makes me feel like I’m Catwoman, I try to figure out my next move. After the events of last night, Thane will be looking for a reaction. He’ll want me to show fear or anger.
So, I’ll show him neither.