THE AWAKENING

Cassandra shrieked as she was grabbed by two sets of rough hands. A man with a deeply scarred face came into view. He was definitely a werewolf, she could sense it.

He smiled into her face, knuckling her cheek with interest as he gazed openly at her, as if assessing her worth. He sniffed at her neck and drew away with a curl of his lip.

He shot a dark look at Cristophe who was helpless to move with the wood in his shoulder. “Your scent is all over her. Why?” He appeared puzzled by the mystery but soon moved on. “No matter. She will cycle again…soon. And I plan to plant my seed in her belly.” He gripped her chin harshly. “You will whelp my son — and my son will rule the world.”

“I will kill you, wolf,” Cristophe snarled. “If you take her, you will have a price on your head. Every vampire, and your rival clan, will make it their mission to stop you from breeding. The prophecy must not come to fruition!”

“Be silent bloodsucker. Your days of subjugating my kind are over.” He motioned to the men gripping her tightly. “Bring the Breeder. I wish to sample her quivering little cunt before her cycle begins.”

Cassandra cast a helpless glance at Cristophe but there was little he could do to stop the wolves from Lichek’s clan from carting her off.

Her only hope remained with Jandin and Koris finding her before it was too late.

Cassandra landed on the thin carpet floor with an ass-bruising thud that felt as if it’d jarred her teeth from her jaw as the rangy bunch of men circled around her, their noses twitching with barely restrained excitement, and she swallowed a thick lump of fear.

They looked hungry, their canines too long in their mouths, as if they’d only partially returned to their human form after their last transformation and their snouts were elongated.

Cassandra tried not to recoil in fear but her skin crawled at the lecherous gleam in their amber eyes. It was no secret what they wanted to do to her.

Her mind was spinning with everything that had happened to her in the last twenty-four hours. And to think, last week she’d been worried about how to pay her credit card bill.

faced with being some supreme breeder who rival werewolf clans were willing to

like a Breeder,” one whined, eyeing her with distaste. “All I smell is that blood sucker’s seed

dark scowl as he motioned to a cluster of women. “Arja, take her and wash that

shrieked as her arm was nearly ripped from its socket as she was jerked to her feet by one of the men and thrust at the woman. Cassandra stumbled as she landed in the woman’s arms.

arm.

followed Arja, a petite woman with a subtle limp in her gait, down a dim, dingy hallway that stank of mildew and things

as the faint scent of death teased her nostrils with

Cassandra’s way before pushing open a door that protested loudly on old hinges. “The bath isn’t much to look at but there’s warm running water, which is more than we’ve had

Cassandra said stiffly, glancing around the dirty, scum-crusted tub with open horror. It

expected Arja to close the door behind

didn’t budge. “Come on…this

smell of vampire lust. If you don’t get every drop of his seed from your skin, Ulster will beat me. I’m sorry but I’m not willing to take the chance.” Arja bent down and pulled a mean looking scrub brush from under the cabinet. She eyed it with grim satisfaction as she pushed her lanky brown hair from her eyes. “This ought to do

felt the blood leave her cheeks at the sight of that horrid thing. “I-I don’t think that’s sanitary…I

does not touch us. It’s one of the reasons our life expectancy is much longer than humans. You should know that. Now, strip before Ulster sends one of his men to do it for you. Trust me,” she warned in a low tone “you don’t want that to happen. They’re all yipping at the chance to touch the prophesied one. You don’t look like you can handle what they’d do

with shaking fingers, taking Arja’s warning at face

truth. Arja caught Cassandra’s gaze wandering to her gimpy left leg

“What do you mean?”

pups beyond a certain point in

you get pregnant?” Cassandra asked, confused and