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.

seemed a ridiculous worry when faced with being some supreme breeder

that blood

take her and wash that filth

feet by one of

her arm.

subtle limp in her gait, down a dim, dingy hallway that stank of mildew and things best left

the faint scent of death teased her nostrils with its cloying sweetness. “Who are

on old hinges. “The bath isn’t much to look at but there’s warm running water, which is more than we’ve had in the past. Get undressed and I’ll

said stiffly, glancing around the dirty, scum-crusted tub with open

she’d manage to become any cleaner in that thing. She expected Arja to close the door behind her but she stubbornly remained, ignoring Cassandra’s declaration.

“Come on…this is ridiculous. I can wash

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

surely must’ve paled because she felt the blood leave her cheeks at the sight of that horrid thing.

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

stripped with shaking fingers, taking Arja’s warning at face

gimpy left leg and she said, “I am not a Breeding female,” she said by way of

“What do you mean?”

carry pups beyond a certain point in the

pregnant?” Cassandra asked, confused and concerned for