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.

with being some supreme

distaste. “All I smell is that blood

a cluster of women. “Arja, take her and wash

its socket as she was jerked to her feet by one of the men and thrust

Breeder,” Arja said, tugging at her arm.

her gait, down

as the faint scent of death

glance 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

thank you,” Cassandra said stiffly, glancing around the dirty, scum-crusted tub with open horror. It was filthy.

expected Arja to close the door behind her but she stubbornly remained, ignoring Cassandra’s

didn’t budge. “Come on…this is ridiculous. I can wash

me. I’m sorry but I’m not willing to take the chance.” Arja bent down and pulled

sight of that horrid thing.

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

taking Arja’s warning

wandering to her gimpy left leg and she said, “I am not a Breeding female,”

“What do you mean?”

carry pups beyond a certain point in the

you get pregnant?” Cassandra asked, confused and concerned for