Fatal Fascinations

Chapter 20: People You Thought You Knew

Annalina's POV:

I awoke in a cry of pain. Heat shot up and down my arm, burning me from the inside out.

A strangled breath escaped me as my eyes snapped open.

Glowing golden eyes were the first thing I saw. The shadows filled in the rest, dancing off the walls in faded blacks and grays.

The Mercari's claws raked down my arm and I screamed, the sharp pain feeling like ice pressed against my heart. Warm blood trailed lightly down my arm and the vampire leaned down to lick it, flicking his gruesome looking tongue across the tender flesh.

He chuckled when I shrieked again, crying out for help.

Broken sobs escaped my throat as I attempted to throw myself off the bed, but his arm and legs kept me pinned to the small twin bed. Paper crinkled beneath me, now stained with blood.

"Help!" I yelled, my throat dry and swollen.

The Mercari's claws dug harder into my skin, sending shooting pains through my body, dragging out the agony.

"Stop, stop," I sobbed, hot tears running down my face.

A slash across my face silenced my screaming. Blood ran down my cheek, over my bony collarbone and onto the bed before me. I squeezed my eyes shut, praying this was just a dream.

The wet tongue trailing across my cheek proved to me it wasn't.

"Shhh," the vampire soothed me, his breath mingling against my warm face. I smelled cinnamon and alcohol, wincing slightly at the scent.

I whimpered, scared this was the end.

A talon dragged smoothly from my temple down the other side of my face. This is the end. This is it.

I felt fresh blood well as the agony continued.

And then for a brief, terrifying second, I felt nothing.

Peeking an eye open, I met the Mercari vampire's sinister golden ones, a trait that marked him as a member of Roland's clan.

"Fuck," I took a deep breath, inhaling my last little bit of oxygen, "you."

The Mercari's sneer was venomous.

His talons flashed swiftly through the air, heading straight for my throat.

Rose's POV:

I was moving. Shifting. Changing. Turning.

I felt vibrations beneath me.

Then I felt nothing.

Drearily, my eyes opened slightly, adjusting to the blackness around me. What the hell had I gotten myself into?

I attempted to move my heavy body forward, but sharp metal bit into my wrists. With a rough pull, I realized I had been chained by my arms and legs to a wall. The clinking and clattering of the chain let me know I had very little ability to move.

"What the fuck?" I murmured to myself. Am I in someone's playroom? Was this some kinky orgy? What the hell happened? Did I get into some shit last night?

I must've had too much to drink.

The pounding headache I was experiencing only confirmed my theory.

Groaning, I leaned my head back against the wall, my body oddly stiff and sore.

The lights flicking on only intesified my headache.