Drain Me *SAMPLE CHAPTERS ONLY*

RANDOM SAMPLE CHAPTER:

We all know I have no self control, and I'm so excited about this draft.  I have to share a few more sneaky peeks.  A few.  

Here's one of my favorite exerpts.   :)

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Exerpt-----

Shadows draped the dimly lit passage but weren't dark enough to obscure the odd, dangerous beauty of it. The walls were a deep shade of blood-red and the floors were polished wood. Unlike the sleek, ultra-modern Anemia, the dark colors cast an ancient aura that made it seem even more unwelcoming than Gray Manor.

I felt like a prisoner being led through a medieval castle on her way to the dungeons.

Right on cue, Yulia turned, bringing us before the threshold of a wide circular room that seemed no less terrifying than a torturer’s pit.  The archway was sheathed in gold and the gilded doors were open, revealing what waited beyond. The layout resembled that of an old-fashioned theater: a circular stage, surrounded by elevated seats rising up to the high, domed ceiling.

My heart sped once I realized that every seat was full.  There were so many people—no, so many shadows—watching from swaths of darkness. In eerie contrast, a single puddle of light illuminated the center of the floor, where a scantily clad woman danced before the crowd. With a grace I could only dream of possessing, she rolled her stomach in tune to an exotic beat playing from unseen speakers.

“Damn it,” Yulia hissed from my shoulder, eyes on the performance. The woman’s movements were sure and elegant—enticing. 

If the amount of eyes fixed in the same direction was any indication, I knew that I could never compare.

“I can’t do this.” My voice broke. I felt five seconds from grabbing onto the end of Yulia’s skirt like a child. “I can’t …I can’t—”

I took a step back and a wall of ice met my back through the thin material of my shift. 

“Get ready.” The command accompanied the cold hand that descended over my shoulder, and I knew who stood behind me without even having to turn around. His scent had been ingrained within me by now: spice, ice and all things forbidden.

“Get ready,” Dublin repeated. “You’re on next.”

Oh, God. The elegant room swam in and out of focus. Dark wood and marble blurred into one indistinguishable cage. I couldn’t breathe. His words had made it final; there was no way out. I felt like the pawn in a life-size game of chess, and Saskia already had me in an inevitable checkmate.

“I—”

“Look at me.”

I couldn’t resist his voice. Yulia had slipped into the shadows, muttering something about ‘saving him a seat’ but the funny thing was …I barely even heard her.

For the split second that I turned and made eye contact with Dublin Helos, the world faded into the background. Those harsh shadows became muted gray, and the pulsing beat of music lowered to a hum. Nothing existed save for a pair of eyes dominated by fathomless irises.

“I can’t do it,” I croaked, hating the roughness in my voice. “I’ll scream. Throw tantrums—whatever you want. Just don’t make me do this.”

“It’s too late for that.” Without warning, his thumb shot out to graze the bottom of my chin, unnervingly gentle and fearfully cold. “Look on the bright side,” he suggested, moving that glacial touch up to my cheek. “We’ll both suffer for your stubbornness.”