Reign of Blood (The Vampires of Vegas Book 1)

Chapter Twenty

"Did you hear me, human?" He said "human" like one would say "stupid." I stood up and took my tray to the trash, emptying what I hadn't eaten. I was about to place the tray in the dirty dish pile when I lost my grip on it as my body was shoved forward. I slammed into the wall and scrambled to turn and get on my feet but Mr. Burly Man picked me up by my shirt and held me up in the air as if I was a small child. My legs dangled but I tried to kick at him anyway and slam my fists into his chest. It had little effect on him and he would not let go. His smile was widening into a malicious taunt.

"Where are you going? No one is here to help you; they left this morning to check one of our satellite hives. Trouble is brewing and I bet you have a lot to do with it." His eyes were so black they seemed to swallow the gold ring that hugged his iris, like a full solar eclipse in the black holes of his sockets. I grabbed at his hands, uselessly scratching and slamming my own fists into his.

"Let me go!" My legs weren't even long enough to reach him and his arms were long with bulging muscles that held me easily. He began laughing at my efforts. The crowd around him was eerily quiet, obviously not sure what to do with the situation. I was sure there might have been some that would've helped me but they were too afraid of this man to try and go against him. I sucked in a breath and stopped flailing, feeling much like a fish on a hook. His grin widened at my supposed surrender, his glowing white fangs flashing in his mouth, looking as though they were growing longer.

He shook his head at me as though what I had yelled at him was a stupid question. "No, I can't let you go. You see, you're not mated and I'm looking for one. I think I might just stake my claim on you. You could give me loads of fun and when I'm done, you might make a tasty meal." He licked his lips and tongued the sharp points of his fangs as he dropped me to the floor. My hip slammed into the concrete with such a force it sent a numbing pain shooting down my leg, rendering me too stunned to stand up. I pushed up on my arms but my legs wouldn't cooperate. I pulled up on the wall and grunted as I reached for my machete.

He promptly slapped my hand away from it. My other hand flew to the one on my other hip as I tried to stand. He shoved it away and pulled me against him as I slapped him hard on the face, making his grin morph into a grimace of anger, contorting his face demonically. He growled at my horror as I again struggled against him. His body shook with his haughty laugh when he suddenly bent forward, his hot breath rushing past my neck and ear.

I realized with terror just exactly what he could have done if he'd wanted to. He could have drained me dry right there. There was no one to back me up and no one to even care.

Rye, where are you?

"You smell good, human, like the sweetest nectar, and I really miss drinking...."

He inhaled my skin like a rare perfume, making me cringe away from him. I reached up and snatched a small knife from my bandoleer, sly enough so that he wouldn't notice. I swung it up in an arc, aiming for his head, but a flash of his arm flew by as I slammed my arm down, catching the knife in his forearm before I had gotten any closer. A gasp flew through the crowd gathering around us. I wanted to yell out at them to not just stand there but to help me out a bit. Darn bastards were no help at all.

Mr. Burly Man stared at the knife protruding from his forearm as he shoved me to the wall. My head bounced off the wall and the room spun as my sight wavered and threatened to throw me into darkness. I concentrated on breathing as I blinked and tried to focus on him. He was fuming. His lips snarled and a low growl was definitely forming in his throat.

He reached over and pulled my knife from his forearm, staring at the blood that was dripping down his arm and blade and splattering onto the floor. He came into focus as a surge of pain ran through my head, making me grip my temples to subdue it. I watched as a horror built inside me, my stomach dangerously queasy as he moved the blade to his lips and gave it a long, savory lick.