Like the wolves, the vampire hadn’t bothered to tie my hands or disable me in any way. It seemed he planned to rely totally on his own abilities to keep me contained. I wasn’t complaining. It’d make escaping a lot easier. Still, it was a little insulting how nobody seemed to have even a hint of wariness regarding my abilities.
A woman stepped into the hallway and came to a halt when she noticed my presence. Her mouth dropped open before her eyes shot past me to land on my captor.
She stammered, “Enforcer, what are you doing here?”
“I didn’t realize I had to report my itinerary to a servant,” a cold voice said from behind me.
Asshole. I hoped she blistered his ears. I know I would have. There were several sarcastic replies that would be appropriate for the situation.
She blushed bright red and bowed. No shit. A bow. Who did that in this day and age?
“Forgive me. I did not mean to presume.”
I snorted. This was unreal. It was like the middle ages had taken up residence in this nightclub.
A shove landed on my back, and I stumbled forward.
“She is unclaimed. See she is fed and any wounds attended to.”
Her eyes darted to mine, curiosity and suspicion alive in them.
“Of course. I will make the guest comfortable.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” I told her. “I’m not really a guest. More like a kidnap victim.”
She gave me a cool look that held none of the deferential treatment the man received. “If you’re not a guest, then you’re a prisoner.”
“Works for me,” I said with a smirk.
There came a sigh behind me. “Make sure you keep an eye on her. I have a feeling she’s a runner.”
The woman nodded again.
“I will be reviewing the tapes of the attack. When I’ve finished, I will come for the yearling.”
Yearling. Like I’m a horse or something.
She murmured an agreement and dipped her head as he passed.
She watched as he disappeared down the hall. I looked back at the exit. It was only a few steps away. She didn’t look that strong. Perhaps I could make a run for it.
She grabbed me by my jacket and threw me up against the wall, lifting me until my feet dangled inches off the ground. Her eyes nearly glowed with a fey light, so bright they cast shadows in the hallway.
I grimaced. Not this again. Perhaps they taught the move in vampire academy. There might even be a “How to subdue other vampires 101” class, and they were graded on how well they threw people against the wall.
“You show great disrespect to your elders, girl,” the woman snarled, her fangs coming out to play. I was quite amazed she could speak without the slightest speech impediment. Me, I’d have a thick lisp, making it impossible for my victim to understand me.
“I am a millennial,” I told her. “Along with being the boomerang generation, we’re known for a lack of respect. Ya’ll should really have thought about that before you conscripted me into your ranks.”
“There was hardly any force required,” she said, her fangs withdrawing with a snick. “Every candidate is carefully vetted and given every opportunity to reconsider along the way. Each of you comes to us voluntarily.”
My lips quirked in a half smile. “Not all of us.”
Her hands loosened on my shirt, and I slid out of them to stand on my own two feet. I smoothed down the jacket, suspecting it was a lost cause. It was ripped and twisted beyond redemption by this point. It was one of my favorites too.
My words had disturbed her more than I thought. “Is it true you were forced?”
“Yup.” I drew the word out making it into three syllables.
