“What is that?”she asked, although she knew the answer.
“A bird cage, for a nightingale.”
“Oh,” she said.“Why do I have to get in there?”
“You’re to be displayed for potential buyers.”
“Oh,” she said again.She didn’t know what else to say.Still, she hesitated.
“If you don’t get in, you’re in breach of your contract.”
This was it.The moment she’d been dreading.Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and entered the cage.The vampire closed the gate and then a moment later, it lifted.The rocking motion caused her to grab the bars as she was hoisted unceremoniously into open space, and she wasn’t the only one dangling by steel cables.There were other people in other cages, male and female, looking just as nervous as she felt.
The position allowed her to look down into the club where people danced to a synthesized techno beat.The building was rectangle shaped, reminding her of a Spanish courtyard.Along the perimeter of the mezzanine were alcoves, where people sat and drank.The third and fourth floor had the same alcoves, but only the top floor had red drapes that offered a modicum of privacy.The mosaic designs etched into each arched keystone mimicked the grandeur of medieval cathedrals.The club was a sensory overload.Lights, sounds, and movement all blended together in a dizzying display of wildness.
This was the first time she’d ever been in a club or a bar, and the frenetic energy reverberating through The Crimson Den fascinated her.Every single person dancing like there was no tomorrow.The world might end but they were chill.It was an abandonment that she envied.Her entire life, she’d been painfully withdrawn.Still was, to some degree.Leaving the wrecked home where she’d grown up had been the first instance of rebellion, and it had threatened her one and only friend.In the back of her mind, she knew this was her fault, and she wasn’t naïve enough to believe this would end Lori’s torture.
Why didn’t Marilisa want to escape with her?They could be long gone by the time those brutes returned.
Pushing those thoughts aside, she resumed her perusal and realized there was a dais that resided across from where she dangled, where luxurious crimson throne chairs resided.Even from her spot she could tell the men and women who sat in them were vampires.Some had people kneeling at their feet, dressed in black leather with a collar and chain attached.Others were naked.There was diversity among the vampires.White, black, Asian, probably other ethnicities she wasn’t aware of.Some had flowing hair and dressed in old-fashioned clothing, as if stuck in the era they’d been born in.
Then, her gaze collided with a laser sharp focus centered on her, although the man from whom the stare came from was too far away to see what color his eyes were.Dark hair, shorn on the side and longer on top.A close-cropped beard and mustache that couldn’t hide his square, angular jawline.Handsome wasn’t the right word to describe him.Magnetic.Captivating.He had a presence that made all the others fade in comparison.
Every time she looked away, she couldn’t help but glance back.He continued to watch her, and then he raised a hand.Immediately, a man answered his summons, leaning over to listen.Was this vampire interested in her?Was he inquiring how much to buy her?She had no idea what to think or how to feel.How would she think about herself tomorrow morning?
That was a question for future Adalyn.
Suddenly, her cage started to move, sliding back into the recessed nook where the same big bouncer waited.He unlocked the cage and held up his hand, helping her step out.
“What’s wrong?”she asked.
“You’ve been acquired.”
“That’s a pleasant way of saying bought,” she muttered.
“So it is,” he replied.“This way.”
Heading in the opposite direction from where they entered, she had to double step to keep up.
“Can you tell me who bought me?”
Apparently, he was finished talking because he didn’t answer.Didn’t even glance her way.They came to a set of stairs and he led her down one level, where another set of ornate gothic doors waited.He knocked and they slowly opened, revealing two men dressed like something out of the French Revolution, who stood statue-still until she entered.Then they exited and closed the door behind them.
Adalyn finally found out why the place was called The Crimson Den.The color red was floor to ceiling.Chairs, decoration, couch.It looked like blood coated the room, which was probably the idea.
And there stood her vampire.
Well, nothervampire.
Just the vampire who bought her for the night.
“Come here, little bird.”
A slight brogue punctuated the words, and she hazarded a guess he was originally from Scotland.Following his command, she slowly walked forward, tipping her head back to stare at him.This close, even in the low lighting, she realized his eyes were pale green.
“You’re very beautiful.”
Adalyn never gave her looks much thought.Maybe she was pretty, or maybe it was all in the eyes of the beholder.If she was a different type of person, she could’ve played up any positive features in order to claw her way out of poverty, but she’d been painfully shy.Especially since Lori was the only person to stick around, and she made sure Adalyn didnotfeel beautiful.
