With a deranged smile, Levi approaches, brushing the hair off my shoulder. “Such savage teeth . . . I’ll bet that Alpha of yours pounded you senseless.” He grips the handlebars, hovering over me. “Surely we’ve given you enough time to recover, no?”
My throat bobs. “What is it that you want?”
A hard slap across the cheek nearly knocks me out of my seat.
“You aren’t in any position to ask questions, human. Don’t you forget that.”
Groaning, I lean over, spitting blood onto the floor.
“Go get the sample, Dustin,” the female decrees.
The guard built like a sledgehammer turns over his shoulder. “I thought we already got one.”
Levi’s eyes simmer. The last one must’ve been contaminated. Too many sedatives in my system. “Do as she says.”
The alternate guard with a buzzcut crosses the room and secures my forearm against the shockingly cold metal. His partner grunts, flicking the needle.
Stay calm. Don’t fight it.
The platinum blonde stares me down as the needle pierces my skin, prodding the vein. After a few seconds, Dustin withdraws the syringe. He nods to the woman who lingers in the corner. Gracefully, she stalks over to us, taking the vial in her hand, then pockets it. Standing an inch or two over six feet, she must be the most intimidating woman I’ve ever seen. Frosty, hooded eyes assess the bite on my neck before settling on my face.
“So, this is the new face of the Skornokovy dynasty,” she states, clearly unimpressed. “A little docile, don’t you think, boys?”
Levi smirks, his men chuckling behind him.
It’sher. The raspy voice on the gravel road. I’m sure of it.
I flinch as she tugs down on the strings that fasten my nightgown, exposing my bra and midriff to the room.
“Carry on,” she chimes, seeing herself out.
Levi closes the door behind her, switching on the fluorescent overhead lights. Cursing, I raise my hand to my face to shield from the blinding source. My raw scent fills the room, causing the males’ nostrils to flare. The guard who escorted me this morning and the man to his right, Dustin, lick their lips. In a flash, the nameless one presses his palm to my chest, forcing me on my back.
“No!” I interject, swinging my leg to kick him. The buzzcut male instead latches onto it, tearing the gown off me.
His pupils expand. “Damn, boss, have you ever scented a woman like this?”
“Skornokovy’s one lucky bastard,” Dustin grumbles.
Levi grabs Buzzcut by the throat. “Your orders are to seal the mark and nothing else.Nothing.”
I twist onto my side, coming face to face with a branding instrument. Dustin takes hold of my arms, pulling them sharplybehind me. “It’d be a shame to dislocate your shoulders, little Luna. The less you squirm, the less pressure I’ll apply.”
He demonstrates by pressing against the joint, pulling down harder with the other hand. As I wail in pain, my heart gallops wildly in my chest.
Levi chuckles, raising his tool. “That’s nothing, sugar.”
Stay calm. Don’t fight it.
Buzzcut switches open a pocketknife, tracing the point along my inner thigh.
I can’t bear to look. Nor can I breathe as I feel the sharp edge press into the valley between my breasts. The blade slices through the bra’s wiring, fully exposing me.
Using all my strength, I smack my left foot against the lycan’s head, flinging my hips off the table. “Get off of me!”
Levi joins them, clutching an iron poker. Without warning, he slams his elbow into my diaphragm, right where he slugged me yesterday. Oxygen dies in my lungs.
Breathing raggedly, he scoops the nightgown off the floor, stuffing it in my mouth. His fingernails dig into the base of my neck, prying open my bloody mark. I hear the flick of a small lighter then, a flame hovering close and engulfing the sharp metal edges.
