Chapter
One
Leda
I woke with a start.
My heart raced as I forced myself to lie still and listen, trying to figure out what had interrupted my sleep, but my house was quiet as usual. The only noise was the soft whir of the fan next to my bed.
There were no extra shadows in the corners. No unexpected presence in my space.
It must have been a bad dream.
I closed my eyes, sleep creeping back over me. Just as I was about to doze off, there was a faint noise, like a foot scraping against carpet. Then scent of woodsmoke and something darker and sharper wafted into my room.
My lids flew open, and I rolled toward my nightstand, reaching for the pistol I kept in a holster attached to the side. It was set low, between the stand and the mattress, remaining hidden until I needed it. My fingers brushed the grip a split second before a heavy weight hit my back.
A long, narrow hand clamped on my wrist, gripping me tightly. Nails pricked my skin hard enough to draw blood. “Thisss one is perfect,” a low voice hissed.
Another hand gripped my hair as I scrambled for the gun, yanking my head back. A face with a mouth full of grinning fangs leered down at me before a fine powder was thrown in my face.
I blinked rapidly, trying to focus on the man on top of me. He was wearing a mask. Something thick and leather, with gray skin and red eyes. If I wasn’t already fighting for my life, I would be terrified.
I sneezed and choked, trying not to inhale, but it was too late. My head began to spin immediately.
Somehow, I managed to throw an elbow at the man on my back. He gave a screech, his grip on my hair tightening. I turned my head and sank my teeth into his other arm when he braced a hand against my headboard.
“Filthy animal,” he growled out, using his hold on my hair to shove my face into my pillow.
I tried to twist, to fight, but my limbs were going numb. The strength drained out of me, my body refusing to respond to my commands. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t see, couldn’t fight back. It was my worst nightmare come to life.
I’d trained my entire adulthood for a situation like this, yet here I was, helpless.
I would find a way out of this. I planned to make this asshole regret every life choice he made leading up to this moment.
Even if it was the last thing I did.
Ice-cold water splashed on my face dragged me back to consciousness. I gasped, sitting straight up, and coughed as I inhaled the liquid, gagging and hacking until all the water was out of my throat.
Putting a hand on my chest, I sucked in a deep breath and fought the urge to choke. When I realized I was touching bare skin, I glanced down and saw that I was completely fucking naked.
The sound of a bucket hitting the floor jerked my attention up, and I saw that same gray face and grinning mouth filled with rows of long, sharp fangs. Though it was dim, I could see that he wasn’t wearing a mask as I’d thought. The only clothing he wore was a loincloth and a vest made of chains. Since he was half-naked, I could see that the leathery skin of his body matched his face. His limbs were freakishly long and knobby. His proportions weren’t human.
“Time to earn me some money, animal,” he rasped, licking his lips with a black forked tongue.
My brain couldn’t comprehend what I was seeing. It had to be a costume or something. Otherwise, what I was seeing would mean he was a monster. But that wasn’t possible. I shook my head in disbelief.
He came toward me, his strange knobby legs moving quickly. What he was didn’t matter. I couldn’t let him get his hands on me again. I waited until he was close enough before I jammed my heel into his crotch, putting my entire body weight into it.
As soon as my bare foot touched his skin, I knew the impossible was real. He wasn’t human. My heart thudded in my chest as panic threatened to overwhelm me. This had to be a nightmare.
Oh, my God. Monsters kidnapped me.
A high-pitched whining noise escaped his mouth as he bent over, bringing me back to my immediate issue. I had to get away from him whether he was human or monster. I rolled to my feet, stepping forward to slam my knee into his face.
Fuck, that hurt.
His skull was hard as hell.
