It’s surprisingly entertaining watching the vampire and werewolf leaders intermix with one another. It’s only been an hour, and despite the room being more than big enough for the thirty-two leaders, Thane has already had to stop three different fights from breaking out.
“What pound did you get her at?” a werewolf with reddish-brown hair asks, kneeling down in front of me. “Or did you find her in the wild? She looks like she’s probably a wildcat.” His predatory gaze wanders down the length of my body, stopping where the dress hugs the curve of my hip.
“Why don’t you come a little closer and find out just how wild I really am?” I coax, eager to bite his ear off.
His eyes light up at the challenge, and he leans in, but stops when Thane says, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. She hasn’t been properly trained yet.”
“Then why don’t we start her training right now?” a woman with short platinum blonde hair suggests, motioning for a few others to join in on the fun.
“Be my guest.” I whip around to look at Thane in disbelief, only to find his lips curved into a sinister smirk.
The woman bends over at the waist, waving around a piece of cheese from her plate.
“Sit.” I roll my eyes and shift into a sitting position, more than happy to give my hips a rest from the hard floor. “Well done,” she praises, dropping the slice of cheese onto the ground.
She waits for me to eat it, but I lie back down and yawn dramatically, as if she’s boring me.
“Roll over,” one of the others commands.
I do as he says without putting up a fight, and once I’m back on my stomach, I kick my feet behind me and smile at them.
“Is she mocking us?” the blonde woman asks the man who just gave the last order.
“If she is, she won’t be for long,” the red-headed man from before assures her. “Stand up.” Again, I do as I’m told and sit into one hip with my arms crossed. He takes a couple of steps closer so that he’s less than an arm’s length away from me. As his perverted eyes drift slowly down my body, my hands ball at my sides. “Take off your dress.”
My fist, aimed at his face, is caught by Thane, and I’m not even sure the man registers what I was about to do.
“Sorry, Troy,” Thane offers, pulling my fist down to my side between us. His other hand slides up my spine and wraps around the back of my neck in a possessive gesture. My body falls still as he presses his lips to my ear. “That trick is for my eyes only.”
“Of course, Alpha.” The man backs away, and the others quickly disperse, leaving me alone with Thane.
His hand falls away from my neck, and relief washes over me.
One collar is enough.
He takes his place in his royal-looking chair and orders me to sit.
“Not there,” his deep voice rumbles when I start to bend down. “Here.” He points to his thigh, and my jaw goes slack.
“You can’t be serious.”
“Oh, I’mveryserious.”
“I was growing comfortable on the floor,” I say in an attempt to persuade him.
“You know what happens if I have to tell you again,” he threatens, his eyes dropping to the metal secured around my neck. I shake my head, but follow his order, too scared to feel the shock if I don’t. I sit on his knee as far away from him as I can possibly get. “Closer.”
I toss my head back before inching slightly closer. Apparently, he wasn’t satisfied, because he grabs me with both arms and pulls me into him so that my legs are in between his and our faces are only inches apart. One of his hands rests on my thigh while the other begins unzipping the back of my dress.
“What are you doing?” I try to stand, but he holds me down on his lap.
“I’m showing everyone you belong to me.”
My heart thrashes against my ribcage as he continues to slowly unzip my dress, brushing his knuckles against my skin with each inch. Once the zipper reaches the bottom of my spine, he stops, sliding his hand back to my neck. The metal collar unlatches, and he tosses it on the ground, making it clash against the marble floor. The sound draws a few eyes toward us, and for a split second, I think about making a run for it, but his hold on me is too strong. I turn to look at him, but when I see the intensity burning in his eyes, my breath catches in my throat.
His gaze drops to my lips as he drags his fingers down my back again, scoring a path of heat across my flesh. Once they make it to the zipper, he reaches for my hip and squeezes it, sending a heatwave rushing through me. It devours me within seconds, but it’s not from anger. In fact, it’s something else entirely. Something I haven’t felt since before the Last War. Something I wasn’t sure I would ever feel again.
Desire.
