Prologue
Bane dumped the lifeless body of the strigoi on the table and quickly stripped it from its canvas wrapping, not taking care to make sure he didn’t harm her. Then, watching her chest to make certain it didn’t move, his hand went to her mouth and he pulled back her lips.
Her teeth were sharp, to be certain.
Snapping her jaw shut, he decided that he would need his magical rope or she would kill him when the sleep of death released her.
It had taken him longer than expected to snatch her and it had been even more difficult to transport her without burning her alive in the sun. He’d been too careless while wrapping her and the canvas kept peeling off, making her body stink with the smell of burning flesh.
And yet, as his eyes roamed over her, his heart picked up and his dick began to press against his pants. He grinned just thinking about the games he was going to play with her.
The strigoi healed just as easily as the shifters so they could withstand a lot more pain than the humans.
The light filtering through the window slowly shifted from the stark brightness of day to a soft orange, indicating that night would arrive soon. Just as he was about to turn around to gather the witch’s rope, soft arms surrounded his waist and he jumped.
Whirling around, he looked into wide brown eyes that stared up at him in earnest and he relaxed. It was just the shifter from the last town he was in, before he’d moved on to greener woods and a bigger pack.
“Tina, what’re you doing here?”
"I missed you." Pouting, she leaned into him and, biting her lip softly, she looked down demurely. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t wait for your return.”
He put his arms around her and yet, he rolled his eyes at her innocent act. "It's not safe for you here."
"I know, but I wanted to see the strigoi.” Tina peeked over his shoulder so that she could look at the body still lain out on the table. “She doesn't look like much."
Bane frowned. “She’ll kill you as soon as look at you.”
Tina sneered. "I'm pretty strong; I don't think that she could hurt me."
“Alright.” Sighing, he turned his back on Tina and finished stripping off the canvas. “But don't say I didn’t warn ya.”
“You’ve spent too much time with that impotent dog. I’ve missed you.” Tina’s hand wrapped around his stomach, then down to the buckle of his pants, hissing when she realized he was already hard. “Seems as if you missed me, too”
Grinning, he thought about the last time Tina and he were together, and all the dirty things she was willing to do for him. His arm shot out and twisting, he pulled her around him so that she was pressed against the table, facing the strigoi. He leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “Show me how much you’ve missed me.”
His hands slid down her thighs and, as he pulled up her dress, she groaned with excitement.
She leaned forward on the table, waiting for him to enter her. Bane closed his eyes and made a low growling noise in his throat, then bent over her. “As soon as we’re finished, we can tie up the strigoi, and then we’ll have some fun.”
She cried out as he filled her, then the sounds of the table banging against the wall filled the small room and the world was met with darkness.
After only a second, moonlight filtered through the window and Vera awoke in the darkness.
Her strigoi instincts immediately told her she was in danger, and she stilled, listening carefully. She smelled shifter blood and her fangs extended, ready to kill but she waited, taking a moment to determine who her enemy was.
The male shifter smelled foul, like rotten blood, but the woman was the closest and easiest target.
In a blur, Vera’s hand snapped out and she gripped Tina’s neck, jerking her down and latched her teeth into it.
Tina screamed, her eyes flying open in horror.
Bane stumbled back, staring at the strigoi latched on to Tina. Getting over her shock, Tina tried to turn towards her attacker, but Vera's grasp was too tight. Angry now, Tina tried to shift into her wolf form, but only managed to transform her hands. She clawed at Vera who, in a rush, let go of Tina’s neck and jumped back. Wolf claws could slice her throat open.
“You stupid bitch. I’m gonna kill you.” Tina spun towards Vera and growled, a low and menacing noise in her throat.
She swiped at Vera again and managed to cut her face with long, deep gashes. Vera made an animal-like sound of pain as she clasped a hand to her wound.
Tina swiped again but Vera sprung off the table and landed on Tina, pushing her onto the floor. Tina fought back, managing to slice long gashes through the muscles in Vera's arms, but Vera held her down as she bit into her neck again and gulped down Tina’s blood.
It was warm and satisfying.
Bane, who’d run away as soon as he’d seen Vera rise, burst back through the open doorway. He jumped on Vera's back, wrapped a glowing rope around her neck and pulled it tight. It seared her flesh and she cried out from the pain.
Vera grasped at the rope, trying to yank it off her neck, but Bane managed to drag her back to the table. Working quickly, he wrapped it around her several times and positioned her into a vicelike grip while the blood from Tina’s body drained onto the floor.
Vera fought against her bindings and soon, her hands were tied to the rest of her body.
Heaving with the effort, Bane moved away, making sure to steer clear of her teeth. He managed to tie her to the table, coughing because the smell of her burning flesh from the rope permeated the air.
Then he stood back, grinning and admiring his work while she hissed at him. His chest puffed out; he hadn’t even needed to shift to subdue her. Chuckling to himself, he bent to his knees at Tina’s form on the ground.
Her blank eyes stared past him; she was definitely dead.
Frowning, he looked back up at Vera. “Stupid whore, you killed her.”
Vera hissed in response. “And I will kill you as soon as you turn your back on me.” Her French accent sounded strange to his ears.
He grinned. “Somehow I doubt that. When I’m done with you, you’ll be begging me to kill you.”
A shadow covered the doorway as Myla entered the cabin, a gasp escaping her throat.
“What happened here? You were supposed to tie her up before she got out of hand.” She kneeled next to Tina, trying to see if there was anything she could do to save her as Vera looked on, smiling triumphantly. Standing up, Myla looked up at Bane in disgust. “You’re careless.”
Bane’s lip curled up. “The strigoi is tied up now. I’ll take care of Tina’s body.”
Myla folded her arms across her chest, clicking her tongue impatiently. “Why didn’t you tie her up as soon as you got here? I told you she was strong.”
Bane smirked and sauntered towards her, his eyes lowering to move over her body and Myla bristled.
“Hush, little shifter, everything will be okay.” His finger trickled up her arm and over her collar. As he moved behind her, he grasped her shoulders. “I didn’t realize the sun had already set but we were just having a little bit of fun. Want me to show you what we were doing?”
She pushed his hand off her shoulder. “I just want revenge, that's all. He killed the only man I loved, as well as the highest ranking shifter in my pack. He needs to pay, and she’s the way to make him do it.”