Ferrara“I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but we can't.” Iridessa maintained stubbornly, stepping forward. I tore my gaze away from Seline, stunned, to her. Her face was expressionless — her words bold. No one had ever defied my orders. None. “She's our responsibility, as much as she is to you. What kind of friends would we be if we leave her when she needs us the most? She won't die. That I can assure you, Sir. We'll find a solution. There has to be a cure.”I fought down the urge to smile in the face of grief. Of course they cared so much about her. They were devoted — could lay down their own lives for her. My pet was that impactful. She was that gracious.“I know you girls are loyal no matter what, but I promise, I'll never hurt her. Fuck, I love her. I love her a lot, so you must trust me on this. Please. You have to leave. Leave and shut the door after you. Tell no one about what happened today. Not a single soul.” I turned back to Seline, who now lay, unconscious. The sound of retreati
SelineI let out a soft sigh, cold air filling my lungs, inflating my chest. I felt heavy, like a slab of marble — my nerves stiff, my mouth dry. Slowly, I drew in deep breaths, until my nerves loosened, blood coursing through my veins, bringing my organs back to life.I stared at the ceiling for a long moment, before I finally moved my legs. Ferrara, who sat on the floor beside me shot up almost immediately, his forehead creased with worry as he peered at me — his eyes traveling down my body, then back up to my face. “I — ”“Hello,” I croaked, mustering a wry smile. My mouth didn't feel like mine, so did my limbs. It felt as though my spirit had somehow transported itself to a new body. “What happened, Sir? You look worried.”“Pet,” Relief washed over his features, tears streaming out the corners of his eyes. “You're awake. You didn't die.”“Yeah, I can see that,” I frowned, my muscles protesting loudly as I tried sitting up. What the hell was wrong with me? I'd never been the lazy t
SelineThe view of the city, stretched out over the horizon, from the top balcony of Domi Sotto would forever be a wonder to witness. I observed the sleek limousines pulling up in front of the club; vampires filing out of them with their unsuspecting human counterparts. The club's bass-pumping music could be heard from miles away and would begin to unwind the minute Ferrara and I went down to join the gathering.Sighing, as I went back to my previous position before the new vanity dresser, I applied fresh lipstick — my signature red — carefully. Blot once, apply again, until I felt it was enough. Using the mirror was pointless, because I couldn't see my reflection. I'd never been a huge fan of peering at mirrors before I was turned, so that, I could live without.But what I couldn't live without was spending a whole day without my beloved mate by my side.“Scared?” A chill ran up my spine, rattling the hairs on my neck to stand on an end when Ferrara's voice reverberated in my ears, o
FerraraI watched my sires carefully, noting how their eyes widened, their lips curved in surprise — quiet outrage mixed with hate shinning in their eyes as they turned to one another, whispering furiously and shaking their heads in disagreement. They were reforming alliances, strengthening their solidarity against me. Any moment now, any wrong word, and they would depose me. I could feel the tension thick in the air like a smoke pollution.“Your Majesty,” Samuel was the first to step forward, bowing curtly. “Don't you think you're making a hasty decision? Surely, you do not mean to have her as a soulmate. As beautiful and graceful as she is, her status as a shifter hardly befits your — ”“I know what I'm doing, Sam. Her being a shifter is no basis.”At this, he recoiled, stunned. Swiveling back to the gathering, he shrugged, muttering quietly. “He's the king. I tried but he won't listen.”The disapproving murmurs and hostile glances at Seline multiplied, driving my butt to the edge o
Seline.“Hope you’re ready for tonight, Seline?” Jax whispered lowly, his voice distorted by the throngs of enslaved wolves and their masters getting ready for the auction show. I wrenched my gaze from the pristine stage and turned to look at him with a sigh.“To be honest, Jax, I’d have said yes I’m ready a few hours before. But now…I don’t know. How many hours do we have left?”He consulted his watch, a glittering Rolex, and shook his head. “Barely an hour. Come on then, let’s get you dressed up and ready. You must look your absolute best tonight, Seline. That’s the only way to get his attention.”I strode with him into the dressing rooms at the back, pulling off the thin slave dress I was wearing. When I first got captured by the Vampire Hunters Academy and introduced to Jax, I hated the material. But not as much as I hated my new life or the beast that ended my old one. Here now, in the dressing room, the murmur of the audience is distinct and fuels my nerve endings to short-circu
Ferrara"Good evening, your majesty," a petite blonde vampire greeted me with a bow as I stepped out of my limo. I brushed a hand down, wiping off the dust that'd caught on my tuxedo jacket. The air was stale and dusty, making my nose itch. "So nice of you to join us. The auction's starting in five minutes."My bodyguards blocked her way when she tried to lead me inside. I waved at them to step aside, clumping two fingers around my nose to keep from wheezing my guts out, my skin crawling in disgust as I surveyed the rundown building of the Vampire Academy's showroom. "Why was this place chosen to auction off the shifter slaves? I know that the Academy has more access to better buildings. This is extremely low-budget for them."She chuckled insincerely, trying to avert her gaze. "Well, you see sir, this is where we always hold our auctions. Believe me, it hasn't always been like this. But rest assured I'll tell Sir Jax about your comments and we'd renovate soon. You'd definitely see a
Seline"Auction 1. Extra special edition," the auctioneer chortled. The two hefty bodyguards that brought out my cage turned the lock and hauled me forward on the stage, causing me to fall face-flat on the floor. I got up to my feet quickly, dusting off my dress. My blood boiled in anger, but I let it go, recalling briefly that I was already playing my role.Standing on the elevated platform, I stared into a large ocean of darkness with at least a million pairs of eyes on me. After all these years, the attention from strangers was still overwhelming. I lowered my gaze to the floor, my eyesight affected by the harsh pool of lights around me. I was supposed to seem submissive anyway. A perfect, thrilling little pet for a vampire."She's the most beautiful thing you'll ever set your eyes on tonight. Female, wolf-shifter from a powerful bloodline, twenty-three. She's been trained to be submissive and taught all things ladylike but..." the auctioneer trailed off, building the suspense's mo
Seline“Eight hundred, folks. Anyone? Can I get eight hundred from the crowd?" the auctioneer crooned fifteen minutes later. My legs were hurting and the excitement had faded in the crowd. Everyone was murmuring, engrossed with their phones. The auctioneer turned to me, his hard eyes boring into my soul. "Hmm. No wonder they look so bored."Before I could process what he was trying to say, he waved to someone offstage and the two bulky bodyguards who were also stagehands marched straight toward me. My heart pounded in panic. What were they trying to do?"No..." I blurted, eyes widening at the auctioneer. He simply scratched his chin and barked at the bodyguards to rip my dress. "Time to get naked, sweetheart." The first one muttered. The name on his tag is Alex. He reached out and tugged at my dress, his emerald-green eyes raving over my skin. I pressed a hand down on my breasts in an attempt to stop him and moved away. "Get her, fools!"The second guard rushed forward, holding my b