BLOOD CROWN: 005

Roxie clenched her fists around the shopping bags and stepped back— the guy stepped forward. She gasped, looking straight at his face, and unfortunately noticed he was rather appealing. If the scenario had been different, Roxie knew she would have whistled...perhaps asking if he was single, but it wasn't, and she was going to die!

Roxie panicked and took a step back again as he closed the gap, his golden eyes looking her down with a blanket of blankness. She didn't want to notice how incredibly charming he was but she did—he was fine. How stupid Roxie!

She took another step back, this time intending to flee, but when she quickly turned, she collided with another board chest. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked up to face a set of violet eyes.

What was with the eyes? Roxie couldn't help but grimaced. She nervously licked her lips and giggled. "Please believe me when I say that I have never offended anyone. I'm innocent!"

Maybe she wasn't entirely innocent. Gloria and a few others would like to cross her off their bucket list. Damnit!

Her words were met with nothing. Roxie looked between them. It was just two charming guys, she could outrun them—the fine ones were always stupid. She turned to her left just as a third guy appeared out of nowhere.

The one in front reached out to grab her wrist, but luckily Roxie was light on her feet as she hopped off onto the sidewalk. "Fuck you!" she spat before fleeing into the unknown.

Being the captain of the cheerleading team and taking a few running classes, these guys were nothing, but when Roxie glimpsed back, she was wrong, completely and utterly wrong. They were gaining on her fast—too fast that it would seem abnormal on a normal day.

"SOMEBODY HEL-"

THUD!

It was like the breath in her was knocked out as she collided with something stark and solid, the force and impact knocking her down to her ass. Roxie gasped in agony. She couldn't help but yell out in exasperation when she looked up.

"Another one!"

Where did all these guys come from? It was just her and four of them! Please be reasonable world!

Before she could get up, Roxie was seized by both arms and dragged to her feet, her grocery bags forgotten. Hey! She'd spend a lot of money on those!

"Please let me go. I swear, I will be a good girl from now on!" She begged pathetically but was bluntly ignored as the new guy said.

"I thought you said you’d take care of it."

When he met her gaze, he looked unimpressed while Roxie felt her breath become trapped in an instant, and she ceased struggling or begging.

Crimson eyes, strong jawlines, prominent cheekbones, and whitish hair as well as well-defined facial features. Roxie thoroughly ran her eyes shamelessly over him, seemingly taking her time as she realized he had the physique she'd want in a man.

What drew her attention the most were the strange tattoos structured in that of a leaf beneath his right eye and near his ear, and then she saw they all had the same tattoos in the same places.

Was she being kidnapped by some sort of gang?

Roxie kept her gaze fixed on him. She suddenly felt a burning desire to get closer and take a sniff of his cologne because the little adorned her nostrils was above ground, almost addictive.

This was not typical behavior in a scenario like this, but she almost didn't care as she spewed out.

"You're hot."

Roxie was inebriated with sensations as she stared at him while they looked at her sharply like she was out of her mind. Maybe she was as she suddenly didn't care that she was possibly going to die shortly. It seemed like a triumph to catch a glimpse of his face.

"Take her to the van." He ordered and she couldn't help the whine that came out as they took her away from him, towards a massive black van she hadn't noticed before parked at the side. Her life was really getting shitty now.

She was pushed inside the vehicle, which had benches on both sides. As she sat down on the left side, she snarled, and three of the guys took the other bench while the new object of her obsession slammed the door shut behind him.

Roxie grumbled and tossed her head back as soon as the vehicle began to move. So, this was where her life came to an end— being trafficked and converted into some pleasure slave? Or maybe, kill her and sell her vital organs?

She folded her arms around herself and tried not to tremble at the thought of it. Just then, Roxie noticed the third guy had snow-like irises—If he wasn't just as appealing to the eyes, he'd emerged as a ghost—he looked too pale just like his eyes. Cold and icy. The mere sight was enough to make her shiver. Was it possible for humans to look like that?

Unless they weren't human? "Are you some sort of superhero gang? What's with the eyes?" Roxie knew she should keep her mouth shut but she couldn't, she needed something to keep her mind occupied from having the most terrible ideas. Her mind was pretty imaginative and creative—could make a really good horror writer.

As if she hadn't said anything, she was again ignored. Fine then. Who needs to talk to them anyway? Roxie shut her eyes and tried to pretend all this was a nightmare and she was going to wake up on her bed soon.

*~*

There were times Roxie was impassive to feeling. She didn't feel frightened when she was supposed to, feel sad, shaky, or cry like a normal human being in situation like this, instead, she felt bored.

After driving for a few minutes to an unidentified place, Roxie couldn't stand the solitude any longer. "Is it hot in here or is it just me?" She grilled and fanned herself with her palm because it was scorchingly hot, but they were scorchingly hotter. Really.

She watched their blank faces. "Can you please say something, I can't take the stillness anymore!" She was infuriating, she knew. Maybe they would find her too annoying and drop her off somewhere.

Roxie waited for an answer, but they only stared blankly at the wall behind her.

She scowled. "Are you deaf, perhaps dumb, or maybe you don't speak English?" Being so desperate for some sound other than hers, Roxie blurted the only Spanish words she knew. "Hola. ¿Puedes entenderme?"

Again with the silence glances. Maybe they didn't know Spanish. How about French? "Pouvez-vous me comprendre, beaux enfoirés?"

Maybe not French. She threw her head back and cracked her head for more languages she could speak a few words. Maybe latin? Maybe not. She sighed in defeat and clicked her tongue.

The handsome ones were always so dumb. What a waste.

This better be a late birthday surprise.