Trisha stared at the screen as she shook her head back and forth. "No," she whispered as the screams finally faded away. "No, this can't be possible!" with tears trailing down her cheeks she turned to the others. "You can see my character right?" she asked.
Lauren rolled her eyes. "Why is she so upset over a video game?"
Trisha's eyes narrowed. "Because that's years of my life gone. I've had that character since I started the game. There's no way she can just be erased like that." She bit her lip and logged off. "Kanda, try yours," she commanded.
Kanda nodded and typed in his information at his slow and deliberate speed. By the time he was finished, Trisha wanted to beat him with the keyboard.
But no, she liked the way every key-press sounded. Like all her other gear, Logan had wasted no expense in her top of the line mechanical keyboard. Maybe she could roll up her mouse pad and whack him with that instead.
"Everything is here so far," Kanda annou
After his bold declaration, Trisha found herself ignoring Kanda until the incubus got tired enough to go to sleep himself. She couldn't bring herself to answer that.He was okay with sharing with her? How could he say something like that? She pondered over his words when her phone buzzed.Trisha answered the phone on the first ring. "What is it?" she whispered. Kanda snored softly from her bed."I found out why he didn't include you," Nakuni whispered his words as well. "The entire reason he agreed to this decision was to protect you. The Council was going to take your life if he didn't give in. So he's agreed to not only meet this fiancee of his also but marry her.""Oh," Trisha whispered as she set the phone down on the bed and she collapsed into her computer chair. She should have known Ryan would do something like that. But to marry her? No, she didn't want that. "Does she even love him?" she wondered out loud."Do you?" asked a sleepy vo
"What do you mean?" Trisha demanded in a hiss."That's Ryan's fiancee," Nakuni whispered. "Sitting at the table."The elegant woman again brought the coffee to her lips and took a long sip. Her eyes slowly focused on Trisha and she smiled. "You made it." Her crystal clear voice rung across the space between them. "I was hoping that you'd be sensible."Trisha put the phone down and trekked forward. There was no point in trying to run now. As the woman nodded to the seat in front of her, Trisha couldn't help but note the mess she looked right now with dirt streaked across her face and her clothes reeking of filth.She plopped into her seat and spun the ring on her finger once more. "What do you want?" she whispered.The woman took another sip and popped her lips before speaking. "This place truly has great beverages. I suggest you try them out sometime." Her dark red eyes locked onto Trisha. "As for what I want, I believe I told you that in my
Dominic wasted no time. He grabbed the weakened Trisha and tossed her over his shoulder, leaning in and smelling her neck as he did so. "I'm so happy you know what we are now," he whispered. "I've wanted to sink my fangs into you from the moment I met you.""I'm not your plaything," Trisha would have smacked him if she had the energy."You're not a toy," Dominic agreed with a nod. "But I know I'll be able to keep you as my personal supply for as long as I want.""That's bold of you, Dominic," Madam Westworth scolded as she opened the door. "We have not yet decided the fate this one should endure. A personal blood bag for you does not seem fair to the rest of us."Dominic shrugged not the least bit put off from the scolding. "Lucky for you, I plan to share.""I am firmly of the belief that Liliana is making a grave mistake," Madam Westworth observed. "She has decided you will keep your life. For your deceit and your continued defiance, I think you s
The unsettling dark didn't disturb her as much as the fact that they wanted to use her as a food source. She'd never have considered any of this could be real just a few short weeks ago.Now she was stuck underground at a vampire's house. The artificial light from above flickered as she spied it from the warped boards above.Every creak of the boards made her body tense. When would they come for her?Would it be Dominic?Would it be Raphael?And most important of all, would it hurt?Trisha rubbed a hand against her neck. The spot they would sink those monster fangs into. Funny, she'd been afraid of Ryan, but really there had been no reason to be. Not compared to these others from his group. Even Liliana was scarier than Ryan.She'd forgive him for everything if he found a way to save her.The floor creaked again and she bit her lip. Would this be the moment? Would light spill in when her door was thrown open?She y
Her blood? Trisha couldn't shake those two words out of her head no matter how hard she tried. How much blood would be involved in this cooking contest of theirs? But no, it didn't matter.She had to save Nakuni. She couldn't let them just kill him.Westworth led her away from the twins that watched Trisha's every gesture with a glazed look. They licked their lips as their eyes dipped to her throat or to the veins on her wrist. Trisha was grateful the old woman was so strict. She could really only imagine what she would have done otherwise."He's in here." The woman turned on the lights in a small room and the area was flooded with a yellow glow.Nakuni was in the center of the floor in a fetal position. Crusted blood covered his face and his hands. His clothing had been torn to shreds. "Nakuni?" Trisha whispered.The man turned slowly. Taking his time as if moving too quickly would erase the dream he was in. His eyes met hers and he smiled. "Mistr
Westworth pointed to a seat near her. "Sit, you'll be right at my side while we eat. You know the price of failure."Nakuni smiled at the group. "I know there will be zero complaints from this meal. I've brought you a pork stew flavored with our special ingredient." He paused. "It needs no introduction." He set the giant pot in the center of the table and the twins shifted into their seats, leaning closer to it.Nakuni dealt out a set of bowls and ladled the soup into the three containers. He set each done in front of the vampires and gave Trisha a wink.At least someone was confident that this gamble would go okay. She couldn't be so sure. Shouldn't Nakuni have taken more blood? What if it wasn't enough?Westworth glared at the two at the table and they set their bowls down. Both had been about to swallow the contents. "Manners," she snapped before she turned her attention to Nakuni. "Feline, I will say that your meal does look good, but if it will be go
"My wedding?" Trisha replied. She stayed in Nakuni's arms as she just stared up at the group. This had to be a hallucination."Yes," Westworth nodded toward Logan. "This wolf has bought you in a sense. In return, I'll let you go because you'll no longer be of any use to me." She tilted her head as she stared down. "However, I'm still keeping the chef. He will do wonders for making sure Ryzard's wedding goes off without a hitch."Trisha found herself clutching Nakuni's hands that were wrapped around her middle. She didn't even want to think about leaving him here with these monsters even if she could escape. "But if I'm not here why would you need him? You couldn't make any more blood dishes without me-"Westworth's eyes flashed. "I have plenty of willing donors, Pet. Don't mistake this as a sign of affection. I just am aware of how difficult it will be to keep you alive when it comes to the twins. Especially now that they've consumed your blood, and you'd
As Trisha noticed Lauren strut into the room, she could practically feel the hate that oozed off of the woman.Lauren did not like her.No, that was a vast understatement.Lauren despised her.Lauren wanted nothing more than to remove Trisha's head from her body if the cold eyes focused on her meant anything.Trisha shivered."Trisha," Lauren growled. "Congratulations on your getting to join the pack."Her sharp eyes slid to the vampires. "I'm here now, let's get ready. Logan, get beside her, now," each order was a bark, a snap.Trisha knew she'd be paying for this for the rest of her life if Lauren had any say about it. But Trisha couldn't blame the woman.She'd not only wrecked Logan's career, this marriage was a seal of death for it, but she' also managed to get land taken away from them and given to an enemy.Logan took her hands in his. The warmth radiated off of him and Trisha sighed softly. "Hey
Trisha's fingers flew over the keyboard as she nibbled on her lip. She paused to take a sip of her water before getting back to work. A step behind her made her freeze and glance over her shoulder. Ryan smiled down at her. "What's up?" she asked."You've been working hard here. We haven't seen you in a while."Trisha chuckled. "You know how Rachel is. I need to finish this coding for her before I can come downstairs. It's the least I can do for everything she's done for us."Ryan wriggled the fingers on his robotic arm in perfect mimicry as if he'd never had his arm ripped off, to begin with. "True, but you still deserve a break."Trisha rolled her neck from side to side. "I think you're right. Is Nakuni finished with lunch?"Ryan nodded. "Part of the reason I came to get you. I wanted to escort you down." He smiled. "Any chance to get to spend some time with you."Trisha's smile widened. "Which is why I'm working so hard. We almost have it
Trisha was stripped bare to Nakuni's ravenous gaze. There was no turning back now, and even if Vanku, or hell, if any of the others walked in, Trisha wouldn't stop. Not until she fucked him.The shifter stripped himself faster than he'd even done to her. Trisha's eyes were glued to his massive dick that bobbed as if acknowledging her gaze and she licked her lips."You're not getting a taste of that, not yet," Nakuni whispered. "I'm too far gone for foreplay, all I want to do is bury myself inside you. I want to feel your walls flutter against and clench me," he growled.Trisha nodded. She wanted that too. "Wait," she whispered as she frowned."What?" he questioned a bit his edge fading away by concern. "Are you too tired?" he bit his lip hard. "It'll be hard but I can stop if I have to."Hard, ha. "No," she answered with a shake of her head. "But, protection?"Nakuni tilted his head to the side with a grunt. "No cubs yet?" he que
A thousand years. Trisha tried to wrap her mind around the words but no matter how she fit them together, they didn't make sense. "Why would you do that?""I repay my debts. I admit I was not aware of the Council's other doings. And why they were stupid enough to bring them here, I am not sure. My guess is it was those children of Westworth's. Those twins never did have brains. You eliminated a threat to the Assembly."The vials. Trisha sat up and her body didn't scream at her for doing so. Vanku moved back as she did so. Vanku's eyes focused on hers, a challenge in their depths.And the pieces fell into place."It wasn't them being stupid," Trisha whispered. "They were going to attack you guys, that's why they brought it here."Vanku smiled, this time her teeth were kept hidden. "Yes, good job, Trisha. I admit I didn't think your kind were capable of critical thought. It's likely they were taking advantage of the situation.""I'm not going
An ear-splitting roar forced Trisha's eyes open. A jaguar bounded down the stairs and following him was a bear, a lamia, wolves, demons, and things that Trisha couldn't even comprehend.She was dropped to the ground like a sack of garbage as the vampires turned to confront the swarm.Jace writhed this way and that, easily looping around Raphael's leg and squeezing it until the vampire was forced to stay still. Jace smirked. "I'm not your death today.""I am," Kanda promised and the demon launched himself at the vampire as Jace let him go. The two tumbled into the dirt on the ground and Trisha could only watch.Liliana laughed as Ryan teetered toward her. "Did you really think there were just two of us here?" she demanded and she snapped her fingers. From all sides, the vampires flowed in as if just waiting for the signal.The fighters were swarmed in seconds. Kanda rolled by Trisha with Raphael on top and Trisha reached out for him, but her a
Trisha didn't speak to anyone else until she was alone with Ryan. The pack had given him his own house as he recovered. As she entered, his eyes were on her."It was about what we expected, wasn't it?" he asked. What was left of his arm was in a sling and the stench of burned flesh lingered in the air."They're making you leave with the others," Trisha answered. "All of the Council has to leave, so after all this, you're just back at square one again."Ryan shrugged. "But you're safe, and you'll be safe. That's all I care about. I know that asking you to help me in the first place was selfish, and I ask for your forgiveness."Trisha didn't answer. His words had a tone of finality to them. A sense that she couldn't push aside. "They're going to kill you, aren't they?" she whispered the words.Would Liliana allow that? The crazy vampire was obsessed with him, there was no way she'd let him die, was there?"We shouldn't talk about t
"We have to talk."Trisha never liked hearing those words. Considering they came from Vanku, she liked them even less. Especially considering they were directed to her. "Are you sure?" she asked.The dragon nodded her scales clinking as she did so. "You will come with me now. There has been a severe accusation." Her eyes flickered over the group. "I can not deny there has been an attack.""I told you," Sofia piped from the side. "You can smell it too.""Yes, vampires did attack this group. I will talk to the main human, alone. The rest of you may go.""I'm not leaving her alone," Logan growled out. "Not with you."Vanku snorted and a plume of smoke trickled from her nose. "I am the Assembly leader. Are you seriously insinuating that I can not be trusted?""Not with a human," Nakuni answered from his place on Mark's back. "Your hatred for them is known.""Why wouldn't I despise the race that has driven mine to the br
Logan moved like a bullet train. Trisha sensed the world flickering around her as he raced but she couldn't pull herself out of her spiral.Was she about to lose Ryan? Lose him before she could even truly get to know him?No.Logan slowed down and her head shot up. She prepared herself to yell at her husband, but the words died like ash on her tongue.Jace was in front of them. The lamia grunted and flicked a hand in greeting. Blood streaked all over his body and his tail was wrapped around Ryan's arm. A giant puddle of blood pooled under the two."Is he?" Trisha whispered not able to force the words.Jace rolled his eyes. "No, but you guys got here too late for the battle. The cowards ran off." He smirked. "Those that survived anyway."Sofia snarled. "What? They attacked you and then left? I hate vampires," she shook her head with a snort and a roll of her eyes."What are you doing here?" Kanda demanded. He h
The rest of the meeting was a blur for Trisha.Did Vanku talk more?She couldn't be sure.The only thing that Trisha did know was that she would not let Ryan be taken from her. She hadn't been able to spend as much time with him as some of the others, but that was something she planned to remedy and him being somewhere overseas wasn't part of those plans.She'd do whatever it took to save him."Very well, human, you've said your piece, and I have said mine. I am leaving now to talk to the wolf pack leader. I expect you to be gone by the time I return. I will not tolerate humans being around me longer than I have to endure."Vanku's eyes slid past her and the dragon clicked once more as she walked away from the group. The other Assembly members besides Sofia filed after her and ascended the creaky steps."I'll take you guys back to your house," Sofia offered, soft so Vanku didn't pick up the conversation. "Besides, I wanted to ta
"We find that the Council is not at fault for any of these transgressions. There is no proof besides what out demon swears they have found, but as we know they can't always be trusted. And so, I will rule in favor of the Council. You may leave, Madam Westworth, we will handle matters from here."What? How could any of this be possible? Trisha wanted to throw something at the smirking monarch of a woman. Why didn't they believe Sofia? And if she had more secret help, why hadn't they shown themselves? She knew better than to talk though."I believe I'll stay here and witness the punishment for these barbarians. It is my right." Westworth replied with a sly smile."No," Vanku responded with a click that confused Trisha. Had she made that sloshy snap sound with her mouth? How?"What?" Westworth demanded. "You're going against the rules. The Assembly does have to abide by them.""The rules only state that I would find if your words involving your organi