Shifter's Curse

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-circuit even more. I rubbed my sweaty palms together, inhaling and exhaling in an attempt to steady my heartbeat.

You can do this, Seline. You’ve trained years for this night. Get it right.

Jax pulled out a shimmering red dress from the battered wooden closet and pressed it lightly against my bosom. “You can never get it wrong with red. Such a beautiful color. Like blood.” He smirked, his pointed fangs shooting out a bit. I nodded in agreement, even though I disagreed. I saw nothing special about the color red and it reminded me of that night I sat on the floor of my dusty Packhouse, surrounded by the crimson pool of my dead family.

The memories just don’t stop coming no matter how much I tried to avoid them.

Jax noticed my change in mood and snapped. “I understand how you must be feeling, Seline. Believe me, I felt bitter and vengeful when I lost my own family as well, thirteen years ago. Ferrara DeMarco is the enemy,” his eyes darkened, an unearthly growl rising from the back of his throat. “He killed our loved ones. Ruined our childhoods. This is your chance to make it right. No forgiveness.”

I swallowed hard, nodding. I hated the word forgiveness. It was a trap employed by bad people to escape justice. Please forgive us. Spare us. They always whined.

Pfft. Like my family was spared. I didn’t even let them say a word more after that before driving my claws into the hollows of their throats. It eased my pain to see the blood gushing forth, their eyes going white and their bodies limp. Satisfaction at its peak.

“No forgiveness,” I repeated. “I’m ready.”

“Good girl.” He pecked me lightly on the cheek and left the room so I could get dressed. I slipped the silky dress on slowly, loving the way it draped over my breasts and hips, molding to them with a nod to modesty. It stopped just before my knees, the wide slit allowing air in my privates. I decided not to wear panties. Ferrara might check to ascertain if I was truly a virgin, and if found otherwise he might not be willing to buy me for the right price. The downside about the dress is, that I can’t hide my two-inch blade like I use to. It had no pockets and was thinner than the white slave material I often wore. I couldn’t go to a battle without weapons. At least I needed a stake to drive it into his neck at the first opportunity I got.

Maybe that’s what made this battle different from the rest. Ferrara was a smart king – ruled over the vampires for at least a hundred years going. I heard that he had a son and wife before but they died in a clash with the Lycans. Perhaps this would’ve lessened my thirst for vengeance a bit. He knew pain. He was already broken just like me. But that only explained why he went about killing the Packs around him. Smothering families. I’d have died if I hadn’t been away that day.

He didn’t deserve pity but death. A slow, painful death.

“Are you ready?” Jax walked in, disrupting my thoughts. I turn around so he could see how well the dress fitted me. “Beautiful,” he muttered, reaching out to squeeze my breasts. I winced at how hard his hands felt. “Beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

“Ten minutes left!” A black-clad backstage hand strutted in, her eyes flitting between Jax and me. I cautiously moved away from him, clearing my throat. “Your leash is ready Seline. Good day, Sir Jax.”

Jax waves a hand, his expression dismissive. She didn’t notice though for she’d already walked away.

“Remember Seline, your weapon is seduction. And your armor is being submissive. You won’t play aggressively until the right time comes.”

“I’m well aware of that, Jax. I won’t fail you.”

He nodded just as two guards came in to escort me into my cage. Guess he doesn’t still trust me well enough to know I won’t run or back out of this last minute.

I can’t wait for things to get started already.

The Vampire Hunters Academy Showroom is long past its use. The air is normally dusty, stale, and unsafe for normal humans to breathe in. Do you know that toxic smell of socks that had been left unwashed for years and now smelt like rotten urine? Yup, that pretty much fits the description. It even got worse when you descended the stairs and climbed up one or two to get to the elevated platform that served as a stage filled with cages. The guards hustled me past the other masters and their pets for sale, while Jax spoke to me telepathically, urging me not to lose focus and perfect my submission. A part of me boiled at the way the Academy treated shifters like we didn’t have the right of having our own will. I wanted to break the guards’ hold on my arms, turn around and break the iron bars and free my kind. In another life maybe, the Vampire Academy would be the villain and I could do so. But I couldn’t be more grateful to them. We all had a common enemy; Ferrara, and to bring him down we all needed to work together.

They’d done their part; training me. It was time to head in for the final kill.

What will happen to them? I asked Jax, glancing around once more at the slaves being jostled about.

They’ll be having new homes, Seline. They’ll be fine. He assured me. When he noticed that I’d gone quiet, he silently added. Only you can save them now. This shouldn’t be happening to your kind. When he is gone, the Vampire Academy will change hands and this wrong will be made right. Your kind would be free to live and express themselves better, without fear.

I didn’t know if it was just me, but Jax had never disappointed me with words. He always had the perfect thing to say and lift my spirits. He was nice and kind as well. The qualities of a good leader. Everything Ferrara was not.

When is he arriving? The audience was already filing up – scores of important figures, all vampires walking in and flanked alongside by their bodyguards holding brand new leashes.

Soon. He’s confirmed that he’s already on his way. Give him fifteen minutes and he’ll be here soon. I’ll give the signal once he’s seated and you’ll start.

I drew in a deep breath, straightening my arms by my sides. The cage door opened, but before I’m shoved inside, the guards hold me back for a final inspection. A figure emerges from backstage – a hard-faced woman with gray lines in her hair. She turned me about slightly, humming in satisfaction. I allowed her to study me, dropping my eyes to the floor. If I going to be acting submissive for the next few weeks, it was wise for me to get into practice.

She touched my braided hair, running her fingers lightly over the smooth texture. She commented about my makeup is simple and ordinary, yet powerful. She loved the blazing red color of my lipstick. “It compliments your dress perfectly and makes you stand out quite well. Jax has outdone himself yet again. This would get Ferrara’s attention for sure. He loves them beautiful and thoughtful.”

“What if he doesn’t take the bait?” I voiced out my fears. Her eyes darkened. “What if he’s not impressed?”

“Then it’s up to you to make that happen. Show him that you can be both innocent and naughty at the same time.” Her rough hands closed around my arm, her grip painful and cruel. Another reminder for me not to fuck this up. I nodded.

“Good girl. Remember all Jax has taught you. He’s my son, and if he’s disappointed with your performance you know what that means?” she makes a knife-slicing gesture and I shuddered. She stepped back and the guards fastened a red collar around my neck. I’m shoved into the cage at the exact moment that the auctioneer in a blue tux took the microphone.

It is time.