Mary

When I woke, my eyes were heavy and swollen. The events of the night before came flooding back to me. "No, Anya." I whimpered, clutching my knees to my chest. A loud bang startled me, pulling me from my memories. I took in my surroundings and noticed I had been locked in a small cage. There were ten other small cages in the room, each filled with a human woman, more exotic than the last. I'd heard enough about it to learn that I had landed in the slave trade. I was to be auctioned to a vampire. I would be his walking blood bank. I felt a shiver run down my spine; I wish they would have killed me; I wish they would have ended my life the same as they ended Anya's. No, I'm glad the hunters left me alive. It would give me the chance to avenge Anya. I would make them pay. I swear to you, Anya, that I will avenge you. I thought to myself as I watched the women in the other cages.

The woman closest to me had tanned olive skin, and her hair was pitch black and curly; she must've felt me staring because she looked up at me, her eyes a light golden brown. Her beauty was breathtaking.

"Nevaeh," she whispered, pointing to herself. Her voice had a slight accent that I couldn't quite place.

"Mary," I whispered back. "How long have you been here, Neveah?"

"I got here maybe two months ago." She whispered back. "This will be my first auction. They were waiting for one more person."

I took a deep breath, knowing I was the last person they were waiting for.

"Do you know any of the other girls?" I whispered back.

"Only Bethany." She whispered, pointing to the girl on the other side. "This will be her second auction. If she isn't bid upon this time, the wolves will take her for themselves."

I looked past Neveah over at Bethany; she was a small girl; with long blond hair and pale ivory skin. She looked meek and timid but still as beautiful as Nevaeh."

"Given to the wolves?" I asked.

"Yes," Neveah grimaced. "Our captures have an insatiable appetite. The girls who the vampires don't choose are offered to the Alpha Wolf. If the Alpha doesn't want them, they become the Slaver's Sex Slave. They won't last long after that. The day I arrived, one of the girls became a sex slave. I heard her screaming all night long." Her eyes teared up as she continued with her story. "The next morning, they dragged her corpse through the room and laughed about how pathetic human women were and how she couldn't even satisfy their urges." Nevaeh grimaced disgust in her tone.

I began to panic; if Bethany hadn't gotten picked by the vampires with her long blond hair and petite frame, why would they choose me? I had unruly wavy red hair and emerald green eyes, with freckles covering my entire body. While I wasn't fat before we went on the run, I wasn't skinny either. I could tell by how my dress fit me that I had lost some weight, but I knew I wasn't as toned as Bethany. From what I had learned of Vampires, they were perfect. Their skin was flawless, never an imperfection insight, their eyes mystical cerulean blue that turned a sparkling red when they ate, their scent irresistible. They were alluring, which made them the perfect predator. Why would a Vampire take an interest in me? I felt my only glimmer fade away. I'd be given to my captures and made into a sex slave. Hopefully, I could take a few of them out before they killed me.

Another loud banging song tore my attention from Nevaeh. I realized the sound that had awoken me was the captures opening the cages. They pulled Bethany from her cell, and I realized the woman behind her was freshly bathed, now wearing a skimpy bathing suit, leaving almost nothing to the imagination. She could've been on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Bethany cried loudly as they pulled her away into the back room.

"Don't worry," Nevaeh whispered to me, "Ive been told they aren't allowed to touch you. The vampires won't buy a slave that the wolves have ruined."

I nodded my head, feeling a small amount of relief. Bethany was quickly returned. Her blond hair, freshly cleaned and brushed, now glistened under the light, she wore a black bikini that made her ivory skin almost translucent, and her big blue eyes stuck out. They tossed her back into the cage and made their way over to Nevaeh's cell, opening her door, grabbing her arm, and dragging her out.

"Mmm," exhaled one of the shifters, pulling Nevaeh up against him, inhaling her scent. "Why aren't you a little beauty." He whispered into her ear. I saw Nevaeh shiver with fear as she tried to stay still. "You'll make us rich." the wolf growled, his hand coming up and groping Nevaeh's breast underneath her shirt.

Tears filled Nevaeh's eyes as she stood still, waiting for the capture to walk her back to the washroom.

"Diego." growled the familiar voice of the leader. "Hands off the merchandise. You know the vampires love the exotic ones."

"Yes, Beta Daniels," Diego responded, instantly letting go of Nevaeh. "Come on, sweet cheeks." Diego grinned. "I can't wait to get you naked."

These words must have been Nevaeh's breaking point because the tears that had gathered in her eyes had begun to fall freely as she tried throwing herself back into her cage.

"No!" She screamed. "Please don't let him take me back there." She begged. All the women turned to stare up towards Nevaeh's cage to see the commotion.

The leader, Beta Daniels, had stepped out from the shadows, making his way towards Nevaeh's cage.

"Step aside, Diego." Beta Daniels growled. "We don't want her damaging herself."

Diego stepped aside as Beta Daniels grabbed Nevaeh around the waist and picked her up like she weighed nothing, walking her towards the washroom door. I slumped down to the bottom of my cage, pulling my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around me, feeling the terror of the unknown beginning to build up inside me. I could still hear Nevaeh's whimpers through the closed doors of the washroom. My hand reached up to grab the necklace my parents had given me for my 18th birthday. It was a golden heart-shaped locket, and inside was a picture of my family that had been taken around my 17th birthday. We all looked so happy back then, so carefree, innocent of the terrors in this world. It was shortly after this family picture that the supernaturals came. They had coexisted amongst us the entire time without our knowing, but something had happened that caused their relationship with us humans to be shattered, making them see us as the prey we were. My family chose to stay ignorant of the world's happenings; we lived in a small village tucked away on the side of the mountain, and whatever was happening In the world was far away from us. If only that had been true. The hunters first came a week after my 18th birthday. They invaded the village, but luckily my father had built a safety shelter that we could hide in; they arrived a week later and ransacked the town again; Mom and Dad told me to take Anya and run. I was to meet them at the Silver Lake; we would take a boat to the northern island, which had been abandoned a century ago; my dad thought we would be safe there.

I heard the washroom door open, pulling me from my thoughts. I clasped my locket shut and took it off my neck, hiding it in the corner of my cage, not wanting to risk it getting taken from me when they took me back to the washroom.

A whimpering Nevaeh was thrown into her cage. They'd put her in a ruby red bikini that enchanted her skin tone and eye curl. They'd done her hair up in one single braid, leaving some strands down to frame her face.

"Are you okay?" I mouthed to Nevaeh as the captures turned to lock her cage back up.

She nodded her head, yes, but her eyes said something different.

I heard the clinking of my cage door open, and I turned my attention from Nevaeh to look at the door.

"Ahh, my beautiful little fighter." Beta Daniels smiled, grabbing my arm and pulling me out. "It's a shame your sister couldn't make it." He sneered.

I bit down on my tongue as I felt the need to claw into his face. I needed to watch my temper; soon, I'd be free of these shifters… hopefully. I padded towards the washroom, my heart thudding loudly at the anticipation of what was to come. When the door opened and then closed quickly behind me, I was surprised to see an older woman sitting by the tub, a scrub brush in hand.

"Well, hurry along, dearie. We haven't got all day. The auction is scheduled to begin shortly."

I looked around and noticed that we were the only ones in the room.

"Don't try to bolt now, dearie. I may be old, but I can still catch you, and it would be a shame if I had to kill you." She smiled, her eyes flashing gold.

I took a deep swallow as I walked toward the tub. She was one of them. I'd never seen an elder up close before.

"That's it. Good girl," she said, coaxing me towards the tub, "arms up now." I did as she requested. She pulled my dress off my head and stripped me of my undergarments. "In the tub now, dearie."

I got into the tub and let out a slight whimper at the heat. My olive skin turned a bright red from the heat; she took her brush and scrubbed every inch of my skin, every nook, cranny, and crevice. Then she quickly shampooed and conditioned my hair simultaneously while combing out all the tangles.

"My my my." She whispered. "What a treasure, hidden underneath all that gunk." She beckoned for me to stand up, and I willingly listened. Ready to get out of the steaming water. She handed me an emerald green string bikini. I put it on and noticed that the top barely covered my breasts; one wrong move and a boob would pop out for all to see. The bottoms were no better; my underwear had left more to the imagination.

"Well, if the vampires don't like you, dearie, I know the Alpha will. Your body screams sex."

I let out a shudder at the thought of the Alpha Wolf. I'd rather be bled dry by the vampires than forced to have sex with a shifter.

"Henry." The elderly woman hollered. "She's ready to return to her cage."

Beta Daniels walked back into the room. His eyes shining golden as he looked at me, his wolf let out an involuntary growl. He grabbed a robe and threw it at me. "Cover yourself." He hissed. "I don't need to kill all my men because of you."

I gladly put it on, thankful for something to cover my body as he escorted me back to my cage.