All Chapters of Claimed by the Horde: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Serenity moved through the beaded curtains, through the storeroom, past the chiller and to rickety the stairs at the back of the building.Joe had been letting her rent the small apartment upstairs for just over a month.Well… rent was a big word. More like she was borrowing it, and he couldn’t remember how she had come to be there, or when the rent was due. So far, he hadn’t been too particular, and she’d not reminded him either way. He seemed to be happy to have her there and when she could, she’d help around the store for some groceries.Climbing the stairs, Serenity moved along the small corridor, past Joe’s own apartment and up the next set to hers. Letting herself in, she closed the door and looked around.Nothing had been moved or touched.Taking the food to the kitchenette, she deposited it into the small refrigerator. Leaving out the milk, she opened the bottle and drank from it, while she moved through the small apartment, stripping off her wet clothes as she went.Hanging t

Speeding down the alley, she ran out onto the abandoned street and dashed across it, to the next alley. Her feet hurt, her legs ached with faticgue and her stomach churned with the idea of being caught. She'd heard of what they did to kids like her, of what they pulled, and broke and sliced and pricked. Serenity didn't want to become a science experiment.Hide.That’s all she needed to do. Find somewhere to lay low, until she could change her appearance. She’d cut and dye her blonde hair and take out her nose ring, hell, she’d even start wearing dresses and learn to do make-up… all to not look like Serenity Monaghan anymore.Through another alley and out onto another street, Serenity ducked to the left, racing past the darkened shops. They weren’t open yet, and by the light tinge to the sky, it was just going four am. This would be a whole lot easier if there were people around. She’d be able to call out for help, someone surely would be able to help…“Serenity…” The voice seethed fro

“You’re young. For a Skin Writer.”Serenity didn’t lift her head. Kneeling on the floorboards, her wrists flexed in the cuffs Noah had placed on her. By the time they’d returned to his apartment, she’d overcome her influx of power and had practically fought him to put her down. He’d slapped the cuffs on her quickly, to stop her scratching out at him.She was sure, in the scuffle, she’d heard the words bitch and feral more than once.“Come on, Serenity. I’m not going to hurt you.”“Then why cuff me?” she asked, finally lifting her head. “Hmm?”Noah lifted himself from the chair and walked to the window. It was huge and the view of the city beyond; breathtaking. But it did nothing to calm her nerves. She’d just watched someone—she’d considered a friend—have his own neck broken. Then she’d been taken to a strange place and put in handcuffs.She wasn’t exactly confident in Noah’s words.“That’s for my own protection, because I know what you can do.”“Yeah? And what’s that?”He turned back

Noah had taken the cuffs off her, placed her in a room, made sure there was nothing she could use to write on her skin, then he had left her alone in the dark.Sitting on the side of the bed, while Noah moved around freely in the room outside, Serenity stared at the floor and tried to comprehend what was happening to her.Demons. Angels. Armies of Heaven. Skin Writers.She’d been too shocked to see the huge bat-like wings which unfurled from Noah’s skin, to ask too many more questions. What would she ask anyway? If she was drugged? Noah had already been adamant, she wasn’t. There was nothing to do now, only unpack the information Noah had divulged and hope for more answers.Lifting her arm, she stared at the spot she’d written on her skin. The words had long since left her flesh and the fatigue had ebbed. Her fingers traced along her arm softly. She’d never thought much of her gift. It was just something she could do

Serenity didn’t know how long the command would last. How long it would take for Noah to snap out of his stupor and come for her. It had been almost comical to see him freeze up as she had grabbed her bag and jacket and run out the front door.It hadn’t been so funny, when only a few blocks later, she had collapsed behind a dumpster and gritted her way through the pain and nausea. Now, back on her feet, the fatigue was sinking in and she didn’t know how much longer she’d be able to run.Digging into her bag, she pulled out the wad of cash and counted it. Almost three hundred dollars. It wouldn’t see her stay in a room for long, but it might get her a bus ticket to somewhere she could disappear.She shoved the money back into her bag and kept walking toward the station. Her feet ached and burned with cold, and she scolded herself for not nicking off with the pair of boots by the front door of the apartment Noah had her in.All