Page 10

Kill them! Kill them all!the vampire hissed, viewing the police as a threat to its mate.

Shut up.

The woman struggled like her life depended on it, punching and shouting and kicking. Marek grunted when she landed another blow to his liver, but he didn’t let go. If he’d had more time, he might’ve made a different decision.

But time was not on his side.

Fuck it.

His next move went against everything ingrained in him, but his flailing mate along with the incoming police left him little choice. Careful with his strength, he chopped the side of her neck with his hand. A soft, surprised gasp. Her body went limp. He caught her and lifted her into his arms, one hand holding her purse straps. He stopped himself from studying her features. It would take more time than he had.

By the time the police rounded the corner to an empty parking lot, Marek was sprinting along the road and looking forward to learning everything about his mate.

Chapter Three

Oliviagroanedasconsciousnessreturned. Her neck ached as she rolled over. She rubbed her eyes to clear away the last bit of sleep. When she opened them, an unfamiliar environment greeted her.

Where am I?

She was in a soft and warm bed in what looked like a standard hotel room. Someone had pulled a thick comforter over her. The curtains were pulled shut; the room illuminated by the lamps on the brown wooden nightstands. A flat-screen TV was attached to the wall across from her. In the corner, her purse sat on a writing desk with a black office chair and a built-in lamp on the wall.

An open door next to the TV led into a bathroom, while another white door was closed to her right.

A small headache pounded away at her temple.

Why did I come here? What happened? I was going home after…

Her eyes widened as the floodgates to her memories opened. She sat up straight in bed and groaned when her head protested the quick movement. Pushing past the pain, she scooted to the edge of the bed. Her shoes were there, waiting for her.

Her hand instinctively reached for her bracelet, and she let out a sigh when it was still there. It was the only link to her real parents. She never took it off.

Parents. Family. Her stomach dropped.

Oh no, what time is it?

The clock on the nightstand read five-thirty a.m. If she left now, she could still make it to the airport.

A hysterical giggle escaped her.Shit. I’m losing it.She had no idea where she was, how she got here, who brought her here, but she was still concerned about catching her flight?

Well, if she just focused on getting out of here, her sanity wouldn’t desert her completely.

One step at a time. Just like any experiment. Make a plan and follow it.

First, shoes.

Easy. Olivia slipped her feet in her shoes.

Next—

The closed door swung open. The first thing she noticed was the formidable presence. Then her mouth dropped as the most gorgeous man strode in carrying a tray of food.

He was tall, at least six foot three, which meant he’d be taller than her when she wore heels. Call her superficial, but after being dumped by insecure men who couldn’t handle her PhD and her height, she’d sworn off men shorter than her.

She had no time for their inferiority complexes.

Not only was he tall, but with those broad shoulders stretching out the black shirt, he exuded an easy-going, self-assured confidence others dreamed of achieving. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. His strong bone structure, chiseled out of marble, spoke of northern European descent, somewhere from Sweden or Finland, with striking blue eyes she thought could only be achieved through Photoshop.

When those arresting eyes met hers, a frisson of awareness shot through her. Her heart skipped a beat before pounding wildly against her ribs. Not out of fear. The temperature in the room rose by a few degrees. She was suddenly too aware of her position on the bed as her nerves tingled with heightened sensitivity.