Page 97 of All Your Bloody Lies

I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am; the punch to my cheek is so hard that it spins me slightly until I slowly return back to the male standing in front of me.

“That’s rude…” I quip, leaning up and spitting on him.

“I’m not hesitant to hit a woman, especially if she’s a killer.”

My head falls back as I laugh, “Oh boy, who’d I hurt this time, hmm?”

I knew the punch to my stomach was coming, so it didn’t necessarily hurt, but it still knocks the wind out of me. I’m unsure of what role I’m supposed to be playing here. Was I kidnapped for being Xeraphine or Stephanie? Technically, my name on the lease is Stephanie, so, I’ll start there.

“Stephanie,” I cough out.

The punch to the nose does take me by surprise, and I hiss through my teeth, “What the fuck?!” I shout.

“Liar.” The man rears his fist back, and I stare him down, ready for it. “That’s what you wanted everyone else to think, you fucking bit—”

“Stop!” the man sitting shouts.

I smile at the figure in front of me, and he steps back. Running my tongue along my lips to pick up the blood pouring from my nose, I give him a wink.

“Leave us.” The metal on concrete makes me wince. I think my ears are still sensitive, which at least helps me determine I’ve not been out for too long.

The retreating footsteps are coupled with several curse words and grunts before silence caresses my ears. I need to focus on how I’m going to get out of this situation, and I need to do that alone. So, one down, another one to go.

“Name, please.” His voice is low, smooth, and measured, carrying a distinctive, sibilant quality. It holds an air of authority and that of disdain. “I don’t use my fists.”

“Too bad.” I grin, “I do like to be fisted.”

I’ve known I was naked since waking up, which didn’t play to my advantage with the first guy. This one, I can see his head slightly tilt down toward my cunt, and then back up to my face. “Like what you see? I’m probably a bit dirty and charred, but clean me up and I’m a tasty treat.”

An unamused chuckle comes from his throat, “Filthy little mouth you have there… I won’t ask again.” The feeling of something long, muscular, and with a tapered point slithers around my hips. The moment I feel the scales and coarse texture, I gasp. It’s rough and uncomfortable as it rubs against my skin.

As the tip of the tail, from whatever creature this is, slips between my thighs, I begin to wiggle, trying to move my legs to shake it off.

“Name.” His tone is more forceful.

“Xeraphine, get that fucking tail away from me,” I spit, moving my gaze from him down to the thick appendage that begins to squeeze me. It isn’t a snake; no, this is more akin to…Oh fuck.That is why I’m not healing.

My body tenses, and I shake ever so slightly with the revelation. A Shifter, but by the Gods, not just any Shifter.

He’s a Komodo Dragon.

“Son of a bitch,” I spew my thoughts aloud.

“Suppose that is confirmation enough. Tell me, Xeraphine, do you know why we took you?”

The tip of his tail snakes around my backside, tracing upward to my tailbone. As he advances, I instinctively recoil. Their venom, potent even to my kind, poses a threat. It not only paralyzes, but also disrupts my hemokinesis. They were well aware of who I was, and this just solidifies that fact.

“If you are here… I am guessing it’s because of what I am.” It’s why my vision is blurry.

He steps right in front of me, and I crane my head back to see his face. His features are slightly clearer, but it isn’t his face that surprises me; it’s the smell. Wood and spruce, like I’m sitting in a cabin. Somewhere I should be safe, but instead, I’m trapped in it.

“Who… are you…?” I ask, my voice shaky.

He leans in closer, our noses grazing each other, his red eyes framed by a vibrant yellow hue around the pupil. The slit-shaped of them alter as he delves deeper into my gaze. “Your kind’s worst fucking nightmare, Xeraphine. You should have stayed in the ground.”

My entire body trembles, then rage consumes my throat as I scream and slam my forehead into his. When he stumbles back, I bend my body and lift my legs, slamming them straight into his chest. When he goes flying back, his tail rips across me, the scales slicing into my skin, making me cry out in pain.

I swing myself up, flipping my legs over my head. My arms lift me until I can hook the back of my knees around the metal bar. He laughs as I shift into a sitting position on the beam. “Oh, you may want to get down. You’ve got about thirty seconds before that venom makes its way into your bloodstream.”