Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 64030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 320(@200wpm)___ 256(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64030 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 320(@200wpm)___ 256(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
I’d blacked out, only to regain consciousness and find him jerking off while drinking from my breast. In that moment, I could feel my heart slowing, my mind fading, and the light in my soul evaporating. He’d reduced me to nothing more than an empty bag of skin.
But that wasn’t the end of the degradation.
Just when I was blacking out, fearing the worst—that my heart was on death’s doorstep and I’d turn—Lazlo offered me his cock. He’d made sure to nick the tip, where his blood had beaded. “If you want to live and see your sister alive, you will suck it.”
“What am I supposed to do with that? Floss my teeth?” I’d meant it too. The thing was tiny.
Still, what sort of man—vampire or not—did that? It might not be rape, but it was just as ugly. Sex should never be a currency for survival.
After that, I passed out, and when I woke, I went into a rage, demanding Lazlo tell me what happened. With a big, wicked smile, he refused and then gloated over my grief.
Obviously, he’d given me his blood to prevent me from dying, and I hadn’t turned, but only God knew what he’d done to my body. The not-knowing part allowed my mind to come up with all sorts of horrors even if I was medically still a virgin.
Psychologically, Lazlo wanted to break me. He deserved to die.
Evil bastard.
I double-checked all the doors and windows. I showered, got into my silky black PJs, and then passed out.
When I woke early the next morning, it was to three squad cars outside, my front door busted wide open, and a mutilated body on the living room floor.
Fucking Stark. He’d kept his word. He was going to destroy me.
Present Day
“Well, that is one whopper of a story, Masie.” Sheriff Idiot stared across the small table in the interrogation room of the Leiper’s Fork Police Station.
“What?” I snapped. “Every word of what I said is true, Thomas.”
“Montgomery Stark is a vampire? And half the town are vampires?” he said, his voice filled with skepticism. “And they think you’re their queen.”
“I know it sounds crazy. Trust me, I do. But it’s the truth. I mean, think about it, Thomas. All those rich people movin’ out. Ronnie Foreman and his friends just disappearin’. How I survived the attack that night when Deedee didn’t? If you don’t believe me, just ask Jimmie. Ask Maybell.”
Thomas leaned back in his chair and combed a hand through his messy hair. “Look, Masie, I’m gonna shoot straight with you here; it don’t matter if I believe you or if your entire family swears on a Bible that they seen vampires. Ain’t nobody—especially a judge and jury—gonna believe you or them. If anything, they’ll just lock you and your whole family up.”
Oh Lord. For once, Thomas was right.
He added, “And if you keep tellin’ people that the man in the morgue, whose guts are all over the place, is a vampire who did that to himself just to frame you, you’ll be locked up in a psych prison.” Thomas stood. “As your friend, I advise you to get your story straight, Masie.”
I nodded, feeling the weight of doom pressing down on me. “What am I going to do?”
“When your lawyer gets here, you tell ’em it was self-defense. Say the man broke in, attacked you, and you defended yourself. And then you lost your marbles for a minute and went a little overboard with the knife—it happens. Heat of the moment and all that.”
“You think that’ll keep me outta prison?” Because I couldn’t be locked up. I had to stop Stark. With me out of the way, he was just going to take power again and then let all those vampires back into Leiper’s Fork. I mean, that was really why I was here, right? Stark couldn’t control me, so best to get me out of the way.
My rage began to percolate with the thought of Stark running around free with all his bloodsucking monster-buddies—night golfing, collecting wine, seducing young innocent women with his incredible good looks. Only to stomp them right in the heart and frame them for murder!
If I had anything to do with it, Stark would be exiled to Siberia and never ruin another woman’s life again. He had to be stopped.
Thomas swiped a hand through the air. “You tell your lawyer just what I said, Masie. That defense works all the time. Trust me. You’ll be out in no time.”
Thomas left the room, and I whooshed out a long breath. He’d better be right because I had a big ol’ helping of revenge to serve up.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Seven Months Later.
Dear Maybell,
Thank you for your last letter. No, prison is nothing like Club Med, and the free food isn’t delicious, so please stop asking if I’m enjoying myself. I’m still in the high-security wing of the prison where, yes, I get a “room” all to myself, but trust me, this is no party.