Trisha’s P.O.V:

The first thing I noticed as I came to was that I was being suspended by my arms above my head. My arms were stretched up as they supported the weight of my entire body, my feet hanging above ground and the harshness of the rope against my skin was as unwelcome a perception as was the sensation of the absence of my clothes on my body.

I could feel the gentle movement of air around my skin as if there wasn’t any thread of clothing left to prevent the chill. My nipples were pebbled hard and goose bumps appeared on my skin. I couldn’t feel anything else in the room, however. The air was dead silent, with the absence of any scents or movements that could help me figure out where I was. Which meant that I was either on a skyscraper, high enough that even my enhanced hearing couldn’t pick up any noises, or I was in an abandoned area somewhere far away from population which didn’t have enough buildings around it to reflect sound waves. But the only plus point to my situation was, I couldn’t hear any bird songs. Which meant that the sun hadn’t risen…yet.

“Why pretend to be passed out when we both know you aren’t?”

I sucked in a gasp. I knew that voice! I knew it well enough that it had every hair on my body standing on end, making a shiver ran down my spine. And it was not a pleasant feeling at all.

I opened my eyes to a dark room and they immediately fell on the lone figure sitting on a throne like chair not too far away from me. Even though the curtains were drawn with sunlight proof drapes and there wasn’t a hint of light in the room, there was no mistaking that sinister presence, those vibrant green eyes that were lit from within, making them glow in the dark like emeralds and that presence so powerful, it made anyone and everyone run in the opposite direction, as far as possible. Because this was none other than Damien Vandolff, the Vampire King.

Damien was perfection personified. Built the size of a battle tank, a physique to die for and a face so unparalleled in beauty that no one can forget it once they had a look. His hair appeared black in the darkness but I knew that it was originally a very, very dark shade of red. He was the most coveted and the most dangerous creature on the planet. Except, he didn’t just break hearts, he crushed them in the palm of his hands, after ripping it out of the person’s body.

A smile formed on his face. A smile that was as cunning as it was beautiful. “I see you’re standing your ground. You’re more stubborn than I initially apprehended.”

I returned the smile, because if I didn’t hold my own against him, I’d be mincemeat in no time. “Why do I get the feeling that you’re not done yet?”

Damien leaned back on his chair. “I’d say you’re quite right, Ms. Redfern.”

I tilted my head to the side, and it pushed my breasts up even further, but I fought through the urge to feel humiliated. Shame wasn’t something immortals felt often, especially after having lived centuries. And even though I wasn’t nearly as old as Damien, I had seen my fair share of years. “Are we on last name basis again, Damien? I’ll have to say I’m disappointed.”

I know I shouldn’t be pushing the wrong buttons right now but I had valid reasons. I won’t stand down, not when there were several lives on the line. Lives that Damien had sworn to protect but has never acted on his promises, at least not since Vampires became the rulers of Earth, taking over the human race and any other minor supernatural species that exists. The fight had been long and hard and Damien had fought tooth and nail to bring back peace to all the landforms on the planet, but we are on shaky ground once again and Damien has decided to stand by our race alone and abandoned the rest to a cruel fate.

The only reason I was in this position right now was because I had dared to take a stand against him in public. And with the current political conditions, it had seriously affected his rule, making some of the masses, who had been strong and brave enough, to question his decisions.