Soft, cushy warmth was interrupted by pain that bloomed into reality, overwhelming the soft warmth I had felt at first. A groan left me in response to the pain. Then something cold touched my left forearm and ran down to the back of my hand. Metal? I opened my eyes and looked over to find a pale man with long silver hair and silver eyes sitting beside me. His hand cupped over mine. 

Who the hell was this!?! I pulled my hand away from him and sat up. I was on a large bed. Ignoring the pain in my head and scrambled to the opposite side of the bed and jumped off, putting the bed between us. He stood, facing me with a smile across the bed and hummed at me, “What your men told you was true. Those eyes…” He took in a deep breath through his nose, “Mmm…and she smells absolutely delicious.” He clearly was not talking to me. There was someone else here. I looked about the room keeping this pale man in my peripheral vision as I did.

The room was large and decorated with a tasteful blend of vintage and modern style. Rich oak bookshelves. The bed’s head and footboards matched the bookshelves but the bedding itself was a more modern black and gray. On the opposite side of the room from the bed was a glass and chrome desk with a black leather computer chair and seated in that chair behind the open screen of a silver laptop was a man with sandy blonde hair that was shaved on the sides and looked to be pulled back into some fashion I could not see from where I was. It reminded me of those viking hairstyles you see online. 

As if knowing I was looking at him he stopped what he was doing and closed his laptop to look at me with his dark brown eyes. My attention was pulled from him when the pale man was suddenly in front of me. I jumped and took a step back from him but he matched my movement and reached out taking my left hand in his before I could pull it away. His grip was firm and cold as ice and he brought my hand up to his face and took a deep breath before letting out a groan, “Hunter, she’s exquisite. Are you sure she’s human?” He licked my wrist and I tried to pull away from him but my struggles had no effect on him as if he were solid stone. 

He opened his mouth and revealed sharp teeth before sinking them into my wrist. I screamed out as pain prickled through my body. I struggled to get free of his grasp but my fight started to fade as the pain flowed into something more akin to pleasure filled me and a shaky moan left my lips, “Alistair! What did I say?” The man who was clearly a vampire released me from his bite and licked the wound he had made. The sensation forced another moan from me before I clasped my free hand over my mouth.

A vampire. Oh my god! A freaking VAMPIRE! Aunt Lynelle had mentioned them before but I didn’t think I’d meet one let alone be bitten by one. I was terrified yet aroused. Why was I aroused!?! I hated this feeling. I tried to pull away from him again and he smiled, his teeth tinged with my blood, “I love that uptick in the heart rate when they realize what I am.” The viking man I am assuming is Hunter the vampire had addressed earlier, placed a hand on his shoulder, “Alistair, I can’t have you snacking on her as you please.” Alistair released my hand and I pulled it to my chest and I retreated back from both of them. It wasn’t bleeding but that observation was the least of my concerns right now.

Hunter stepped forward and smiled at me, “I am Alpha Hunter of Raging Tide Pack.” I scowled at him. This was the asshole who killed Cain’s first mate and several other members of Tobias’ pack. Hunter’s smile pulled up in one corner, “So you’ve heard of me.” He moved closer to me and I backed up again but didn’t get too far before my back pressed against a wall. I glanced back, I was literally cornered. He continued to close the space between us, “I can’t believe my luck that Tobias’ mate turned out to be human.” He reached out and traced his index finger down my cheek, “So small and frail. You really are delicate creatures. Especially you females.” I swatted his hand away from me. His smile never faded. I was apparently entertaining to him. 

He leaned forward, his face uncomfortably close to mine, “It’s only polite to introduce yourself after someone has given you that courtesy.” I glared at him, “Polite? You’re expecting me to be polite to the asshole who had me abducted and attacked my aunt and cousin?” His brows raised and he straightened himself back to his full height and he laughed. He was close to the same height as Cain, “Well, you’re certainly bold.” His hand shot out and grasped my throat as he slammed me against the wall behind me. My hands clawed at his as choked me, “Clearly, the Lycans haven’t taught you respect.” His grip tightened around my throat causing the pressure build up in my head, he only released me just as blackness started to creep into the edges of my vision.

I teetered to the side, catching myself on the other wall as I gasped and coughed, “You want to try telling me your name again?” I glared at him as I panted catching my breath, “Lily” I rasped out, “Ah, an exquisite flower for an exquisite lady.” My eyes snapped to Alistair, still standing a little behind Hunter. His use of ‘exquisite’ was annoying and almost grossed me out on some level, something to do with the tone in which he said the word, “See? That wasn’t so hard now was it?” He leaned forward again, his face far too close. I couldn’t back away from him anymore without somehow magically fusing into the wall behind me. His hand took hold of my jaw and he crashed his lips into mine a sound of surprise lept from me.

I tried to pull away from him but I ended sliding into the corner itself becoming even more pinned by him and his tongue pushed hard past my lips as he forced his way in. I tried a few my times to pull away from him before I finally bit him as hard as I could. He pulled away from me and struck me knocking me to the floor before he touched the bloody spot on his lip, “Michael mentioned you were a biter.” Alistair piped up behind Hunter, “My kind of girl!” I couldn’t help myself, “Fuck you.” 

I was then hauled up by a handful of my hair and tossed onto the bed. Hunter’s weight pressed down on me as he straddled me and pinned my arms above my head with one hand, “Are you really so dumb you don’t know your situation?” I was well aware of my situation. They could kill me easily or really do whatever they wanted and no matter how much fight I put up it would be nothing to them. I was terrified but I wasn’t about to show more fear than I already had when Alistair bit me. I glared up at Hunter, “You obviously don’t want to kill me yet. Otherwise you would have had that done when I was found by your men.” He eyed me as if waiting for me to say more. So I did, “Why? Why not kill me like you did Cain’s first mate?” He smiled but then a look of confusion flashed across his features. Shit! I said too much, “First mate? Did that bastard find a second chance mate?” Alistair’s voice came from the foot of the bed to my left, “That can’t be. Lycan second chance mates are almost impossible. If he even managed to find one it would take longer than a year and a half to find her.” Hunter had glanced at Alistair as he spoke. 

I hoped that was enough distraction to allow me to avoid the question. I can’t have him knowing I’m both Cain and Tobias’ mate. He looked back down at me under him, “Did he?” My lips parted and I spoke without thinking but I was so thankful for the words that spilled from me, “Can’t he just find someone else to mate with?” I feigned human ignorance of the whole mate thing. Hunter smiled. It seemed to work as he started to laugh at me and shook his head, “That’s not how it works. Werewolves and Lycans are much different from humans when it comes to mates.” Movement from Alistair caused me to glance in his direction. His brow was raised as he eyed me but didn’t say anything.