Dark Seduction (Vampire Royals of New York #2) - Sarah Piper Page 0,94

and unfamiliar and terrifying.

Before she could ask what the hell was going on, Silas lifted her over his head and threw her down into a dumpster. There wasn’t much trash inside to cushion the blow, and she hit the bottom hard, the impact sending a sharp, lancing pain all the way up her arms and into her shoulders. Broken glass sliced her palms. Pinpricks of light swam before her eyes.

“Goodnight, bitch.” Silas slammed the metal lid closed.

She hoped he was fucking gone.

She tried to sit up, but the world was spinning again, the darkness creeping in, blackening the edges of her vision.

In the distance, she heard another street-sweeper, a police siren, a group of drunk people laughing around the corner. Something skittered across the alley, and Charley tried not to think of a swarm of rats.

She didn’t even know where she was.

Okay, girl. Step one—stop freaking out. Step two—get your ass out of this dumpster.

Mustering the last of her energy, she scrambled to her feet, popped open the heavy metal lid, and peered out through the gap.

Oh, fuck me.

Filling the alley, appearing so suddenly Charley knew it had to be a setup, a writhing mass of inhuman monsters stalked toward her.

She saw the outstretched hands, fingers dripping with blood.

She saw the hungry mouths, the glassy eyes, the jagged fangs.

And in that brutal, terrible moment, Charley recognized her foes.

Fucking grays.

And they were heading straight for her.

She dropped the dumpster lid. Crouched back down in the corner. And grabbed the biggest shard of glass she could find, hoping like hell she wouldn’t have to use it.

Chapter Thirty-Five

“Where is she?”

Dorian’s furious roar echoed down Park Avenue, scaring the rats and the squatters alike out of their dark holes.

He was bloody beside himself. Those fucking vampires and their demon stain had waylaid him for far too long, and though he’d slaughtered them in the end, the victory had come at too great a cost.

He’d lost Charlotte.

All that remained of her was a cell phone, shattered on the ground in the alley behind Perk. There was no sign of Sasha, either.

“Find her!” he bellowed, damn near ready to take down the whole city, brick by fucking brick.

“We will,” Aiden said, placing a hand on Dorian’s shoulder. Cole was several paces ahead of them on the sidewalk, frantically trying to pick up her scent. “But you need to calm down and focus, or you’ll—”

“Don’t…” He jerked free of Aiden’s grip and whirled on him, intending to let loose another endless rant, but the moment he saw the concern in Aiden’s eyes, all the breath rushed from his lungs.

“I’m sorry,” Dorian said, his voice cracking. His heart shattering. His mind splintering into tiny fragments. “I’m falling apart, Aiden. The thought of losing her… I can’t… Where is she?”

“Breathe, Dori. Please.”

Dorian closed his eyes and took a deep breath, but it was no use. The fury boiled up again. He felt like he was going to explode.

He wanted to blur out of there, to kill someone, to find a nest of demons and eviscerate every last one. But he couldn’t leave the city. He needed to walk, block by fucking block, inch by fucking inch, until he found his woman. His fucking heart.

“Charlotte!” he shouted into the night.

“Got her,” Cole said suddenly. “This way.”

They followed him down Seventy-Second, stopping at the mouth of a narrow service alley.

“She’s right down…” Cole sucked in a sharp breath. “Oh, fuck your mother.”

Dorian followed his gaze, his heart damn near ready to pound out of his chest.

“And your mother’s mother,” he added.

The alley was full of grays. Dozens upon dozens—more than he could count at a quick scan. But they seemed subdued, or possibly sick. They milled around the alley like zombies, some of them scratching at the walls, some of them feeding on each other, others standing still as if they’d just run out of batteries.

But there, in the back of the alley, something had drawn their attention.

“Something in that dumpster’s got ‘em riled up.” Cole shook his head. “I got a shit feeling about this.”

“Are you sure she’s here?” Aiden asked, unable to hide the note of worry in his voice.

“If she ain’t here now,” Cole said, “she was. Scent’s still fresh.”

“Charlotte!” Dorian called out, desperation and hope warring with the fear and fury in his heart. The grays closest to them turned to look, but he didn’t care. If she was here, he needed to get to her. Now.

If she’s even alive…

“Charlotte!” he called out, forcing the thought from