dripping down his clothes. Both of them have deeply tanned skin, bright hazel eyes, and muddy brown hair.
“I live with Prince Reign, and I’m lost. I’m sure he will thank you if you could direct me back to his home,” I answer, projecting as much confidence as I can into my voice.
They don’t answer for a long time, the only sound is the wind, and all I can smell is the deer’s blood mixing with the earthy scents of the forest.
“Do you think she is the blonde the princes are sharing?” one of them suggests.
I turn to the other. “Yeah, she must be. The princes could have any pussy on the island, why do they want to share this one?”
“Must be special,” the other answers, and a new fear starts to sink into me. They might do worse than just bite me. Oh god. Before they can even reply to each other, I turn and run on instinct. The vampires’ laughter is the only noise that follows me for a long time, and I know it’s because they could let me run for hours and still catch up to me within seconds.
It’s a game to them.
And I’m so fucked.
Swallowing down the fear, I focus on running and jumping over fallen logs, hoping that someone will come to save me. That they won’t get me.
But what feels like seconds later, I crash headfirst into one of the vamps, and I scream as I try to fight his grip as he wraps his arms around me.
“Let me go!” I scream over and over. He just laughs at me, like I’m nothing more than a toy, and roughly grabs my neck, turning it to the side. His teeth sink harshly into my neck, ripping my skin as he drinks from me. “No! Help! Please...please.”
Everything starts to fade, even as I feel the vamp ripping at my clothes, his hands running over my skin. Dark spots attack my vision, and I feel helpless. I feel alone.
Suddenly the vamp lets me go, and I collapse onto the floor, my legs feeling like jelly and unable to hold me up. Screams fill my ears, male screams and not my own.
And I laugh. I just keep laughing until my laugh turns into sobs.
“I prefer the laughing, if I must say,” Maddox claims, standing over me. He takes off his cloak and wraps me up, picking me up into his arms. The fear and loneliness drift away as I look at him.
I feel protected. Protected by the Mad Prince.
“How are you here?” I groggily question, feeling myself slipping away into the darkness, unable to hold myself awake much longer.
As I drift off, I swear I hear him reply to me.
“I could never force myself to be far from you. Damn my soul and yours.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
For the third time, I wake up with blood in my mouth and feel tired before I’ve even opened my eyes. Sensing eyes on me, I turn my head to the side to see Arlo lying on his side, his big eyes watching me as I reach for my neck, feeling the torn skin is nothing more than scratches now with dried blood cracking as I touch it.
“Why did you run without me?”
Keeping my eyes on Arlo, I frown. “I didn’t run. I just went for a drive.”
“I can’t lose you. I’m sorry, I should have been there,” Arlo whispers, reaching over and cupping my cheek. I freeze for a second, unsure of what he is doing. “I shouldn’t have pushed you away.”
“What the fuck were you doing out in the woods without my mark?” Reign all but shouts. Sitting up sharply, I watch Reign storm over to the bed and stand over me, his arms crossed. His tail flickers behind him in the air, looking as angry as he is.
“I went for a drive.” I pause. “And your car broke down. I wasn’t planning a stroll through the woods in the snow. Nor did I expect for two of your people to attack me or Maddox to save me. It just all happened.”
“You were so fucking lucky Maddox was there, or you’d be dead,” Reign growls. “I didn’t want to mark you so soon, but you can’t leave this house without protection or my mark. Do you understand?”
“I don’t want your mark,” I firmly state.
He narrows his eyes at my neck where his brother’s mark rests. “I see. Then I will hire a bodyguard to follow you when you leave. Same for you,