had piercings in their lips, noses and ears. The taller one smiled down at me struggling in his arms. “We’ve been hunting the park for years. Never found anything like you.”

“Let me go.”

The other crossed in front of me. “Not a very warm welcome.”

They had no accents, recently made in the U.S.A, still very human in appearance, too many little twitches and gestures, and no class.

“Mmm. Pure uptown. Whose baby are you?”

I didn’t let on I was afraid. “There are four million mortals on this island. Find one of them to bleed.”

“Nothing like that. Just party with us.”

“Ever heard of the Northman?”

They glanced at one another.

The taller one shrugged. “Cat’s some fucking Viking or something.”

“See the ring on my finger? He finds out you’ve been bothering me you can kiss your sorry asses goodbye, got it?”

“Never heard one of them letting their women run around Central Park on their own. Come on babe, we’ll give you something pretty.”

They didn’t bother with more conversation. The tall one held me while the other raped me. Then they switched places. Afterward, they argued the easiest way to drag me back to their lair. The tall boy pulled a gun, jabbing it into my ribs. “Listen, no funny stuff babe, you’re going to come along like a good girl. Once we’re home you’re going to do what just we say or we’ll bleed you. Got it?”

“I’m the Northman’s blood. You can’t do this.”

The shorter one laughed. “The Northman won’t give a shit about some cast off piece of tail.”

“Take the ring,” the tall one said.

I lifted my legs, kicking the one holding me in the groin. He doubled over in pain, clutching himself. While he staggered to his feet the other cold cocked me with the gun. Everything went black.

When I came to, they were dragging me to the street, still arguing about what to do next. I spotted a large, African-American beat cop and screamed bloody murder. The two of them dropped me, and took off into the park again. The cop ran over and knelt down beside me.

“You okay sweetheart? Those punks hurt you?”

I wiped blood from the corner of my mouth. “I’m okay.”

His huge brown hand reached out to help me to my feet. He frowned as he observed my torn clothes. “They mess with you? You should go to a hospital. I’ll call an ambulance. We’ll pick them up. They won’t get far. “

I shook my head. “I’m fine. Just want to go home.”

He looked doubtful. “If you say so. Stay out of the park at night, you hear? It’s no place for you.”

He patted my shoulder. I headed downtown along Central Park West. They’d taken all my cash, so a cab was out of the question. I was completely broke. I didn’t think I could feel much worse than I already did, but these two proved just how fragile my situation was. Tears jabbed my eyes as I walked the long blocks downtown. I’d been so stupid to let down my guard and for what, a fantasy of someone who couldn’t care less if I lived or died?

Months went by before I saw another. From time to time I caught sight of the shadowy figures that seemed as wary of me as I was of them. They didn’t seem to mean me harm, and I was tempted to call out to them out of sheer loneliness, but they’d always quickly slip out of sight.

Then I started to encounter what I came to term my “suitors”. A cast-off is fair game to the old ones and their alphas. Manhattan is neutral territory, and they’re just as attracted to its opportunities as mortals. Not that they came specifically in search of me, but if they chanced upon me they availed themselves of the convenience. A few even offered to take me in. I once had the unparalleled privilege of entertaining Kalidasa, the huge, quivering mound of lard that was the chief elder. Disgusting. These suitors were no more welcome a sight to me than to Penelope but they didn’t hurt me, well, not enough to kill me, just enough to make it fun for them. They compensated me well for my trouble. It helped pay the bills.

Spring passed, summer arrived again, the second on my own. It turned hot and unbearably humid. Air so thick you could cut it with a knife. Mortals spilled out of buildings like blood. Luckier ones had air-conditioning or escaped to summer homes by the sea.