Page 46 of Club Blood

“Go away. I’m not a donor,” I snapped, quickly sobering at the thought of being in danger without Mercy there to protect me.

The man growled, seizing my cuffed wrist in his hand. “Do you really think that wearing her sigil or licking her cunt will protect you?”

I tried to pull my arm back from him, forgetting that just because he looked like a wisp of a man, didn’t mean that he didn’t also possess vampire strength. He grinned as realization shone on my face, yanking me off the barstool. I looked around frantically for Mercy, yelling for Sam but he couldn’t hear me as a patron yelled at him at the other end of the bar.

“I’m going to drain you dry and dump your pretty little corpse at her feet.”

I struggled against him, dragging my feet as he tried to pull me through the dance floor. I tried to grab the attention of anyone around me but they were either too preoccupied or thought it was some elaborate foreplay.

This club was a fucking curse. Besides Mercy’s title and posturing, this place was a cesspool, seemingly created for my destruction. Fury blinded me as I glanced at the cuff on my wrist, her sigil flashing at me as though in warning. If I was going to die by a vampire’s hand, it sure as fuck wouldn’t be this cretin’s.

“Get. The. Fuck. Off. Of. Me!” I yelled, my voice carrying as I tried to screech over the music.

“Shut up, you little blood bag.”

I will come back and rip their heads clear off of their bodies if they touch you.

Mercy’s voice, her reminder before she went off, sounded in my ears. He underestimated her, but he underestimated me even more.

Kicking my foot out at the back of his leg, the vampire stumbled a step, his grip on my arm weakening as he tried to steady himself. I drowned in my newfound bravado as I seized my opportunity, wrenching out of his hold. Anger at being in this situation for a second time was like kindling to the fire surging inside of me, propelling me forward. People say adrenaline is what fuels you during moments like that, but fear and rage worked just as well.

I turned to run, pushing through the bodies crowding the floor. Nobody had even batted an eye, too entranced in their fun. I made a mental note to scream at Mercy later about how shit her patrons were – if I survived, that was.

The shoes and dress Mercy had dressed me in were definitely not designed for running, nevermind trying to escape a Known trying to kill you. My feet ached and wobbled, threatening to throw me off balance as I tried to reach the bar. I could see the lights against the bottle racks and made a beeline for there. If I could just reach Sam, reach the bar, then maybe I would be safe. Maybe Mercy would be back.

“Get back here, you bitch!” The raspy voice called out behind me, quickly gaining on me.

Perhaps I was a little thankful at how packedAmbrosiawas, the body count making it far more difficult for him to race after me with his unnatural vampire speed.

I was nearly at the bar when a hand yanked me back by my hair, throwing me to my knees. Blood, sweat and spilled alcohol coated the floor, the sticky substances smearing over my bare legs. The vampire kept hold of my hair while pressing his other hand on my shoulder, keeping me pinned to the floor.

“I wasn’t planning to do this here, but I think I’ve changed my mind. Let everyone see that I drained Mercy Petrova’s whore in her very own club, and she wasn’t even here to see it.”

I fumbled, trying to get out of his grip. The idea of Mercy realizing she hadn’t protected me, the anguish I could imagine on her face, was enough to revitalize my fight-or-flight energy, and I wasn’t going down without a fight.

Looking to my right, I saw the remnants of discarded beer bottles, the green glass shattered underneath people’s feet. I reached out and grabbed a jagged piece, feeling it cut into my skin. My blood would soon be mingling with the other humans’ on the floor, but I couldn’t let myself think about that. I would deal with the immediate danger first.

Letting out an almighty screech similar to a battlecry, I spun around on my knees, the grip on my hair so tight I winced. I thrust my hand upwards, shoving the glass shard into the vampire’s torso as hard as I could. He howled and let me go, and I didn’t waste a minute as I kicked off my heels and sprinted to the bar.

My heart thudded in my ears, my own breathing seeming louder to me than the pounding music or angry bellows of the vampire. I had almost reached the bar, the only place of safety I would be able to find without Mercy, when I ran headfirst into someone.

I knew tears were streaming down my cheeks, my immediate thought that I was going to die after only having escaped death a moment before. But when I took a step back and felt hands softly on my arms, I looked up and found comfort in the fury displayed in Mercy’s fiery gaze.

She sniffed the air and looked down at my hand, seeing droplets of blood drip onto the floor. “You’re hurt.”

A sob wrangled its way and soon I was bawling, collapsing into her arms. Mercy whispered in my ear, trying to calm me as she drew idle circles around my back. Once I was calm, she moved me to her side and looked down at me.

“I need to deal with this.Nobodyshould have laid a hand on you and nor will they ever again.”

The anger in her voice was palpable, makingmefeel cold even though I knew it wasforme. I shook my head and stepped back into her arms, burying my make-up smeared face into her chest. “Please, Mercy. Please don’t leave me alone again.”

Mercy sighed, sounding defeated. “Very well. Sam!” She clicked her fingers and the bartender was by her side in a second. “Get that dirty, vile little rat and put him somewhere until I am ready to deal with him.”

Sam bowed at the waist and replied with, “Yes, boss,” before glancing at me. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

Mercy growled, pulling me tighter against her. “No thanks to you. Go do what I ordered you to do and we’ll deal with your lack of protective instincts tomorrow.”

Sam blanched and sped off. I looked up at Mercy, brushing my fingertips across his cheek. “Don’t be angry at him. He was busy doing his actual job, Mercy. I like him. Please don’t fire him.”

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