Page 1 of Short, Lethal & Claimed

PROLOGUE

1146 A.D.

London, England

There was a time when he never would have set foot in a place like this, but now…

It was exactly where he needed to be.

Logan watched as the whore, who’d offered him the use of her mouth for a few coins, tilted her head back so that the vampire that had taken her up on her offer could sweep her hair back as his eyes turned silver and two white fangs slid down past yellow teeth and found their way inside her neck. When she released a well-practiced moan a moment later, Logan took in the rest of the tavern that had taken him two winters to find. He watched as men and women willingly allowed vampires to feed from their necks while shifters ate from large platters of meat, fruit, and bread drizzled in honey as he ignored the vampire watching him from across the room.

He wouldn’t touch him. At least, not here. They had rules, ones that ensured that humans were able to come here without having to worry about their throats being ripped out. Theyprovided humans with a few coins, a free meal, and a chance to find someone willing to give them their protection and, for their part, vampires came here for an easy meal while shifters came here to bury their cocks without having to worry about suddenly finding themselves mated.

While Logan was here, he was untouchable until he made his decision, but the moment he did, his fate would be sealed. If he chose wrong, there would be no going back. Once he was marked, no other vampire or shifter could touch him. He’d learned that lesson the first night he came here when he saw a vampire pull a woman that had already been marked onto his lap and drank from her. Within minutes, his heart had been torn out and the girl had been drained dry as punishment.

He’d learned a lot about the world that he never knew existed until the only thing that he loved was taken from him, and then…

He’d learned everything that he needed to destroy it.

Slowly exhaling, Logan dropped his head in his hands as the last memory that he had of Elizabeth threatened to destroy him. She’d been on her knees, begging him to save her and he…

Hadn’t been able to move fast enough.

“How much?” came the curious question that had Logan looking up to find the vampire who’d been watching him all night dropping down onto the bench across from him.

“What are you offering?” Logan asked as he leaned back against the wall while he considered the vampire before him.

“My protection,” the vampire said with a hint of an accent that Logan couldn’t quite place as he allowed his brown eyes to turn silver.

“Not interested,” Logan said as he sat there, debating between two worlds.

“You’re not marked,” the vampire said after a slight hesitation.

“No, I’m not,” Logan murmured absently as he watched the shifters as he thought about all the possibilities, only to decide that it wasn’t worth the risk, not when there was no guarantee that he would survive the transition.

Then again, there was no guarantee that he would be turned into an Alpha if he did survive. He’d still have immortality, heal faster than a human and be able to tear this world apart during the three nights of the full moon, but it wouldn’t be enough.

That left…

“You want immortality,” the vampire correctly guessed, looking amused as he considered him.

“That surprises you?” Logan asked as he shifted his gaze to the other side of the room and watched as humans vied for attention from vampires while others simply climbed onto their laps and bared their necks. The last thing that he wanted was a lifetime of avoiding the sun and being forced to gorge on the blood of whores and thieves to survive, but for Elizabeth, he would do that much and more.

“No one will willingly change you, not while your blood is still pure,” the vampire murmured absently as he followed Logan’s gaze and watched a whore drop to her knees to service a human male while his Master drank from his neck.

As she wrapped her mouth around the human’s cock, Logan slowly took in the rest of the tavern, running his gaze over the freshly scrubbed floors and tables before shifting his attention to the whores who’d scrubbed their skin raw, knowing that they would be turned away if they didn’t. Humans carrying the scent of filth or disease were barred from entering, which was the reason why he’d never had a problem gaining entry.

He’d never consorted with whores or drank to excess, always made sure that his clothes were cleaned with boiled cloves and flower petals and that his skin was scrubbed clean before he came here. He suspected the real reason that he’d never beenturned away was because he’d never touched a woman before. It was something that he knew the vampire sitting across from him wouldn’t have been able to pick up, but the shifter guarding the tavern would have known before Logan had a chance to walk through the front door.

“You’re playing a dangerous game,” the vampire said when Logan spotted the vampire that tried to follow him home last night leaning back against the far wall as silver eyes locked on him.

“I know,” Logan said as he slowly took in the rest of the room, noting the vampires that were watching him before shifting his gaze back to the one sitting across from him.

“You have nothing to offer them that would make them willingly give up your blood,” he said, watching Logan with something close to pity.

“And if I did something to make my blood less tempting…” Logan said, letting his words trail off as he considered his options.

“They’ll probably drain you dry before ripping your throat out,” the vampire said, shrugging it off.

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