Page 80 of Stalked

Master?What the fuck?

Noah clearly wasn’t much of a talker. I tried to engage in conversation as we walked, but he wouldn’t respond. I even tried making a few jokes to ease the tension as fear rushed through my body, but he didn’t even crack a smile. We walked for about thirty minutes before arriving at a tall black gate in front of a beautiful, very dark, gothic-style mansion. By now, the sun had risen, and I was becoming uncomfortably warm in my thick hoodie. I could feel sweat forming on my hairline, and my legs were aching.

I was exhausted, and all I wanted to do was lie down, even if it was in a strange and dangerous place.

Noah rang the bell on the outside of the gate. “Open the damn door. I have Akasha with me.”

The gates opened slowly, and the shapeshifter gently escorted me through the entrance and along the long, stamped driveway. Once the gate closed behind us, Noah released my arm. I took in the rest of the house—my prison.

My mouth gaped open as I looked around. It appeared to be everything I’d pictured a vampire lair to look like. Just like the vampires themselves, the beautiful house reeked of something sinister. It was over-the-top glamorous; the gray stone walls were filled with detailed carvings. The wide windows on each story of the gorgeous mansion had been draped with dark curtains. I swallowed as my eyes landed on the stone gargoyles decorating some balconies. They seemed to glare down at me as if they were alive. My heart skipped a beat as I took in the view above me. I feared what was ahead, but I wasn’t going down without a fight.

After entering the house, I drew my eyes to the front room that was filled with three black couches and a machine of some sort sitting in the center. It was a clear case with tubes that protruded from the inside and into small glass vials surrounding the device.

“I’m afraid to ask,” I said, twisting my body to look at Noah. “But what is that?

He, as expected, didn’t answer me.

“Noah, I’m not your enemy.”

He looked at me expressionlessly. “You really want to know what that machine does?” I nodded. “If one of the humans the vampires drink from tries to run away, we execute them. We then place them inside the glass chamber. Then we hook them up to those pipes and drain them until the very last drop of blood is emptied into the vials. You see?—the vampires here don’t waste blood, so if they’re going to kill them, they might as well take the blood while it’s fresh and pumping through their veins. They store the blood in a cooler downstairs.”

I’m going to throw up.

As bile rose up my throat, I tightened my jaw. I quickly raised my fist to my mouth, choking it back. Noah just looked at me and shrugged, unphased by the horror he had just told me.

“You see, Mercy. Iamyour enemy.”

I’m starting to think that sacrificing myself was a mistake.If I fail to take this place down, I could easily end up in there as an eternal meal.

I drew my attention to loud laughter coming from a room down the hall. Noah was staring at the double doors in front of us, but we didn’t enter. The suspense of waiting to see what my future would look like in this place drove me mad. I stomped in the room’s direction, but felt a pinch at my scalp as Noah gripped my hair and yanked me back.

“Ouch! Quit it!” I whined.

“Yeah, you’re not going to want to go in there right now,” Noah said.

I was so exhausted from the last twenty-four hours that I almost didn’t care what had happened to me.

Almost.

“Honestly, Noah. I just want to lie down. I may have powers, but I’m also in a human body, and humans need sleep.”

No response. Asshole.

“Noah,” I tried again, “aside from your muscular and very intimidating build, you don’t seem all that scary to me. You don’t belong here anymore than I do. You’re not like them,” I said, pointing toward the door. Noah started to give a sideways smirk, then quickly became serious again as he heard a door open. It caught us both off-guard.

I looked down the hall, watching another man close the doors of that room behind him and walk in our direction.

Once he was in front of me, my neck craned up to look at his stunning appearance. His face looked youthful, but his fair skin also seemed to emphasize the gray circles under his eyes; he was strikingly handsome. The man’s skin looked like someone had carved him out of marble.

The vampire smirked like my terrified expression amused him as he stalked around me, tightening the muscles around his strong jawline. His medium-length, dark brown hair looked wet, as if he had just stepped out of the shower and had slicked it back over the top of his head. His body was lean, and he moved elegantly. The muscles under his shirt rippled as he passed by me. It was like looking at a panther as the guy was covered head to toe in black attire, his long trench coat brushing the floor as he circled my trembling body. Hunger peeked through his vibrant, hazel eyes, churning my stomach the moment he stood directly in front of us—staring at me intently. It was unnerving. It was like I had just been served on a silver plate for him.

I instinctively stepped back and tumbled backward into Noah’s chest. My fear appeared amusing to the vampire before me, who lifted his hand and stroked my cheek in a gentle caress. I recoiled at his touch, and he removed his fingers from my skin the moment I did.

Noah cleared his throat. “Master, I brought her to you unharmed, just as you asked,” Noah said. “I assure you; this is Akasha.”

The vampire’s eyes turned venomous as he sized me up. I suppressed a shudder at the man who was looking at me, less like a creep and more like I was cattle for sale.

“Hm, and what of the immortal spell?” His voice was calm and eerie; it sent an icy chill up my spine.

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