Bane dumped the lifeless body on the table and stripped it from its canvas wrapping. Noting the sharpness of the strigoi’s teeth, he decided to tie her down with his magical rope or she would kill him when she awoke. It had taken him longer than expected to snatch her and it had been even more difficult to transport her without burning her alive; he’d been too careless while wrapping her and the canvas kept peeling off.

He grinned just thinking about the games he was going to play with her. The strigoi healed just as easily as the shifters so they could withstand a lot more pain than the humans.

The light filtering through the window changed from a stark brightness to a soft orange, indicating that the night would arrive soon. He moved her so she wouldn’t burn from the rays; he knew by experience that a burning strigoi smelled horrible and he didn’t have his mask with him.

Soft arms surrounded his chest and he jumped. Whirling around, he looked into wide brown eyes that stared up at him in earnest and he relaxed. It was just the shifter from the last town he was in.

“Emily, what are you doing here?”

"I missed you." She leaned into him and he automatically put his arms around her. Biting her lip softly, she looked down demurely, attempting to appear innocent, and he rolled his eyes.

"It's not safe for you here."

"I know, but I wanted to see her." Emily leaned to the side so that she could look at the body. “She doesn't look like much."

Bane frowned. “She’ll kill you as soon as look at you.”

Emily sneered. "I'm pretty strong; I don't think that she could hurt me."

He turned his back to the strigoi to finish stripping off the canvas. “Alright. But don't say I didn’t warn ya.”

She moved her hands across his chest. “I’ve missed you. You’ve spent too much time with that impotent dog.”

Grinning, he thought about the last time they were together and all the dirty things she was willing to do for him. His arm shot out and he pulled her around him so that she was pressed against the table, facing the strigoi. He leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “Show me how much you’ve missed me.”

He pulled up her dress and she groaned with excitement. She leaned forward on the table, closing her eyes, waiting for him to enter her. Bane closed his eyes and made a groveling noise, then bent over her. “As soon as we’re finished, we can tie her up, and then we’ll have some fun.”

Moonlight filtered through the window and Lily awoke in the darkness. Her strigoi instincts told her she was in danger, and she smelled shifter blood. Her fangs extended, ready to kill, and she took a moment to determine who her enemy was.

The male shifter smelled foul, like rotten blood, but the woman was the closest and easiest target. Lily jumped up and, clasping onto Emily’s shoulders, latched her teeth into Emily’s neck.

Emily’s eyes flew open and she screamed. Bane stumbled back, staring at the strigoi latched on to Emily. Getting over her shock, Emily tried to turn towards her attacker, but Lily’s grasp was too tight. Angry now, Emily tried to shift into her wolf form, but only managed to transform her hands. She clawed at Lily who, in a blur, jumped back. Wolf claws could slice her throat open.

Emily spun towards Lily and growled, a low and menacing noise in her throat. “You stupid bitch. I’m gonna kill you.”

She swiped at Lily again and managed to cut her face with long, deep gashes. Lily made an animal-like sound as she clasped her hands to her face, then she sprung off the table and landed on Emily, pushing her onto the floor. Emily fought back, managing to slice long gashes through the muscles in Lily’s arms, but Lily held her down as she bit into her neck again and gulped down Emily’s blood. It was warm and satisfying.

Bane, who’d run away as soon as he’d seen Lily rise, burst back through the open doorway. He jumped on Lily’s back, wrapped a glowing rope around her neck and pulled it tight. It seared her flesh and she cried out from the pain.

Lily grasped at the rope, trying to yank it off her neck, but Bane managed to drag her back to the table. Working quickly, he wrapped it around her several times and pulled it tight while the blood from Emily’s body drained onto the floor.

Lily fought against him but soon her hands were tied to the rest of her body and Bane steered clear of her teeth. He managed to tie her to the table, coughing because the smell of her burning flesh permeated the air. He stood back, admiring his work while she hissed at him. He hadn’t even needed to shift to subdue her.

He looked down at Emily whose blank eyes stared past him. She was definitely dead. He frowned and looked back at Lily. “Stupid whore, you killed her.”

Lily hissed in response. “I’ll kill you as soon as you turn your back on me.” Her French accent sounded strange to his ears.

He grinned. “Somehow I doubt that. When I’m done with you, you’ll be begging me to kill you.”

A shadow covered the doorway as Myla entered the cabin. “What happened here? You were supposed to tie her up before she got out of hand.” She kneeled next to Emily, trying to see if there was anything she could do to save her as Lily looked on, smiling triumphantly. Standing up, Myla looked up at Bane in disgust. “You’re careless.”

Bane’s lip curled up. “The strigoi is tied up now. I’ll take care of Emily’s body.”

Myla stood up and folded her arms in front of her. “Why didn’t you tie her up as soon as you got here? I told you she was strong.” She raised her eyebrow.

Bane smirked and sauntered towards her. He ran his hand up her arm and shoulder as he moved behind her. “I didn’t realize the sun had already set.” His lips were by her ear and his breath made her shiver. “We were just having a little bit of fun. Want me to show you what we were doing?”

She pushed his hand off her shoulder. “I just want revenge, that's all. He killed the only man I loved, as well as the highest ranking shifter in my pack. He needs to pay, and she’s the way to make him do it.”

Bane looked past Myla’s shoulder to assess Lily, his body pressed tightly against Myla’s back. “How do you know she’s the right strigoi? She doesn’t seem that important to me.”

Myla stared at Lily’s mouth, knowing that she could be compelled if she looked into her eyes. “She was his mistress, so he must feel something for her. She’s the right one.”

Lily only glared at her.

Bane moved to stand in front of Myla and smiled brightly. "Then we’ll begin to turn her, as discussed.” His hand slid down the front of her dress. He couldn’t help himself; violence always made him hard. “But first, let me show you a thing or two about how I work.” He pulled her to him so that she could feel his hardness. “You’re too pretty to let the strigoi ruin a little fun.”

Her breath escaped her as his hand slid beneath the top of her dress. She closed her eyes as she took in the sensations running through her body as he played with her breast. “You think—” She gasped as his other hand yanked her skirt to the side. “You think I’m pretty?”

He nibbled on her ear as he moved to unclasp the front of her dress. “We’ll get revenge on the strigoi, but who says we can’t amuse ourselves in the process?”

“What about Emily? I thought she was your mate.” Her voice came out deep and breathy.

Bane shrugged. “I’ve only known her for a few weeks. We weren’t together long. Besides, I warned her that the strigoi was dangerous. She took her chances.” He undid the last button and Myla leaned into him.

He grinned. “That’s it.” He steered Myla towards the mattress on the floor. “Let me teach you a thing or two, and then we’ll have some fun with the strigoi.”