The metal door screeches open; the force so powerful it’s nearly taken off the hinges, a slam echoes against the concrete walls of the compound. I turn from Arsen on his perch atop large, white-stone platform, to the creature that stands in the doorway. The eyes burn behind me, rest of the clan members hiss and the Elders stare with stoic faces. It’s Nikolai.

His fangs flash, those bright eyes blaze with supernatural power as he looks around to the faces of the other vampires and gives them a devilish smile. The blood rushes through my veins and my vision goes blurry with rage. He cocks an eyebrow as he steps into the compound, rubs his hands together to brush the dust from them, and gives a small, deep chuckle as he turns to face me.

“It’s so good to see you again, Sasha.”

A bright red tongue pokes out of his thin lips and runs over long, white canines as his gaze falls to me like a cat to a mouse. My mind races, the image of my hands ripping that smile off his handsome face begins to loop in my head over and over. The memory of that same face, contorted into a monstrous being as he attacked and bit me, won’t stop flashing in juxtaposition to the fantasy of killing him.

“You son of a bitch!”

It escapes my lips before I can stop myself, I feel a tight grasp on my shoulder and look back to see Arsen has moved beside me in a blink. His glance meets mine, his dark eyes are hard but his face is sympathetic.

“Let me handle this… beast.”

He changes demeanor in an instant. Eyes and face that showed me compassion now seethe as they look to Nikolai. The two hold a tense gaze, I sense the fury in Arsen as he looks to the intruder. He rolls his shoulder back and cracks his neck, claws sharpen and canines become long and sharp. That strong face with a defined brow narrows, his jaw is tight and I can see the muscles twitching as he restrains himself from lunging at Nikolai.

“What do you want? You know you aren’t welcome here.”

The words crack like a whip. But it only makes the coy grin on Nikolai’s face grow wider.

“A Mating Game, Arsen. Come now, I figured you’d have guessed that the second I walked through the door.”

I don’t like the sound of this at all, mating can only mean one thing, and the last thing I want it to be is a fucking game. Arsen’s face only grows darker, his fangs elongate and he releases an animalistic snarl, his eyes blaze bright in the shadows of this compound. His rage becomes something new, it makes my stomach knot and the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. Whatever this is, it’s not good.

“What the hell is he talking about?”

Arsen’s eyes snap away from Nikolai and meet mine, “He wants to claim you as his own.”

My flesh burns hot and sweaty as the words echo in my mind, not quite able to wrap around the concept of something claiming me as their own. Like I’m a piece of fucking property. I know I should be breathing but the air has caught in my lungs and the floor has dropped out from under my feet. Muscles clench as the adrenaline rushes to every fiber of my being, brain buzzing as it scrambles to figure this out. I’m not going to be Nikolai’s property, no fucking way.

“No, no way. I’m not doing this.”

Nikolai lets out a loud laugh, he stomps his feet and slaps a knee as the cackle fills the cold, endless room. Arsen closes his eyes and lets out a sigh, “You have no choice.”

“Last time I checked, I was able to do whatever the hell I want. I refuse to take him as my….” I could feel my stomach churn at the word ‘mate’, unable to get it past my lips, “anything. Don’t even bother, I won’t do it.”

Every single member of the coven has their eyes on me. The few female vampires that remain in the group give me a quiet look of pleading, or their eyes fall to dull, emotionless stare. They’re trying to tell me to give in, not to resist. Many of them have probably been here before, their mates not chosen but forced. They stand rigid in their corset and collars, reminding me of chained animals. I don’t make eye contact, I can’t let them distract me or make me think twice about this.

The men are stone cold, their faces pale against their black and grey suits. Their stares tell me nothing, and their eyes are as good as dead. I realize now that this doesn’t involve them, it will only be between Arsen and Niko. No one will lift a finger if their leader falters, he is all on his own.

The elders simply watch with folded hands. Their skin is almost translucent, as delicate as silk and covered in exquisite garb of red and black velvet, silver, gold and diamond jewelry. I can’t read them, I don’t think anyone can. Their eyes are chalky shades of gold, blue, green and amber, their silent stares make me shiver and I wonder what power is hidden behind those gazes.

Nikolai approaches me with slow, meandering steps. His posture is relaxed and calm, this is all a game to him. He winks at Arsen, who only clenches a fist in return as he waits for his opponent to make a move.

He leans in close as he speaks, “Sasha, don’t you want to come home with me? I’m the one who gave you such a fun, powerful gift. You could at least say ‘thank you’, it wouldn’t kill you to show a little appreciation.”

It’s like a punch to the gut, I can’t believe he thinks I owe him when he nearly killed me. Sure, he may have seduced me with his good looks and cocky charm, but it wasn’t worth the shitload of trouble.

“Actually, it did almost kill me. So yeah, thanks a lot, for trying to rip my throat out!”

His smirk only widened and he gave me a look of mock affection, “Don’t be such a drama queen, and really, the pleasure was all mine.”

The growl in my chest surprised even me, I was still getting a handle on these new powers and what they did to me. I felt my senses come alive as I went on the defense. My vision began to sharpen so that every detail came into focus; I could see the vein throbbing beneath the skin on Nikolai’s neck, a fly that lazily buzzed on the ceiling above and the water droplets glistening on the chilled, stone walls. Every slight movement was clear as a whisper in my ear; the scrape of a shoe, the rustle of fabric against flesh, the sound of traffic miles away, or the blood as it pulsed through those around me.

Arsen placed his hand on my shoulder again, his presence bringing me back to the ground.

“Nikolai, what do you want with Sasha? You had every chance when you turned her to take her, why now?”

Nikolai looks to the coven and elders, that shit-eating grin hasn’t left his face as he lifts a hand and gestures at me as if presenting a trophy, “Simple. She cured me.”

A murmur sweeps through the followers and elders, their whispers wash over me and I can feel the energy shift in the room. I’ve only heard a few things about this virus that’s killing off vampires, but I know they’re scared. The fear was tangible when I met Arsen, he had just lost two members of the coven due to the infection and was searching for a cure until I distracted him.

Nikolai is relishing in the attention on my behalf, he circles me as he looks to the others with a powerful gaze. My knuckles crack as I let my eyes burn into his skull. If he hadn’t been so attractive, with that thick, blonde hair and bright, sky-blue eyes, I would never have gotten myself into this mess. Guilt pangs along the inside of my body as I still see the memory of us together, his lips pressed to mine and that muscular frame holding me tight. I give my head a shake, I can’t let that distract me now.

“You had the virus before you bit her?” Arsen asks, his brow raises in surprise.

“I did, I had fallen ill only a bit before we met, I knew I needed fresh blood to try and stay alive long enough to figure out how to get a cure.”

His face looks to me, eyes flashing behind sharp cheekbones as he gives me a wink with a look of delight.

“To my luck, she happened to be it. And I need to know why.”

Arsen turns to face me with a long stare, his glowing eyes are almost impossible to read. He wants to keep me around, that is apparent enough. Whether he believes Nikolai or not is debatable, and who can blame him with his arrogant, narcissistic track record.

“You want her solely to cure yourself if it happens again, don’t you?” Arsen narrows his eyes at him in disgust.

He rolls his eyes, “What, Arsen? And you’re too good to consider that thought? One woman who can cure any of us? Times are hard, my friend. Let’s not forget that our women are more likely to die from this virus, so why not have a woman who is immune to it?” he gave a small, nonchalant shrug, “and if she can also help me if I become infected again, well… “his smile widened, “that’s just a bonus.”

Arsen studies him with stone cold eyes, the other vampire meets them with a look of boredom.

“Are you going to accept the challenge or not, Arsen? I don’t have all day to wait on your pretty face to make tough decisions.”

Arsen rolls his eyes and then steps forward with his hand out to shake Nikolai’s, “Yes, I will accept the challenge.”

It’s a blur, I burst forward between the two and with strength beyond comprehension, I shove them apart. They stumble backwards, caught off guard by my sudden movement and disruption of tradition. I’m kneeling in the center of the room; I feel like I can’t catch my breath as I breathe hard and grit my teeth yet am so full of powerful energy my body feels like it will burst. I have to fight, I won’t let them claim me if it’s the last thing I do.

All eyes fall on me. Arsen has a hint of anger, Nikolai looks like he wants to devour me while. The coven stands tense, unsure of what to do with me. My eyes meet theirs, I’m not backing down no matter what their laws state. The Elders look at me with bewilderment, an older female in the center slowly stands.

Her hair is white, but her face is whiter. Her eyes are crystal green, wrinkles have only just begun to eb at her eyes and around her mouth, but I know she is centuries old. Her neck holds a large black and emerald necklace, lace traces the edges of her form from beneath the turn of the century gown. I have to wonder if she had that before she was turned.

“Does anyone wish to come forward for Sasha’s hand?”

Her voice is like a spring morning song bird; light and airy, the notes delicate yet strong.

I realize this is my chance, I push myself up and square my shoulders as I stare her right in the eyes, “Yeah, me.”

Gasps and hushes ripple through the coven yet again. I’m making waves with my resistance, but I could care less, I’m not here for them, I’m here to survive and I’m going to do it my way.

Arsen steps forward and goes to rest a hand on me once more, but I step back with a sneer on my lips. His brow narrows and his body grows rigid with frustration, “It doesn’t work that way, you’re not allowed to fight for yourself.”

Nikolai dances behind him in excitement, that energy is as boundless as his ever-beaming face. He claps and lets out a whoop of elation, “This girl is a firecracker! I can’t wait to take you home, Sasha.”

I scuff and step back, I need to put distance between me and them, “You wish, Nikolai. I’m not letting anyone take me home.”

Arsen crosses his arms, his dark hair falls in those sparkling, apple green eyes as he tries to reason with me, “It’s not that simple, by law you can’t join this fight. I’m sorry, Sasha.”

“Who the hell says she can’t fight?” Nikolai’s voice booms with an untapped sense of thrill, my counter offer intrigues him.

Arsen whips around, a snarl on his lips as he bares those iconic fangs.

“The laws we live by, do you wish to argue with those, Nikolai?” His tone is harsh as he lingers on his opponent’s name.

Nikolai smacks his lips and rubs his hands together in a frenzy, “As a matter of fact, I do. Nowhere is it written that she can’t fight for herself, just because no other woman has had the nerve to do it, doesn’t mean it can’t be done.”

Now a silence falls amongst the coven. I look around, but no one is meeting my gaze this time. I hadn’t realized that I could be the first to do this, centuries past of others standing by and letting their fate be determined. The thought makes me sick to my stomach, and the powerful need to fight grows deeper and stronger inside me.

“He’s right, Arsen. The law doesn’t state she can’t fight for herself, let her do it. What’s the worst that can happen?”

The voice is taunting, yet agreeable. I look up and see it’s Claudette, the young matriarch of the coven and Arsen’s consort. Her golden eyes fall down onto me, her smile is a mix of curious hunger. I can’t read her; unable to tell if she’s on my side and rooting for me to pull this thing off, or she just wants to see me get torn limb to limb for entertainment. But the statement doesn’t fall on deaf ears, the elder’s nod in agreement and wave their hands for us to proceed.

Arsen and Nikolai turn to face me. Nikolai licks his lips in glee; the thought of fighting me, winning and taking me home to be all his has him overjoyed and buzzing with delight. Arsen shakes his head, his eyes are soft now as I see the real concern written on his face, his shoulders somewhat slump in defeat as he realizes I’m not going to make it out of this alive.

My throat goes dry and I swallow hard as Nikolai steps before me and raises his fists, ready to fight. What the hell have I gotten myself into?