by Jodi Vaughn
Wincing from the glare above, she cradled her throbbing head between her hands. An ancient, incandescent light bulb hung overhead, illuminating rusted tin walls that soared upward to a metal beamed roof. She was in some sort of warehouse.
How the hell did she end up in a warehouse?
“What the hell is going on?” She flinched as her voice reverberated throughout the cavernous space. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her racing heart. Think, Ava, think.
She remembered getting up at dawn, drinking coffee, and reading the newspaper on the back deck of her tiny country house. Nothing special happened on her noon shift at the Golden Lair Restaurant and bar. After that, she had gone home.
She remembered her doorbell ringing. A shiver raced down to her toes as the next memory came into focus. She’d opened the door to a figure standing on the other side, dressed completely in black. Then she remembered . . . nothing.
Her eyes popped open. Icy, wet fear trickled through her veins like a winter stream.
Why the hell couldn’t she remember what happened next?
A door creaked open somewhere in the shadows. She jerked her head up and immediately wished she hadn’t. Her stomach churned at the sudden motion.
“Glad to see you’re awake, female.” The man’s deep voice slithered across the room, making the hair on her arms stand up.
“Who are you? Where am I?” Her voice cracked. “How did I get here?”
“We brought you here. You’re our special guest.” His accent was more redneck than southern. Raised in the South, she could tell the slight difference.
“I think it’s time I left.” A chill skipped across her heart, hard and quick, like a pebble on a frozen pond. What had happened in the last few hours that she had ended up here, alone?
“It doesn’t matter what you want.”
“My family knows I’m gone. They’ll be looking for me.” Anger and terror paraded up her spine, racking her body with tremors.
Evil laughter, echoing against the metal walls, hung over her like a vile promise of what was to come. Booted footsteps tapped against the concrete floor as her captor circled her in the safety of the shadows, his identity concealed.
“Your family has no idea you’re missing. And when they do, they may try to come for you, but it’ll be too late. We’ll be long gone.”
Rage pumped through her body. This asshole had another thing coming if he thought he could keep her here like a prisoner.
“You’re the key to our survival, Ava.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Survival of what? I’m just a bartender.” She squinted, trying to make out the dimensions of the room and find a way out.
“We need to increase our numbers, Ava. We need children. We need you to provide those children for us.”
She froze. Her breath whooshed out of her lungs like a deflating balloon.
She shook her head. This wasn’t happening. She must be trapped in some kind of nightmare.
Nausea engulfed her. She dropped to her hands and knees and emptied the contents of her stomach.
“That’s it. Get that nasty drug out of your system.”
Sitting back, she dragged the back of her hand across her mouth, and glared into the shadows. “You drugged me?” It would explain the drowsiness she felt earlier.
“It was the only way to get you here without a fight.” The shadow chuckled. “I hope you’re ready. It’s almost time.”
She squinted, trying to make out his features. “Time for what?”
“It’s time to present you to your lovers, of course. All forty-five of them.”
RISE OF THE ARKANSAS WEREWOLVES Series
Paranormal Romance
BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON (BOOK 1)
BENEATH A BLOOD LUST MOON (BOOK 2)
DESIRES OF A FULL MOON (BOOK 3)
DARKSIDE OF THE MOON (BOOK 4)
SHADOWS OF A WOLF MOON ( BOOK 5)
CLOVERTON Series
Contemporary Romance
CHRISTMAS IN CLOVERTON (short story)
LOST WITHOUT YOU (BOOK 1)
LOST ALL CONTROL (BOOK 2)
SOMEWHERE, TEXAS Series
Contemporary Romance
SADDLE UP (BOOK 1)
TROUBLE IN TEXAS (BOOK 2)
BAD MEDICINE (BOOK 3)
AUTHOR BIO
Jodi Vaughn is an USA TODAY bestselling author and a National Readers Choice Award finalist for best paranormal. She is the author of the RISE OF THE ARKANSAS WEREWOLVES series and writes paranormal romance as well as contemporary romance. Born and raised in Mississippi, her deep Southern roots and love of the paranormal led her to write Southern Paranormal novels. When she is not conversing with characters in her head, she can be found at her home in Northeast Arkansas with her handsome husband, brilliant son, a temperamental swan, and yellow lab that is fond of retrieving turtles when duck season is over. She has recently added a black lab to their family who will eat anything not nailed down.
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Copyright © 2017 Jodi Vaughn
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