Frenzy (The Frenzy Series Book 1) by Casey L. Bond Read Free Book Online Page B

Victor’s, a tall, lanky man with skin so pale it was almost translucent, had already bitten his neck and was taking deep draws. James watched, trying to mask the horror on his face.
    My view was suddenly blocked by a thick chest. “Hello, kitten,” Tage cooed.
    “I’m not a kitten.”
    “If you let me feed you back, you could be a queen. My queen.” Feed me back? Not even slightly tempting.
    “Eww. No, thank you. Can we just get this over with?”
    Roman was with Mary on the bench next to us, sitting behind her. I watched him move her hair out of the way, brushing it back and holding it in place. His eyes never left mine as he licked the line of the artery that ran up her neck and waited.
    Tage moved me backward until the backs of my knees found the concrete bench behind them. I sat stiffly, every inch of me trembling – not from the cold – from him, from what he was about to do to me. He straddled the bench behind me, the two of us facing Roman and Mary. Roman had begun to feed, but still watched us with hawk-like eyes that darted from Tage to me and back again. Tage’s thick arm slithered around my stomach and clamped me tightly to him. He swept my long hair over my other shoulder to expose the skin of my neck, delicate and tender. My pulse raced. I could hear the thump-thump swooshing in my ears. I waited, but no lick came.
    Instead I felt pinching, tearing pain, burning and relentless. I gasped for breath and then a high-pitched shriek filled the air. It was me.
    Roman’s eyes narrowed as Tage sucked greedily away. I could feel him draining me, my soul, and my life.
    Dark spots swarmed my vision like a plague of locusts, hungry and frantic. I heard Roman swearing, and then more pain. My throat was ripped open. Tage had killed me.
    I landed in a heap, one arm twisted behind me, but I couldn’t move. “Shh.” Strong arms pulled me into safety. “I’ve got you,” Roman said softly.
    “Give me a coat!” Roman screamed at the others. The night-walkers just smirked and walked away from the scene. Tage tsked his friend. “You interrupted my breakfast. What a rude host you are,” he teased Roman.
    “The treaty is important to our coven, and you just violated it.” He bared his long fangs. “If she dies, I’ll drain you myself.”
    At that threat, Tage’s cold eyes locked onto mine, promising so many things: that I was his, that I’d better live, and that everything that just happened was my fault. He turned and strode away, following the others back to the few houses that were scattered across the square. Saul tucked his warm jacket over me. Raking his fingers over his hair, he paced and cursed. “Bastard. Please say she’ll be okay.”
    Roman nodded. “Porschia, I need to numb your skin. I promise it will not hurt. Do you hear me?”
    My teeth were chattering too violently to answer. I couldn’t move. He moved my hair aside, exposing the wound. “It feels worse than it is. I’ll take care of it.” With a warm swipe of his tongue, the pain eased and my body’s response began to calm.
    When I could talk, I croaked, “Is it bad?”
    Saul shook his head. “No, it’s just two small puncture marks.”
    “It felt so much worse than that.”
    Roman spoke up. “Venom. You need to leave. I will deal with Tage when I get home, but I need you to keep quiet about this incident. The treaty is…let’s just say that everything is already on shaky ground. If the treaty isn’t in place the coven will have no choice but to feed, and volunteers will be a thing of the past. We, too, must survive.”
    Victor, James, Mary, and Tim stood quietly behind us. They assented with nods and murmurs and slowly retreated to their homes. Saul wouldn’t leave my side. “I’ll take her home,” he vowed.
    “She needs to eat. It’ll replenish her energy and help build her blood. She needs meat, protein.”
    He swallowed. “I’ll see to it.”
    Roman’s arms loosened around me and he slowly stood up, placing my