{"id":3928,"date":"2019-04-24T13:45:15","date_gmt":"2019-04-24T20:45:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/annaabner.com\/?p=3928"},"modified":"2020-06-10T09:12:11","modified_gmt":"2020-06-10T16:12:11","slug":"one-bad-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/annaabner.com\/?p=3928","title":{"rendered":"One Bad Night"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A Collection of Stories in the Beasts of Vegas Universe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Back Cover Blurb:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sexy\nshifters, tortured vampires, and powerful witches fight the evil horde on the\nLas Vegas Strip\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Catch\nup with favorite characters like Dominic Hull and Lukas Larsson in this\ncollection of stories set in the Beasts of Vegas universe. Meet vampires,\nwitches, and shapeshifters as they struggle to find love, revenge, and a little\nromance on Las Vegas Boulevard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One Bad Night, Carly<\/strong>: An evil vampiress\nwakes up cured and pissed off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One Bad Night, Dominic<\/strong>: What will shapeshifter Dominic do when his crush needs to drink blood? And he\u2019s the only person nearby? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne Bad Night: Dominic\u201d<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

A Beasts of Vegas Story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dominic Hull was having a bad night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve all been there,\u201d Ben assured, slapping him between the shoulder blades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dominic danced away from the unwanted touch as the pair of six-foot tall shapeshifters weaved against the flow of pedestrian traffic crossing Las Vegas Boulevard and headed toward one of Ben\u2019s favorite clubs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cReally? You\u2019ve had two shots and walked around the rest of the night with puke on your pants?\u201d Dominic retorted sarcastically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus, he was turning into a lightweight. It hadn\u2019t been that long ago that he could take shots all night, dance in superheated clubs, and wake up the next morning as if nothing had happened. What the hell was wrong with him?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhatever,\u201d Ben said. \u201cI just want to have fun. This curfew has been a nightmare.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dominic agreed. His dad, the alpha, was going a little overboard recently with the check-in\u2019s, the curfews, and the rules about going out in pairs. Dominic, though a beta wolf, followed the directives only about half the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you wish you could be the alpha?\u201d Ben gave Dominic a scrutinizing look. \u201cThings would be different, then.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, he\u2019d thought about it. But it was a useless waste of time. As a Hull, he was destined to be a beta forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t want it. All that bureaucratic bullshit. Listening to everyone\u2019s problems. No, thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dominic\u2019s phone buzzed in his pocket, and with a curse of pure aggravation, he yanked it free. A text from his friend Lukas Larsson, a bear shifter from the Netherlands currently residing in Vegas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you seen Mercy tonight?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dominic\u2019s guts twisted. A strange thing to ask. Mercy hadn\u2019t left her suite at the Le Sort Hotel since she\u2019d been dug up from a twenty-year, forced slumber in the earth. Hell, she hadn\u2019t even left her bedroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dominic stalled on the sidewalk and struggled through another wave of nausea before texting back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isn\u2019t she in her room?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lukas didn\u2019t immediately text back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isn\u2019t she??<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dominic pictured the petite young woman with white-blonde hair and eyes perpetually registering panic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe gotta swing by Lukas\u2019,\u201d Dominic told Ben. \u201cSomething\u2019s come up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d But Ben\u2019s tone made it very clear he wasn\u2019t thrilled with cutting their night short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLukas can\u2019t find someone.\u201d Not willing to waste time, Dominic pushed his way back through the crowds toward the way they\u2019d come. \u201cIt\u2019ll only take a couple minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhich of those vampires is missing?\u201d Ben asked with a sigh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dominic didn\u2019t answer. He\u2019d purposefully kept Mercy\u2019s name and story out of pack gossip. She was too fragile, too vulnerable, and frankly too important to him to share with anyone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust hurry up,\u201d Dominic growled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only sign of pandemonium on the team\u2019s floor of the Le Sort Hotel was Kayla. Mercy\u2019s best friend and self-proclaimed protector visibly shook with agitation when Dominic and Ben strolled into the room she shared with Mercy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou called him<\/em>?\u201d she demanded of Lukas, sending Dominic a disgusted look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019d take his help before I let anyone else know we have an unstable vampire on the loose,\u201d Lukas replied. He sent Dominic his own look of frustration. \u201cShe was here\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I fell asleep,\u201d Kayla cut in. \u201cShe was in the other bed, rocking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mercy\u2019s emotional issues were sometimes calmed by rocking back and forth. When Dom came to check on her, he often found her in that position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd?\u201d Dominic prompted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSomething woke me up around 11:30,\u201d she continued. \u201cThat\u2019s when I noticed she was gone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDid you look for her?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, you moron,\u201d Kayla snapped. \u201cI searched the entire floor, then the hotel lobby, the promenade, and I was running up and down the Strip when I finally texted Lukas for help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo one else knows yet?\u201d Dominic asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll overreact,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019ll hunt her, or something, when all she really needs is to see a friendly face and she\u2019ll come right back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhich is why I called Dominic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayla rolled her eyes. \u201cHe\u2019s obsessed with her. The feelings are not mutual.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That stung. Dominic recalled Mercy\u2019s cool, soft hand folded within his much larger one. She\u2019d trembled everywhere but at their point of contact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He wasn\u2019t obsessed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the feeling was very much<\/em> mutual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll help you look,\u201d he said, though he realized too late he hadn\u2019t been asked. \u201cI know her scent. I can track her more quickly than you can,\u201d he said to Kayla. To Lukas, he said, \u201cI\u2019ll let you know if I find her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ben\u2019s phone chirped, and he reappeared from the corner he\u2019d been hiding in. \u201cOh, shit. It\u2019s the alpha. He wants me back inside the compound.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen go. I\u2019ve got this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt must be nice having an alpha for a dad,\u201d Ben grouched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t know what you\u2019re talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though faint, Mercy\u2019s scent\u2014a mix of blood and calla lilies\u2014lingered around the elevator doors. Without a thought for anyone else, Dominic took a big breath of her scent and stepped into the next elevator heading down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As he crisscrossed the busy lobby, Dominic asked himself what a vampire fresh off a two decade long dirt nap would do next. The lights on the Strip were calling to him, but to someone like Mercy, they\u2019d be terrifying. The crowds, too, would intimidate her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dominic scanned the lobby for the least populated, least lit area of the hotel. He started away from the glittering main lobby, away from the promenade full of shops and restaurants, and deeper into the bowels of the hotel. Down a long hallway, her scent grew stronger. He followed her footsteps through an emergency exit door, across a patio covered in twinkle lights, and into a garden area that must be meant for smoking or doggie relief. It was unlit and probably free of CCTV cameras, too. The perfect place for a traumatized vampire to hide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMercy?\u201d Dominic hissed, following the ever-increasing scent of fresh blood. \u201cDon\u2019t be scared. It\u2019s Dominic.\u201d He still couldn\u2019t see her, but he scanned and scanned, edging nearer the source of the blood. \u201cMercy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A rustle. An intake of breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dominic zeroed in on a corner in the block wall, a junction made darker by a vine-covered lattice. There, crouched Mercy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat are you doing out here?\u201d he asked gently, pausing ten feet away, not wanting to spook her. \u201cWe were worried about you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m so hungry,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dominic\u2019s sight focused more clearly in the dark. \u201cMercy, are you bleeding?\u201d He blinked, and her entire figure came into focus. Her face and hands up to the elbows were coated in blood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m so hungry,\u201d she cried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere did the blood come from?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mercy pointed off to the right. Immediately, a crumpled shape became obvious. Dominic rushed over. \u201cHey, buddy?\u201d he urged, shaking the man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He caught a pained groan, and relief like Dominic had rarely known flooded his system. Thank God.<\/em> \u201cYou\u2019re gonna be okay, bud. Just sleep it off.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was no reply from the man, but Dominic was confident he\u2019d survive, the feeding marks would heal, maybe before he woke up, and Mercy wouldn\u2019t be implicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMercy?\u201d Dominic returned to her murky corner. \u201cAre you ready to leave here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She raised her big, blue eyes to him. \u201cI\u2019m so hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dominic crouched down low. \u201cThen feed from me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His words seemed to startle her. \u201cBut you\u2019re a shifter. If I infect you, it\u2019ll kill you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was true. As far as legend went, shapeshifters couldn\u2019t survive the vampire infection. If they were exposed to the virus\u2014transmitted through blood\u2014in their human forms, they\u2019d die almost immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen don\u2019t infect me.\u201d He lowered himself to the cool lawn, crossing his legs. \u201cCome here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mercy crawled hesitantly from her hiding place, her eyes locked on his.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Touch was a tricky concept for Dominic. Most of the time, it repulsed him. It usually didn\u2019t matter who touched him, but there was something different about Mercy. She was so damaged, he felt compelled to protect her. Hers was the only touch he sought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, he held out a wrist to her, staying absolutely still to avoid spooking her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019d never been bitten by a vampire. Mostly, he was excited by the thought of Mercy\u2019s red lips on his skin, of her pointed white canines sinking into his flesh, of her sucking his life blood down her throat\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dominic expected her to take his hand, but she pounced instead, biting deep into the fleshy part of his arm. It was quick, like a snakebite. And then she slithered into his lap, curling into a soft, blood-soaked ball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first few pulls barely hurt, and he recovered from his initial surprise. He petted her silken hair, one long stroke from scalp to the middle of her narrow back. Her heart raced in her chest, thumping like a bunny\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBetter?\u201d he prompted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her only answer was a re-shifting of her weight and a guttural groan of assent. He caressed her hair again, tangling his fingers among her tresses and digging his fingers in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI got sick tonight, too,\u201d he said into the quiet. \u201cI took a couple shots at a club and threw up. You can probably still smell it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tiny nod.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt happens to the best of us.\u201d Oh, his legs were numb. He clenched his jaw through a dizzy spell. \u201cMaybe drinking so much bagged blood made you\u2026\u201d What was he saying?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dominic\u2019s spine softened, and he would have hit the turf if Mercy hadn\u2019t reacted so quickly. She grabbed him by the shirt and shook him gently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His mind cleared only enough to see into her eyes and sigh in pleasure. \u201cYour eyes sparkle.\u201d Good Lord, had he said it aloud?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She stood and hauled him to his feet, but when he swayed into her, his body brushing hers, she stepped away and forced him to hold his own weight. Luckily, his shifter DNA included rapid healing. Already, he felt fractionally stronger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He cleared his throat, folding his arm closed over the bloody wound. \u201cYou okay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than answer, she hung her head, no doubt listening to everything, but reacting to nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell,\u201d he inhaled deeply, sensing the blood, the victim across the way, and her unique lily scent. \u201cLet\u2019s get upstairs, then. I\u2019m not feeling so good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She followed him into the main lobby, keeping to his shadow, using him like a walking shield from the lights and crowds they encountered the nearer they got to the bank of elevators. Dominic pushed for the fifty-first floor, keyed in the access code, and wavered slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a heavy drinker,\u201d he said, attempting a playful tease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She glanced up at him in concern, however. \u201cYou tasted so delicious,\u201d she told him in a small voice. \u201cI couldn\u2019t stop myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the team\u2019s private floor, the elevator doors swept open, and Dominic recognized Kayla and Lukas at the other end of the hallway. Without a word of thanks or farewell, Mercy scurried away to her waiting friends, leaving the scent of blood and lilies heavy in her wake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more about Dominic and Mercy in Shapeshifter\u2019s Prophecy<\/em> (Beasts of Vegas #5)<\/a>…<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cOne Bad Night: Carly\u201d<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

A Beasts of Vegas Story<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Carly Alvah was having a bad night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gaining consciousness in an ambulance headed for a\nLas Vegas hospital wasn\u2019t even the worst of it. Because when she came to, she\nremembered everything\u2014the overgrown bear shifter named Lukas Larsson she\u2019d been\nrunning from, his beefy hand clamped around her throat, and oxygen becoming a\nlimited commodity. That son of a bitch had snuffed her out. Her<\/em>. Like he had any right to raise his\neyes off the ground in her presence, let alone put his dirty hands on her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was a goddess among mortals, a monster, a\nblood-worshipping vampire<\/em>, for God\u2019s\nsake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carly quickly took stock of her current situation.\nShe lay in an undignified sprawl upon a gurney inside a slightly smelly\nambulance. A bored EMT swayed beside her with every bump and roll of the\nvehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re okay,\u201d the man said. \u201cTake it easy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not going to happen. She needed to get back to her\nminions among the Four Sons. Now<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She sat up, tearing at the blood pressure cuff\naround her arm and the oxygen cannula in her nose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNope.\u201d The EMT sighed in annoyance. \u201cLie back.\nWe\u2019re almost to the ER.\u201d He pressed on her chest and, with an embarrassingly\nsmall amount of force, held her flat to the gurney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She snarled and attacked, striking like a cobra\nfor the tender, blood-infused flesh below his jaw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than eat his throat out and bathe in a gush\nof warm, slick blood, Carly lurched half off the gurney and landed with her\nhead in the EMT\u2019s lap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What the hell?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Had she been drugged? Lobotomized? Where were her\nenhanced speed, strength, and senses? Come to think of it\u2014she ran the tip of\nher tongue along her teeth\u2014she had no fangs, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stunned, Carly allowed the EMT to settle her back\nonto the gurney and reattach the cuff and cannula, clucking under his breath\nthe whole time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was\nhappening?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat did you give me?\u201d she demanded. God, even\nher voice sounded pathetic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNothing,\u201d he said. \u201cBut you were unconscious when\nwe found you. Do you remember what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere did you find me?\u201d she asked, narrowing her\neyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn a white van. Is that ringing any bells?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That tricky, tricky shifter. He must have dosed\nher with something debilitating and dumped her back in her own vehicle. She\u2019d\nbe tempted to ride out this little annoyance, but she couldn\u2019t let anyone draw\nand test her blood. They\u2019d discover she was infected with vampirism and she\u2019d\nnever see daylight again. The US Army, in particular, was known for imprisoning\nand experimenting on infecteds indefinitely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She had an empire to run. She was too powerful for\ncaptivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ambulance slowed to a stop and, before she\nknew what was happening, the doors were open, her gurney was in motion, and she\nwas whisked against her will down a wide corridor lined with ill humans and\nmedical equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo,\u201d she complained. \u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d Her enhanced\nhealing abilities would take care of any lingering damage the shifter had\ncaused in short order. She didn\u2019t need help, she needed out. \u201cI can go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carly sat up and attempted to leap from the gurney\nto land like a cat before sprinting away. The reality was much more humbling.\nAgain, she reeled forward and a firm hand held her down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo,\u201d she repeated, struggling. \u201cDon\u2019t touch me.\nI\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A restraint latched around her left wrist, another\naround her right. \u201cSettle down, honey, we\u2019re only trying to help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFuck you,\u201d she screamed. \u201cI\u2019ll eat your heart.\nI\u2019ll swim in your blood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo one\u2019s going to hurt you,\u201d a calm voice\ninstructed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She fought so hard against the restraints, her\nback bowed off the gurney. God damn it, she hadn\u2019t felt so helpless in years.\n\u201cI\u2019ll kill you all,\u201d she bellowed. \u201cI\u2019m a vampire queen, you bitches. I\u2019ll eat\nevery single one of you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFive of Haldol,\u201d another voice directed. \u201cCall\nfor a psych eval when she wakes up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carly was asleep before she knew she\u2019d been\npricked with a needle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time, when Carly woke up, she understood the\nirritating situation she was in. Somehow, the shifter Lukas Larsson had taken\naway her vampire powers. They had to return soon. The infection flooding her\nsystem would put her back to normal in no time at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carly tested her right restraint. She sensed it\nwas a fraction looser than the other. She worked at the cuff. Little by little,\nher hand slipped out. Her thumb ached in pain, and the muscles in her arm\nquivered in fatigue, but she made progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her right thumb dislocated, and her wrist slid\nfree as a man carrying a clipboard close to his extended belly barged right\ninto her curtained space. Carly cocked her hip to the side, concealing her free\nhand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHello, young lady,\u201d he greeted with a sickly\nsweet smile. \u201cHow are you feeling?\u201d He checked his notes. \u201cI\u2019m Dr. Wayne, who\ndo I have the pleasure of speaking with?\u201d He waited, pen poised for her\nresponse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGet. Me. Out. Of. Here.\u201d She rattled her\nremaining restraint. \u201cI\u2019m not injured. I\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A little disappointed, he straightened. \u201cI heard\nyou were shouting about being a vampire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre you deaf?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He talked on as if he hadn\u2019t heard her. \u201cFirst\nthing you should know, your blood was taken and tested by the hospital. You\ndefinitely do not have the vampire infection. I promise you that. So, why don\u2019t\nyou tell me why you thought<\/em> you were\ninfected?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, reality struck Carly, and she couldn\u2019t\nrespond. The shifter hadn\u2019t dampened the infection. The fucker had cured<\/em> it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She blinked numbly at the well-meaning staff\nmember. \u201cYou\u2019re sure?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The man seemed relieved he\u2019d broken through her\npsychosis. \u201cAbsolutely, one hundred percent certain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou tested my blood for vampirism?\u201d she repeated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It couldn\u2019t be true. There was no cure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, it made sense. It explained her sudden\nweakness and the departure of her fangs. It explained everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lukas had had a witch with him. Maybe\u2026 Could she\u2026?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe government,\u201d Dr. Wayne told her, \u201chas\nmandated testing of all drawn blood for vampirism since the early two thousands\nwhen several stray infecteds popped up in U.S. hospitals. It\u2019s done\nautomatically anytime blood is sent to the lab, and you tested negative for\nvampirism.\u201d He eyed her carefully. \u201cDoes that surprise you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No. Carly was more pissed than surprised. She\nbarely controlled her rage enough to nod politely. Sanely. \u201cI must have hit my\nhead,\u201d she said through gritted teeth. \u201cI was confused. I thought I was\ninfected, but I can see that I was wrong.\u201d She forced a sneer of a smile. \u201cI\nfeel much better now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad to hear that.\u201d He didn\u2019t buy her act at\nall. In fact, he pulled up a chair and settled in. \u201cLet\u2019s talk about why you\nthought you were infected.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twenty-four hours ago, she\u2019d have torn these\nrestraints from their anchors and shoved them down the good doctor\u2019s throat.\nBut then she\u2019d come across Lukas Larsson, and now she was practically helpless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not completely helpless, only practically<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She discreetly scanned the room, searching out\npotential weapons. Not much. A plastic jug of water. The chair the man sat in.\nThe sheet curled around her hips. But Carly was creative, and she\u2019d had lots of\nexperience killing on the spur. She settled on the IV tubing connected to her\narm via a needle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carly ripped off the final restraint, and a split\nsecond later, the doctor realized she was free. As he struggled upright in\nsurprise, Carly launched herself onto the doctor\u2019s chest. She wrapped the\ntubing around his throat twice and yanked, silencing any attempted call for\nhelp and pinching off his air supply. They tumbled to the floor. He tried to\nkick the chair over to attract passerby, but Carly merely doubled the tubing around\nher forearm. She glanced at the IV pole that had fallen across the doctor\u2019s\nchest. A nice heavy weapon all its own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sneering, she leaned back on the crass garrote,\nrefusing to be fought off until the man went first stiff and then limp. Even\nthen, she waited another fifteen seconds before climbing to her feet and taking\nthe IV stand in hand. Sore thumb be damned, she slammed the base into the\ndoctor\u2019s face until his nose broke, his lips split, and one eyelid ripped away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alive with adrenalin, Carly swiped a hand through\nhis bloodied face, and licked her fingers clean. Blood still ruled her, vampire\nor not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her heart pounding, she ran for it. Screw any\nfurther deception or subterfuge. She simply wanted out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through doors, down hallways, and finally into a\nloading bay. She was free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And she knew exactly who to punish first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more about Carly in Spellspeaker\u2019s Prophecy<\/em> (Beasts of Vegas #2)<\/a>…<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Vampires, Werewolves, & Cheap Books: Sign Up For My Monthly Newsletter<\/a> Today.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Enjoy this Free Red Plague Sneak Peek PDF<\/a> full of excerpts and extras!<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

<3 Anna<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Collection of Stories in the Beasts of Vegas Universe Back Cover Blurb: Sexy shifters, tortured vampires, and powerful witches fight the evil horde on the Las Vegas Strip\u2026 Catch up with favorite characters like Dominic Hull and Lukas Larsson in this collection of stories set in the Beasts of Vegas universe. Meet vampires, witches, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"A Free Download of One Bad Night (Beasts of Vegas Universe)!","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[668],"tags":[844,331,182,278,157],"class_list":["post-3928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-beasts-of-vegas","tag-alpha-hero","tag-free","tag-magic","tag-romance","tag-short-story"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2Wkl2-11m","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/annaabner.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/annaabner.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/annaabner.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annaabner.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annaabner.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3928"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/annaabner.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3928\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4298,"href":"https:\/\/annaabner.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3928\/revisions\/4298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/annaabner.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annaabner.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annaabner.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}