THE HUNTER

CHAPTER 2

A heavy fog of exhaustion pressed down on Elena Moonveil, threatening to drag her back into the darkness she was fighting so hard to escape. She had never felt so utterly depleted, and she briefly wondered if she’d contracted with a severe case of the flu. The lethargy was too overwhelming to resist, and she slipped back into unconsciousness.

When she finally forced her heavy eyelids open again, she blinked rapidly, waiting for her vision to clear. The stale, chilly air burned her nostrils, and every inhalation made her chest ache. A cold sheen of sweat broke out across her skin as she took in the grim scene around her. She looked around confused, still in a daze.

Gritting her teeth, she pushed upright, only to gasp as a sharp ache ripped through her spine from the hard concrete floor. "Where in the world am I?" She thought to herself, just then she slapped a hand over her mouth to keep herself from throwing up and concentrated on breathing slowly and steadily. She hadn't felt this awful since a disastrous night of taking shots she

years ago, a mistake she’d sworn never to repeat.

Squinting against the harsh glare above, she clutched her pounding head. An outdated, buzzing fluorescent light fixture flickered violently, casting erratic shadows across the room. There were no windows. No escape routes. Just solid concrete walls and a heavy iron door that looked thick enough to withstand a military blast. She was inside some kind of industrial warehouse, though she wasn't certain.

As the fog in her mind slowly cleared, panic flared to life in her chest. This wasn't the flu.

"What the hell is happening?" She winced as her own words bounced back at her from the vast, empty space. Closing her eyes, she willed her frantic heartbeat to slow. Think, Elena. Focus. Don't panic. Just retrace your steps.

She pieced together her morning: waking at dawn, sipping coffee, scanning the newspaper on her back deck. Her midday shift at the clan bar had been entirely unremarkable. Afterward, she’d gone home. Then came the doorbell. A chill raced down her body as the memory surfaced, her heart racing,opening the door of her house stood a dark clad figure on her porch.the blindsided attack outside her apartment, the sharp prick of a needle in her neck, and the heavy scent of strange, After that... nothing. Blank. Frightened, her eyes snapped open. Icy dread trickled coldly through her veins.

Why couldn't she remember what came next?. Wait, this could only mean one thing: she'd been kidnapped. But why did she have such a bad feeling about this?.

Somewhere in the shadows, a door groaned on its hinges. She whipped her head up and immediately regretted it as her stomach rolled violently from the sudden motion. This is bad.

"Nice to see you awake, female." The man’s low voice slithered through the room, raising the hairs on her arms. This wasn't one of people she knew.

"Who are you? Why am I here?" Her voice faltered. "How was I brought here?"

“We transported you. You’re our honored guest.” His drawl was more foreign, she could tell the slight difference.

"I think I should be going now." A sharp, cold pang skipped across her heart, like a stone skimming ice.

"Your preferences don’t matter."

"My family will know I'm missing. They'll search for me," she said, her voice shaking.

A sinister laugh echoed off the metal walls, hanging in the air like a dark promise. Heavy boots clicked on the concrete as her abductor paced around her, staying hidden in the gloom.

"Your family has no clue you're gone. And even if they figure it out, they'll be too late. We'll have vanished by then."

Terror was what she felt, realizing this might be more than a simple kidnapping. She could feel it in her gut.

Fury surged through her. This jerk was sorely mistaken if he thought he could hold her prisoner.

"You're our lifeline, Elena."

"What are you even talking about? Lifeline for what? I'm just a waitress." She narrowed her eyes

trying to gauge the room's layout and spot an escape route.

"We need to grow our group, Elena. We need offspring. And you're going to provide them."

She went rigid. The air rushed from her lungs as if she'd been punched.

Shaking her head, she refused to believe it. This had to be a twisted nightmare. Yes she's clearly dreaming.

Nausea crashed over her. She dropped to all fours and heaved onto the floor.

"Good. Purge that nasty drug from your system."

Sitting back, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and shot a venomous look toward the darkness. "You drugged me?" That certainly explained the crushing fatigue.

"It was the only way to transport you without a struggle." The figure in the dark snickered, clearly enjoying her suffering. "I hope you're prepared. The time is almost here."

She strained her eyes, desperate to see his face. "Prepared for what?"

"Why, to be introduced to your new mates, of course. All fifty of them." Elena's blood turned to ice.