1. THE AMBUSHED

~DAHLIA

Working as a stripper was the only way that I could provide for my mother since we moved into Dark Hollow Park.

Even if I had to keep it a secret from her.

"Dahlia!" My boss' voice called from the doorway, snapping me out of my thoughts. "That was a great performance out there, they loved you as always."

I exhaled sharply and pushed away the guilt to the farthest part of my brain. "I'm glad they enjoyed it.

"You sure you won't take up the offer of entertaining those men privately?" He asked.

I gritted my teeth. It was hard enough doing this in the first place, there was no way that I could take it to the next level.

"Adam, please, just pay me for my work," I cut him off.

The older man sighed and handed me a small bag of coins. "If you change your mind, I'm right here." He turned to walk away. "Be careful on your way home."

I released another breath and stored the pouch of coins in my bag. I grabbed the pants and shirt I had come in earlier before catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

My silver eyes looked more intense under my dark short wavy hair. The lacey cat suit I still had on intensified my guilt and I hurriedly put on my normal clothes.

With that, I rushed out of the door in a bid to get out of Sin City Club as fast as possible. That was when someone appeared from the other corner of the hallway and bumped into me.

"Gods! Watch where you're going, what's the fucking—"

I froze through my outburst when I looked into his face and was met with eyes so green, they threatened to make me lose balance.

His eyes glowed in the dim light of the hallway and his beauty stirred me to the core. I was suddenly speechless; I could not bring myself to speak.

It was as if his entire aura demanded power and dominance that I could not resist.

He took a step toward me and I felt an involuntary shiver run down my spine as I backed away until I hit the wall.

Everything about him felt evil and dangerous but in an enticing way that my body started trembling— screaming at me to run and at the same time, wanting me to stay and keep staring into his forest green eyes forever.

"How dare you raise your voice at me?" He demanded ever so calmly that I could have sworn he didn't have to move his lips.

My lips started quivering and not a single word left them. I felt overpowered.

Suddenly, he shot his hand up and grabbed my neck before slamming me into the wall.

"How dare a mere human like you disrespect me?"

His aura grew more dangerous and I knew that if I listened to the treacherous part of me asking me to stay, then I was going to die.

So I did the first thing that came to my mind.

I sent my knee into his balls. He groaned in pain and what seemed like surprise. I took my chance in that instant and slipped past him.

I ran out the main door without looking back once, right into the night. There were lots of people moving around and I hoped that it would be enough to discourage him from following me.

"What a fucking creep," I muttered to myself.

With that, I started walking down the road, to the lonely streets that led to my house. If we weren't so broke, then I would have taken a carriage home, but I could not afford to take out of the money I earned tonight.

It was meant for our house rent.

I shook the thoughts away and told myself to focus on the road. I had already entered a quiet street when I sensed that I was being followed. I froze in my tracks and looked around.

Could that creep have followed me all the way here?

Just as I thought it, a shadow appeared in my path. At first, I thought it was the creepy man until I saw glowing red eyes stare back at me.

Instant fear wrecked me to the core, and I staggered back in shock.

"V— vampire. . ." I stuttered shakily as my eyes went wide.

"That's right, Dimitri sent me to get you. . ."

I turned instantly in an attempt to run even if I knew a human like me could never outrun a vampire.

But two other men were already waiting behind with the same glowing eyes. I gasped as tears started forming in my eyes.

"P— please. . ."

"Begging won't save you, Dahlia. I've been hunting you down for the past three years and you think you can just beg your way out of this? I'm taking you back to Dimitri," he concluded.

I shook my head at him. It had taken me and my mother so long to successfully plan and execute our escape from Dimitri. There was no way that I was just going to let these vampires take me back.

I had to fight for my freedom!

With determination, I tried to make a run for it despite knowing my chances were narrowed. I barely ran three steps away when one of the vampires grabbed me.

I saw him reveal his teeth to bite me when—

"Don't! Rufus. We were strictly ordered not to taste her blood!" The first vampire ordered.  "Gag her and bring her into our vehicle."

Rufus stopped and grabbed me by the neck instead. I began to thrash against his hold as he was about to tie me up. I kicked and bit him so hard that he whacked me hard in the face in response.

I groaned in pain.

"That is no way to treat a lady. . . Didn't your mother teach you manners?" A strangely familiar voice called from the shadows.

All three vampires and myself looked in that direction only to see the same forest green eyes from earlier glowing in the darkness.

It was that creepy man from earlier. He did follow me!

"Scram. This is none of your business," The lead vampire called.

"Ah, that's where you are wrong. It is my business because I want the girl," he answered.

Rufus scoffed. "Even if you try, you'll never succeed. You're badly outnumbered."

The greened eyed man chuckled softly. "Am I now?"

That was when a pair of golden eyes and another ocean blue eyes appeared behind him. They all stepped out into the shimmering silver ray of the moon above us and I gasped as my blood went cold.

All three of them had the same identical faces!

"You were saying?" The green-eyed man breathed calmly.