Page 72 of Plug and Claim

Kira liked that even less.

Susie sighed and uncrossed her arms. “I’m going to kill Arken. He’s as bad as Nathaniel.”

Kira nearly asked what she meant by that, but then decided she’d rather not know. However, she did think it was high time she confided in Susie about her plan. Kira had wanted to tell her sooner, but Susie’s close relationship with the headmaster had made her cautious.

Susie listened intently, a small frown playing between her gently curved eyebrows. “So…you’re telling me that you want to upset the power balance between us and vampires?” Susie asked in awe.

Kira nodded. “Yes, I—”

Her answer cut off as Susie hugged her tight.

“Count me in.”

That night, Kira lay wide awake in bed. She felt tired but wasn’t in the least bit sleepy.

She groaned and fluffed up her feather pillow for the hundredth time. There was nothing wrong with her bed, and in fact, it was quite comfortable. And for some reason, ever since Nathaniel had fed from her, she’d slept like a log. But the last few nights she’d been on edge.

The puncture wounds on her neck had healed, wiping away the evidence that Nathaniel had ever bitten her, but that hadn’t made a difference to how the students behaved around her. The isolation was getting to her, and she felt a deep hollowness. To be alone was one thing, but to feel lonely in a crowded corridor was much worse. What bothered her the most, however, was the feeling that she wasn’t making any progress.

Nathaniel was at the root of all her troubles, and he was nowhere to be found. It was as if the interaction between them on the gym’s stage had never been. As if it had all been a twisted, nightmarish, tantalising dream, where unknown fears had collided with strange pleasures.

Fucking stop it, she chastised herself, sitting bolt upright. She checked the clock on the wall. Its constant, gentle tick-tocks were reassuring, and the face glowed softly, illuminating the numbers: two in the morning.

Kira flopped back onto her bed. Against all reason, she needed to know the real reason why Nathaniel was ignoring her. Had he only claimed her so he could cut her off from any friends and support networks she might have had?

Was he really that that callous?

Or was he simply selfish as he’d implied? Acting on a whim without thinking of the consequences?

The emotions boiled inside her until the urge to lash out won over. She would make Nathaniel pay for his cruel disregard of her—even if it came at her own expense.

An idea began to form, and a calmness washed over her. Nathaniel had said to leave her door closed unless she wanted to be fed upon, and she’d kept it shut every single night.

Tonight, she would leave it open.

The prospect made her nervous. Was she exposing herself to danger? Would a vampire come and make her feel pain and pleasure like Nathaniel had? The mystery of it compelled her to at least see what went on at night for herself.

She sprang to her feet, shoved the bolt aside and flung her door open. The corridor was empty.

Here I am, she thought, peering out into the corridor.

Come and get me.

If Nathaniel didn’t want her, then he wouldn’t mind if anyone else fed on her, either.

Except that deep down, something told her that he would mind, very much, and that gave her all the incentive she needed to stand in the doorway and face whatever dark creature graced her doorstep tonight.

The corridor was deserted, but she’d heard the muffled sounds of footsteps and low voices through her door, just like she had every night, as well as the occasional creak of a door. The magical lights lining the walls glowed softly, painting the doors in a sickly hue.

But not all the doors were closed. At least one of them was open, because she could hear the faint sound of moans. A forbidden thrill vibrated through her core. Feeling brave, Kira crept down the corridor, her footsteps padding softly as excitement built in her chest. Near the end of her corridor, she reached an open door.

She’d memorised the names of everyone on the fifth floor. The female shifter who lived here was called Peach, and Kira was not at all surprised to see that her door was open. Peach had a reputation for being ‘frequently available’ for nightly feedings. For some reason, this had not diminished her rank amongst the wolves at all—she was a beta in one of the more notable packs.

Maybe that should be my strategy, Kira thought dryly as she peered into her room. There were three figures on the bed, their bodies bathed in a soft orange glow of candles.

It took Kira several long seconds to process what she was seeing. All three figures were naked. Peach was a gorgeous, curvy wolf, and she’d half-shifted so that she had a tail, pointed wolf ears, a black button nose, and a soft dusting of fur on her back. Everything else was human in shape, and it was both strange and sexy, especially with the way she was on all-fours on the bed.

Kira didn’t have time to form a more concrete opinion on Peach’s appearance, however, because she was almost immediately distracted by the muscled vampire that was gripping Peach’s hips, driving his cock into her in a way that made small squeaks escape Peach’s mouth.