Free Wanted: Undead or Alive by Kerrelyn Sparks

just added fuel to the anger that simmered inside her. She couldn’t even call Glynis. Her father might trace the call and find her.
    They were watching the soap opera All My Vampires on the Digital Vampire Network. One of the Vamps, rich and debonair Rodrigo, had a gold-digging mortal wife named Lola, and he’d just discovered she was pregnant. Since all his sperm was dead, she’d obviously cheated on him.
    “Could be the pool boy,” Marta suggested.
    “I hope not.” Teddy wrinkled his nose. “He’s only sixteen years old.”
    Brynley shook her head as she gathered another handful of popcorn. That wasn’t too young for the Three-Step rule.
    Marta used the remote control to mute a commercial for custom-made coffins. Room for two, lined with red silk, and equipped with a built-in ice chest for stashing a few bottles of Bubbly Blood.
    The vampire version of a love nest, Brynley thought with a snort. She crammed more popcorn into her mouth.
    “Maybe it’s the gardener,” Marta continued.
    “Or the mailman.” Sarah reached for the popcorn.
    Brynley passed her the bowl. “I’m not surprised she cheated on Rodrigo. Who would want to be married to a vampire? The guy is literally dead all day.”
    Sarah aimed a flirtatious smile at Teddy, who sat beside her on the couch. “I definitely prefer a live boyfriend.”
    He smiled back, regarding her with a look akin to worship.
    True love . With an inward groan, Brynley sank deeper into her comfy chair.
    Marta sipped from her bottle of Chocolood. “Not all of us asked to be vampires, you know.”
    Brynley leaned her head back, frowning at the ceiling. She knew Marta and her sister, Vanda, had both been attacked and turned by a Malcontent. Same thing with Phineas. It wasn’t his fault he was a Vamp, but it still stuck in her craw.
    She hated vampires. She hated the way they’d existed for centuries by seducing the innocent so they could feed off them. They were naturally seductive, damn them. Gorgeous, mysterious, powerful, charming—it was all part of their vampire allure. And these Vamp men who took on the role of superheroes, battling the forces of evil, they were even more seductive because they appeared to be good. But if she looked past the façade, she could see their true nature. They were still vampires. Parasites. Users.
    And she hated users more than anything. She’d grown up surrounded by them. Werewolves who catered to her powerful father in hopes of using him, while he encouraged it so he could use them in return. It was a constant, never-ending game of deceit and manipulation, and she’d spent most of her life as an unwitting pawn, forced to exist in an atmosphere that made her feel like a helpless, trapped bargaining chip. Used.
    She was alone now, alone with her anger and resentment. She’d escaped the Lycan world, but had landed in the Undead world with another group of users. They’d used her brother for years, keeping him away from his pack and his family. Keeping him away from her when she’d needed him the most. Sure, it had been Phil’s choice to remain far away from the pack. But he’d abandoned his own twin sister. He’d chosen vampires over her.
    She hated them. And she hated how damned susceptible she was to vampire allure.
    Especially from Phineas.
    She sat up to reach for the popcorn bowl, then halted with a jerk, her gaze riveted on the television screen.
    “Oh my God!” Marta set down her bottle of Chocolood. “It’s the new Blardonnay commercial! Look at Dr. Phang!”
    Oh yeah, she was looking. Brynley bit her bottom lip to keep the drool from escaping. Phineas was gorgeous. Broad shoulders, bulging biceps, and corded muscles that deliciously defined his bare chest and abs. He was standing on a beach with a striped towel tied around his hips. The beach was obviously fake, but who gave a damn when Phineas was standing there, proud and defiant liked a bronze god.
    “Wow,” Sarah breathed. “What a chest.”
    Teddy rolled his