Free Sweet Cravings by Elisabeth Morgan Popolow

hood.
    I heard the wrinkling of leather and looked to my left and saw a woman in a black suit. She had white skin, dark almond eyes, and ruby red lips, and as I stared at her, she hissed and showed her fangs.
    In a flash, she disappeared and when I blinked, she was at the car door. She wrapped a thick chain around Hira’s neck before he could do anything. The breath was knocked out of him as she pulled him up into the air and flew—yes, apparently, some vampires can fly—by the hood of the car and laughed wickedly.
    “Hira!” Sang reached for him, but he was too far away.
    “These chains were made specifically for shifters,” Caen said. “It makes it so they can’t shift and cannot break them. So, we’ll be happy to take your shifter friend with us and kill him, or you can surrender and all of you can be together.”
    Sang’s head slumped on the steering wheel, and he punched the dashboard. “Damn!”
    My eyes were trained on Hira, his legs dangling in the air, breath short and shallow.
    Sang and I did not want to see Hira killed. “All right,” Sang said in a shaky voice, “We’ll do as you want, but please, let Hira go.”
    The woman and Caen exchanged glances, and she dropped the shifter onto the hood with a loud thump as he crashed onto the silver metal.
    “Stay still and drink this,” Caen said. “Tara, help me out.” They went to Hira first and poured a green liquid down his throat, and he swallowed reluctantly. Sang’s eyes were tired, like his will was crushed. I could see it in his wavering scarlet aura. It was so natural, so raw, but so stunning.
    It swirled and misted around him. I could see it so clearly, so easily. It was strange, but I wasn’t surprised in the least. Sang had told me about auras before, and I hadn’t thought much of it at the time. Now that I actually saw it—it was beautiful and mesmerizing, and not what I’d expected.
    Wonderful.
    Sang had no qualms about drinking the strange liquid. He actually snatched the bottle from Tara and drank it all himself.
    I did not want to drink that shit, so I hid my face under my dress and sealed my mouth tightly, as if I were a child again refusing to eat broccoli. Tara held me still as I kicked and thrashed against her, while Caen pinched my cheeks and got the liquid inside me.
    I felt light-headed and the sky swirled into a creamy Popsicle above me, and everything turned to a blurry mess and morphed with each other. I lolled my head back and relaxed, and I floated away into a colorful dreamland.

Chapter 11
    I woke up on a hard, uncomfortable floor. It was dark and damp, but with my new paranormal abilities, I could see in the dark like a cat. It was a bit blurry, but what the hell. I was trapped in a small gray room with nothing but myself, the floor, and the cold metal chains binding my arms and legs. If I tried to stand, my bonds would bite into my flesh and hurt like a bitch, so I decided to lie low. The part about no windows freaked me out a bit, because I hated enclosed spaces without any means of seeing the outside world. I shuddered, and my teeth chattered from the chilly atmosphere, and I sneezed.
    “Sang!” I yelled. “Hira!”
    “Lily!” Sang shouted in reply.
    “Sang! Oh, thank the heavens. How are you?”
    He laughed and responded, “Not too good. Head hurts. Been awake for a while now. I’m chained to a wall spread-eagle, and I really want to sit. And I have to pee.”
    I giggled. “You silly vampire. Any word from Hira?”
    “No. He must still be sleeping. My cell is on top of yours.”
    “Oh, okay.”
    “Anyway,” Sang started, “I wonder what they want us for. Caen…he definitely wasn’t himself. He was so different. Like a completely new person.”
    “Hey, how do you know him? Isn’t he part of the Paranormal Police or some shit like that?”
    “Yeah, he is. Caen is my friend. We’ve been through a lot together.”
    I was interested. “And?”
    He sighed. “We were both changed by Annabelle, my