Free Shiver by Yolanda Sfetsos Page A

cell. “And where am I?”
    Lian opened her mouth to answer, but Vera charged into the room and grabbed her by the arm. “Come on, we need to go.”
    She couldn’t respond. Couldn’t do much more than stare at the man kneeling in front of her. The one making her heart feel as if it were about to explode inside her chest. She didn’t want to leave him. Not now, possibly not ever.
    How could she feel this way about a total stranger when she constantly argued with her mother about not wanting a man she knew nothing about? No, this was different, because on some bizarre level, she’d known this guy forever.
    “We need to go, now!”
    Lian took a deep breath and sighed. “I’ll be back,” she mouthed.
    The man nodded and hung his head, but she kept her eyes on him. Vera practically dragged her out the door. It wasn’t until she heard the sound of footsteps and muffled conversation that she realized just how close her mother and the guards were.
    “Shit,” Vera said. “We’re going to have to hide.”
    Lian grabbed her hand and pointed at the cell from earlier. “In here.” She stuck her finger into the panel and was relieved when the lock clicked.
    They rushed inside just as Meiling sauntered past with an entourage on her heels.
    Before Vera closed the door completely, Lian stopped her and whispered, “No, I want to hear them.”
    She wanted to hear what her mother had planned for this enigmatic man.

Chapter Four
    A cold splash of water forced Knox to raise his head.
    The hell? When had he passed out again? He tried to wipe the moisture away from his eyes but couldn’t move his arms. Shit. No matter how many times he pulled, they wouldn’t budge. He eventually shook his head and blinked away the beads of water enough to assess the situation.
    His arms were outstretched on either side of him, both wrists cuffed in silver that burned his skin. The cuffs were connected to chains, keeping him in place. He was kneeling against cold and harsh concrete, which probably wasn’t good for his already torn-up knee. Looking down, he was grateful to see the bone wasn’t sticking through the skin and jeans anymore. How had he healed so quickly?
    Things began to materialize inside his head—the crash. Trying to escape the snowy terrain. The injuries. The girl. The blood. He’d drunk a man’s blood. His stomach cramped at the thought, yet felt sated.
    He cleared his throat “Where am I?”
    “Looks like he’s awake,” a male voice said. It belonged to the rifle-wielding, black man standing in front of him, the business end pointed at Knox.
    He met the man’s gaze. “Release me.”
    “I don’t think so.” The man stepped closer, pressing the tip of his rifle between Knox’s eyes. “For what you did to Moe, I should shoot you right now.”
    Who the hell is Moe? “I don’t—”
    “You son of a bitch, you nearly tore his throat out!”
    Oh. That was Moe. “I didn’t mean to, mate,” he whispered. Just wanted a quick drink…
    Another man near the doorway added, “Let’s shoot this monster. He doesn’t deserve to live, not after—”
    “Calm down, and put your weapons down. Hogan, step away.” The woman who now strode out of the shadows looked out of place in this concrete dungeon. Her hair was dark and pulled back. She wore a long, red dress that dragged along the ground, revealing high-heeled feet with every step she took.
    Knox yanked on the cuffs around his wrists, but they were secured too tightly. The metal burned his skin. At least he could drag the chains up and down along the columns on the wall so his muscles didn’t completely cramp up.
    “I know what you are. You won’t be able to free yourself from silver,” the woman said in a calm and smooth voice. “So save your energy.”
    He glared at her, wishing he could order her to release him. Couldn’t vampires do that sort of shit? There was only one thing on his mind—to leave this room and find the beautiful angel. Surely he hadn’t