Free Shiver by Yolanda Sfetsos Page B

imagined her during his bloodlust stupor.
    “I’ve got some questions for you.” The woman’s smile was cunning. “My name is Meiling Shan, and I’m the mistress of this estate. You trespassed over my land with a stolen ship. I want to know how you acquired it.”
    He watched her move from side to side, the hem of her dress wet from the melting snow. It wasn’t until then that he realized snowflakes were actually falling around him, frosting his eyebrows.
    When he didn’t answer, she continued. “Let’s start from the beginning. What’s your name?” She stopped in front of him, one hand resting on her slim hip, the other at her side.
    “Knox.”
    “Very well, Knox . Welcome to the Shan Estate. If you answer all of my questions with this much ease, your stay won’t be a hard one.” The smile on her thin lips didn’t seem sincere, but what else could he expect from someone who’d had him chained to a wall?
    Getting stuck in hellholes was becoming a bad habit. One he desperately wanted to break.
    “How did you get your hands on the ship?” Meiling’s eyes narrowed. “I know it doesn’t belong to you, because it’s one of mine .”
    Damn! What rotten luck. “I found it near the town of Grit, down south.” He thought it best not to mention the bartender who’d told him about it, since the bastard might have set him up. He’d seemed so sincere and helpful. Even calmed him with some hocus-pocus mind-bending mojo when he’d felt at his worst.  
    There’s always a catch.
    Knox didn’t need calming now, though. Taking blood—which according to the creepy old coot in the market meant he was on his way to sealing his fate as a parasite—had helped.
    Meiling cocked a thin eyebrow. “Hey! I’m talking to you.”
    “And I just answered your question.”
    She paused, watching him. “You found it in that desert wasteland?”
    He nodded.
    “Okay.” She stepped closer, never taking her eyes off his. “What was inside the ship when you found it?”
    “Nothing, it was empty.” He licked his dry lips. The metallic taste still lingered. “It was abandoned. I didn’t think anyone would miss it.”
    “You found it completely empty?” Her face darkened. “Surely there was someone inside.”
    “No, there wasn’t.”
    She raised her right leg and with a swift roundhouse kick, sliced the tip of her shoe across his bare chest. He panted, trying to tamp down the stinging pain. The cut on his left pectoral was short, but went deep. She lowered her leg, the toe of her high-heeled shoe exposed so he could see the bloody blade glinting from the end.
    He tilted his head and small flecks of drift snow landed on his face. He glanced at the star-dotted, black sky above, wishing he was on his way to one of the many planets out there. The glow of the huge moon provided the only light in this cell, but somehow also sharpened his senses. Just one look and the slash along his chest no longer stung, the metal around his wrists didn’t burn as much.
    Looked like he’d already found his place in the darkness.
    “What did you do with my people?”
    He blinked a few times, suddenly feeling woozy. How could he go from injured to feeling better, and then be back to feeling like shit? He stared at the moon, praying for the satellite to help keep him focused. Until he remembered he was becoming a vampire, not a shape-shifter.
    “You better start answering my questions, Knox.” Meiling leaned over him, blocking his view of the sky. “See, you’re telling me that you found my ship abandoned, and that doesn’t make sense.”
    “I’m telling you the truth.”
    “Are you sure you didn’t see two men and a woman, maybe a few girls?”
    He shook his head, closing his eyes for a moment as lethargy flowed through him.
    She kicked him again, slicing a second line along his skin. “Are you sure?”
    The pain woke him up. She’d left a bloody X on his chest, and the woozy sensation deepened. “I’m positive.”
    Meiling’s