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grow stronger. She gave him a tight smile.
    He took a last long draw of her scent as she walked into the cement courtyard. His need rose as he watched her hips sway out of view. Instincts he’d never felt were now awakened. His inner beast howled in rage, clawing to get free as Mason let her walk away. The need to rip down the barrier separating them was enough to launch Mason out of his own skin. Turning to the rear cement wall, he laid his hands on the cold surface. His nails lengthened and dug deep into the blocks. Dust fell to the ground. His back stretched against his T-shirt as his skin darkened.
    This couldn’t be happening. Not with a Vampire. It wasn’t possible. They were monsters. Monsters that he’d spent centuries avoiding since being pulled into this plane. He wouldn’t be taken in by one, no matter how beautiful. His heart thudded in his chest as he fought to gain control of himself. Images of her naked body underneath his own clouded his vision. Her mouth locked with his, her hands roaming his skin. Mason hummed an ancient chant in an effort to push down the monster struggling to be unleashed. His inner beast had never awakened for a female before. Not a human, not one of his kind, no one. The sensation left him confused and shaken.
    “No!” he yelled, pounding the wall with his fists.
    Minutes passed and he continued to hum. Eventually his hands normalized. His nails shortened as his skin tone lightened to his natural tan. The beast was lulled to its slumber. He had to get out of here before he lost control. His beast had been caged for too long. Mason’s struggles to keep the beast at bay were weakening.
    His thoughts returned to the red-haired beauty, Danika. Part of him prayed that for her sake, she wouldn’t bid on him. But the beast inside sure hoped she would.
     
     

Chapter 3
     
    “My opening bid for Mason is two million dollars. And I open the bidding as a non-private sale.” Danika walked to her car with Clive in tow.
    Clive’s jaw dropped. “But my lord, that means—”
    “It means that everyone will see who I am and what I’ve bid.” It also meant that anyone who bid against her would have to show who they were. It was risky showing her face as the buyer, but in doing so, there were those who would bow out because of who she was. And those who had the money to bid against her would think twice. The bid was a message. This one is mine.
    “Very good.” Clive had his businessman smile on his face again. “Two million, that’ll be the opening bid when the auction begins tomorrow at seven PM. You may watch the progression of the auction, live, on our website.” He handed her a card.
    “Clive, it’s been a pleasure.”
    “It’s been my pleasure and honor, Lord Danika. The auction ends at midnight sharp. And of course, should you win we’ll deliver your slaves at your earliest convenience.”
    “I look forward to it.”
    Clive bowed low to her. She sucked in a deep breath, anxiety and tension slipping away with every inhale. It was a crisp spring night. Danika wanted nothing more than to go home, throw open her bedroom windows, and let the cool breeze rush over her naked flesh. But sunrise was still more than three hours away and she had many things to arrange before midnight tomorrow.
    As soon as she reached home, Danika transferred the deposit money into an escrow account, and then started making calls. Spreading around a little money and calling in a large favor, she got what she wanted.
    The idea had come to her after she’d seen the size of Mason. She’d been so stressed by the hassle of finding a new slave that she hadn’t even read his file. They said a picture was worth a thousand words. Seeing him in person was worth two million. Whitey would obviously not work as a blood slave, but Mason… He could be both blood slave and guardian. Maybe more.
    Lying in the king-sized four-poster bed that had belonged to her parents, she thought about Mason. Heat had radiated