Taken by Fate (The Alpha Territories, #1)

by Shannon Mayer

Bram Stoker met one vampire who was a known provocateur, and he took everything that idiot Dracula said at face value. A vampire who was kicked out of our Kingdom for his sheer stupidity. Both of them are morons.

🤣🤣🤣🤣

“Why is that important?” Because her words felt like she was trying to tell me something that I wasn’t quite catching hold of.

Because they won’t even notice you after a bit, moving on to the next plaything. So you will essentially be free.

They are meant to incapacitate you, making you easy prey for the one who injured you. I suppose it was not my sweet William?”

I thought she said she knew it was Anthony?

Bee’s face paled, but her voice had an edge to it. “Yes, I understand. I won’t let anyone past me.”

She’s a human.

She leaned in close and pressed her mouth to my ear. “Because I believe I know who, and more importantly . . .what you really are

Ah ha! The Duchess is the shit!

Sienna. What the hell kind of name was Sienna? I stomped off and found Scarlett,

🤣🤣🤣 The irony.

A bloom of guilt spread across my chest, but I reminded myself that our relationship worked both ways.

That’s why he was looking for Scarlett when he was drunk!

Raw hunger filled my head and my groin, and I reached for my pants, needing to purge this ache in my chest, the near constant throbbing of my cock that hadn’t let up since I’d seen the girl in the auction.

In the hallway, General?

Scarlett looked over her shoulder, lips parted, fangs gleaming, and pupils dilated. “Dominic?”

Nope. Not Sienna.

So tell me who she is? Who has you all riled up?” I looked past her, unable to meet her gaze. “It doesn’t matter.” “I think it does. Am I out of a job?” And then she laughed at me. “Let me know so I can fill your position. I have a man in the wings.” She winked as she strode past me and patted me on the ass for good measure. “Pity, I did like where this was headed. I enjoy being royally fucked.” Her laughter followed and I couldn't help but smile after her. “It’s nothing, Scarlett. Don’t fill my position.”

Right…

At best, it was fitful, and I couldn’t help wondering if Sienna was really human and not some magical creature sent to haunt me.

Yep she is. And your mate.

I gave up on sleep as the ‘sun’ rose. I needed to clear my head, so I dressed, then headed to the stable.

Finally

“And how will you explain staking the General when you go back? What if you don’t kill me? What if you just injure me? Then you will be in deep, Kitten.” Her eyes widened in confusion. “Don’t you turn to dust? They’ll think you just took off.”

🤣🤣🤣

“We’re surrounded by mountains on one side, an ocean full of sharks and other supernatural creatures on two others, and the Werewolf Territory on the fourth. Not to mention, the guard towers that are always staffed with at least two guards, as well as the guards at the docks and the castle gates. The only escape is to win this competition.”

She gave a bit too much much intel,that she shouldn’t know…

“Earl Anthony, but the Duchess dressed my wounds. They aren’t anything big.”

Didn’t he just see them? He said he saw the scratches so they aren’t covered..

Add to that another dream of Dominic, hunting me in a forest, bellowing my name. Chasing me.

Trying to find and save you? Possibly, maybe?

"Those of you who do make it to the end will become part of our society here. And whatever you might think of us, in this society, like any other, friends are good to have." Funny, how she said that and yet I’d seen no human women around other than maids.

Hey were probably turned…

"Shall we begin our etiquette lessons for the day, now?"

Oh, so they do actually have etiquette lesson…

Roger that, Mama Bear.

Mama Bear? Um, no.

"Sweet, summer child. You need to stop this."

Summer child… summer fae? Yeah, I know. I’m grasping here… making connections that are likely not there.

The voice pulled me out of my thoughts of a certain human that I could not seem to escape.

This is getting annoying. It’s dragging too much.

Perhaps this was what I should have been doing to forget the human. Training had always been a respite for me.

So sparring wasn’t training?

Defense and offense, we trained as we always had—teasing the shit out of each other. “Terrible, who taught you, Auntie?” Will tossed at me. “Please, I saw her with that wooden spoon. You ran for your life. Chicken shit.”

🤣🤣🤣

“I did not run,” I paused and held my staff out horizontally before spinning it again. “I strode gracefully. At a rapid speed.”

🤣🤣🤣🤣

“Oh, a family tournament. Excellent!” Will spun his staff and faced off against Edmund. “I do look forward to beating you again, General!”

Will has to know. Someone must have said something or he’s overheard things over the years.

Will took the first swing and Edmund blocked it easily. “Do not humor me, Will. Let us see what you’re made of. For once, let’s see if there is anything of worth in you.”

Wow. And you’re saying Will doesn’t know?

Edmund swiped a hand through the sand and tossed it at my face as if that move would work again, but I wasn’t there,

LOL

A tingle crept along my spine and I felt eyes on my bare skin like a caress, freezing me to the spot, taking me mentally right out of the fight. Hot and cold, I turned as the girls from the Harvest Games slid through a doorway and lined up on the side. And the one in the front? Sienna and her damn golden eyes, wide, dilated and very much locked on me. My fangs popped through my gums and⁠—

He’s an idiot.

I blinked and he was on his knees, his opponent behind him and I recognized him finally. The Crown Prince. I looked at my feet as the Crown Prince’s eyes swept across the group of us women.

Well, at least she did that right…

And suddenly, our having to wait in the small room off the courtyard, then being shoved out quickly into the training area made sense. We were being used as a distraction so he could win his bout with Dominic.

Ah, so it was a setup. Edmund wanting to spar suddenly…

I curled my fingers around my dark blue silk skirt, focusing on the feel of it instead of the indignation that flared on Dominic’s behalf.

I hope you now realize why he always shuns you in public then…

She flicked her hand out, a folded fan in it, and whacked him on the arm. “Consider yourself punished.

🤣🤣🤣🤣 Whacked him on the arm!

“Why would Dom—the General hurt his brother like that?”

She’s an idiot. After seeing what she saw Edmund to to distract and win over Dominic, she thinks it was Dominic?

But there aren’t many left, and those that are, are kept well contained far from the castle.

That doesn’t sound like it’s far though… maybe it’s Dominic. LMAO

She turned her molten silver gaze on me, and I realized with a start that she was afraid. For the first time, she was afraid, and that chilled me to the bone. It took a moment for her words to sink in, but when they did, I physically shivered. “Edmund. He did this to get back at you for…”

Yep.

“That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? The prince has not seen fit to share that information with me at this time. I will do my best to speak to the King and intervene, but as of now, we work off the assumption that whatever the outcome, it isn’t one to be desired. Get out there and win their hearts...and their interest. Am I understood?”

Aren’t they in front of all the other girls?

“Sienna, you will be with Anya, Jade, and Holly,” the Duchess said, directing us out onto the floor.

Hopefully that was her way of getting Anya eliminated…

The other girls tightened their circle so that there was no way for me to push my way back into the dance without looking like I was pushing my way in.

Wow. They planned this.

“But you still have royal blood flowing through your veins,” she’d said, having the audacity to pinch my cheek. “And while everyone pretends to ignore that, the fact still remains. Besides, you’re the General.” Then, she’d turned on her heels and left me furious enough to smash something.

I think she truly loves her nephew dearly, despite his bastard status. Thought so since she first spot to Sienna about being late.

Sienna grabbed it for balance, but made no move to return to her position. Not that she could. The three other women tightened their circle. “Oh, dear,” Anthony mused. “That’s a shame.”

Oh no! He has teamed up with Anya!

Her stone was gone, the pieces scattered across the floor, only, one must have scraped the delicate skin of the hollow of her throat. A single line of blood began to flow down her chest and into her cleavage.

He busted her damn stone! 🤣🤣🤣

“General,” a woman called after me, her voice soft and delicate. For a moment, I prayed she was Sienna, just as I equally prayed she was not.

Anya…

She gasped, arching up to me so I could go deeper, only, I realized the gasp had come from my side, not in my head. Sienna, behind a small gap in the curtain, watching me, her face flushed as her gaze drifted to my cock.

🤣🤣🤣 Stalker.

Her eyes were wide with fear, but also hunger.

Why with fear? If she was afraid, why still stand there?

She moaned, but I hardly registered the sound, instead, growing light-headed from the power in her blood. Sienna was supposed to be a human. What was this?

I knew it!

“Fine. If you won’t go, I will,” I snarled, clenching my fists to keep myself from touching her.

Good. You leave.

Sure, she hadn’t exactly been nice to me when she helped the others cut me out of the circle,

Oh! She was one of the three. Serves her right.

“But who can say? There’s a chance they’ll make her part of the staff. That’s what happened to me.”

And finally… her origin story for how he became a maid.

I didn’t see a lot of things around here that I’d have expected. Like kids, or bats. I’d definitely been expecting more bats.

Smdh.

“There’s no one here. Ms. McConnell’s office is locked up tight. She’d still be reading her the rules if they had brought Holly here.”

The took her to that horny Vanator…