Chapter 1
It's hard . . . Knowing your life has been thrown away in the matter of a single day. And it wasn't even your fault. Things just kept getting worse and worse as the day went on as if all those times I'd broken a mirror or picked up the wrong side of a penny was coming back to bite me in the ass.
And bite me in the ass it did.
The day had started out okay. Nothing spectacular or exciting all day. Just another morning and afternoon of work before I would get off in the evening and have dinner with my sister and her wife before coming back home and reading a book or writing or watching TV. Well, that was the plan at least.
This morning on the way to work, I'd gotten stopped at every red light and made it to work 10 minutes late. Then the coffee machine was broke and I had to suffer through the morning without coffee. After that it was my boss telling me he needed me to work through lunch with no lunch at all. I thought it couldn't have gotten worse - considering my form of worse was being starved.
I lived in the best free human city in the world. About 90 percent of the world was covered in supernatural creatures that either wanted to eat you, enslave you, or murder you. The humans only had control because of their weapons and they only lived in 20 cities scattered throughout the world.
I wasn't rich, but I did get by. Every human in this city weren't allowed by law to be a supernatural's pet or slave. Of course the missing person's cases were all no brainers as to what happened, but outside the city, law held no control over those monsters. Thinking the worst thing to happen that day was not having lunch would have been great if the rest of the day had been normal.
Yet as luck would have it, it didn't. At 1, the news had broadcasted a breach in the southern wall from an infamous human snatching company known as Humans Rehabilitated. They told us to stay inside until further notice. An hour later and we were given the all clear. By that time it was safe to go home, yet I still had another four hours of work.
On top of it all, I was starved. I drank water to stave off my hunger and while it worked, I didn't have time nor availability to go to the bathroom and by the time six o'clock came around, I'd forgotten all about having to pee.
After work, I was headed to my sister's for dinner and thankful. Food was the only thing on my mind - plus the bathroom. I wasn't really paying attention to much else - not that I saw a need to. I needed to get there, yet my only form of transportation was walking. Cars are only allowed to be issued to humans - me . . . I'm a hybrid. Half human, half shifter. Shifters being the only 'safe' supernatural due our uncanny need to please and be around humans.
Taking a shortcut would be my largest regret.
"Style! Hey!"
I jumped at the sound of my name. I didn't recognize the voice, but if they knew me, I had to stop. Stopping would be my biggest mistake.
"Style, dude, you left this at work." The voice said. It sounded friendly, sounded approachable. I trusted it . . . I shouldn't have.
Turning around, I stood frozen for three seconds. Three seconds too late. My bag with all my stuff dropped to the ground and I turned to run, but I was surrounded. Nine of them surrounded me. Nine tall men dress in red clothes had all exits covered. Yet even though they had a human disguise on, I knew they weren't human. They were too tall . . . too inhuman.
The one who had called my name was in front of me as he broke away from the other men. They close his gap, leaving no room for me to run. Unable to run, I was stuck to the ground in one spot, paralyzed with fear. All I could do was mentally beg them to leave me alone.
Which they wouldn't. "I'm Salem," The male crooned, reaching forward with a long finger to trace alone my jawline. I gulped and smothered a whimper. I was half dog shifter and right now, my instincts were telling me to run. "You must be confused, little one. I'm no human. No-" He drawled, smirking. "I'm of the Demon Clan." He smiled wickedly and I could see faint smoke billowing from his back. "And I've always wanted a pet."
