He unleashed a low growl that trembled over her skin, and she became keenly aware of each of her breaths.

He lunged for her. Instantly, she brought her knee up and into his chest, redirecting his momentum into the cabinets next to the kitchen counter. Wood splintered with the impact.

He started to stand, but she kicked him in the head. Her boot shattered his nose, spraying blood on the kitchen tile. He fell back holding his face.

“Ursula,” he purred, slowly getting to his feet. His eyes wild, he unleashed a wicked set of claws from his fingertips, and Ursula’s mind screamed with panic. He pressed the end of the pen, and a thin blade protruded from one end. “You should have signed.”

He moved so fast she didn’t have time to react before he’d pinned her against the wall, gripping her wrists in one hand. The tips of his claws tore her skin, and a low growl escaped his throat, rumbling through her core.

His teeth—his fangs—lengthened, and he pressed in closer, leaving no room for her to kick him. Cold fear stole her breath as she struggled to free her wrists, but this freak was terrifyingly strong. What is he?

He leaned in closer, his breath warming her skin. His eyes roamed down her body, and candlelight flickered off his pen’s sharp blade. “It’s a shame you’re going to make me do this. There’s something about you I like.”

She tried to yank her wrists free. “You don’t have to do anything. You can just leave me alone.” She could hardly breathe. This was it—the last few moments of her life. What do I say about a sad life like mine? She was nothing—a complete loser. No family, no job, no money, no future. Her whole life was just a name, a date, and a piece of paper…

A trial.

Ursula, you idiot.

“I request a trial,” she breathed into his neck.

Surprise flickered across his beautiful features, and his fangs retracted. “What did you say?”

“A trial,” she said more firmly.

Still pinning her to the wall, he clenched his jaw. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” His eyes returned to their emerald green color, and he began muttering in that strange language again. His words transfixed her, soothing her racing heart. A strange sense of calm flooded her body, until her world began to dim.

Chapter 4

A humming noise woke Ursula, and she cracked open her eyes. The sound grew louder as she pulled herself out of the dense fog of sleep. Her head throbbed, dulling her senses, but there was movement around her—flashes of blue and white in the darkness. For a moment, she wondered if this was the road to the afterlife, but the shooting pain behind her eyes suggested she hadn’t yet shuffled off this mortal coil.