The Chosen by Jenika Snow Page A

became a little more awake and tried to open her eyes, but she still didn’t have the strength. He was the one who made her feel such desire, such heated arousal. The noises drifted off, and she idly thought she dreamt them.
    As the sounds drifted away, the weight that held her body in place dissipated, and now she had the strength to open her eyes. She lay on her back, the room lightly lit and a crackling sound bouncing off the walls. She sat up, her head still a little foggy as she looked around. A fire was lit in front of her, the flames licking wildly through the wood.
    She sat atop a massive bed with silk sheets spread across her. She ran The Chosen: A Tale of the Blood Breed
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    her hand over the smooth material, a spark of recognition about silk sheets stabbing through her mind. An image flashed through in front of her eyes—her lying on silk sheets and intense pleasure washing through her. She flushed at the vivid images, but no matter how hard she tried, she didn’t know where those images came from.
    “A fire is truly beautiful, is it not? The bright flames dancing along the wood as if it’s starving.”
    She looked toward the shadowed corner where the feminine, accented voice came from. The woman sat in a chair, the fire light dancing over her small body. Curls bounced around her face, framing large, bright blue eyes that struck some kind of remembrance to Lana.
    A face came to her mind—masculine and with the same blue eyes.
    “Do I know you? Where am I?”
    “I’m surprised Milo’s hold is no longer keeping you asleep.” She tapped her finger against her lip and smiled. “Don’t worry, your memory will come back shortly. Sooner than any others. Very interesting.”
    “What are you talking about? Where am I, and who are you?”
    “My name is Aniya. You are at our home, my brothers’ and mine, that is.” She stood and walked toward Lana.
    “Why am I here?” Images flashed through her mind, broken pictures and words that didn’t make any sense. A large, muscular body, black eyes…fangs. The image of those teeth stood out in her mind, her brain screaming that this one image was vital. She absently touched the side of her neck, the spot tender under her fingers. She looked down and saw herself dressed in clothes that weren’t her own.
    “I hope you don’t mind, but we’re about the same size, and I didn’t think he wanted you to stay naked.” She walked toward the door and grasped the handle as if she were about to leave.
    “Wait! Where are you going? Please don’t leave me here.” Panic swelled inside of her. Even though she didn’t know this woman, she somehow felt calmer being around her.
    “My brother will be in soon and explain everything to you.”

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    Jenika Snow
    “Please wait! You’re just going to leave me here? Tell me what’s going on.”
    She turned around, the smile on her face sad. “Please don’t be so frightened. No one will harm you here.” She turned and left, shutting the door softly behind her.
    Lana’s heart pounded hard in her chest, and her body became hot.
    She scrambled off the bed and ran toward the door. Deep voices sounded outside of the door, but she couldn’t understand what they were saying. She let go of the handle and looked around the room for another way out. There were no windows in the room and only one other door. She ran toward the other door and opened it. Her heart sank as she stared at a bathroom. She didn’t bother switching a light on, just blindly searched for a weapon of some kind. Besides bars of soap and shampoo, there wasn’t anything she could use as a weapon.
    She left the bathroom and searched the room, her heart racing as the door swung open. A man stood on the other side, his body massive and his gaze trained on her. She stared at his face, and all of the suppressed memories, all of the broken words and images she had been trying to sort out, became clear. Everything flashed through her mind like a movie on fast forward,