by J. N. Baker
“Zoe!”
I breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Josh’s voice coming down the hallway, his hurried footsteps drawing closer. He threw the door open, his eyes widening momentarily.
“I’m okay,” I rushed to say. It was mostly true. I took another step toward the door, wincing as the bone-deep slices on my ankles healed. The damage to my abdomen was taking a little longer, but I knew I’d eventually be fine.
“Who did this?” Josh raged, storming over to me. He scanned my blood-soaked body, eyes flickering between concern and fury. “It was Alec, wasn’t it?”
I nodded. “I don’t know where he went. Where is everyone? What’s happening?”
“We’re under atta—”
Josh and I went flying across the room as the second explosion ripped through the outer wall of the castle, chunks of stone raining down on us.
I pulled myself out from the debris, ears ringing from the blast as I crawled across the floor. I blinked through the thick layer of dust hanging in the air but it didn’t help. I couldn’t see shit.
“Josh!” I called out, coughing as I felted around for him. “Where are you?”
A strong pair of hands grabbed me, hauling me to my feet.
“Josh?”
Heavy metal casings clamped down on my hands, stretching all the way up to my elbows. Alec snarled, grabbing a fistful of my hair and pulling my face to his. “Even now, he is still the one you call out for?”
“Always,” I bit out, throwing one of my metal-clad hands into his ribcage. “And I fucked him too.”
The roar that left Alec’s throat could have rivaled all of Baldric’s combined. At some point in my life, I would learn to stop poking the bear, but it wouldn’t be this century.
Even with the dust starting to settle, I didn’t see Alec’s hand coming until it connected with my face. The force of the blow sent me to the ground, a copper taste filling my mouth. Alec turned his back on me, digging through the rubble like a madman. I knew exactly what he was doing. He was looking for Josh. He was going to kill him.
Not today, Satan.
Tripping over the ruined dress, I climbed to my feet and inched toward him. He was so blinded by his rage that he didn’t see me, even as I raised my metal fist and brought it down on the back of his head, feeling the crunch of his skull reverberate up my arm.
Alec collapsed to the floor with a groan. I crouched beside him, wishing I had a sword to take his head—not that I’d be able to hold the damn thing with these bindings on my hands and arms. I needed to find a way to break them off and fast.
“You want me,” I sneered, “come and get me.”
Straightening, I backed toward the large hole in the side of the castle where there used to be a wall, scanning the rubble one last time for Josh. I knew he was alive in there somewhere. I could feel it. But I had to lead Alec away from the people I cared about.
“I’ll see you again,” I breathed, hoping I was right.
Without another thought, I leapt out of the castle.
The ground came up at me fast and hard, sending a jolt of pain through my knees as I landed. There wasn’t time to recover, sprinting through the darkness. Loud shrieks from above told me Baldric had unleashed the Sythen, and for the first time, I wasn’t entirely upset about it.
“Figure out where the hell they are hiding that damn mortar!” someone shouted. I was pretty sure it was Felix, but I couldn’t see him through the many people running around. To my surprise, there was no physical fighting, just explosions.
Another blast shook the ground, followed by screams. It sounded like it came from the village. William was looking for me, and he wasn’t going to stop until he found me. Even if that meant killing innocent people in the process. People like Scarlett.
Again, not today, Satan.
“William!” I shouted over the chaos. “Show yourself!”
I would end this right here, right now. Metal-covered hands or not, I’d find a way to end him even if I had to beat his damn head off his shoulders.
Only it wasn’t William who stepped through the darkness—it was Kaziel. The shadow creature’s cloak blew in the wind as it approached me with its usual confidence.
“Kaziel,” I called out, relieved to see the creature. “Where is he? We have to stop him.”
Big glowing yellow eyes met mine—far bigger than Kaziel’s now-near-human ones—and the whole world became pain. Pain and nothing more.
I cried out, falling to my knees as it intensified, my vision blurring. I writhed on the snow-covered ground, screaming as a pair of boots appeared in front of my face.
Alec crouched down, golden eyes flickering like flames in the night.
“You’re mine again,” he sneered. “And by the time anyone realize you’re missing, we will be long gone.”
And that’s what this was, wasn’t it? A distraction. The bombs were never meant as an attack…they were a diversion. William was creating chaos so Alec could swoop in and grab me.
The hooded creature in front of me growled and my world went dark.
I woke in a poorly lit cell, hands still encased in metal and pain still lingering in the back of my mind. Thick chains hung from my arms and legs, there was even one wrapped around my waist. I pulled against the restraints, trying to reach the steel bars that sealed off my prison, but they didn’t budge.
Shit.
“Finally.”
I saw red as I met William’s sapphire stare head on, his large frame outlined by the dim glow of the one burning torch.
“You will pay for this,” I said, trying again to reach the bars without success.
William had the audacity to laugh. Actually. Fucking. Laugh. “No, it is Baldric who will pay. Clearly, he has warped your mind. But worry not, we will bring you back to us. No matter how long it takes.”
William turned on his heels and headed for the cellar door.
“Wait,” I called after him and he paused mid stride, back to me. “I want to see Annie and Cody. Let me see them.”
I swallowed the please that threatened to fall from my lips. I refused to beg for anything from the monster who’d ruined my life.
William’s back visibly stiffened. “No,” he said over his shoulder. With that one word, he stormed out of the room, slamming the heavy door shut behind him and leaving me alone in the once-cellar-turned-dungeon.
Or so I thought.
The familiar meow was soft at first, so much so that I thought maybe I’d imagined it. That was until the orange tabby crept out of the neighboring cell, his namesake whiskers brushing against the bars.
“Cody…”
I tried to run to him, only to be jerked back by my restraints, pain shooting through my joints as I pulled harder to get to him.
Bones and ligaments rearranged themselves until my old friend was standing no more than three feet away. He quickly closed the distance between us, throwing his arms around me. I was so happy to see him, I didn’t even care that he was hugging me while he wore nothing but his birthday suit.
“Fido,” he said, hands fisting in my hair as he pulled me tighter against him. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
After what felt like hours, he stepped back and I finally had a chance to get a good look at him—from the waist up. He looked older, which I knew wasn’t possible as a shift. And yet he did. He’d lost weight and his skin was horribly pale. There were black circles under his hollow eyes, eyes that lacked the spark of joy I was so used to seeing in them. He looked like a broken version of himself and that killed a little piece of me.
“I’m here now,” I assured him. Even if here was locked up as William’s prisoner. I wasn’t going to leave Cody’s side again. Because when I escaped, I was taking his naked ass with me.
“What the hell happened?” he asked. “They said you’d betrayed us.”
So, I had been painted as the villain. I figured as much but hearing it out loud hurt more than I’d expected.
“There’s
so much we need to catch up on,” I told him. “I need to get out of here, Cody. Can you help me?”
I was truly terrified at what Baldric might do to retaliate if I didn’t find a way to escape and soon. There were innocent people living here among the monsters. They didn’t deserve to die because of William’s actions.
My friend shook his head, taking a small step back. “I don’t know where William is keeping the key. And I don’t think even you could break through those bars even if you were able to get to them. William’s been planning this for a while, dude.”
“He’s been planning far more than this and for a hell of a lot longer,” I said, looking around my cell for any weaknesses. There were none. Shit.
“Where is Annie?” I asked. Maybe she could talk some sense into William. Or at least know where the key was.
Cody’s face fell and my blackened heart sank. The momentary despair was instantly replaced with rage. “Did he hurt her?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted and my anger grew. “I haven’t seen much of Red. She’s always in William’s room and rarely comes out. When she does, she’s like his shadow, following him around with her head down. She doesn’t talk to anyone. She took it pretty hard when you were taken. She wasn’t the only one.”
I had a bad feeling it wasn’t Baldric taking me that had her behaving like that. “What about James, is he still around?” I asked and Cody’s face twisted in confusion. He didn’t know about Annie and James’s secret relationship. No one did. Or at least, no one had.
“Um, I haven’t seen him in a couple months.”
“What about Rhett?” Where one brother was, you could usually find the other.
Cody rolled his eyes and with scoff. “That dick is definitely still here, bossing the shifts around like he owns the damn place.”
Yep, that sounded like the alpha-asshole I knew and barely tolerated. “Can you tell him to come see me?”
“He’s pretty pissed off at you,” Cody warned. “Dude hates Baldric.”
“It’ll be fine, just tell him to come see me. He’ll know what it’s about. At the risk of sounding like William, it’s really important.”
“Okay,” he drawled. “So, are you going to tell me what happened or what?”
“We’ve been lied to,” I bit out. “That’s what’s happened. I’ll tell you everything, but you need to put some clothes on first.”
“Still have a hang-up with naked people?”
“Correction: I have a hang-up with people I’ve known since childhood being naked in front of me,” I said and Cody smirked. “Rip off a piece of this dress for all I care, just put your damn dick away.”
I couldn’t believe how much I’d missed this lighthearted banter. No one in this world could ever replace Cody.
He laughed as he crouched down at my side. He grabbed the train of my dress and his hand stilled. “Is this—was this—a wedding dress?”
I sighed. “Yeah, Lindsay made it. Long story.” As was the one about me marrying his best friend without him there to witness it. Though, the way that night had gone, it was probably best if Cody wasn’t there. Wild, passionate sex and all.
Cody rocked back on his heels, all humor gone from his face. His wide eyes blinked up at me. “Lindsay? As in…”
Oops. Kind of forgot about that bit of drama. “Yep, that one.”
He blew out a heavy breath, hand rubbing his jaw. “I’d convinced myself she was dead for so long.” I noticed the hand still clutching my blood-stained dress was shaking and I hated that I couldn’t touch him.
“If it makes you feel any better,” I said softly, “she still loves you. I’m pretty sure rejecting and leaving you is her greatest regret in life.”
I watched as his face hardened, an expression I wasn’t used to seeing on him. “Too little, too late,” he said, using both hands to tear off the bottom of my train, enough to wrap around his waist without being too noticeable when William came back.
Cody finished tying off the fabric. It looked more like a loincloth but it would work. It was actually rather fitting for Cody. With his long, unkempt hair, he was throwing off some serious Tarzan vibes. A malnourished, frail, and despondent Tarzan.
“What about Josh?”
A sharp pain shot through my chest as Josh’s name fell from Cody’s lips. We’d been pulled apart yet again, and once more I hadn’t gotten to tell him goodbye. But it wouldn’t be forever. I’d find my way back to him. I’d cross Heaven and Earth and walk barefoot through the bowels of Hell if that was what it took. Nothing in this world could separate us now, especially not William.
“He’s okay,” I whispered. At least, he had better be. We hadn’t had nearly enough time together yet. I wanted him to make my skin burn for the rest of eternity. And even that wouldn’t be long enough.
A knowing smile spread across Cody’s face. “He remembers you, doesn’t he?”
“Oh, yeah,” I said, a little too breathy. Clearing my throat, I decided to change the subject to more pressing issues. Cody and I could finish playing catch up when I wasn’t being held prisoner by a power-hungry psychopath who’d ruined my life and killed a few billion others. “Do you know what they’re planning to do with me?”
The smile faded from his face. “I don’t know, dude. They’ve been keeping me in the dark on a lot of this because of my connection to you. I never believed for a second that you’d really switched sides.”
“Well, I did and I didn’t,” I said with a sigh. “Look, we need to get out of here, Cody. William has been lying to us. He’s the one doing all this, not Baldric.”
My friend took a step away from me. The wariness in his eyes hurt more than I cared to admit. “What?”
“I know you probably think I was brainwashed but I wasn’t,” I rushed to say as he took yet another step away from me. I knew I likely sounded like a crazy person. I remembered how I’d felt when I’d first learned the truth—the denial I wrapped myself in. “William is the one who sold his soul,” I continued. “He’s the one trying to take over. Baldric has been trying to stop him for centuries. You have to believe me, Cody.”
“You see how deeply he’s sank his fangs into her?” a deep voice said and Cody and I snapped our heads to where Alec stood outside of my prison cell. Another blink and he was standing inside it. “Baldric has corrupted her mind with his many lies.”
“No,” I said sharply, drawing my friend’s wide eyes back to me. “I’m telling you the truth, Cody. William is behind this. Baldric has ascended like me. I saw the mark myself. William has to be stopped.”
“Enough,” Alec snapped, appearing between Cody and me. He jabbed a finger into my sternum. “You will spill no more of your lies.”
“They aren’t lies!”
Alec ignored me, turning his burning amber eyes on Cody. “You were told not to come down here. Now get out.”
Cody couldn’t move fast enough, shifting back into his Mr. Whiskers form and scurrying out of the dungeon. Alec waited until the orange cat disappeared out the partially open door before he turned his attention back to me. Last time we’d been alone together, he’d used me as a life-sized pin cushion. There was nothing to stop him from doing that again, seeing as I was chained to a damn wall.
“Did you know?” I bit out. “Did you know about William?”
Alec stepped closer, close enough that his breath slid over my skin like a snake, making me shudder. His hand came up and I forced myself not to flinch away from him as he ran his fingers down the side of my face, his eyes lingering on my lips. “Of course I knew,” he sneered. “We all did.”
Grabbing a fistful of my hair, he forced my mouth to his, kissing me roughly. As the bastard slipped his tongue between my lips, I bit down.
Alec shoved away from me, chuckling. “I definitely missed your sass,” he said, wiping the blood from his mouth.
“How could you?” I breathed.
“Our kind deserves to rule,” he said simply and I knew he believed his own bul
lshit. “This is our world. Too long have we lived in the shadows of others. The Chosen will rule this world again; we will mold it into the world we want it to be. And you will rule our corner of it right beside me.”
“Never,” I snarled. “I’ll never be yours again.”
He was in my face once more, hand gripped around my throat until I struggled to draw breath. “You will love me again. You just need to remember who you are. And we are going to make sure you do.”
Alec’s hold on my neck disappeared along with the rest of him and I slumped to the floor.
I refused to believe Annie knew about any of this. There was no way William had managed to corrupt her too. Jade, sure, but not Annie. But then, where was she?
The familiar—if not nauseating—sound of bones cracking filled the small space and my head snapped up, expecting and hoping to see Cody standing there. I shot to my feet when I saw who it was instead.
“Chains look good on you,” Rhett sneered. “What do you want, traitor?”
We could tackle his personal issues with me later. Maybe. I really didn’t care. He’d never exactly been my biggest fan, nor I his.
“Where is Annie, Rhett? What happened to James?”
His expression darkened, his jaw ticking. He looked just as shitty as Cody—maybe shittier—which wasn’t making me feel any better about whatever it was he was about to tell me.
“William found out,” he finally said, lips curling in a snarl.
My hands clenched into fists within my metal restraints, itching to draw blood, even if it was my own.
“What did he do to them? Is your brother okay?”
“What the hell do you think?” he snapped. “William beat him within an inch of his life and then locked him in a room upstairs. No windows or doors, no way to escape.”
I could tell there was something more, something Rhett didn’t want to tell me. For whatever reason, his resolve crumbled. “He’s using my brother against Annie. As long as she does as William says, he won’t kill James. He’s even using my knowledge of their relationship to try to keep me in line.”
