by Katie May
tomorrow, I mean. We know where Jax is, at least according to the map, but
do we know yet what building he’s in? Do we need to do recon?”
The mention of Jax brought up blurry images of the handsome Vampire
tied to wooden posts. And then...
I shook my head, the memory slipping through my fingers. Was it even a
memory? A nightmare? Or was I losing my mind?
“We’ll scope out the place tomorrow morning,” Bash murmured tiredly.
“But, Z, you’re going to have to be on the leash again when we’re in public.”
At my enraged noise of protest, Bash held up his hands placatingly. “I
know, I know. You want to cut off my balls and feed them to me on a fucking
silver plate. But the Vampires here see humans as food and toys, nothing
more. It doesn’t matter to them that you're the Kingdom’s assassin. You’re a
female human. I can’t even imagine the atrocious things...” He trailed off,
face creasing in pain.
I sighed, the fight leaving me. He was right, I knew he was right, but I
didn’t have to like it.
“Fine. Whatever. Tie me up, you kinky shit.”
Bash’s lips twitched, but he didn’t allow himself to smile.
“There’s one more thing we need to talk to you about,” Lupe broke in,
staring intently at his fingers now holding mine. “I was going to tell you
earlier, but I knew the car was bugged. And then the whole attack
happened...”
“What’s going on?” I questioned, instantly alert. Was it one of my mates?
Did I have to tit-punch a bitch?
Lupe exchanged an uneasy glance with Bash. Only Killian appeared
confused, just as much in the dark as I was.
“Come on. I need to show you.” Lupe extended a hand and helped me to
my feet. He held me for a second longer, steadying me when I began to
wobble, before leading me out of the room. “How are you feeling?” he asked
as we moved down the hall.
“Tired. A little sore.” I shrugged. “Not horrible.”
Lupe nodded, but his gaze seemed almost absent. Distant.
Finally, he stopped in front of a room I knew belonged to Axel and the
servants. He rapped his knuckles against the wooden door, and a moment
later, it swung open.
Axel stood in the doorframe, eyes heavy and expression almost lazy. He
was shirtless, scarred chest on display, and wore nothing but a pair of low-
slung sleep shorts.
“What do you want?” he murmured, yawning. He gazed at us with
obvious disinterest before sighing, opening the door wider. “Do you want to
come in?”
“We need to speak to one of our slaves,” Lupe demanded darkly.
Slaves? What the hell was he going on about?
Axel’s face tightened, but he nodded once. “Which one?”
“The newest.”
The ex-assassin stepped back inside and spoke quietly to someone before
a new man returned in his place.
“What the hell do you want?” a familiar voice asked venomously.
My heart froze. All of the blood drained from my face.
The man standing before me had a face distorted with bruises and gashes.
Both of his eyes were swollen completely shut. Bandages wrapped around his
neck and arms, already stained with drying blood. He wore a simple white
tunic, covered in dirt and soot, and two magic manacles were wrapped
around his wrists.
“T,” I whispered in horror as his face twisted in shock. Spinning on my
heel, I jabbed an accusatory finger at Lupe’s chest. “What did you do?”
SEVENTEEN
Z
“N ot here.” Lupe grabbed my hand gently and pulled me
down the hall. T trailed a respectful distance behind us,
lips pursed with disgust, and his swollen eyes twitched.
Killian and Bash stood in the doorway of my room. Killian appeared
shocked, face pale, but Bash was utterly impassive.
Giving the Mage and Incubus a pointed look, Lupe pushed past them and
led me farther into the room.
I was...shaking. Fucking shaking. My lungs felt like they were being
shredded by razor blades. Anger, hurt, betrayal...they all battled for
dominance. One wasn’t more prominent than the others. How could Lupe
keep this from me?
Fuck, how could he do this in the first place? T was one of my closest
friends, practically my brother, and Lupe was treating him like scum.
Fury pulsated through me, white-hot, and temporarily blinded me. My
ears roared like the ocean cresting against the shoreline.
“I can explain,” Lupe pleaded when he took in my expression. Killian and
Bash had left, leaving me alone with my Shifter mate and my human best
friend.
“What? Fucking tell me what there is to explain!” I threw my hands out, a
hysterical laugh escaping unbidden.
T remained silent, stony, his arms crossed over his chest. I was horrified
to see more scars lining his muscular forearms. What the hell had been done
to him?
“Apparently, your big, growly mate has a fetish for beating up humans,”
T drawled, leaning against the wall.
My hands fisted, seconds from pummeling Lupe’s face in. I had thought
he was different from his family. I had thought—
“I see your mind racing,” Lupe whispered softly. His eyes implored my
own to listen, to understand. “I did what I had to do in order to save his life.”
“Save his life?” I gasped, breath stuttering to an abrupt halt. “He looks as
if he’s been through a fucking meat grinder. Did you do that to him?”
I tried to picture my gentle giant hurting anyone, let alone someone I
cared about deeply, but the image eluded me. Lupe wasn’t capable of hurting
a fly let alone a human.
At least, I hadn’t thought so before now.
“My father would’ve killed him,” Lupe snapped. Anger briefly burned in
his gaze, a banked fire, before he took a deep, calming breath. “My father
would’ve killed him if I hadn’t stepped in. I told the bastard we needed a new
servant. Slave. Whatever the hell you want to call it.” He desperately reached
for me, but I stepped away.
I... I couldn’t. Not yet. Not with the anger too raw and bloody, like a
wound that hadn’t scabbed over.
“Just go, Lupe.” I was suddenly exhausted. Why did this shit have to
happen to me? Why did I take five humongous steps forward only to be
pushed back by an oncoming train? “If we continue to talk, we’re only going
to fight, and I don’t want that. I’m mad at you, furious, even, but I care about
you too damn much to continue this conversation. So, please. Just go.” I
pointed in the general direction of the door, but I didn’t dare lift my eyes
from his chest. I didn’t want to see his gaze anymore. Didn’t want to feel his
eyes as a burning caress on my forehead.
The damn man had imprinted himself on my soul, my very genetic
makeup, and it was impossible to stay mad.
But, fuck, I was determined to try.
Just like yesterday, Lupe left without any protest. I had just a moment to
see his eyes glassy with tears—tears he wouldn’t shed—before he shut the
door, leaving me alone with T.
“Fuck,
I don’t want to say this,” T immediately moaned once Lupe was
gone. “But the man loves the shit out of you. And he’s right. He did save my
life. The Shifter King would’ve killed me if he hadn’t stepped in. Lupe took
control of my...my torture, but he also saved my life. I was the dumbass who
got caught in the first place.” He scrubbed a hand through his tangled hair,
slightly longer on the top than the sides. He even had a beard.
“What happened?” I asked, moving to stand beside him. My eyes
catalogued his extensive injuries, but I was grateful to see there was nothing
life-threatening. Thank fuck.
“I was at the safe house waiting for HH. He had a lead about the
disappearance of the others,” he recollected, voice distant as he was
transported back in time. “I got worried when he didn’t check in, so I went
looking for him. Stumbled upon a Shifter asshole raping a human girl. Killed
him.” He released a harsh, bitter laugh. “Didn’t realize he was the Shifter
King’s fucking guard. The next thing I knew, I was being dragged into the
dungeons and tortured by the sadistic bastard himself.”
“And Lupe...tortured you as well?” I felt sick to my stomach. Fuck, I was
seconds from vomiting.
T’s expression twisted and tightened, before becoming unreadable in a
matter of seconds. “He did, yes.” He pointed to a tiny scar on his upper arm.
“But every wound he inflicted was precise. He never intended to scar me or
kill me like the King had. He did what he had to, Z. He didn’t have a choice.
If he refused, his bastard father would’ve killed me...and probably him.”
“He didn’t have to do anything,” I snapped, but I didn’t know if I actually
believed that. Wasn’t there always another option? Weren’t there two sides to
every coin? T’s assurance didn’t negate the pain running rampant through
me.
T offered me a wobbly smile, leaning forward to press a chaste kiss on
my forehead.
“I know, sweetie. I know.”
THE NEXT MORNING, I woke up bright and early to prepare myself
for the day ahead. After completing an extensive workout in my room, I
showered and dressed in stretchy pants and a black tank top. I twisted my
golden hair into a messy braid over my right shoulder.
You can do this, I told my reflection in the inn’s mirror. You can save
your mate.
Taking a solidifying breath, I strode out of my room and to the one
adjacent. I knocked twice, shifting from foot to foot as I waited patiently.
When they didn’t answer after the fifth knock, I pushed open the door and
stepped inside.
Their luggage was strewn over the beds and dressers, but the room itself
was empty of any of my mates.
What the hell?
They were too protective of me to leave me alone for an extended period
of time. Hell, I half expected to see Lupe asleep in the hall outside of my
door.
Last night, after saying goodbye to T, I allowed myself to rationally think
about Lupe and the decisions he’d made. And I realized...I forgave him. I
would’ve done the exact same thing if the Shifter King had confronted me. A
little pain was worth sparing T’s life.
Fuck, I needed to apologize, and soon. I wouldn’t be able to forgive
myself if something happened while we were fighting.
I quickly moved down the hall to Axel’s room and knocked on that door
as well. Like before, there was no answer.
My irritation shifted into concern as I ran through the possibilities. They
could be downstairs, getting food.
Or they could be dead.
In a ditch.
Tone down the macabre thoughts, Z, I scolded myself.
Heart racing, I rushed down the rickety staircase and into the lobby,
scanning the array of faces present.
None of them were my mates.
Fuck.
“Where’s your handler, human?” a voice sneered from behind me. The
Vampire was tall and lanky with greasy blond hair and a shark-like smile.
“Fuck off,” I snapped, turning away from him. No one—absolutely no
one—was allowed to talk to me like that. Unless they wanted to see the inside
of a body bag.
Teeth gnashing together, I turned back towards the staircase. Before I
could take a step, the Vampire reached for my arm and tugged me backwards.
“Where are you going, human slut?”
That was it. The final fucking straw.
Before I could reconsider my life choices, I placed my free hand on his
shoulder and lifted my knee to his nuts. He released a pained wheeze, but his
smile only grew.
“I like my bitches with a little fight in them,” he purred, eyes flashing red.
I grabbed his hair and pulled his face to me.
“Do you know who I am?” I asked darkly, carefully. I leaned closer until
my lips were directly beside his ear. “I’m the Kingdom’s fucking assassin,
asshole. I won The Damning. And I won’t hesitate to skin you alive.”
With that threat, I shoved him away. He released me, eyes wide with
horror, before scuttling away like a fucking dog with his tail between his legs.
Even here, in a Kingdom that saw humans as parasites, my reputation
preceded me.
“Damn,” Ryland murmured from directly behind me. “That was sexy.”
I spun towards the Shadow standing in the corner, silhouetted arms
crossed over his chest. “Shit, Ry, I thought you were gone.”
“Did you really think we would leave you alone?” he asked lightly.
“Where are the others?” I queried suspiciously. If they left without me...
“Calm down, Little Dove. They’re getting supplies for the journey.”
“Oh.” I physically deflated with relief. “Sorry, I’m just...”
“Stressed? Tired of us wrapping you in bubble wrap?” Ryland guessed
wryly.
I snorted. “Yup. That’s exactly it.” A potent pause stretched out between
us. “But, Ryland, you have to remember that I’d been alone for years until I
met you guys. And I survived it. I’ll continue to survive it. You can’t protect
me from the world when I’ve already faced it head-on.”
For a brief moment, the shadows around Ryland parted. His smile was
timid, almost unsure, but his eyes were bright with emotion. “You don’t have
to be alone anymore, Z. You have us.”
“Yeah, I do. I just—”
My words were interrupted by a deafening blast. A second later, the
world around me began to tremble and shake. I only had a second to stare
wide-eyed at the flaming walls of the inn before the building crumbled
around us.
EIGHTEEN
KILLIAN
I trailed my fingers over the assortment of necklaces draping over
the sides of the display case. Some were silver, embedded with
rubies, while others were gold with emeralds. The filigrees
surrounding the gemstones were intricately designed, depicting everything
from vines to angel wings.
Angel wings. Fitting for my angel.
Smiling contentedly, I grabbed the closest necklace and tested the weight
in my palm. I didn’t understand the primal urge that coursed through me at
the co
ncept of Z wearing a gift from me. Something that declared her as
mine. But it was there, prowling beneath the surface like a savage beast just
waiting to be unleashed.
Devlin stood a few feet away from me, surveying an extensive collection
of kitchen knives.
“We already have weapons,” Bash drawled sarcastically, his arms full of
red fabrics. To blend in with the citizens of the Vampire Kingdom, we had to
look the part.
And all Vampires wore bright red colors.
“I know,” Devlin snapped, forking his fingers through his curly brown
hair. Since the attack, he had been more tense than usual. His body was
constantly taut with agitation, seconds from springing forward and attacking.
Currently, his olive-toned face was colored with anxiety for Z. He hadn’t
liked leaving her behind, even with Ryland watching over her.
As Bash and Devlin began to bicker amongst themselves, I turned away
from the jewelry, still holding the necklace I selected, and spotted Lupe
talking to the Vampire behind the store’s counter. His massive frame looked
awkward hunched over such a small, rickety surface. The distressed wood
appeared seconds from crumbling under his form. A moment later, the
storekeeper nodded once and disappeared into the storeroom. He reappeared
with long fabric draped over his arm.
Before I could see what my brother was up to, someone tapped me on the
shoulder. I turned, fully expecting it to be Bash or Devlin, only to freeze
when I spotted an unfamiliar female. My blood froze before turning to
sludge, unable to effectively run through my veins.
Since Z, I had made tremendous steps in talking to strangers. However,
fear still strangled me in an unrelenting chokehold. All I could see was my
father’s cruel, haughty smirk as he raped my nanny—my surrogate mother—
and killed her. Since that day, I’d only ever talked to my brothers, and now,
Z. Strangers? Hated them.
Still, I managed a timid smile. I could totally be polite.
When she smiled, revealing lengthened fangs, I deduced she was a
Vampire like everyone else in this Kingdom.
“What’s a strapping young Incubus like yourself doing here?” she asked,
twirling a piece of red hair around her finger.
Errr...was this a trick question?
Was she a spy?
Eyeing her warily, I answered, “I’m here with my brothers.” I swept a
