by RJ Blain
“It is, but I value my life. So long as I work with him, he’ll give me what I need.”
I considered the woman, and deciding she was far better company than the lustful wolves or the sorcerer, I asked, “And what do you need?”
“A way to destroy the Inquisition, of course. I feel for you, but your mate is only one of the first who must die.”
While I had heard Desmond, Wendy, and Sanders discuss the Inquisition, I didn’t truly understand what the organization did—or why someone would hate it so much to torture so many to bring about the Inquisition’s end. “Why?”
Brandy frowned. “You can’t guess?”
If I could have, I would have shrugged. “Sorry. Sanders didn’t exactly have time to tell me much about the Inquisition.”
“They’re hunting me. They’ll hunt me until I’m dead unless I can destroy them. They’ll hunt Kent until he’s dead, too.” Circling around me, Brandy touched her hand to my back, massaging her way to my shoulders. “He’s going to sever your mating bond with that Alpha soon. Maybe today. Maybe tomorrow. He might wait a few extra days to savor harvesting your mate’s rage, fury, and anguish. He’s already taken your mating bond from you, controlling it as he desires. You can’t feel your mate anymore, can you?”
I never could, but I remained silent. Would our bond have been something I would have treasured, had I been given some time? My wolf thought so, and her despair chilled me from within.
“I think if the circumstances were a little different, I’d like you. You’re tough. You make me think it’s possible for someone to stand up to him. God knows I can’t.” Brandy massaged my aching shoulders, and I hissed from the pain her touch caused. “You won’t be able to kill him, but if you could, I would repay you well for your efforts. Who knows? You can resist his touch. You withstand his kiss without opening your legs for him. Maybe you can find a way. That would be interesting.”
She left me hanging from the ceiling, whistling a merry tune as she passed through the silver chains of my prison.
Brandy was right about one thing: my defiance angered the sorcerer. When he couldn’t make me suffer as he wanted, he turned his attention to the male Fenerec. Their screams chilled my blood, and my wolf’s horror became my own.
One of them died, and the stench of his death lingered long after his body had been taken away.
“If you had cooperated, he’d still be alive,” Kent informed me, grumbling something under his breath as he stalked around me. “Why do you resist me? You can no longer feel your mate. Your bond with him belongs to me now. I’ll break it at my leisure, and when I do, you’ll live with the knowledge I’ll become your new mate. You can’t deny me. I will control you. You will desire me, and if I am feeling generous, I will satisfy you far more than that Alpha ever could.”
I shuddered at the memory of his frigid mouth on mine. Knowing it would anger him and doing it for that reason alone, I remained silent and still. I lacked the strength to stand on my own, but the pain of my weight pulling on my shoulders and arms came second to the gnawing agony in my stomach. My wolf’s longing for our mate died away, and she sank into a bottomless despair I couldn’t rescue her from.
She left me to face the sorcerer alone. I didn’t blame her; all of her hope was gone, and the vibrant spark of her life faded under our continued helplessness.
“Why do you defy me?” he demanded.
“You’ll never be my mate.”
I would do anything I could to resist him and keep him from getting what he wanted, even if it meant I died. I think he saw my determination in my eyes, because his mouth twisted into a sneer, and he smashed the back of his hand against the side of my face. The blow left me dazed, and I shook my head in the feeble attempt to clear my vision. For several sickening moments, there were two Kents, and they growled at me.
“Look what you made me do,” he snapped, seizing my chin to force me to face him. He held up his hand, and blood dripped from one of his knuckles. “You will be mine, and I will enjoy wringing every ounce of life out of you once I have you. First, I will finish destroying your bond with that Alpha. I’ll let you stew for a few days while the shock of it wears off. Then, I will have you once and for all.”
“Doesn’t it get old, Kent? Doesn’t it get tiresome and boring repeating the same worthless drivel at me?” I spit on him, and my blood stained his cheek. “Pray I never break free, you bastard. Should I, you will die. If I can, I’ll give you to my mate so he can have his vengeance for Mary’s death. I will enjoy watching him tear you apart. I hope he lets me help him. I want to dance in your blood.”
“He won’t want you, the damaged goods you’ll be once I’m done with you. You’ll betray him in my bed, and I will enjoy every moment of it.”
“It must be so difficult being unable to find a woman without using your filthy, disgusting magic to force her to your bed. You’ll never be a real man. You’ll never be a match for Sanders. You’re a repulsive, worthl—”
He slammed his fist into my gut and pummeled me until I slumped unconscious in my bonds.
I dreamed, but when I finally awoke, all I remembered was a heartrending grief so strong my eyes blurred from my tears. The other Fenerec were quiet, and by the time I could focus on them, I realized at least one of them was dead. The scent of his decay choked off my breath.
I had no way of knowing how long I had been unconscious. My face, chest, and stomach hurt from the sorcerer’s beating, but the pain of my shoulders and arms was worse. It took several tries to get my feet under me to relieve some of my agony. Shuddering, I shook my head, blinking away my tears.
It hurt to breathe, and when I swallowed, I realized my throat was bruised, although I had no memories of Kent touching my neck. I trembled, wondering what he had done to me after I had lost consciousness. I shifted my weight from foot to foot.
Kent must have strangled me in his fury. I bared my teeth in a silent snarl, twisting around to stare at my fellow captives. They remained still, but I saw the rise and fall of their chests. The male Brandy had favored, so far as I could tell, was dead.
I pitied the witch, wondering if his death had hurt her. Had Kent killed him to torment his accomplice, or had it been an accident in his fury over my refusal? I wouldn’t ask.
If the Fenerec’s death hurt her, I hoped she suffered as much as I did. Even under the influence of wolfsbane, I had been aware of my wolf. I was truly alone in my head, and I despaired.
If I truly had a bond with Sanders, Kent had destroyed it, leaving nothing but a memory of my mate’s warmth. Although I no longer felt my wolf’s emotions, I was startled by the depth of my sorrow.
Somehow, Sanders had gotten so far under my skin; the thought of him being gone left me trembling. The pain didn’t last long before my rage ignited. I stared at each of the Fenerec surrounding me, taking in their bruised and silver-blackened skin and the motionless way they sprawled on the concrete. I breathed in deep and recognized the truth.
Death would come for them soon enough, and there was nothing I could do about it. In a way, I envied them.
When they died, their pain would cease. I had no idea when my time would come. With or without my wolf, I would endure long enough to witness Kent’s death for what he had done. If I died in the process, no one would know.
I doubted anyone would care for more than a moment. Would Sanders? How could he?
We hadn’t known each other for long, though I was grateful I had the chance to be with him. I clung to the memory of him, anchored my determination to the little bit of happiness I had found in his arms, and steeled myself for what I would do.
I would kill Kent, or I would die trying.
There was nothing else left for me.
When Kent returned, exhaustion weighed heavily on me, and it took all of my flagging strength to remain on my feet. I watched him through half-lidded eyes as he checked on the Fenerec, shaking his head at the dead body.
“If it hadn’t been for you, he’d
still be alive.”
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head. The motion hurt. “I didn’t kill him. You did. I am not responsible for the deeds your hands have wrought.”
“You were a literature student, weren’t you?” the sorcerer asked, his tone disgusted. “What antiquated nonsense.”
Brandy came down the stairs with a camera in her hand. She flashed me a smile, but her dark eyes remained stony and cold. “I’ve brought it, Kent.”
“Good. Get a good shot of the Fenerec. Maybe one of them belonged to him, too.” Touching my cheek, the sorcerer pressed close to me, his breath hot against my skin. “I’ve decided I won’t enjoy you in my bed, but that I’ll take you here where you stand. I’ll give your mate—your former mate, that is—that camera as a present to show him what he’s lost. When he breaks, I will harvest him as surely as I will harvest from you now.”
I sighed, and digging through my limited knowledge of Shakespeare, I replied, “Hell is empty and all of the devils are here.”
Kent grabbed my jaw in a bruising grip. “You will cease your prattling.”
“You’ll never be man enough for me,” I snarled, my gaze fixed on his neck while I imagined the sweet heat of his blood on my tongue. I licked my lips at the thought of tearing my teeth through his soft flesh. Adrenaline surged through me, and my breath quickened in anticipation of the hunt.
“Don’t miss even a second of this, Brandy,” the sorcerer ordered.
“I know how to operate a camera,” the witch snapped.
“I told you I’d replace your wolf, Brandy. I’ll find a nicer one for you to seduce and play with. I will not apologize to you again.”
I breathed deeply, savoring Brandy’s rage. The heat of the sorcerer’s lust stung my nose, but instead of enticing me as the other males’ scents had done, it fueled my anger.
“Understood,” the witch muttered. “Don’t worry. I’ll record it properly.”
“Good.” Turning his full attention to me, Kent ran his hands down my legs, squeezing and fondling me as he worked his way to the cuffs binding my ankles. “I’m going to enjoy this, bitch. I’m going to enjoy the moment he sees what’s on this video and hears your cries when I pleasure you.”
The only pleasure I was going to enjoy was the moment I broke his body and left him a corpse at my feet. I reached upward, hissing at the burn of silver. The chain dug into my palms. Pain throbbed through me, and determined not to lose the one chance I had for my vengeance, I tightened my hold.
It would be no different from climbing a pole. It would be no different from when I lifted my body during a dance, except this time, I would be killing someone instead of teasing my audience. After unclipping one of the chains binding me to the floor, he worked on the other, leaving the leather cuffs in place around my ankles. I stood still, hanging my head as though resigned to my fate.
He laughed. “All talk, aren’t you? You’re just too weak and tired to fight me with anything other than words.”
Sighing, I mumbled something under my breath and forced out a single whine.
Rising to his feet, the sorcerer stared at me, stepping out of my reach. “You could make this so much easier for yourself. Agree to be my woman. I will please you as no other man can. I will teach you things about your body you never knew were possible.” His smile widened into a grin. “I’ll teach you some of what I can do anyway; I will make you lust for what I alone can provide.”
“Wouldn’t you need to have a dick to do that?” I asked.
Rage twisted his expression, and raising a hand to hit me, he stepped forward.
I lifted my left leg so I could slam my foot into Kent’s shoulder. Agony rippled through my shoulders and spine, and I cried out from the pain. Hooking my foot around his neck, I brought my right knee up to my chest and kicked out with all of my strength.
My heel crunched into his jaw, and with all of my anger and bloodlust behind the blow, I forced his head to snap to the side. Bone broke with an audible crunch. The metallic, sweet scent of blood filled my nose, and a heartbeat later, red bubbled from the sorcerer’s mouth.
He fell limp, and so did I.
Brandy laughed, and her mirth roused me. Shaking my head did little to ease the ringing in my ears. Spinning in a circle, the witch wound up and slammed the camera to the ground.
Streams of water materialized in the air around her and spiraled towards the ceiling to fall to the floor in a cool rain. The sorcerer’s body still twitching on the ground at my feet was the only indication I hadn’t blacked out for long. I panted, staring at the woman as she rejoiced.
When she noticed me watching her, she leapt to me, grabbed hold of my face, and kissed me long and deep. In my shock, I didn’t fight her, though my eyes widened as I struggled to comprehend what she was doing and why.
Unlike the sorcerer, her mouth was warm and gentle against mine, and the scent of her passion filled my nose.
“My freedom buys you your life. You will drown, but you will live. You will remain here, in a sea of my making.” Brandy ran her hands down me and kneeled to grab hold of my feet. Breaking free of the shock that held me immobile, I kicked out at her.
Water surrounded my legs and trapped me in place while the witch clipped the cuffs back to the floor.
“Let me go,” I demanded in a wheeze. I struggled to catch my breath, and my lungs burned as though someone had filled them with cotton.
“It’ll be better for you if you relax.” Straightening, Brandy pressed her fingertips to my lips. “Your life is all I owe you. Your life is all I’m willing to give. It’s an equal trade. I will pray earnestly we do not meet again. I would rather not have to kill you. Who knows? Maybe your Alpha cares for you enough to find you at the bottom of my sea. Then again, maybe not. Time will tell.”
The witch left nothing but water and death in her wake.
Chapter Eleven
I drowned, but as Brandy had promised, I didn’t die.
Time lost meaning as I drifted in the water, still bound to the floor and ceiling, unable to pull free of the cuffs. Silver chains drifted in invisible currents, sliding over my skin with the stinging bite of jellyfish tentacles.
Before Brandy had flooded the basement, the chains had formed a curtained cage to contain me and keep the males away, torturing them so the sorcerer could harvest their fury, their lust, and their pain. Now the silver served to torture me and to remind me I lived.
She had kept her promise to me, but I wondered if the silver would kill me before my wolf and I starved. Brandy’s laughter still rang in my ears. If my bad luck held out, the silver would torment me for at least a month before I finally succumbed.
If I were fortunate, Fenerec died faster from starvation than humans. I had a feeling they didn’t. Fenerec were difficult to kill. I remembered my wolf’s viciousness when she—when we—had killed Rory and Isabella.
Brandy had kept her promise, but instead of a quick, merciful death, she left me to die a slow and miserable one. The other Fenerec had drowned. Their lifeless bodies drifted, still tethered to the floor where they had died. In death, they made better company than they had in life, though I found no satisfaction in their demise. I hoped some of them had belonged to Rory’s pack. I hoped their Alpha suffered for turning me into a monster.
My anger once again surged, and I flexed my hands, tugging at the cuffs holding my arms over my head. Even with my wolf offering me her strength, I couldn’t rip out of the waterlogged, leather cuffs. I tore the skin of my wrists until my blood tainted the water; its taste teased my tongue before the currents swept it away.
The dim illumination from the flooded stairwell let me watch the sorcerer’s lifeless corpse drift in the water nearby. I had won, killing the man responsible for Mary’s death, but he, like the rogue Fenerec, would bear silent witness to my slow demise. I had ensured Sanders would be mine, no longer burdened with the knowledge Mary’s killer remained free, but I would pay for it with my life—and likely with the lives of ma
ny others.
Because of me, Brandy had power, and a lot of it. No one had told me killing a sorcerer could twist a witch into a monster as dangerous as me. Because of me, she had all the power she needed to strike out at the Inquisition and at my mate.
It wasn’t freedom Brandy had desired, but revenge.
I understood why she kept me alive. It wasn’t as thanks. She wanted me to know my mate’s death would come at her hands. He was part of the Inquisition she hated, and she knew it. That made me as much of a target as him. A quick death was too good for me.
My wolf despaired, as did I.
With nothing but the flow of water and corpses for company, time lost meaning. I tried to count the seconds, but with every brush of a silver chain, my thoughts scattered, and I shook from the pain. The water in my throat and lungs silenced my cries. The thin silk of my dress clung to me, tangling around my legs and holding me prisoner as much as the cuffs.
With each new silver burn, my strength faded until I couldn’t even try to scream, my body as limp and unresponsive as the corpses keeping me company.
I closed my eyes and waited for death to claim me.
I woke vomiting water.
Someone held me upright while I choked and spluttered, convulsions rippling through me. My first breath burned in my throat and scorched my lungs. I wheezed. My arms were held over my head in a gentle but firm grip. Hands massaged my shoulders.
Every instinct I had demanded I fight, but the effort of breathing took all my strength. My wolf panicked when I couldn’t even lift my head.
I considered it a victory I was able to open my eyes. My vision was blurry, but gradually focused on the concrete basement floor. Puddles of water reflected men and women standing over me.
I didn’t recognize any of them, neither by sight nor scent. Fear tightened my throat.
