by Bella Jacobs
“It’s vital,” Bane agrees, glancing up from his meal, though he continues to put a serious dent in his eggs, toast, and bacon as he adds, “It will prove to everyone that Maxim is the Shadow King, and that the three of us are united against him. And helping us have the baby the prophecy foretold will make you a saint in the new world, Willow.” He offers a condescending smile that makes my skin feel like it’s being stroked with a cold, soggy washcloth. “Our people will worship you for centuries to come.”
I clear my throat and brush toast crumbs from my fingers. “Oh, well…I don’t need to be worshipped. Or want to be worshipped.” I glance Kelley’s way. “I just want to help my sister become a mother and then finally be free to call the shots for what comes next for my life. Growing up under Victor’s rule, I’ve never had that.”
“Of course. Understandable,” Bane says, demolishing his fruit salad in a few big bites.
The man definitely doesn’t waste time tasting his food.
Maybe evil numbs the taste buds or something so there’s no reason to take his time…
“Kelley struggles with that, too,” he continues, “being torn between obeying orders and wanting to chart her own course. But there can only be one Alpha. Shared power only confuses the people. Which reminds me…”
He moves so fast that by the time my gasp clears my throat, he’s already grabbed a fistful of Kelley’s hair, lifted her into the air, and dragged her over to the fireplace.
Where the hot coals are still blazing.
Chapter Thirteen
Willow
Kelley clings to Bane’s wrist with both hands—probably to keep her hair from being ripped out at the root—but doesn’t cry out or offer a word of protest as he leans over, bringing her face within inches of the hot coals.
“Yesterday, you ordered Diana released from her cage and brought here without my permission, my queen,” he says, his calm, soothing voice at odds with the brutality of his actions. “Forget your place again, and I’ll have no choice but to punish you. A burn scar on your pretty face might help you remember who’s in charge, don’t you think? You’d be reminded every time you look in the mirror that I’m the one in control.”
“Willow wouldn’t listen to me about having the baby until she knew Diana was safe, and I couldn’t find you,” Kelley says in an equally calm voice. “I thought I was doing what was best. I know we both want this pregnancy as soon as possible.”
“You know very little, love,” he says, his grip tightening in my sister’s hair until she winces, and her neck goes stiff. “Which has been done on purpose, to ensure your protection. But if you continue to disobey me, I can’t protect you, which is unacceptable to me. This is your last chance to prove you understand how to behave yourself, Kelley. You don’t lead, you follow. From now on, if for some reason I’m not available to make decisions for you, you will wait to move forward until I am. Are we clear?”
“Clear, Alpha,” she says.
“Good.” He pulls her to her feet and away from the fire.
The tension is just beginning to seep from my body when he flexes his massive bicep and slams the top of Kelley’s head into the heavy wooden mantle over the fire.
Diana and I both cry out, cowering instinctively closer together as he releases Kelley and she crumples to the floor at his feet, moaning softly as she presses a hand to her no-doubt aching skull.
Eyes wide, I wrap my arm around Diana’s shoulders, wondering what the hell to do if he comes for her next.
Or for me.
I can be savage in my wolf form, but even as a wolf I’m so much smaller and weaker than this man, and he has no problem using his superior strength to make other people’s lives miserable.
Which is why you have to do this.
You have to go through with the ritual and become queen.
Then you’ll finally be strong enough to protect the people you love.
And yourself.
I bite the inside of my lip, praying my thoughts aren’t showing in my expression as Bane moves closer to the blanket and crouches down, bringing his face nearly level with mine. “There is room for freedom in the new world we’re building, Willow, but only if you remember your place. And until you bring our babies into the world, your place is wherever I want it to be, and your sole purpose is to protect and nurture those unborn lives. Are we understood?”
I nod quickly, casting my gaze down to my plate as I whisper. “Understood, Alpha.”
“Good,” he says, sounding pleased.
Thankfully, he took my lowered gaze for a sign of submission, not a desperate attempt to hide what I’m sure is a bad case of murder eyeballs.
I want to kill this man so much, more than Victor or Pax or even the man who brutalized me as a child.
“If you cooperate and give me your loyalty and respect,” he continues, “you’ll be rewarded. If you cross me, you will never regret anything more.” I nod again, and he shifts his focus to Diana. “The same goes for you, little sister. I won’t have you embarrassing me or making the others doubt that I have my house in order. Tonight, at the group dinner, you will sit beside me as your wolf and feed only on scraps from my plate. And every time you’re granted a morsel, you will lick my hand in gratitude. If you’re obedient and put on a good show for the troops, you’ll be allowed to come back here, sleep in that soft bed with Willow, and enjoy the comforts of being cared for by my mate. If not, you’ll go back to your cage until you can be matched to a man capable of keeping you under control.”
Diana stiffens beneath my arm, but thankfully doesn’t say a word, not even when Bane adds, “I have a few who are more than up for the job of keeping you in bed with your legs spread until you’re seeded and too big with child to cause any problems. And I won’t hesitate to make that happen. Understood?”
“Yes, Alpha,” she says in such a small voice I can scarcely believe it came out of the same bold, brave girl I know.
But playing along is the best thing right now. Open defiance won’t do any of us any good. We have to bide our time, keep our secrets, and be ready to strike when the window of opportunity opens.
Bane stands with a contented sigh. “Excellent. Make sure they both have something nice to wear for tomorrow night, Kelley. I want the entire family looking beautiful for the celebration of the full moon. The camera team will be here to film a few segments. Coordinate the script with Elsbeth, she has a knack for knowing what will appeal to the masses. This could be a major turning point for us. Seeing your sister here with me should help convince some of our hold outs that getting behind our rule really is their best and only choice.”
“Of course,” Kelley says softly, still on the floor where Bane left her.
He has to squat low to give her a goodbye kiss on the cheek before striding out the cabin door.
Afterward, we sit in the buzzing silence that always seems to follow a bad shock, listening to his footfalls fade as he returns to the main part of the camp.
Finally, Diana whispers, “I’m going to kill him. When it’s time, I want to do it. I call dibs.”
Kelley starts to nod, but stops halfway through, wincing and bringing a hand to rub at the muscles at the back of her neck. “I’m fine with that, but it will probably be faster if Willow does it. Once she’s sworn to the sword, as far as I understand it, she’ll be pretty much unstoppable.”
That’s what she said last night when we were talking about how everything would go down, but today the words hold new meaning. “And what if I drop the sword? Or someone takes it from me?”
“I don’t think it matters,” Kelley says. “I think the sword’s power is yours, whether it’s in your hand or not. But we’ll ask Elsbeth to be sure.” Slowly, she rises to her feet. “If Bane has the camera crew here tomorrow, that will make it harder to sneak away from the party for the ritual, but we’ll manage. We might just have to wait until closer to midnight, when everyone’s either drunk or out running the woods.”
“All right,”
I say, pushing my now cold eggs to the far side of my plate as I ask, “How long has it been like this, Kelley? With Bane?”
“How long has it been physical?” She sighs. “About a year, maybe a little longer.” Her lips twist. “But I actually don’t mind it as much as the head games. Before, he was so good at convincing me that somehow, he was this great guy, and I was just too sensitive or selfish or something.” She runs a gentle hand through her hair, wincing again. “For a while there, he had me thinking I was crazy.”
“Typical malignant narcissist,” Diana says. “We’re learning about them in Psychology. I thought Maxim might be one before, but…” She swallows hard. “I wish Maxim were here.”
“Me, too,” I say, ignoring the ache in the pit of my stomach that insists I should tell Diana about the smell in the woods.
But Kelley’s silence and the sudden impenetrableness of her expression as she begins to gather the dirty dishes from the quilt make me hesitate.
Is it possible that Kelley might know more about that smell and what may have happened to Maxim than she’s letting on?
Possibly. Or maybe Maxim is one of those “men at the top” she and Elsbeth plan on getting rid of as we make our move to take control.
His name wasn’t mentioned, but it would make sense. According to the prophecy, aside from Bane, he’s the only other brother with a clear path and claim to the united shifter throne.
The prophecy…
I don’t know when it became real to me the way it is now, but I realize I no longer doubt whether it’s true, only how it will play out.
I could be developing some kind of Stockholm syndrome—beginning to sympathize and identify with my captors—but I don’t think so. Out here in the woods, with the magic of nature all around me and the pull of the nearly full moon dragging at my heart, begging me to embrace the mystical side of myself, it all feels so real.
And just hearing Elsbeth talk about the sword yesterday made my skin tingle all over. I swear I can already feel it summoning me, too, calling me to step up and accept the awesome responsibility Fate has decided to place in my hands.
The thought sparks something in my memory, throwing open a door to reveal a piece of the puzzle I’d forgotten in all the adrenaline-soaked excitement of the past few days.
“Maggie, the woman I talked to while I was with the North Star pack, said the sword wasn’t the only object taken from their antiquities room,” I say as I gather my dishes and Diana’s and join Kelley beside the hearth, scraping the remains of our meal into a bucket I’m guessing will help feed the pen of pigs I caught a glimpse of yesterday as I was carried through the camp. “She said mate-claiming items and a fertility totem were taken, too.”
Kelley hesitates only a fraction of a second before she nods and says, “Yes. Bane and I tried to get pregnant that way, but it didn’t work,” but I instinctively know she’s lying.
I bite my lip, torn.
Should I call her on it, or play along until the pieces of this puzzle hopefully come together?
Before I can decide, she adds, “But that reminds me. You actually will have to take the hormone shots today and tomorrow, Will. The team of doctors here are loyal to Bane. If you refuse to take the shots, it will get back to him and that won’t be good for any of us. Hard to get you to a ritual tomorrow night if you’re locked up somewhere being forcibly injected with hormones.”
I nod slowly, hating the thought of submitting to being injected with God knows what, but understanding I don’t have a choice. “All right. What time is that happening?”
She blinks, seeming to search her memory for a moment before she says, “One.” She nods and her shoulders relax. “Yes, one. And then Elsbeth is going to bring something for a late lunch, and we’ll finalize our plans for tomorrow.” She places the empty plates in a plastic bin by the fire and stands, hands propped on her hips as she lets out a shaky laugh. “I’m glad you’ll be in charge soon, little sis. I’m not sure how much more of Bane my head can take. Feels like I’m one concussion away from permanent brain damage.”
I put my arm around her, hugging her to my side, my stomach snarling into a stress knot as I’m flooded with conflicting emotions.
I want to rescue and protect my sister, but I also know my sister is lying to me about something, potentially something so massive it will drive a wedge between us forever.
I have to find out what she’s hiding from me and fast, and my instincts are screaming that following my nose is my best bet.
“Let me run this over to the pigs.” I pat her arm and pull away, reaching down to grasp the bucket’s handle. “That’s where it’s headed right?”
She nods. “Yes, but it can wait until after lunch. As long as the smell isn’t bothering anyone.”
“It’s okay, I don’t mind taking it now,” I say. “I’d love to wander around the camp a little, get a feel for where things are, and this will give me an excuse.” She nibbles her lip, but I cut her off with an assured, “I’ll keep a super low profile, I promise, and be back way before noon.”
“Can I come, too?” Diana asks from behind us.
I glance back to see her still on the floor beside the quilt with her knees drawn into her chest, the anxious expression on her face making her look even younger than eighteen, and a fresh wave of rage sweeps through me.
I have to protect her from Bane and make sure that sick future he threatened her with never comes true.
“I think you should stay here,” Kelley says, sparing me the trouble of coming up with an excuse to go alone. “Bane’s not happy with you, honey. Until he is, it’s best if you stay indoors and out of sight. And I can give you something to help take the edge off before the banquet tonight, if you want. Easier to lick a psychopath’s hand while he feeds you scraps if you’ve popped a couple Xanax first.”
Diana sighs and shrinks into a tighter ball. “Yeah. That would probably be good. Thank God I only have to pretend to be his good little lap dog for a couple of days. Any longer and I’d be tempted to throw myself off the nearest bridge.”
“I understand that feeling more than you know,” Kelley says, reaching for a pack of cards on the mantel beside an old chess set and a few battered paperbacks. “Want to play poker? Or Hearts? I always lose, but card games are good for keeping your mind off the ugly stuff.”
“Sure,” Diana says with a small smile. “That sounds good.”
As they settle onto the middle of the quilt and Kelley starts shuffling, I grab the bucket and duck out the door.
Outside, I glance around to make sure no one is watching as I head away from the pig pen, back toward the smell in the woods, carrying the scraps with me.
If I’m caught, I can pretend I misunderstood where the pig pen was located and likely avoid suspicion. But hopefully the rest of the camp will be too busy with other things to notice what I’m up to.
I can hear what sounds like military drills, the drone of the generators powering the structures with electricity, and the smell of cooks busy in the large outdoor kitchen. With the population of a small town to feed, those people are probably busy all day, and all the others are clearly focused on preparing for impending conflict.
Still, it seems strange that Bane hasn’t assigned guards to watch the cottage, Diana, or myself. He’s either overly confident in his ability to scare people into compliance or up to something. He’s absolutely the kind of sick bastard who would give you just enough rope to hang yourself before snatching you back into his clutches.
This could be a test of my loyalty.
I could be being followed and not even know it. I’m a city wolf with city wolf instincts. If some creep sidles up to me on the subway, I’m on guard before he can get close enough to cop a feel or steal my purse. But a stealthy tracker could be following my trail right now, and I wouldn’t have any idea.
With that in mind, I make a show of circling around some abandoned pens not far from the cottage, looking confused. My nose tells me animals haven�
��t been confined there for years, but I can always play dumb about that later. Walking away from the pens, I turn in a slow circle, continuing to play up my confusion as I search my surroundings, but there’s still no sign or scent of anyone on my trail.
Unsure whether to feel relieved or insulted that I’m apparently not considered enough of a threat to warrant surveillance, I start toward the woods behind the sanitary station.
Once there, I linger by the last port-a-john until I’m certain I won’t be observed before moving into the trees.
I have a pretty good idea where I left my marker of sticks and am headed that way, when I hear it—a faint, but tortured, scream.
Chapter Fourteen
Willow
The cry is muffled, as if it’s coming from a closed room deep inside a house, but it’s clearly a man’s scream.
And I would bet my right hand I know who it belongs to.
Maxim.
Terror and rage and a panicked helplessness flood into my bloodstream as I drop the bucket and run toward the sound. Logic insists I won’t be able to save Maxim alone even if I can find him, but the cosmic connection tying us together demands I try.
And there’s something else there, too, something that reminds me of the way I felt every time I saw my father snubbed or pushed around by Victor and his men. My feelings for Maxim may be complicated as hell right now, but I do care for him, and nothing makes me angrier than seeing the people I care about trapped under some bully’s boot.
Senses heightened by the adrenaline coursing through my veins, I’m able to pinpoint the source of the screams—and a large, grate-covered vent hidden beneath the fallen leaves—just a few moments later.
Heart racing, I drop my ear to the vent just as the scream comes again.
I cringe and my throat squeezes tight.
It’s definitely Maxim, and if my control-obsessed Alpha is howling in pain, he must be enduring something unspeakable, something I can’t allow to continue for another fucking second if I can help it.
