I stepped back and slammed the door closed. Turning on my heel, I marched back to my room as the guard snickered. Laughter exploded from the room currently hosting the orgy. Grabbing my bedding, I pulled it off the bed before moving to the other side of the room, far from the adjoining wall. I slid my back down the wall as the moaning started up and then more feminine squealing.
Pushing the bedding beneath my body to protect me from the cold stone floor, I held a pillow over my head, trying to sleep. A masculine voice bellowed my name, and I glared at the opposite wall, realizing Torrin had placed me in a room right next to his. Torrin’s laughter followed the male screaming out my name, and then a woman screamed his name as hot tears pricked my eyes.
I turned, knocking on the wall behind me. Feet scraped across the floor, and an answering knock sounded. Tapping three times, I waited until it answered six times. Smiling, I placed my hand on the wall, knowing Amo was behind it. We had to get out of here. Torrin was confusing me on purpose and enjoying doing so.
I’d almost begged him to fuck me today. I’d felt the moon nearing its fullest state, and that meant that I was in trouble of losing control. Tomorrow, the moon would be full, and I knew it would call me. The moon hadn’t called me in four months, which meant my body wouldn’t be in control, and it didn’t care about modesty or the fact that Torrin was a huge man-slut.
We couldn’t be here when the moon reached its precipice tomorrow, but we didn’t have our weapons or a means for escape. Torrin had brought us into his territory, and while that had been the plan, we had to figure out where the map was and get our shit back.
They had Landon, which meant I had to figure out where they were holding him, and the moment I had that information, I could escape this place and the infuriating male who was playing with me. I got it; Torrin was a warrior, and we all knew how to use what we had.
Torrin had sex appeal, and he was notoriously wicked-good in bed. He enjoyed dominating women, and while it was a tremendous turn on, I couldn’t act on it. For one thing, I’d be very fertile the moment the moon phase started. Torrin’s men had taken all our tonics, which meant anyone called by the moon would be in danger of breeding. There was also the matter that I didn’t want to be yet another woman he womanized.
A knock sounded on the wall beside my head, and I answered it, listening as Amo tapped out a question.
Are we escaping?
I frowned, tapping my coded reply. Hell yes, we’re leaving.
Another few taps, and another answer. We talked in code for over an hour before I rested my head onto the pillow, staring at the opposite wall. Frowning, I listened to the sounds of flesh meeting flesh and high-pitched screams of pleasure, mingling with the guttural groans that echoed through my head.
By the time I gave up on sleep and bathed, dressing for the day, it was morning. I opened my door, glaring at the guard. It wasn’t Hensley. The new guard turned, staring at me with midnight eyes.
“I need to visit the stables,” I stated, watching his eyes turn to slits before the door beside us opened, and a group of women slid from it, giggling as they started down the hallway.
“You’re not allowed outside of the room,” he snorted loudly.
“Take me to the stables,” I repeated, glowering at him.
“You deaf? I said you’re not allowed out of your room, you stupid bitch,” he shouted, and I growled, balling my fists at my side as I prepared to attack him.
“I’ll take you,” Torrin interjected, leaning against the doorway with his arms folded over his chest in a lazy pose.
“No thanks,” I seethed. “This Neanderthal can point me in the right direction, and I’ll go by myself.”
“You’re not permitted to be outside of your room without me beside you. You can leave Chivalry neglected, scared, and depressed that his pretty mistress has ignored him since she arrived, or I can escort you. Choose,” Torrin grunted, studying my face.
“Fine, take me to my horse.”
“Let me put on something more presentable,” he said with a saccharine smile that irked me. He wore his lounge pants that looked way too enticing with how low on his hips they hung. The bulge in his pants was visible, forcing a blush to paint my cheeks as I looked away.
I waited at the door, but he didn’t move. Smothering the need to scream, he lifted a brow and nodded toward his bedroom.
“Come on, woman. You can assist me,” he grunted, and I swallowed down the need to tell him to get fucked, but then he probably would. He’d probably take it as an invitation.
I moved toward him, entering the bedroom without waiting for him. Inside, the room was in disarray and smelled of sex. Bottles of whiskey sat half-drunk, while penis-shaped items littered the floor. A whip sat on the bed, and other random items I assumed he had used last night lay there as well. I lifted my stare to the ceiling, bristling with unease and anger while he rummaged through his chest, withdrawing clothing.
“You sleep well?” he asked, and I scoffed.
I turned away from him, dismissing him outright with his outlandish question. He didn’t need my reply because he knew the answer already. His wall was bathed in maps, which drew my interest. I crept closer, noting the lines drawn around certain places, with large Xs that marked prisons and holding cells. On the furthest corner of the map was a blacked-out mark, one that forced me to move closer to see the words written upon it. It was too accessible, though, which caused my mind to turn it over a few times, slowly shaking my head.
I lifted my hand, and I ran my fingers over the fallen kingdom’s symbol, belonging to the Sun Clan that was lost long ago. The Kingdom of the Sun had once been a powerful kingdom, according to our history books. It was the land that had held the light until it had fallen, leaving the world bathed in eternal darkness.
“The Sun Clan,” Torrin stated behind me, causing me to jump and turn toward him.
He caged me in against the wall, letting his stare settle on my pulse that jackhammered at the base of my throat. My chest rose and fell in the corset left out for me to wear, pushing my breasts up to appear fuller than they were. He smiled coldly, dipping his eyes lower to take in the silver top and the sheer skirt that covered the leggings beneath it.
“I see you found your things,” he rumbled huskily.
I didn’t reply, choosing to remain silent. Torrin grunted, backing away from me as I slipped beneath his arm and moved toward the door. He swept his gaze over the room and scrubbed his hand over his face. At the door, he issued an order to have his room cleaned before he returned.
“You are choosing silence over conversation?” he asked as I followed him down the hall.
“I have nothing to say to you,” I grunted, ignoring the chilling look he tossed back at me.
“Tonight, the moon will be full,” he announced.
“I’m very aware of the moon phase,” I admitted, stopping as he spun, pushing open a door. He held his hand out, indicating I should go first.
I peered into the darkened stairwell, frowning while taking in the steep spiraling stairs that led down into darkness. Pursing my lips, I studied Torrin’s body language before slowly entering and starting down them.
“Afraid I am taking you to the dungeon?”
“If you’re asking if I trust you, the answer is no.”
“For not caring who I fuck, you’re acting like a jealous bitch,” he muttered, and I turned, glaring up at him.
“Who you fuck isn’t my concern. I don’t care about you. I don’t care what you do or with whom you do it. You’re nothing. You’re just some male slut who enjoys seducing women. Once the chase is over, so is your affection. You’re not my type, Torrin. Stick with your floozy court and tavern girls. You’re shallow like them, which I’m sure provides you with a lot to talk about when you’ve finished fucking. They’re used to being used and discarded at a male’s discretion.”
I turned, starting down the stairs, only for Torrin to grab my hair an
d yank it back. He slammed my body against the wall, and his hand grabbed my throat, applying pressure while he studied me. Lifting my hands, I dug my nails into his wrist, trying to remove the hold against my windpipe. Lights burst behind my eyes as stars danced within them. Midnight-black eyes watched me as the lines spread over his face, moving down his throat.
My body trembled as a sinfully wicked smile played on his lips. He lowered his mouth, claiming my lips as he released my throat, feeding me air while I moaned against him. He continued gripping my hair, holding it painfully in his grasp while he pushed his tongue into my mouth. I bit down, drawing blood as he gasped. Coppery tang painted my tongue as he pulled my head away from his.
“You think you’re so much fucking better than us, don’t you? Why? Because the moon cursed you with light so that creatures like me can suck it out of you? You were escorted into the Kingdom of Night by nightwalkers, and you didn’t even fucking notice. Poor Alexandria and her neglected cunt, couldn’t think past the male who offered her a tiny bit of affection. You’re the pathetic one.”
My head swam with his words, searching his face as I realized he was a fully functioning nightwalker. I’d assumed he held a demonic presence, but never a nightwalker since they weren’t capable of thought or control of their minds when hunger hit. I’d heard the whispers of the nightwalkers being able to retain their memories, but most were mindless killing machines that merely lived to destroy the moon-touched people. My body shuddered as I pushed myself against the wall, staring at him.
“You’re lying,” I argued, knowing he wasn’t.
Torrin lowered his head, and when it rose, his eyes were filled with black that consumed the whites of his eyes. Now that his guard was down, I began to really explore his features, noticing that his ears were pointed, like those of the original families that had once lived in the land thousands of years ago. His teeth were sharp, the long canines exposed in the smile he gave me while my mouth opened and closed in denial. Torrin’s arms were covered in delicate black lines that hummed and pulsed beneath his skin. His hair was silver and longer than it normally appeared to be.
“Tell me I’m lying,” he whispered huskily. “Do you think your people will allow you back within their protection after hearing that their fearless assassin sucked off a nightwalker? Or that she allowed him to play with her inside her mind?” he asked, and the blood drained from my face.
No. They’d assassinate us. The Moon Clan would hunt us down as deserters, capture us, and put us down to keep their secrets safe. My heart pounded in my chest as I searched Torrin’s face, praying to the Goddess of the Moon that he was playing some sort of sick joke.
His head tipped to the side, and the smile that spread over his lips wasn’t friendly. He moved closer, and I slammed myself against the wall, watching the anger pulsing in his stare. His hands grabbed me, holding me in place while he pushed against my body, showing me how hard he was.
“Your fear excites me, Alexandria. If I were you, I’d at least try to conceal it.”
Chapter Eighteen
Torrin took me to the stable and left me there momentarily while he spoke to the stable hand. I stroked Chivalry’s mane, rubbing down his side as I told him we’d lost people and who they were. He bayed and rubbed his head against my shoulder, tossing his head back the moment Torrin reappeared. My eyes moved to his frosted glare.
Torrin was a nightwalker who’d looked normal until he chose not to. They were evolving. He’d been able to change at will. That meant nothing we knew about nightwalkers was right. They could be within the gates of the clan stronghold, and we’d never see the difference.
He’d passed every test we’d been trained to administer. Torrin had no problem ignoring the call to take my light, and he’d seemed normal. Okay, so he appeared normal for those within the Kingdom of Night, altering some signs I would have recognized.
Torrin had taken me within his dreamscape, which required a lot of mind control and precision to do correctly. I’d been inside his mind, forcing my way into it, and nothing had been off about him. Usually, when one pushed into a nightwalker’s mind, there was nothing, no brain activity besides the urgency to consume light. So how had he evolved into one displaying none of the symptoms?
“Done?” he asked, staring into my angry eyes, noting my frosty response.
“Yes,” I whispered, uncertain how to act, knowing what he was.
I had spent my entire life training to murder his kind. He was the monster we hunted, striking them down without fear. Killing mindless enemies was simple when they didn’t contain intelligent life.
Torrin was a man, a virile, living, breathing man with needs. He held conversations and indulged as any other man would. Cautiously, I followed him until we reached the stairs. I watched his body while we climbed them, noting no stiffness or deadening movement that led to the change of the mindless monster he should be.
At the top of the stairs, Torrin opened the door and led me down the hallway. My eyes flicked to the guards, noting their eyes studied me before bitter smiles spread over their mouths. Sharp fangs became exposed while they took me in, silently.
I tried to slip past Torrin to enter my room alone, but he didn’t allow it. Instead, he pushed the door open and followed me inside, much to the guard’s amusement. I backed away from him, staring around the room for something to use, but came up empty. Someone had left a dress on the bed, with a pair of soft shoes, presumably for the party tonight.
“Drink. It will calm the rate of your heartbeat,” Torrin ordered, settling into a chair while he watched me staring him down.
“I learned that lesson when you allowed me to drink drugged whiskey,” I stated, noting the way his mouth curved into a knowing smile.
“You’re afraid of me,” he grunted angrily, sitting forward to steeple his hands in front of him. “Do you fear I will drain you, Alexandria?”
“Shouldn’t I? You’re a nightwalker, Torrin.”
“You can call me Tor. Women I plan to fuck get to call me such.” His eyes studied my face as I shook my head.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re a whore, Tor. I wouldn’t fuck you now, even if I hadn’t learned the truth of what you are. Does the king know what you are? Is everyone here, nightwalkers?” I word-vomited my questions one after another without taking a breath.
“Yes, the king is aware, and no, they are not all nightwalkers,” he stated, lifting the whiskey to fill two silver chalices. “If I hadn’t told you or shown you what I was, you’d never have known. I have not harmed you, not out of anger. I didn’t force you to do anything you didn’t want to do with me. I protected you, and I ensured you made it here in one piece.”
“You do understand that kidnapping isn’t the same as escorting someone. Right?” He smirked, shaking his head while those pretty blue eyes noted my every movement.
I compartmentalized his words, pushing them through my mind while I crept closer to him. Sitting in the furthest chair, I stared at Torrin with curiosity. He’d fucked me. Not physically, but he’d ensured I could never go home. Our people wouldn’t welcome me. It was treason to consort with the enemy, and he was so much the freaking enemy.
There would be no returning to our people. My team and I were now outcasts who had no home, no people, and nowhere to go that would accept us. My eyes flicked to his face, sliding down his body before they rolled back up to hold his gaze.
“Did you die to become a nightwalker?” I asked, uncertain if I should ask him questions.
“No,” he said, sipping his whiskey while he watched me above the rim.
“How then?”
“You think it’s a sickness, which isn’t true. You and your people were awarded the light of the moon while we were bathed in eternal darkness. Do you think we weren’t blessed as well?”
“Being a nightwalker is a curse, Torrin. You feed on the living. You murder us.”
“And you fucking murder us!” he sn
apped, losing the thread he’d held on his composure. I jumped back, and he ran his hand over his mouth, glaring at me. “You hunt our people down, slaughtering them because, to you, they’re wrong, they’re an abomination. They don’t glow in the fucking dark, and therefore they’re lesser beings.”
“Nightwalkers don’t have coherent thought! They suck the fucking marrow out of us! What would you have us do to protect ourselves?”
“Do you think I have no coherent thought? Have I sucked the marrow out of you? Hell, Alexandria. I tasted your delicious pussy, but you’re still alive, aren’t you?”
“That was in a dreamscape.”
“Was it?” he asked, and the room changed around us. I stared at the familiar bedroom, with the silk sheets and the desk where he’d pushed me down.
My heart stopped beating and restarted with a thud that thumped painfully. Moving my attention back to Torrin, I found him smiling roguishly, his eyes noting that I was putting everything together.
“You didn’t break your vow,” he stated on an exhale, pushing the whiskey forward. “Drink before your heart gives out.”
“If it wasn’t a dreamscape, and it was real…”
“I made you think you found release. The mind is a wondrous thing, Alexandria. Your mind allowed you to buy what I sold to it. You were in bed with me while I fed you images of what we were doing together. Easily manipulated once you assumed it was possible.”
“Why not just tell me?” I asked, watching his face.
“Tell you what, Alexandria? That I was a nightwalker sent out to retrieve you? Tell you that nothing you did would have prevented you from being brought here? Our people are at war and have been since the plague of darkness divided the kingdoms, and the Order of the Moon declared us monsters, knowing we weren’t. If I had told you the truth, you’d have fought me the entire way here, more than you already were.”
I shivered, peering out the window as the moon started its ascent into the sky. My body tensed, pulsing with the start of the call. Torrin watched me, his eyes slowly growing hooded as a knowing look burned within them.
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