by Katie May
“Is there anything else we can do to be of service?” one of the female prisoners inquires, and Kai turns to stare at her. She’s beautiful, her toned body and ample breasts visible in the translucent dress she wears. Even from where we sit, I can see her nipples. Which means Kai can see her nipples.
Her blue-green gaze volleys between the twins to Damien and then to Bronson before finally settling on Kai. Realizing she has his attention, she languidly begins to stroke a finger up and down her cleavage.
“You are excused,” Kai says sharply, and the woman pouts. Actually pouts.
“What about you, my love?” she asks in a low, raspy tone, sashaying to Abel. Her hand settles on his bicep, and I see red. The intensity of my jealousy takes me by surprise. It’s almost crushing, this weight, like a wave burying me beneath the water’s surface.
I tense, wondering what Abel will do and why I care so much.
His face goes still, hewn from stone, and his eyes seem to penetrate the offending limb caressing his skin.
“You heard Blade. You may leave.” His tone is no longer the jovial, cheerful one I have grown accustomed to. It’s cold, icy almost, and sends tingles vibrating up and down my spine. Tingles of...pleasure. Which is insane, right?
“Or I can make you leave,” Damien suggests with a slight smile. She gulps, stutters, before hurrying out of the room. The rest of the women follow out behind her, sans one who stands trembling in the center of the room.
Tessa.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Bronson growls. “We told you to leave. Let us have our breakfast in peace.”
We haven’t talked yet about last night and how he slept with me as a wolf, and I’m too nervous to bring it up myself. No, I much prefer to stick my head in the sand, thank you very much.
Tessa gulps but refuses to cower beneath their combined piercing stares.
“Nina,” she says stiffly, nodding toward me. “I want to make sure she’s okay. You guys have shown...more interest in her than anyone else.” She looks around nervously but continues on with a determined set to her chin, directing her next question at me. “They’re not hurting you or doing anything you don’t want, are they?” My heart swells. This girl is terrified, positively petrified if her wide eyes and trembling hands are any indication, yet her chin is held up imperiously and her gaze doesn’t waver.
I never had a female friend before, but maybe, just maybe, I found one in her.
The guys growl at what she implies, but I silence them with one raised hand. Tessa’s eyes widen, barely perceptible, before she schools her features.
“I’m fine. More than fine,” I assure her. “Thank you, Tessa.”
She nods once, casts a worried look at the five males, before hurrying out of the room with the rest of the ladies.
Only when we’re alone do I pull out of Kai’s head and focus on my food. After a few bites of eggs, I ask the question that has been burning a hole in my tongue.
“Are those your fuck buddies?”
Kai chokes on a piece of egg, Abel yelps, Bronson growls, Cain laughs, and Damien remains silent.
“What did you just say?” Kai manages to ask at last.
“That’s what they said at the Compound,” I say, slightly offended at his incredulous tone. Did I use it in the wrong context? “For women they were...errr...in relations with. Fuck buddies. Or is it buddy fucks?”
I push myself into Bronson’s eyes, standing sentry near the door, and survey their reactions. Abel and Cain exchange a long, eloquent look that makes words almost unnecessary. Damien is staring at me intently, and Kai looks amused.
“You already know my answer, Babygirl,” he purrs, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and continuing to eat with his free hand.
“Those wenches mean nothing to me,” Damien insists vehemently. I’m shocked by his pragmatic tone.
“Dam,” I say softly. “That’s not a nice thing to say.”
He grunts, grabbing a small dagger and picking at the skin underneath his nails. He’s the only one who’s not eating.
“A wise man once told me,” Abel begins, breaking his staring contest with his brother. “That a past lay is a past lay, and nothing more.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” I point out.
He mutters something that sounds like, “Thank fuck,” before digging into his pancakes with gusto.
Bronson, I notice, is the only one who doesn’t answer my question. His eyes are fixed firmly on me, and through his vision, I see myself blush and duck my head. It’s unnerving to be the sole attention of his intense gaze.
I embrace my customary darkness once more, using my fork to cut up my pancake. Behind me, I hear the now familiar cling of metal against metal.
Before I can lose my nerve, I jump to my feet—taking my plate with me—and move expertly to where I know Damien leans against the wall.
He’s different from the others. I knew that since the first moment I saw him. Hardened and savage in beauty. The power he exudes is dark and staggering, caressing my skin like a shadow. He’s a part of them...and yet he’s not. Every time they’re all together, he’s on the outskirts looking in. Heck, he doesn’t even sleep in the same area, preferring to have his quarters on the opposite side of the hall.
When I look at him, I see darkness. Pure and unrelenting darkness.
“You’re not eating,” I point out softly. The tension of the men behind me is almost palpable, growing by the second. Kai releases a low, threatening growl, and I sense a body moving closer.
For a long moment, Damien doesn’t speak, but I know he’s looking at me. I can feel his gaze like a burning brand on my skin.
“I’m not hungry,” he settles on at last.
Abel snorts. Don’t ask me how I know it’s him, only that I do. Maybe it’s because Cain would never be seen doing something as undignified as snorting. “He’s paranoid that someone’s going to kill him.”
I gasp, my stomach a tumultuous mixture of dread and fear at the prospect. “Why would someone kill you?”
Damien doesn’t answer, and once more, I hear the sound of metal against metal. I want to flinch at the familiar noise of sharpening knives but manage to rein in my innate reaction.
“Here,” I say, scooping up some eggs and holding it up for him.
Someone gasps behind me, but I don’t know who.
“Nina, be careful,” Kai warns, but I wave him away as I focus on Damien, sliding into his mind.
Silence stretches between us like a taut rubber band seconds from snapping. Any moment now...
Damien grabs my hand and guides it to his open mouth. His lips close around the prongs once before he releases the fork. Everyone seems to be holding their breath. Heck, even I’m holding my breath.
“That’s delicious,” Damien says at last, and I smile warmly, relieved.
“Can I join you?” I question. In response, he pulls us both onto the ground, my thigh flush against his. Giggling, I feed myself first and then offer a bite to Damien. Each time, he takes it eagerly, almost reveling in my attention.
“What the hell am I witnessing?” Cain exclaims, dumbfounded.
“A man losing his balls,” Abel supplies.
“You, if you don’t shut the fuck up,” Damien deadpans, and I hear Abel’s audible gulp. Leaning to the side, I pinch Damien’s muscular bicep through the thick fabric of his suit.
“That’s not nice,” I scold. Instead of responding, Damien takes the plate from my lap and begins to feed me tiny bites. A blush crawls up my neck and to my cheeks at the intimate exchange.
“The world has officially gone to hell,” Cain murmurs.
The door to the “throne room” opens, and Damien jumps to his feet, the plate clattering to the ground. He moves to stand in front of me, blocking me from the intruder’s gaze.
It’s another unfamiliar man with hair caked with grime, a dirty face, and ripped clothing. He is held between two large and intimidating men.
“What�
�s the meaning of this?” Kai demands, stalking forward. Gone is the sweet, passionate man who called me Babygirl. In his place is a predator. A monster.
The embodiment of darkness.
“Caught him sneaking around your stash,” one of the muscular men says, shaking the trembling man’s arm. I don’t need to see Kai’s face to know that his eyes have darkened.
Even at the Compound, Kai was obsessed with shiny things. It frequently got him into trouble. Gold, silver, ruby... it didn’t matter. If it sparkled, he had to have it. He told me once it was an instinctive need inside of him, something he couldn’t control. The guards called him a kleptomaniac.
“Is that right?” Kai asks, stepping closer to the sniffling man. “What’s your name?”
“Hunt...Hunter,” he gasps, cowering under the full force of Kai’s stare.
“Is it true, Hunter, what my friend said? Were you in my stash?” When Hunter doesn’t immediately answer, Kai leans even closer until he casts a shadow over the other man. “Answer me.”
“I was... I was just looking,” he says at last, tear-filled eyes imploring. “Please.”
“We found this on him.” The second man procures a golden chain from his pocket and tosses it to Kai who catches it easily.
“So, you stole from me,” Kai deduces, volleying his gaze between the man and the chain.
“I’m so, so sorry.” The man begins to cry in earnest, great heaping sobs that wrack his body.
With a snarl, Kai turns from Hunter and faces me, still sitting behind Damien’s imposing frame.
“Get her out of here,” he says, but his voice is unrecognizable. Guttural, almost, like he’s speaking through elongated teeth.
Bronson, of all people, steps forward and gently grabs my hand. I wince instinctively at the contact before willing my body to relax.
He’s not going to hurt me. He’s not going to hurt me.
Bronson waits, painstakingly patient, before I allow him to pull me to my feet.
“What’s going to happen to that man?” I whisper as Bronson drags me to the door, opens it, and pushes me out.
“They’re just going to talk to him,” the giant man assures me gruffly. But...
But I know he’s lying.
On the other side of the door, I can no longer hear, but I can still see. I’m still in Damien’s mind.
I watch as the mage indolently steps forward with his blade extended. The two thugs move aside as the twins take their places, each holding one of Hunter’s arms. Kai’s lips move, but this far away, I can’t hear what he’s saying. Maybe, in time, I can hone my gift. Maybe I can learn to use other people’s senses instead of just their eyes.
For now, all I can do is watch.
Kai’s hand shifts into a huge, scaly claw the color of rubies. His features change and contort, and at that moment, overlapping his human form, I see something I have never seen before.
The illusion lasts for only a second before it dissipates leaving Kai visible once more, but it’s enough.
Red scales. A body the size of a house. Horns protruding from the creature’s head. A formidable tail covered in spikes.
A dragon.
Kai is a dragon.
Bronson’s saying something to me, but I’m too lost in the vision to respond. To breathe. My legs feel like jello, threatening to give out at any moment.
Kai lifts a clawed hand and slashes it across Hunter’s neck. Blood sputters, like a red waterfall, and douses all four of the men.
No. No. No.
Bronson screams my name, voice high with fear, but I can’t hear him over the roaring in my ears.
The world around me fades to black.
Chapter 13
Kai
I’m a fucking dumbass.
Not just any dumbass, but the king of fucking dumbasses. I deserve to wear a crown of barbed wire and thorns.
“The door was closed,” Bronson insists for the tenth time since he barreled back into the room, Nina unconscious in his arms. “I don’t know what the hell happened.”
What happened was my queen saw me kill that man, slicing his head clean off his body.
I don’t say that to the other guys, though. The less they know about Nina—and her abilities—the better.
Fuck, what else did she see?
She’s probably terrified and confused, her fragile mind unable to comprehend everything that had just transpired.
Did she see my partial shift? Does she think I’m a monster?
Damien stalks forward, body lean and powerful, and points a dagger at Bronson’s face.
“What did you do to her?” he demands, eyes not wavering from the fierce shadow wolf.
Bronson’s eyes flash with a ring of silver as a growl rumbles his body. I immediately jump to my feet, prepared to rush between the two supernatural psychopaths before they can fight with my love in between them. Fortunately, Bronson calms down first, his body relaxing incrementally as his arms tighten around Nina.
Fuck, I’m going to have to ask him about his possessiveness toward her. The way he acts around my girl goes beyond a relationship between mere strangers.
Damien doesn’t lower his dagger, but his eyes do flicker toward the sleeping girl. I could be mistaken, but I swear his eyes soften marginally before they harden once more.
“I will flay you alive, Wolfie. Cut your skin off and bathe in your blood. Eat your innards and then dance in them.” The tip of the knife touches Bronson’s throat. One sudden move and the wolf will be very much dead.
Nina...
I need to get her away from them. Now.
“She was fine,” Bronson growls, staring Damien in the eyes. “All of a sudden she started rambling about monsters and dragons and Kai.” He nods his head toward me, and Damien spins on his heel with a predatory grace that belies his nature. As a mage, you wouldn’t consider the man high on the totem pole of life. Above a human, for sure, and maybe above dumbass shifters, but definitely not higher than a dragon.
Yet, if Damien ever felt the need, he could dominate not only the prison, but the world. He’s a rabid dog tethered to a chewed up leash that is seconds from snapping in half completely. He needs someone to control him, call the shots, warn him when he’s going too far.
Frankly, the guy scares the shit out of me.
Being the sole focus of his piercing glare sends prickles of unease racing down my spine. Instead of showing my discomfort, I glower right back.
“Would you like to share with the class, Kai?” he asks coldly. He flexes his muscles once, the movement almost threatening. Brandishing his knife in the air, he takes another step closer. “How do you know the girl?”
“Why do you care?” I growl, crossing my arms over my chest. I know my eyes are vertical slits as my dragon comes out to play.
“Maybe...” Another step closer. That damn knife of his continuously twirls between his fingers. Is it wrong that I want it to cut one of them off? Or hell, maybe he’ll drop it on his throat—one can only hope. “Maybe I just want to fuck her.”
Smoke flares from my nostrils as my breath saws in and out. Damien’s smile only grows, though his eyes remain cold.
“Maybe I just want to slide my cock in her sweet, virginal pussy. Is she a virgin, Blade? Or did you get to her first? Or did someone else—”
Before he can finish his sentence, I lunge forward, claws extended. Damien laughs jovially as if this is the most fun he’s had all year.
He sidesteps my blow stealthily, ducking beneath my clawed hand. A growl emanates from my chest as I spin around once more, preparing myself to strike. To maim. To kill.
Blistering pain erupts on my back, and I roar as Damien slashes at my skin with his knife.
“I won’t hesitate to kill you,” Damien says stoutly, backing away and crouching into a defensive maneuver. His eyes are cold, steely, devoid of any warmth. Those are the eyes of a killer. “But... I’m already tired of this.”
My body quivers as my feet hover a foot a
bove the ground. Glimmering, pearlescent manacles clasp both my wrists and ankles together, stilling my struggles. The bastard cast a spell on me.
“You going to kill a man who can’t even fight back?” I hiss, my eyes flickering to an unconscious Nina. She’s lying on the ground with her head in Bronson’s lap as the twins hover over them both. “Fucking coward.”
“What type of man do you take me for?” Damien queries, dusting imaginary lint off his suit jacket. “I’m many things, but a killer of an incapacitated man isn’t one.” He ventures a step closer, his eyes thin slits. “What is she, Blade?”
Scowling, I spit at his face.
The psychopath doesn’t even bat an eye.
“What is she?” he asks again.
“I. Don’t. Fucking. Know.” And it’s the truth. I don’t think anyone in the Compound knows what she is. All I know for certain is that she’s something other, something ethereal.
And she’s mine.
From the first moment she comforted me—a sniveling little boy who had just been ripped away from his parents—my dragon had claimed her as his to protect, fight for, and love. She’s my star, moon, and sun. The entity I orbit around. My everything. She loves every piece of me, even the ones I haven’t apologized for.
When I left her...
When I was taken from her...
I squeeze my eyelids shut, attempting to dispel the horrific images of those dark times. I hadn’t intentionally broken my promise to come for her. I had tried.
And it’s what brought me here. Still, the fact that I fought for her doesn’t immediately assuage my guilt at leaving her behind.
“If you guys are done pissing on each other,” Abel retorts. “You should come see this.” His voice is high with wonderment and awe.
Damien—the asshole—moves forward silently, leaving me hovering above the ground in a vise of chains.
“Fucking asshole,” I mutter, twisting and wiggling. I can easily shift into my dragon and burn the mythical chains, but I don’t dare with Nina so close. The last thing I want to do is hurt her.
Easily stepping over Hunter’s pool of blood, Damien leans over her, effectively obscuring her from view.
