by Trina M. Lee
“How long were you with your sire?” I asked, a gentle nudge for her to continue.
Once she’d started talking about her past, Blaze had become a different person. One with sad eyes and a hard, icy tone. I’d have loved to meet this Remington asshole.
“Almost thirty years.” Her gaze dropped, and she shifted slightly in my embrace so she could stare at the ceiling instead. “I spent at least twenty of those plotting a way to escape him. He never let me out of his sight. The night I finally got my chance, I had no time to take anything with me. I just had to run.”
I knew the look that stole over Blaze’s beautiful face. Reflection and regret. Two things that, when teamed up against you, would kick your ass every time.
As I studied her profile in the dim lamp light, I tried to put a finger on what exactly drew me to her. She was hot as hell no doubt, but that would hardly snag my attention. Despite how little time we’d had to get to know each other, she struck me as someone honest. She told it like it was and didn’t waste time on trivial shit.
Yeah, it was dangerous as hell to let myself feel anything warm and friendly toward anyone in this house. I’d watched people die left and right since I got here. To The Circle of the Veil we were spies. Supernatural agents protecting our secret at any cost. But rogues were expendable. Still, how long could one go without forming any kind of relationship with those forced into the same shitty boat?
“Obviously, you got away.” I let myself enjoy having a woman stretched out next to me despite the guilt that followed. “So what happened? Did the fucker get what he deserved?”
Blaze stared absently at nothing, inwardly reliving a memory. Suddenly she rolled over, propped her head on the pillow next to mine, and forced a smile that never quite reached her sky-blue eyes. “He did,” she said carefully, like those two words took careful consideration. “He’s not worth discussing. Tell me about you. What led you to this place, Rayne?”
My name on her lips was just about the sweetest thing I’d ever heard. Since we were sharing, I had to offer at least as much as she’d given. An exchange of secrets was an exchange of trust. I realized with a start that I very much wanted Blaze to trust me.
“Let’s see.” I tapped a finger on my bottom lip, wondering where to begin. “I survived a wolf attack seven years ago. I was twenty-two at the time. I joined a pack who found me during the full moon. That’s where I got this tattoo.” I pointed to the crescent moon tattoo on the side of my neck. “But a year in and I bailed. The Alpha was an asshole. It didn’t feel like a family. Figured I was more of a lone wolf type. Still am.”
Blaze reached out a dainty finger, running it over the tattoo. The faintest touch but I felt it in my stomach. A small smile lit up her face, revealing two tiny and cute-as-fuck fangs. This woman could bite me any day.
“Is there anyone on the outside waiting for you?” she asked, searching my face. The way she spoke of the house as a prison wasn’t wrong, but this was a death sentence. No one would be getting out alive. “Family? Friends?”
The faint tickle of her finger on my skin had my dick straining for more attention. “My mom and sister live in Toronto. I make sure to call and text, but they don’t know about anything. I made a few friends in the pack before I left. I’ve tried to steer clear of them since The Circle nabbed me.”
“How did you draw The Circle’s attention?” she prodded with a sympathetic nod. The million-dollar question. “Surely you must have been a bad wolf to get thrown in here.”
She waggled her eyebrows like my story had to be juicy. It was anything but. When she booped the end of my nose, I might have swooned a little. I didn’t know what it was about this woman, but she reminded me of another time and place. Whether it was before or after here and now, I couldn’t be sure.
“I came across two guys hassling a homeless man.” I paused, recalling the scene like it was yesterday. Fury threatened to rise, and I had to consciously hold the wolf back. “They were going through his bags, throwing his shit around. It was late. Nobody around. Or so I thought.”
“Shit,” Blaze murmured softly. “I think I know where this is going.”
Releasing a lengthy sigh, I nodded and pulled the blankets in closer around us. “I snapped. Killed both of them. Just totally lost my shit. I didn’t just kill them though. I tore them apart. Quite literally. I don’t know how I kept myself from going after the homeless guy too. A miracle I guess.”
I wasn’t a squeaky-clean domesticated wolf who ate my kibble and kept my fangs hidden in public. I hunted. I killed. But before that I hadn’t flown into a blackout murder rage or lost myself so completely that I didn’t know where I ended and the wolf began. That murderous frenzy had scared me. Though not as much as my first night at the house.
“Sounds like you were there when that man needed you. Fuck The Circle for punishing you.” The softness of Blaze’s hand on my face brought me back to the present. It was too easy to get lost in that night.
Our eyes met. In hers I found a kindred spirit looking back at me. She didn’t belong here either. But we’d broken the rule. No public kills. No public activity. The circumstances never mattered.
“Well, joke’s on them. So far I’ve survived everything they’ve thrown at me.” I captured her hand and kissed the palm before decorating her fingertips in tiny nips and kisses. “And it could be worse. I could be in here alone right now.”
Blaze shook a finger at me and affected a scolding frown. “Don’t go getting attached now. You know the rules. It’s easier for everyone that way.”
Her mockery of Nova coupled with the ridiculous attempt she made at doing his voice got me laughing until my stomach hurt. “Oh man, don’t let Nova hear you do that. He’ll shit a kitten.” When her laughter died down, I tickled lightly between her ribs, satisfied when she gifted me with more.
When she did finally sober Blaze said, “I imagine Nova is as much a prisoner here as the rest of us.”
With her blood red hair splayed about the pillow like a scarlet halo, she looked like a piece of fantasy art. I couldn’t stop staring at her. Even though Nova played the role of bounty hunter and warden, Blaze saw through that. Could she see through me as well?
I didn’t know why Nova was here. He and I worked together, but we didn’t talk much. We were in no way friends. He didn’t want to be here either. Couldn’t blame him for being a hardass. I imagined any of us would be in his place.
“We’re not prisoners.” I kissed her shoulder, memorizing the scent of her perfume. “The door is always unlocked, but the surest way out of here is to rise above. Prove that we’re better than they think we are. That they don’t just want us to do this job, they need us.”
Vampires didn’t generally have a smell. They tended to smell like whatever hair and body care products they used. Or blood. But Blaze smelled divine. Lavender and vanilla with a hint of citrus. Burying my face in her breasts, I filled my senses with her.
It was so easy to detach in this house. In this underworld we belonged to, thou shalt not form attachments was practically a commandment. Being around Blaze warmed a part of me that had gone cold.
What I’d left out of my story was that I had left someone behind. Someone I didn’t talk about. The one and only woman I’d ever loved. Together since high school we’d been a few years into our relationship. We were talking marriage and a family before the attack. After the attack, I left. Skipped town. Left her a note and never spoke to her again.
It was a shit move, but if I’d given her the chance to convince me to stay, I’d have told her everything. And I didn’t want a life of darkness for her. I wanted Sadie to still have everything she’d been dreaming of, even if that meant she’d make a family with someone else. When I finally got the nerve to creep her Facebook page two years ago, I found her married with a kid, exactly what I’d wanted for her.
It fucking killed me.
That was years ago. Not for a second had I believed I’d ever feel that uptick in my pulse
again. That flood of adrenaline when someone absolutely enamoring walked in the room, I felt it the second I laid eyes on Blaze. My instant attraction sparked with something genuine. When she proved easy to talk to, with a killer smile and a quick sense of humor, the spark brightened. Try as I might to resist its glow.
“Is that the key to surviving this then?” she asked, breathy and responsive when I twirled my tongue around her nipple. “Make them need us? Sounds risky.” She clutched a handful of my hair, pulling tight enough to hurt.
I nipped at her bellybutton, making her jerk and squirm. “Life would be boring without risk.”
“This is definitely not boring,” she gasped when I dipped a finger between her legs, finding the wetness that remained.
It was definitely risky. Friends with benefits felt like a good place to be with a fiery knockout like Blaze. But could I trust myself to resist the urge for more?
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
I jolted awake with a start. Jerking upright, shock and then remembrance settled in when I found a naked man sprawled out beside me. Right. That happened.
With the blankets tucked tightly around him and one arm under his pillow, Rayne slumbered soundly. I took a moment to clear my head of sleep fog. Despite the blackout curtains that he’d drawn at some point, I knew the sun hadn’t yet set. Like an internal clock, I could feel its slow descent.
Careful not to wake the sleeping werewolf, I scooted to the edge of the bed and escaped without so much as rustling the sheets. I threw my clothes on in hurried movements and headed for the door. The deadbolt slid back with a loud click, and I froze. When Rayne proved undisturbed, I let myself out into the hall, closing it slowly and without a sound.
Releasing the breath I’d been holding, I hurried up to the third floor and the private sanctity of my own room. Once inside I stripped down and hit the shower. I had to get Rayne’s scent off me. Any vampire or werewolf would smell it in a second.
And Nova? Well, I wasn’t sure what he could sense or smell. Maybe I shouldn’t have cared if he found out, but the demon already seemed to have a problem with me. No need to feed that. Besides, it was nobody’s business who I spent my private time with. That should go for all of us.
After scrubbing myself clean I dressed in fresh jeans and a tee with a pic of a cat shoving shit off a table with the phrase: I do what I want. A light sweep of golden eyeshadow, mascara, and a spritz of perfume made me feel as ready as I’d ever get.
Nova had remarked about mental stress training. If it was anything like the programs the government employed to prepare their agents for torture and interrogation, then it would surely weed out the weakest among us. I shuddered at the thought.
My time with Remington had not been easy. He’d tortured me on a regular basis, from starving me for nights on end to locking me in a room on the top floor of his house, one with a large picture window. After infernal seconds while the sun broke the horizon, he would let me out once my screams peaked with desperate terror.
Could I face whatever Nova planned for us tonight? I’d have liked to believe myself an old pro by now, but torture doesn’t build you up. It just tears you down. I’d walked away from my time as a victim, and I’d never for one second let it define me since. I wouldn’t start now.
Needing a break from my thoughts, I left my room and returned to the main floor. The staircase was safely out of reach of the dazzling rays that streamed in the balcony doors on each floor. As long as I didn’t glance in that direction, it didn’t bother me.
I followed the scent of bacon to the kitchen, where I found Dalyn and a lady I hadn’t yet met bustling about from the fridge to the stove and back again. Brilliant artificial light illuminated the room, the curtains closed against what remained of the day. The only room that appeared to have natural daylight was the sitting room on the other side of the dining area. Easy enough to steer clear of that.
“Blaze, hi,” Dalyn greeted in her enthusiastic high pitch. “You’re up and about early. The sun’s still out.”
“I couldn’t sleep anymore.” Leaning against the island off to one side to be out of the way, I watched the two ladies throw together eggs, bacon, and pancakes. “Thought I’d come see how you day dwellers were kicking off the evening.”
“Seeing as we’re forced to operate on nocturnal time, it’s breakfast hour for us weakly mortals.” Dalyn flashed a bright grin, revealing no sign of the sadness I’d heard from within her room. “Blaze, have you met Retta? She’s the spell work instructor for Ira and me.”
A petite, middle-aged black woman, Retta turned expressive brown eyes my way. She paused mixing pancake batter to offer me a hand and the most truly friendly smile I’d seen in pretty much ever.
“Nice to meet you, dear.” A pendant around Retta’s neck, a chunk of clear quartz, glowed a soft red. She waved a hand to dismiss it. “Never mind this thing. It just tells me what you are. Vampire. So I hope you won’t be offended if I don’t offer you anything to eat.” Retta winked, gave my hand a shake, and went back to her food prep.
She had a gentle tone and a relaxing nature. Just being near her gave me a sense of calm. How uncanny.
“Not at all. Nice to meet you as well. Do you live in the house too?”
Retta explained, “I live across the river. The Circle of the Veil employs me to teach witches to harness and enhance their powers.” She spoke with a lively, upbeat cadence that kept me engaged.
Time passed easily with Retta and Dalyn. We laughed while chatting about everything from hobbies and personal interests to the latest season of The Walking Dead. Retta insisted they’d done the comics a disservice, but Dalyn hadn’t read them. Without the comparison she loved the show. Such idle chitchat that shouldn’t have been such a rarity in my life. For the first time in a long time I missed having friendly connections.
When sunset fell, the house’s occupants broke into activity. The kitchen and dining room filled with people seeking a bite to eat before the demands of the night.
A dramatic slam of the front door announced Nova’s arrival. My insides tensed as the calm shattered. “Tavi, Blaze, Corr, Ghost, you will be joining me.” My sense of foreboding grew and twisted in my gut. “Everyone else will go to the gym with Rayne to work on your combat skills.”
Rayne glanced up from his plate, a piece of toast dangling from the corner of his mouth. Both dark brows rose and knit together, perplexed. Not once did he look my way, and I knew keeping his eyes off me was purposeful.
While Nova led the four of us to the basement, my nerves buzzed. He opened one of the doors on the way to the gym. Inside revealed a dank gray room lined with chairs. The far wall held half-a-dozen one-way mirrors that showed interrogation rooms on the other side. Heavy metal doors led into each cell.
My skin prickled and I wanted to run.
“Come on man, this is fucked,” Tavi muttered as she took it all in. “It feels like a lot of sick shit goes on here.”
Nova ushered us all in and let the heavy door fall shut with a slam. The first interrogation room grabbed my attention. Restraints hung from the walls. What appeared to be a shock collar for wolves hung on a hook. A set of magical restraints hung next to it, along with an assortment of torture devices.
I slid a glance at Ghost for his reaction. He didn’t have one, aside from some thinly veiled amusement. When he caught me looking, he merely winked.
“I guess that depends on your definition of sick shit.” Nova motioned to the chairs in front of the mirrors. “If the FPA gets ahold of you, they’ll do a lot worse. This is my way of testing your resolve. If you break too easily, you won’t be worth the risk. The Circle needs to know you won’t crack at the first sign of pressure.”
“So what, The Circle tortures us first? That’s fucked.” Arms crossed, Tavi refused to take a seat even after everyone else had. She glared up at Nova, her eyes flashing wolf.
Nova lifted one finger and pointed. “Sit your ass down, wolf. Or I will sit you down. If you think this is bad
, hit up the Internet and check out what the human government does to its own people during training. The FPA will bring that shit hard. Do you want to be ready or not?”
Again I asked myself how the hell I’d ended up here. What if I couldn’t do this?
I had to do this. I hadn’t survived a sick bastard like Rem just to cave now. When I caught myself twisting a lock of hair around my finger until it became unbearably tight, I took a slow breath to force myself to relax.
Without blinking or taking that glare off Nova, Tavi dropped heavily into a chair. Try as we all might to appear unaffected, we were uneasy. Everyone except Ghost.
Which was why Nova started with him.
“Care to show everyone how to take a little punishment?” Nova stood over Ghost, pinning him with a challenging stare and an arrogant lift to his chin. “You strike me as the kind of guy who’s had his share.”
Ghost didn’t back down from the demon’s confrontational stance. Slowly he rose to his feet until he was nearly chest to chest with Nova. “Give it your best shot.” The winter chill in Ghost’s emotionless expression made the entire room go cold.
His fearless, no-fucks-to-give attitude was admittedly hot. I couldn’t help but worry Nova would just kill him. Demons were craftier than that though. If they wanted to knock you down a peg they would, and you’d never see it coming.
Nova merely smiled, a tight press of his lips. “After you.” He ushered the vampire into the closest interrogation room, letting the door fall closed with a resounding bang.
The three of us observed from the outside, attuned to every sight and sound from within the tight box of a room. Unable to sit still a second longer, I shoved to my feet and paced in front of the window.
“This is seriously fucked up.” Tavi appeared next to me. Her musky wolf scent mingled with the faint aroma of something tropical and the rise of her anger. Despite her calm outward appearance, she was anything but.
