Rouen Chronicles Box Set

by Raven Steele

“Yes.” My breathing quickened, wondering what they could possibly know about me. Had they found out my true identity somehow? Could my uncle have sold me out?

  The door opened slowly.

  I stepped inside trying to process what I was looking at. When the pieces came together, and I realized what they were going to ask me to do, my legs grew weak, and I nearly collapsed.

  For I realized in that heart-wrenching moment that all my plans had been destroyed.

  Chapter 17

  The smell of fear permeated the small room making the white walls appear darker than they actually were. A long counter had been built into the back wall, and on its top was a series of instruments, the kind you only see in an operating room or a horror movie. Depending upon how one used the tools, they either saved lives or destroyed them.

  No lives would be saved tonight.

  Luke stood in the corner looking everywhere but at me. I wish he would look at me; I wanted him to see the repulsion on my face. How could he be a part of this?

  Finally, I let my gaze settle on the one person in the room that could deter me from my revenge even as my legs grew weak.

  Lynx sat bound to a chair with silver chains; her wrists and ankles raw where the shackles held her in place. She had been stripped to her bra and panties. Tear-smudged mascara stained her cheeks, and her lips pressed into a firm line, as if she was stifling more cries. When her eyes met mine, a spark of life ignited inside them.

  “Oh, Briar.” Her chin quivered, but she kept her voice steady. “Thank God, you’re here. These animals kidnapped me. Please tell them they have the wrong person and get me out of here.”

  “It’s going to be okay.” My voice cracked as the lie attempted to break through. I turned to Dominic, growling. “What the hell is this?”

  He linked his hands behind his back and walked toward Lynx. “She’s your roommate, right?”

  “Yeah, so? Why do you have her?”

  “Because she is your friend.”

  My blood turned to ice, but I kept my composure and shrugged, as if he was asking something as simple as whether I liked the color red. “That’s debatable. We barely know each other.”

  Faster than I could blink, Dominic withdrew a small blade from his pocket and slammed it into Lynx’s shoulder. A terrified cry ripped from her lungs.

  I took a step toward him, my wolf preparing to attack. She wanted to come out, to destroy everyone in the room. I felt confident I could kill Silas and Gerald fairly quickly, if he tried to stop me. He had a begrudging respect for me, and that would make him hesitate.

  The only two I worried about were Dominic and Luke. Luke had strangely shown deep loyalty toward Dominic, and I’d seen enough of his hardened side to know he would try to take me down if I went after Dominic. As for Dominic, he was an Alpha which meant his strength was unmatched. I’d never lost a fight, but I’d also never fought an Alpha. A fight between us would probably last awhile, giving the rest of the pack a chance to get at me.

  I don’t think I’d survive that.

  I readied myself, willing to take the chance, but the terrified look on Lynx’s face is what stopped me. I’d briefly felt something for her. Friendship. In that split second, I made the decision that I wanted to live. I could have a life after this. Love, family, friends.

  Maybe there was better way. Maybe I could talk us out of this.

  Though my clenched jaw, I said, my voice a command, “Stop.”

  Dominic blinked his eyes, and everyone else in the room stilled. I forced myself to calm down. I couldn’t let him see the real me. Not yet.

  I cast my eyes downward in submission, compelling my wolf to retreat. “Please.”

  His lips turned up into a grin. “So you are friends?”

  “Fine, yeah, we’re friends.”

  Tears ran down Lynx’s face, but she didn’t cry out loud. By the way she was holding her mouth, I’d guess she was biting the inside of her cheek. I admired her courage for trying to appear brave when she must be in an intense amount of pain.

  Time to start the verbal dance off.

  “You jackasses,” I began. “Do you guys know who this is? She’s a Morgan, the daughter of the most powerful witch family in the city. I’ve met her psychotic mother. If she finds out you’ve kidnapped and tortured her daughter, she’s going to blow this motherfucking house down!”

  Dominic pocketed the blade calmly. “We know very well who this is. Permission was given. You aren’t the only one being tested here.”

  Lynx lifted her head, her bloodshot eyes wide. “Are you saying my mother knows I’m here? There’s no way. She would never…”

  Her words stuttered to a stop, losing their strength until the room swallowed them altogether. Realization of the truth paled her face, and her head fell to her chest. She sobbed quietly.

  My chest tightened at the sight. I turned to Luke. “This is some messed up shit.”

  He looked away, saying nothing, but clenched his jaw.

  “Are you changing your mind?” Dominic stepped forward, his eyebrow raised.

  The question stunned me momentarily. Was I? Could I actually go through this? Lynx was the sweetest, kindest person I’d ever met. She didn’t deserve to be tortured. I was tempted to say no. To say, to hell with this, and walk away.

  But then a shadow darkened my mind as I remembered the cold water that had encased my legs for days, freezing my bones until I thought they would shatter into a thousand pieces from the smallest movement. I tasted the blood in the back of my throat as if I was back in that old well, alone and scared, my voice broken from screaming over and over.

  Dominic did that. Silas was there too. It had taken me years to find their location.

  Finally, I was here. Exactly where I needed to be. I couldn’t stop, no matter the cost. Everything associated with Dominic and his whole world had to be destroyed.

  I lifted my gaze to Lynx. She was already looking at me, her sad eyes ripping me to shreds.

  “It’s okay.” Her voice, so pitiful, came out barely a whisper. “I need this too.”

  I stared at her in horror, my stomach feeling sick. I don’t know what was sadder, knowing I was going to go through with this or knowing she was willing to let me.

  Dominic made the slightest movement toward me, subtle yet threatening. “Make your choice.”

  There was no choice. I couldn’t go backwards.

  I swallowed around the tightness in my throat and walked toward him, willing my legs not to give out. I trained my eyes on him and forced the corners of my mouth to turn up into a seductive smile. I resisted the urge to look at Lynx as I drew closer.

  Reaching Dominic, I placed my hand on his chest and slowly slid them down to his stomach. My eyes flashed to Luke just over Dominic’s shoulder. The veins on his neck bulged big.

  “What’s this?” Dominic frowned, his tight stomach muscles flexing beneath my touch.

  I snaked my hand down and around his torso until I reached the dagger in a sheath behind his back. I snapped the weapon out, making him jump. “I prefer to work with this.”

  He cleared his throat and recovered quickly. “Whatever you like.”

  Turning my back to him, I approached Lynx. My eyes flashed to the camera in the corner, knowing that all the pack was watching me. Most of them were probably eager to see blood. Only Ryder might be disgusted by what I was about to do.

  I lowered in front of Lynx and looked up at her, shifting my weight so only she could see me. “This isn’t personal. Joining this pack is everything to me.”

  My voice was cold and distant, but I hoped she could see the pain and sadness bleeding through my eyes. I didn’t want to do this. This was a line I never thought I’d cross, but here I was crashing right through it.

  She forced a smile and blinked. Tears spilled onto her cheeks again. “I understand.”

  “I’ll tell you when to stop,” Dominic said, and casually strolled to the back of the room, stopping next to Luke. Dominic typed some
thing into his phone, completely uninterested, as if what I was about to do was an everyday occurrence.

  That pissed me the hell off.

  Luke watched me intently, a look in his eyes I couldn’t read. I glanced back at Gerald. He looked indifferent, but it was Silas’ reaction that turned my blood cold. He had a finger to his lips, biting his nail anxiously as if I was about to read off a lottery number. His eagerness for violence frightened me.

  I gripped the blade of the dagger, my knuckles turning bone white. I turned back to Lynx. “This is going to hurt.”

  “I’ve had worse.”

  This broke my heart even more. There’s so much I didn’t know about her. The pain in her eyes mirrored my own. No matter what happened after tonight, I would make it up to her.

  “Get on with it,” Dominic snapped. “I’ve got a meeting after this.”

  I ground my jaw together and held my breath. The blade trembled in my palm. I clasped her knee with my other hand. I would hold on to her as I did this and hoped the contact would help her through it. Her eyes were soft on mine.

  “Dominic,” Luke tore his eyes away from me to look at him. “Maybe I should—”

  I slashed the dagger downward, slicing open Lynx’s thigh. She ground her teeth and tears slid down her face. I didn’t waste any time and swiped the blade again, this time on her forearm and not as deep. No point dragging this out.

  As I cut over and over, the handle of the blade grew slippery in my grip, I pushed my mind somewhere else, to a time when life was simpler. A trick I’d taught myself in the numerous foster homes where I’d lived.

  I thought of my remote-control monster truck my father had given me on my ninth birthday and I instantly loved it. My brother, James, loved that toy just as much as I did. We fought over it constantly until finally my dad gave in and got James one for Christmas. For weeks, we raced those trucks through the forest, feeling as at home in the forest as we did in our house. The woods called to us, and we spent hours there playing with those stupid trucks. Until I accidentally steered mine into the river. It never worked the same after that.

  Lynx’s pain-filled scream brought me back to the present, and I fell back onto my rear. I stared at her, horrified. She had three cuts across her face, several on her arms, and two long ones that reached from her hip to her knees. Had I done that? There was more red on her than white.

  I looked up at Dominic, my head swimming. He was still typing on his phone. Luke cleared his throat to get his attention.

  Dominic glanced up at me as if he’d forgotten I was there. He pocketed his phone and walked over to me, eyeing Lynx carefully. He shook his head. “Too much red. I prefer blues and purples. I probably should’ve told you that in the beginning.”

  “I like it.” I jumped, as Silas’ voice came from behind me. He had moved so close, he could’ve touched me. He stared at Lynx as if in a trance, his nose trembling.

  I couldn’t do anymore. No matter what he said, I just couldn’t. My stomach tightened, then flipped. I leaned to the side and threw up.

  Silas yelped and scurried to the back of the room, nearly tripping on his lame leg. “Shit, woman.” He studied his shoes. “Did she get any on me?”

  Dominic chuckled. “You may not have a stomach for this now, but that will come in time. Just the fact that you were willing to do something as jacked up as torturing your roommate is promising. Rise.”

  I inhaled several hitched breaths to keep from barfing again. As soon as the room stopped spinning, I pushed upward on shaky legs.

  Dominic looked from the camera and back to me. “Briar Jacobs, I officially accept you into the Silver Claws family. Kneel before me.”

  I barely heard him; I couldn’t stop staring at what I’d done to Lynx. Her head was slumped over as if she’d passed out, but her toes were curling in and out. She must be feeling considerable pain.

  Even though it killed me to do it, I kneeled at Dominic’s feet, baring my throat.

  He leaned down, his fangs elongating, and bit into my neck to show his dominance over me. I quickly placed my hand over the wound to hide how fast I could heal.

  “You will be a valuable asset,” he continued. “Because Silas is so enthralled by your talents, I’m assigning you to his guard team. If you do well there, then maybe one day you could be mine.”

  “This bitch has a lot to work on if she’s going to follow me around.” Silas sounded disgusted. “I can’t tolerate someone with a weak stomach.”

  Dominic walked past him and patted him on the back. “I have no doubts you’ll train her well.”

  His nostrils flared. “Guaranteed.”

  One by one, the others filed out of the room, talking about a barbecue they had planned. It was as if I hadn’t just tortured my only friend. They might not give it another thought, but I would never forget. Luke stayed behind, shifting his weight back and forth.

  I carefully unstrapped the chains around Lynx’s feet and hands. I wanted to tell her I was sorry, to tell her how much I regretted it. To offer to let her do the same thing to me. But, even in my head, the words sounded insufficient. Instead, I removed my jacket and wrapped it around her. Tears flowed freely, more than before, and her shoulders shook. I clasped her to me, squeezing her tight, silently clinging, clasping on to the shred of humanity I had left.

  I’d tortured her.

  I was becoming the monster I hated.

  A towel appeared over my shoulder.

  “Get out of here.” I swiveled toward Luke, angry. “You’re one of them—” The words caught in my throat, and I closed my eyes tight. Now, so was I.

  “Briar.” His voice was quiet, barely a whisper.

  I opened my eyes, and all I could see was Lynx’s bloodied body.

  “Get out,” I growled again. When he hesitated, I stood. “Leave!”

  His face pleaded with me but instead of talking, he turned around and left the room. The small space felt even smaller now that it was just Lynx and me.

  I patted at her thighs gently with the towel, trying to stop the flow of blood while also trying not to cry. She wouldn’t die from the wounds, but her face was paling from the loss of blood.

  “This was so messed up.” I couldn’t look into her eyes. “I’ll move out when I get home.”

  Her hand slowly moved over mine. “Don’t.”

  “No, Lynx. I can’t live there after what I did to you.”

  Her face hardened. “It had to be done.”

  “Did it?”

  “Yes. More so for me than you.”

  “But why? What kind of horror-show mother do you have?”

  “My brother used to say she was the hemorrhoid in Satan’s ass.” She tried to smile, but when I couldn’t return it, her expression fell. “I’m glad it was you and not someone else.”

  “Why?”

  She met my eyes. “Because I know you’re strong enough to handle it. To live with what you’ve done.”

  Sucking in a breath, tears stung my eyes until they fell down my cheeks. I was horrible. I didn’t deserve to live. I should’ve died with the rest of my family.

  I carefully lowered my head to her lap, as to not hurt her further, while she ran her hands over my head to console me.

  It should’ve made me get up. I should be the one consoling her. But I wasn’t a good person like that.

  I clung to her, tasting her blood on my lips, and tried to pull myself together. They could still be watching.

  So I closed my eyes and visualized my mental walls coming back up. I fortified the many painful holes with determination and sheer will. Another trick I’d learned in foster home. Eventually, my shredded heart was impervious to pain, the worst of it anyway.

  I leaned back. “You can heal yourself with that voodoo shit, right?” It was the only consolation I had to offer her.

  “I don’t do voodoo, but maybe.” She slowly came to her feet. “Let’s get out of here. I can’t be in here a minute longer.”

  Together we left the
room and the horrible memory of what had happened behind.

  Chapter 18

  Lynx leaned on me as we made our way from the house. That’s when I realized our ride home had disappeared. Luke had brought me here, and I’d driven him away by yelling at him. Most of the pack had shifted and left for a run in the forest. The excitement of watching me torture Lynx had probably left them fevered and anxious for action. Along with the pack members, my wolf, whom I normally felt close to, had retreated deep into the recesses of my mind. It was as if she, too, was ashamed of my actions.

  I tried to figure out how to get a ride home as we walked toward the front door. I didn’t want to wait around for my uber-witch friend. I guess I’d just have to steal one of the extra cars Dominic kept around for senior members. The keys were often left on the front visor.

  Screw him. I’d take one anyway.

  Ryder was waiting for us in the shadows just outside the mansion. He had a blanket ready and draped it over Lynx to fully cover her.

  “Thank you.” I tried to give him a grateful look, but his eyes wouldn’t meet mine. After eyeing Lynx, like he wished he could do something more, he turned away from us. Saying nothing, he disappeared around the side of the building, all without looking at me. One more person I disappointed. One more person to make things right with.

  I was about to head toward one of the pack’s extra vehicles, when car lights shined down the long lane. It approached slowly and drove around the long circular driveway until it stopped in front of us. A black Audi. The driver’s side window rolled down.

  Light from the front porch illuminated Roma’s face. Her expression was serious, but there was a flash of anger in her gray eyes when she saw Lynx. “Hop in.”

  I helped Lynx into the backseat, then slid in after her. “I thought you never came to Fire Ridge.”

  Roma’s eyes met mine in the rearview mirror. “Your anguish was too loud to ignore.”

  I nodded my head at her in appreciation, unsure what she meant, but I didn’t have the energy to ask.

  The car remained heavy in silence the whole way to the house with only an occasional painful grunt from Lynx. Roma handed me back a bottle of cheap wine, which I pressed to Lynx’s lips, making sure she took several long swigs.