by Milana Jacks
I cleared my throat. “Thank you. You clean up nice.”
“I got you something.”
I bit my lip. “I didn’t get you anything.”
“I have you, and that’s everything I need.”
“Swoon.”
Torrent smirked. “You’re a tough cookie.” He walked to stand in front of me, and his cologne or perhaps a strong masculine oil surrounded me.
“You smell good. What is it?”
“Used something from Mayhem’s collection. I swear that pretty boy’s got more fancy shit than a girl.”
I chuckled. “He must shave every single day too. No hair at all on that one. Spends an hour in the bathroom looking pretty. He has this special brush for his blond mane. Nobody is allowed to touch it.”
“That’s good to know. I’ll use it.”
“He hoards jewelry.” I’d seen the pile, sometimes ventured to check out the pieces.
“I picked out something for you from the pile.”
“You mean you stole something for me.”
“I’ll pay him for it.”
“It’s Reagan’s stuff now.”
“It’s not.”
“How do you know?”
“It’s in a bag. He labeled it ‘For sale.’” Torrent took my hand and dropped a leather pouch in my palm.
I fisted my dress with the other hand. “What is it?”
“Open it and see.”
My palms begun sweating, and my heart raced. It seemed I was getting married. It just dawned on me. Mating and marriage were basically the same thing, but it hadn’t hit me until now. A white dress, my hair braided tightly, and a small white flower stuck behind my ear all signaled a bride. I wore lip gloss. Peach flavor. Hasel insisted I make myself pretty for Torrent, and I followed along.
I was getting married.
There was nobody to walk me down the aisle.
“I can’t marry you, Torrent.” I thrust the pouch at his chest. “Take it back.”
He took it and sighed. “You’re not marrying me. We are mated. The party is a reason for Hasel to cook for everyone. It’s what she’s used to doing. Filling beasts’ bellies and making them happy. I didn’t ask for the party, but I can’t refuse her.”
“My dad would want to be here.”
“I understand. But he’s not here, and the party is happening. We can’t bail out.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s impolite.”
“Since when do you care?”
“Since you. I want to be a better male for you, and I’ll start with making old ladies feel like they’ve done something right. We breed under her roof, and she’s proud to have united a mated pair. It’s a big deal.”
“I think I want a drink,” I said. “Alcohol. Reagan drinks whiskey to loosen up. I want whiskey. Is there whiskey around here?”
“I’m sure there’s plenty at the party.” He twisted and glanced at the wall clock. “Which started forty-five minutes ago.”
“I think I want to be sick.”
“You’re not, baby.” Torrent enveloped me in a hug, rested my head against his solid chest. His heart beat steadily, and his body warmed mine. “There’s nothing to be nervous about.”
“I don’t enjoy being the center of attention. I hide in the shed when Dewlyn and Vice visit. It’s such an event when they come. Mayhem too. Hasel prepares for days when he calls and says he’ll be stopping by. Crowds? I don’t like them much. It’s not my thing. Everyone at the party will be looking at me, smiling at me, and I gotta entertain them.” Bile rose in my throat.
“There’s a total of about thirty people in this community.”
“I know! Thirty.” He put me at arm’s length, and his lips twitched. “It’s not funny.” That did it. Torrent laughed. “Stop that.” I laughed with him.
“You look like you’re going to the guillotine, while I think it’s the best day of my life.” Ouch. I hadn’t considered his feelings. “It’s fine, baby. You’ll get through it. One hour? That’s good enough. Hasel won’t be offended if we excuse ourselves to breed.”
Oh God. “We’re gonna breed again?”
“We gonna breed all the time. I will fuck you day and night. It’s my duty to meet all your needs. You need my dick. I can smell your heat.” He inhaled. “Yeah. Smells like vanilla blossom. I love vanilla. Vanilla ice cream and cookies. Everything vanilla.” He licked his lips.
That did it. The bathroom was too far. I wasn’t gonna make it. Torrent walked to the window and opened it. I ran to it, bent, and heaved breaths. I hadn’t eaten a single bite all day. I couldn’t stomach anything. Torrent stroked my back, then held my braid to keep it from flopping over my shoulder. I rested my cheek on the window. “I can’t be sick.”
Torrent’s lips stretched into a smile. When he smiled, his eyes tilted up. It made his hard features softer. “Feeling better?”
“Yes.”
“I feel better too. At least now I know it’s the fear of crowds and being the center of attention that’s keeping you away and not the act of mating me.”
“I aim to make you feel better.”
From the pouch, he pulled out a thin necklace. A small full-heart pendant swung at the end. He wound it about my neck. I stood and touched the heart. “It’s pretty,” I said.
“It will do for now.”
“Thank you.”
Torrent grunted and winced. “My leg’s killing me today.”
Probably from all the excitement of last night. “You want meds?”
“Took a whole bunch.”
“We should stay in, then.”
“Don’t even try. Let’s go.”
“Are you sure? We could just…veg out, have a party of two.”
“I’ll hold you to it. After the party.” He opened the door. “I got your back, baby. Always.”
As we walked down the hall, I felt the walls were closing in on me. I was having a panic attack but managed to move my feet. One and then the other. If I stopped, I’d turn and run.
Torrent didn’t enter the sanctuary from the wing. He exited the wing.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“To the party.”
“Ha-ha. It’s that door over there.” I pointed farther down the hall.
“We’re going in through the main door.”
“Oh, great.”
Torrent chuckled. “I’d carry you. If I could.” Something sad passed over his eyes. They softened, and he lowered his gaze.
I tapped his shoulder. “Hey, you know, it’s not about what you can’t do right now. It’s about what you will do tomorrow.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t run out on me.”
“I have nowhere to go.”
“If you had somewhere to go, would you?”
If he’d asked me the same question a few days ago, I’d have said hell yes. But now, I wasn’t sure, and I didn’t know why I wasn’t sure. Perhaps because he looked at me like I hung the moon or because I kind of liked being around him. Maybe. “I don’t know.”
Torrent nodded. “I’ll have to work to change your mind, even though I know you deserve better. I can’t let you go, Sienna. The only way I’d let you go is if I die.”
“We’re the most fucked-up couple in the history of the Pairing Program.”
“Oh, baby, we’re not even in the Pairing Program.” He palmed the doorknob. “Ready?”
“Nope. I want to run.”
“Please don’t. My leg is killing me.”
I chuckled, then shook my head. “My dad should walk me down the aisle.”
“There are no aisles here. And my family isn’t around either.” We stared at each other for a few seconds. An unspoken understanding passed between us, the one he’d mentioned once before. Me and you, Sienna, me and you, we’re on our own. Torrent reached out and stroked my cheek. “Neither of us has family to witness our union. It’s a bunch of strangers looking to eat cake and drink booze, pretend like they care. But me and you? W
e gotta make shit happen, baby, we gotta make it. If we don’t take care of each other, nobody else will. I’m gonna do my part. Come on, beautiful, you can do this.” He opened the door.
The sanctuary appeared the same, a poorly lit, stuffy place, decorated with artifacts including mosaics and Arabic scriptures near the far wall. A framed Quran too. It creeped me out because half the cover was torn. People sat around the table in an otherwise empty space. In the background, music played. It was the only tech in the room, probably running on hydro fuel.
I hadn’t expected everyone to sit together. Tables had been brought in from somewhere and put together to make one long table covered with white cloth. Baby cactuses in bloom—the only plant growing down here—decorated the table. Hasel got her wish. Today, everyone would eat together.
Balloons littered the floor. I’d never seen a single one before. There were several hundred of them, most dark blue, but a few red and white ones made for a patriotic décor, I supposed. On each side of the entrance, two large lit candles on a tall stand infused some romance into the place. Not a bad setup in a day. Hasel had worked hard on this. I ought to at least pretend as if I wanted to be here.
The door behind us closed with a soft thud. I turned to see that one of the girls had closed the door and made her way back to the table. She sat down next to Momma Jo, who lifted her lemonade. Cheers. I smiled back at her. Thank you for coming, I wanted to say, but said nothing as everyone just sat there and stared at me. They expected me to do something. I smiled wider. They still stared. Maybe I looked like a deer struck with headlights.
Hasel and the hunters banged their metal jugs on the table. They chanted a song I’d heard once before. I didn’t know what it meant, but it must be for a happy occasion. Torrent nudged the small of my back with his palm. “Keep moving,” he whispered at my ear.
We crossed the room. At the table, I helped him sit down. When I grabbed the chair next to his, he wound a hand around my braid, pulled, and smacked my lips with his. “Thank you.”
Helping him sit down wasn’t any hardship. He’d get better at it as the days went by. When he released me, I sat next to him. “What’s the song about?”
“It’s about your womb.”
Go figure. “What about my womb?”
“May it take my seed, may it nourish many strong beasts.”
“Nice,” I said under my breath. “I hadn’t thought about kids. I’m not ready for kids.”
Torrent threw a hand over my shoulder. “Let’s just get through the party, hm?”
I chuckled. “Yeah.”
The food laid out in front of us steamed and smelled divine. The bread rolls Hasel had made looked great, as did the roasted chicken on the table. Even when I knew it was animal meat, I hadn’t eaten any meat at this community. I wasn’t gonna start now, though the roast made my mouth water.
Torrent forked up a piece of poultry and put it on my plate. He got potatoes and fresh salad as well as bread. By the time he finished piling my plate, I’d drunk a mug of ale. “I can’t eat all that,” I said.
“We can.” He took a baby baked potato between his claws and put it against my lips. “Open.”
The heat in his eyes said, Open and receive something wider than a potato. I pictured his monster cock, smiled, and bit. Got his fingers. Torrent winced. I chewed as if nothing happened. He examined the blunt tooth marks on his fingers. “You get to feed me next,” he said and peeled his upper lip to show me his not-blunt teeth. “I can’t wait.”
I made a sour face. Probably shouldn’t have bitten him. I picked up a fork.
He slapped my hand.
I slapped his right back.
“Use your fingers,” he ordered.
“We have forks.”
“No forks today.”
“You’ll bite me,” I said.
“You bet I will.”
“It’s either with a fork or you go hungry. Pick one.”
Torrent growled and slammed his lips on mine. His rough tongue demanded I open and give him everything. I clamped my teeth, and he retreated. “You are perfect for me,” he said.
“You are crazy.”
Someone cleared their throat. I followed the noise, realizing everyone watched our exchange. I opened my mouth to excuse myself, then frowned. “Where is Cole?”
“He’s out on patrol,” Hasel said.
“By himself?”
“Mm-hm.”
“But he’s eight.”
“Yes, running late in training. We begin training hunters at…as soon as they can walk.”
“My son is not a hunter.” Momma Jo spoke for the first time. “He is a human boy.” When Hasel shot her a warning look, Momma Jo lowered her gaze to her plate.
“He asked for training,” Hasel said.
“He doesn’t know what he wants,” I mumbled. Having Torrent next to me gave me courage. I’d been wanting to speak with her about Cole but feared retribution.
“But you do?”
“I’m not his mother, but I think he should study, learn how to read, write, understand our history, geography. Those kinds of things.”
Hasel snickered. “The only subject they teach is hate.”
“It’s not hate. It’s survival,” Momma Jo spat.
“You keep at it, woman,” Hasel said, “and you’ll not survive the dinner.”
“See how they are?” Momma Jo said to me. “Bullies. Bunch of oversized bullies. Killed my husband, took my home, and now my only boy. And look at you. Eating from his hand.”
“Settle down,” Torrent warned. “You’re welcome to a dinner and a drink. Nothing else. Mind your mouth.”
“She’s right,” I said. “Cole should be with his mother.”
“Cole is her next stud,” Hasel said and slammed her mug.
In confirmation, Zarik and Mr. Silent grunted.
“That’s not true,” I said. “We don’t have studs. You have the humans and some other alien species mixed up. We don’t breed, we make love with people we care about.”
“When we first came here, we found one boy and two men with forty-three women. It made no sense until it did. Boys get sent to Men of Earth early on so they can be brainwashed faster and better. Cole stayed because he’s a beautiful boy, and their father, the main stud, got too old to fuck. Someone had to replace him. Isn’t that right, Momma Jo?”
A balloon popped.
I jumped.
Torrent rubbed my shoulder. He leaned in to whisper in my ear, “Baby, who brought the balloons?”
“Don’t know. Does it matter?”
Across from me, Georgina caught my gaze. “Beast whore,” she murmured. Even with my inferior hearing, I made out her words.
Next to me, Torrent stiffened. “I ain’t never struck a woman, but I will tonight. Baby, we gotta go.”
As soon he said it, Georgina leapt over the table, fork poised to stab me.
I went down with her, held her wrist so she couldn’t gouge my eyes out. In a rage, her face contorted. I barely recognized her, a snarling animal, not a girl with whom I’d spent months sharing childhood stories. She strained, trying to stab my eye. Much heavier and bigger than me, she pinned me down with ease. The metal fork neared my eye. I caught her wrist with both hands. She pushed down, the fork only a few inches from my left eye. My muscles quivered trying to push her hand up, but the fork kept descending.
Near my head, a balloon popped. Yellow dust burst out of it, and particles landed on my face. It stung my eyes and burned my skin. Hers turned bright red, but she didn’t seem to mind.
Oh my God.
Oh my God.
“Oh my God,” I said, a sour taste in my mouth.
“God is great,” she snarled and pressed down.
I jerked my head to the right.
The fork nicked my temple.
I lifted my knee and got her between the legs. She bucked. I kicked with my hands and legs, not caring where I hit or how I hurt her. I wished I had claws. I wished I was as s
trong as Hasel. I wished I was a beast bitch, not this frail, skinny girl from the backwoods of Big Bear. I wished for strength to pry her hands from my neck. But I didn’t have it.
The whole place smelled like gunpowder.
Everyone yelled.
Balloons popped all around me.
Georgina sat on my chest, hands wrapped around my throat. “Beast whores must die.”
“Please, Georgie, don’t,” I muttered.
“You are their breeder.”
“Don’t!” I choked out, but stars played over my eyes, and so instead of closing them, I kicked and kicked and kicked.
Where was Torrent?
Chapter Twenty
Torrent
Funny how the brain worked. Instead of thinking about my beautiful mate, thinking of ways to change the crappy mood at my mating party, I sat there thinking about the damn balloons. Balloons floated, moved around, so the motherfuckers should twitch at least. These balloons seemed…heavy. Oh, I’d sniffed plenty as I entered the place, watched everyone and anything, and prepared to leave as soon as I felt my mate’s frustration.
By the time I realized something sinister brewed behind those pretty girls’ faces, they’d already taken action. All twenty-seven women attacked at once, some armed with forks, some with letter openers, some with real fucking sharp knives. Like the one that sliced across Hasel’s and Zarik’s throats. Like the ones three other girls stabbed the guard with. The beasts thumped to the floor faster than I could prepare my body for battle. Because as I stood, I fell. I fell down like a broken motherfucker, and women piled over me.
They jabbed me wherever they could.
I crawled with them on top of me, jabbing my legs, my back, my shoulders.
Where was my mate? I couldn’t see anything through the yellow dust rising from the floor.
I wanted to stop crawling.
I wanted them to end me.
I couldn’t save my mate, and they wouldn’t spare her. They’d called her a beast whore.
Sienna screamed. The sound of her pain ripped through my chest. I howled. On instinct, my body roared to life, my muscles expanded, my bones shifted into their place protecting the vital parts. Fur sprouted on my back, my vision sharpened, and my jaw slackened, then jutted to accommodate my teeth. I snarled and pushed up, shaking off the women. Their bodies hit the floor.