by RJ Blain
Kent was right, and that hurt most of all.
The sorcerer hung me from the ceiling of a concrete cellar. Instead of a cage, thin chains of silver surrounded me, so many in number they obscured what lay beyond. I didn’t need to see to know who—or what—waited for me.
The arousal of male wolves filled my nose, so strong my wolf was helpless to resist the burden of the rut. Her desire for our mate burned until the smell of my own desire mingled with the other scents in the room.
Somewhere beyond my silver cage, Kent laughed.
“It’s sad, in a way, what we humans have lost and you wolves have retained. You have so many instincts, don’t you? What is it you smell that makes you flare your nose like that and breathe so deeply? Is their lust such a wonderful perfume for you?” Pushing his way through the silver, Kent approached me, brushing my cheek with the back of his hand. “You long for your Alpha to come satisfy you. Your aura is so bright with your desire.”
Skimming his hand along the line of my jaw, he teased my sensitive skin. My wolf’s need to mate left me helpless and trembling at his touch. I jerked, but the leather cuffs around my ankles kept me from going far.
The chains behind me brushed my back, and the burn of their touch tore through me. I cried out, my legs collapsing beneath me. Smiling, the sorcerer caught me in his arms, holding me against him.
His hands clutched at the burns on my back, and it hurt so much I couldn’t breathe, let alone scream. The way my wrists were bound overhead kept me from falling far, leaving me helpless as his mouth sought mine. The chill of his kiss numbed me to the pain, sapped my strength, and left me unable to lift even a finger against him.
My wolf’s presence faded until all I could sense of her was a faint warmth in my head.
“So intense,” he murmured, pulling away from me. “A single kiss from you is more than all those rutting males combined. You recover so quickly, too, for all you seem like such a young wolf. Pay attention, Miss Madison. I will teach you something interesting.”
I gasped to catch my breath, and once my lungs ceased aching with the need for air, I choked out, “I’ll kill you.”
He smiled. “By the time I’m finished with you, you will wish you possessed the strength to kill me, I’m certain. You won’t. You’ll try, but you won’t. You will do as I want. If you cooperate, I will turn your pain and anguish into pleasure. Otherwise, you will suffer. It’s really up to you.”
“Disgusting,” I spat.
“It’s not the first time I’ve hunted an Alpha—your Alpha. Did he tell you he had another woman before you came along? She wasn’t worth much. I enjoyed her before I killed her and fed on their dying bond. It sustained me well. I feed on him even now, though your bond won’t last, not for long. It’s too weak of a thing to survive what I will do to it. Still, I look forward to what it will do to him.” Kent laughed. “Once he breaks, I will capture him, bring him here, and he will join my collection of males. His body will remember yours, and he will be a rich harvest for me. When I claim you as my mate while he watches, it will break him, and I will have all of the power I need.”
“It’s bad form to gloat,” I hissed through clenched teeth. Somehow, I would find a way to kill the man standing before me. I would kill him for touching me. I would kill him for hurting Sanders.
I would murder him in cold blood for using me to hurt my mate.
There were so many things I didn’t understand, but question stood out to me. How could I have so much power over Sanders? My wolf had claimed him as our mate, but we had only been together one night—one night filled with our mutual enjoyment of each other.
I knew so little about him, but my wolf and I craved his presence. I wanted to return to him.
When I did, I would give him a present: the head of his Mary’s killer.
I stared the sorcerer in the eyes and hoped he could see his death in my gaze. If he noticed my desire to end his life, all it did was make him smile.
“It’s fun. You can’t escape me. I am merely letting you know what you will take part in. Consider yourself lucky. You live, for now.”
I lived, and my life would prove his undoing.
Kent left me alone with the growls of rutting Fenerec for company. Wolves howled in my head, but I found no comfort in their disapproval and scorn. Of Sanders, I felt nothing.
Kent enjoyed routine, and while I had no concept of how much time actually passed, I was able to predict when the sorcerer would visit. When he came, the male Fenerec howled, but not for long. Their cries turned to pained yips until they fell silent.
All I could do was listen to them; my field of vision was obscured by the gleam of my silver cage. Staring at the metal for too long hurt my eyes, and while the curtain wasn’t thick, all I could make out beyond it were dark shapes.
When he came for me, long after toying with the rutting males, I learned I could only back away so far before I brushed against the silver, which stole away my will and strength. My arms and shoulders ached, and he seemed to delight in my constant pain.
“You’re stubborn,” he declared, circling around me. His hand brushed against my waist, and with a single tug, he pulled me to him. “I like that. Today, I think we’ll do something very special together, Miss Madison. I know I’ll enjoy every moment of it.”
I flinched and clenched my teeth. “Didn’t have enough fun tormenting the males?”
“Oh, that was very enjoyable, but I think I can do better with you. You’re afraid.”
I was, and my acknowledgment of my fear woke my wolf’s rage at our impotence. Our prey was so close to us, but I couldn’t do anything to him and neither could she. The way he smiled chilled me far more than his touch.
I said nothing, defying him in the only way I knew how. While he stared at me, I refused to meet his gaze, instead focusing on the silver chains. I knew focusing on the delicate chains for too long would hurt my eyes, but I embraced the pain of it.
Although it was such a small act of defiance, I could detect anger in the stench of the sorcerer’s scent.
“You stink of rotting corpses,” I informed him, forcing my tone to be as mild as possible. “You being near me is enough to make me want to puke.”
“For that, I will make ripping you from your pack as painful as I possibly can,” he swore.
The threat frightened my wolf more than it did me. I was aware of a faint howling in my head; if it was the sound of the pack my wolf wanted to be part of, all their noise did was fill me with unease. My wolf found comfort in their presence, although I didn’t understand why.
I found their calls unsettling, as though they sang to each other while intentionally leaving me on the sidelines. Grabbing hold of my chin, Kent forced me to meet his gaze.
“Did you hear me?” he demanded.
I blinked, wondering if he had said anything important. On an impulse, I smiled my sweetest smile. “Why would I listen to you?”
The sorcerer spat curses at me. “You’ll regret defying me, woman.”
Goading my captor was stupid, but I had no weapons other than my words. With my feet bound to the floor, I couldn’t even try to kick him. All I could do was stand and wait for whatever he would do. “If you plan on kissing me again, you’re right, I will regret it. Watching paint dry is more interesting.”
“You think you’re so clever, don’t you?”
“Not particularly.” I jerked my chin free of his hold. “I’ve just seen your type before.”
“My type?” he asked, and I recognized the threat in his soft, even tone.
“Your type,” I confirmed. “Men who think they can dress up nice and get a woman, but are so incapable of basic decency the only way they can get one is if they coerce her. You probably get rejected by prostitutes.”
“For that, I will make you eat out of my hand and like it,” he snapped.
“I’d rather die.”
“Oh, you will,” he promised. “The only question is how long I keep you around befo
re I kill you. We’ll be together a long time, my dear. Mercy is for mewling weaklings who can’t finish the job they started.”
Chapter Ten
The sorcerer had an accomplice, and she regarded me with the same distaste I reserved for bugs and other creepy crawlies. Drawing back the silver curtain, Kent gave me a full view of my prison and those I shared it with.
While I had heard their howls and strangled cries, I had believed those trapped with me had been wolves. They were men chained to the floor like dogs. Leather collars studded with silver circled their throats. The chains binding them to the concrete were fashioned of silver.
Black patches of skin marked where the Fenerec had fought their restraints and lost. Amber eyes were fixed on me, and the scent of their lust surged as they stared at me.
My wolf rejected them all; they weren’t Sanders, and their arousal disgusted her. I turned my attention to the woman, narrowing my eyes at her. At the club, I would’ve viewed her as competition; her long blond hair tied into a braid suited her, as did her tight-fitting top and jeans. It was her eyes, the blue-green of the sea in the spring, that drew and held my attention.
“So this is the Alpha’s bitch? Pretty,” she murmured, crossing her arms over her chest. “What do you want me to do with her, Kent?”
“I want her to suffer.”
“You have better magic for that than I do. You must have something in mind. What is it?”
“I intend to sever her pack bonds today. I want you to rouse her desire while I do it. I want the Alpha to know he’s being betrayed while I cut her away from him.”
The woman laughed. “Stung your pride, has she?”
“Don’t push your luck.”
“If you want to stir her desires, simply work the males. She’ll respond to the rut in time, whether her mate is present or not. Just cut her out of the bonds and the rest will follow. The pack bonds are likely making it easier for her to resist the rut. Why waste power? He’ll sense what you’re doing to her once she’s been removed from the pack as easily as during. If anything, it’ll probably be stronger after she’s out of the pack. He’ll be looking for her even more desperately.” The woman smiled, approaching me. I clenched my hands into fists and wished my feet weren’t bound to the concrete floor so I could kick out her teeth. “If you’re offering to let me play with the males, I won’t refuse.”
“Of course you won’t. You enjoy your men wild,” the sorcerer muttered.
“Almost as much as you enjoy when your women fight you.”
“Which wolf do you want?”
The woman turned away from me and looked over the males. Her scent was rich with her desire. She pointed at one of them. “He’ll do to start with.”
I fixed my stare on the far wall so I wouldn’t get a good look at any of the men held captive with me. The presence of the males stirred my wolf’s need for our mate’s touch. I growled.
“Take him upstairs, then. Just remember to leave the collar on or even you will have trouble controlling him,” the sorcerer replied, shaking his head.
“Just break her bonds while I have my fun. Maybe you can join us, Kent… if you can keep your powers under control. I’d rather not die today.” The woman laughed, crouching beside the Fenerec she had chosen. He snarled at her, the yellow in his eyes burning bright.
Without fear, she stroked his cheeks with her fingertips before working her way down to his throat. His growls deepened, and the scent of his arousal surged. I fidgeted, forcing myself to stare at the far wall.
The Fenerec’s growls softened to low, desperate moans.
“Perhaps I will,” the sorcerer replied, his tone lightening with his amusement and pleasure. “If you don’t mind me having a few tastes.”
“You keep your end of the deal, Kent, and you can have as many nibbles as you like. Deal with the bitch’s pack so we can enjoy ourselves. You’ll get what you want from her; don’t you worry about that. If you’re really nice to me, I’ll have fun with all the males.”
“I keep my end of every bargain,” the sorcerer snapped.
“Then rip her out of the pack bonds and come join me,” the woman replied.
Reaching for me, the sorcerer grabbed my throat and squeezed until I couldn’t breathe. I fought to pull away, but his grip was too strong. When my vision began to gray, he stepped close to me, staring me in the eyes.
A bone-deep chill spread from my throat into my head, silencing the cries of the wolves in my head. My wolf panicked. Freezing claws tore through my skull, tearing away at the faint sense of their presence in my head.
The last thing I felt from my pack was someone’s despair, which was drowned out by the satisfaction of the rest.
My wolf seized control of me and howled her anguish.
Kent smiled.
Together, the sorcerer and his woman tormented the males and drove them into a frenzy. One by one, their cries of anguish and pain twisted into pleasure. I shuddered, wishing I could cover my ears to block out the sounds.
All I could do was close my eyes and do my best to ignore them. My wolf’s desire to mate lit a fire in my blood, made worse by the cries of the rutting males.
When the pair finished, the Fenerec quieted, and despite being chained to the floor and captive to the sorcerer’s whims, the scent of their satisfaction hung heavy in the air. I shuddered.
Kent approached me, brushing my cheek with the back of his hand. “That’s what you’ll be enjoying soon enough, Miss Madison. When you do, your Alpha will feel it all. The harvest I reap from you and him will provide all the power I need to proceed to the next stage of my plan. I’ll even permit you to live to see it. I can’t say the same for your mate, however. I’ll enjoy ending that one’s life.”
I spit in his face. “You’re a sick bastard.”
“You’ll be changing your tune soon enough. I’ll leave you with Brandy. I’m sure she’ll help convince you to see things our way.”
The woman smiled. “Indeed. Go do your work, Kent. I’ll take good care of your new bitch.”
Laughing, the sorcerer left, leaving me alone with the satiated males and his accomplice. I glared at her, growling. I tugged at the cuffs binding my feet, my fury and frustration growing with my inability to pull free of them.
“You test his patience. He is used to women surrendering to him within minutes or a few hours for the truly tough ones. You? He’s had you for a week. You aren’t playing into his hands at all, and that’s infuriating him.” Brandy slid through the silver chains, circling around me. “It’s rare he has to ask me to keep a captive alive. The males are simple enough. He can toss scraps to them from a distance without worry. You? Oh, no. He can’t reward you. So he’ll starve you and rely on me to keep you alive. You’re hungry, aren’t you?”
I stared at her. While hunger cramped my stomach, I wasn’t paying that much attention to my body. All of my attention had been consumed by the sorcerer and how badly I wanted to end his life. With my wolf lusting for Sanders, I hadn’t thought at all about food.
“No,” I replied.
With a puzzled frown, she touched my throat. The sound she made was thoughtful. “Curious. You’re hungry, but you’re so infuriated you are ignoring it. The loss of your pack hasn’t hurt you as much as he hoped, either. How strange. You challenge him.” Brandy snorted. “Despite what he says, he doesn’t do well with challenges. He believes everything should be his for the taking without a fight.”
“Why are you helping him?”
“He has something I need that only he can provide.” The woman shrugged. “I will ease your hunger, but it will not last long. We’ll shower. You’ll feel refreshed.”
“You’ll try. I’ll kill you,” I promised, and my wolf quieted as I considered my new prey.
“You won’t. I am a water witch. Your body will be mine to control. You’ll cooperate, one way or another. It’ll be far more pleasant for both of us if you come along quietly.”
“Pass,” I replied. “I
f I have to put up with his rot, he can live with my stench.”
Brandy laughed. “I was trying to be nice to you. You already know how humiliating it is if he has to take care of you.”
“Being nice to me would be letting me kill that bastard,” I snarled, jerking my arms in the futile attempt to free myself. All I accomplished was making my shoulders and arms throb.
“If only I could. If you cooperate with him, he’ll treat you well. You’ll be his, but you’ll be comfortable. It has to hurt, hanging like that.”
It did, but I shook my head. “Never.”
“He’ll wear you down. He’ll get under your skin. He’ll win. You can’t fight him, girl. It’s better for you if you quit while you’re ahead. You’ve earned his respect, and now you are earning his rage. He’ll make you his mate, and he’ll care for you until you’ve outlived your usefulness. Because you’ll be his mate, that will be many years from now. You’ll be too valuable to him. The strength of your fury and passion is too much for him to waste.”
“I’ll never become his mate.”
“He’ll force you to. That’s part of his power. He can sever bonds, and he can forge them anew. He can force you and your wolf to accept him. I know. I’ve mated with each and every one of these wolves multiple times. Each time I do, he breaks the bond, and when they’re desperate enough, he forges them again and gains power from their lust and passion.” With a faint smile, Brandy glanced in the direction of one of the exhausted Fenerec. “Kent’s had that one here for months. I’ve mated with him many times. He’s so wild I doubt he even remembers his name anymore. Wolves don’t have names, not like we do. Kent controls that, too. There’s nothing human about them anymore except for their bodies. He doesn’t allow them to shift. It’ll kill them, eventually. He denies them their basic nature.”
I shuddered, and my wolf was so horrified she retreated until her presence was a shivering chill in the back of my head. “That’s terrible.”