“Why did you help him?”
He didn’t answer, turning his back to me.
“Why?” I asked again.
He started walking away.
“You fucking coward!” I screamed.
He didn’t flinch at my words.
“You’re just a puppet!”
Nothing, not even a sigh. He kept walking.
I sucked in a large breath. “Please don’t leave me!”
The door shut behind him as he left.
“Oh, my God,” I cried in panic, staring at the tiny holes throughout the glass room allowing oxygen inside. “This can’t be real. This can’t be real…”
CHAPTER EIGHT
I kicked Megan’s left leg. “Wake up!”
It had been an hour since our kidnapper had left.
And the woman was still out.
I kicked her again. “Megan, wake up!
She could be sleeping peacefully if the red mark around her neck didn’t look like it hurt so badly.
My eyes narrowed.
I pressed the tip of my shoe against the side of her throat where the mark was the angriest looking.
Then I pushed a little harder. “Wake up!”
Finally, she groaned.
That was something, at least.
“Megan! Open your damn eyes!”
Delicate blue eyes rimmed in thick black eyeliner peeked up at me. Her lashes fluttered as she stared. Then she complained with a yawn, “Do you really have to yell that loud?”
I was going to strangle her.
“We need to get out of here,” I growled. “Unless you’ve forgotten we’ve been kidnapped by someone who likes to slice up bodies and steal souls?”
Black brows lifted. “He’s a soul thief, huh?”
“You know about magic? It’s actually real?” My head cocked.
Her blink was gradual. “Fuck, you’re gullible.”
“Just get off the floor,” I grumbled. “We need to untie each other so we can use our hands. Whatever the hell this enclosure is, it’s not very sturdy. I think I moved it when I tried kicking the door earlier.”
Megan rolled to her side, groaning at the ache in her arms. She glanced to each glass wall and then beyond it to the freak show. “What the hell are those? That asshole’s playthings?”
“I’m trying to ignore them.” I jerked my head at her. “Come on. I think we only have a few hours before the ‘master’ gets here.”
“But is the dick still here?”
“I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure I heard that ancient train take off.”
“Okay,” she muttered, hissing as her muscles protested while she got to her feet. Megan wiggled in place and stretched her back, staring up at me, her eyes narrowing in thought. “How are we going to do this? You’re a whole lot taller than I am.”
I kicked my heels off to remove a few inches. “I’ll have to bend down. Now turn around.”
We placed our backs together.
I had to bend far down.
“I’m not sure how long I can hold this position. And I can’t stay like this and work on your rope. Get mine undone first, then I’ll work on yours.”
“Easy,” she mumbled. “I know ropes.”
True to her word, my legs were not even shaking in exhaustion by the time my hands were free.
I rotated my wrists and swung my arms as I turned around. “I doubt I’ll be that fast getting you undone.”
“Just don’t make it any tighter while you work it. That fucknut about broke my wrist when he chased me down.”
Her left wrist was puffy.
“It’s probably sprained,” I muttered.
I bent at the waist and studied the knot. It was intricate but not a task I couldn’t handle. I set my hands in motion, ignoring when she growled in pain—many times.
Ten minutes passed, and her rope fell to the floor.
“Hell, I think you did more damage than good.”
I glared. “You can yell at me later.”
“Right.” She rubbed at her wrists while walking to the glass door, her head tilting as she examined it. “You said the whole thing moved when you kicked it?”
“I’m pretty sure it did.”
She lifted her right boot and slammed the bottom of it against the door, leaning back with the hit.
Screech.
The enclosure moved a half inch, scraping on the concrete floor.
Megan grinned. “We can work with this.”
That wasn’t to be, though.
The door across the room opened.
Our heads snapped in that direction.
“Uh, who called for the hottie?” Megan whispered.
My eyes popped wide. “He had better not be the ‘master.’”
If he was, we were in for a world of hurt.
Of the white tiger variety.
Mr. Finn Baker stood in the doorway, his eyes professionally scanning the room, including his assessment of Megan and me, his glacial gaze running down our frames in a quick but thorough study. He walked forward two steps, eyeing the scary ass mannequins, the two knives in his hands twirling through his fingers as if he wanted to slice through the heinous things.
Poppy stepped from behind him, her tiny frame hidden before. Her eyes widened at the sight of the mannequins, and her features drew tight in fear. She shouted in terror, “I knew this dress was a bad idea!”
CHAPTER NINE
Mr. Baker turned his head to stare at the redhead, speaking in a reassuring tone. “Calm down, Poppy. They apparently aren’t powered up.”
Her fearful eyes glanced around the room, and she shuddered in revulsion. “I hate these things.”
Mr. Baker lifted a white brow. “Where is the hardass soldier I know?”
“Out the fucking door is where she is,” Poppy griped. She spun on her combat boots and took a step to the door. “You can get them out of that glass room, no problem.”
“But…what if it’s a trap?” He tempted, his lips trembling when she perked up. “Like a puzzle?”
With her back to us still, her shoulders stiffened. “A puzzle?”
“Maybe.”
She tapped her hands on her thighs, thinking.
Megan sighed and waved a hand. “Hello! If you’re not here to kill us, can you please quit jabbering on like idiots?” She knocked on the glass door with her knuckles. “We can get out of here, but it would be a lot faster if you would simply unlock the damn door!”
Poppy jerked her body around and crossed her arms. “Hello, Megan.”
“Hey, Poppy,” she grumbled.
Poppy’s eyebrows rose. “I thought you were in jail.”
“Long story.” Megan’s nose crinkled. “Actually, it’s short. My dad is a sick bastard with a twisted sense of humor.”
Poppy sniffed. “I still would have kicked your ass had you remained for the rest of the CA tests.”
“I guess we’ll never know.” Megan smirked. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“Likewise.” Poppy’s smile was radiant. “So, how about Finn and I get you out of there?”
“It’s about damn time,” I complained. “If anyone else wants to chat, please save it for later. There’s a bad guy coming soon.”
Mr. Baker and Poppy maneuvered between the freakish figures, walking toward us. Mr. Baker eyed each mannequin he passed, and asked, “Do you know the name of the bad guy?”
Megan snorted. “Master.”
“What?”
I answered, “The guy who kidnapped us called him ‘master.’ No real name was given.”
Smooth and calm, Mr. Baker murmured, “Poppy, I may stay behind to finally find out who this guy is.”
“Don’t even think about it. A powerful enemy, we actually know nothing about, that’s bent on chaos? We need to get those two out of here and regroup. We’ll need reinforcements, people watching our backs, if we want to take the mystery man on.”
He grinned. “There’s the hardass soldier.”
Mr. Baker snickered as they stopped in front of us, only the glass door with the tiny holes separating our bodies.
I would take the monster I knew over the monster I didn’t. One man cut off women’s heads and decorated the room with them. This man saved women from falling down stairs and held them with care afterward.
It seemed pretty straight forward which was better.
“Hurry, please,” I whispered.
Mr. Baker licked his lower lip, his eyes on my mouth.
Unbidden, warmth unfurled deep in my belly.
His nostrils flared and his eyes heated.
Poppy glanced back and forth between us before elbowing him in the side. “Finn, quit that. This really isn’t the time. There are dead bodies butchered in the other room.”
He still stared at me. “It’s probably those missing women.”
Poppy sighed, her eyes lowering in sadness. Her words were hardly above a whisper. “It’s them. I recognize their faces from the reports.”
Megan grunted. “I agree with Poppy. Quit making ‘fuck me’ eyes at Mina and turn that lock.”
A blush stained my cheeks, heating my skin.
Mr. Baker grunted. The lock turned with the flick of his fingers, and he opened the door with his eyes remaining on me. With an even tone, no hint of the carnal emotion reflecting in his eyes, he stated, “Mina first.”
Except, unintended incidents tend to happen when you don’t pay attention to your surroundings. For example, Mr. Baker’s back brushing against one of the mannequins as he opened the door wider.
I learned just why our kidnapper had said not to touch them, and my mouth opened in a scream, “Mr. Baker, get down!”
He actually listened to me, his body lowering into a crouch. The figure behind him, which had suddenly come to animated life, barely missed the white tiger with its sharp black nails, scraping thin air where his neck had been. Mr. Baker’s knives were instantly back in his hands, and he jumped, spinning and slicing the creature’s head right off—just as its gaping mouth began to glow a neon green.
“Thank you, Mina.” He glanced at me over his shoulder, sensual heat still simmering in his gaze. “And for the love of all that’s holy, I want to fuck you, so don’t call me Mr. Baker again. My name is Finn.”
“Maybe?” Brilliant response to the handsome beast.
But that one killing blow started a ripple effect.
One by one, each mannequin came to life, like on a circuit of power. And their wide mouths, which once held nothing, glowed with a neon green energy. A hypnotizing power that I wanted to reach out and touch with rough caresses, its radiance calling to a primal part of my being.
Cassander’s weird warning…
“When you see the green light, don’t stare at it.”
I jerked my head to Megan, who gazed at them with the most wondrous expression on her face. “Megan! Don’t look at the light.”
She blinked and shook her entire body past the lingering effects. “What the hell?”
“I haven’t the faintest idea what it is, but that green shit is not friendly.”
“No, no, no, no, no,” Poppy whispered, her eyes wide in dread. “Why are they turning on?”
“Finn touched them,” I answered. “Our kidnapper said if I touched them, I wouldn’t like the result.”
He purred quietly. “Thank you for calling me that.”
“Jesus, is he still flirting with you?” Megan whipped her glare to the side of his head as he watched the mannequins gradually converging on us, surrounded as we were. “Quit trying to get laid and pay attention. Cut off their heads.”
“I can’t do this,” Poppy whispered. Her chest was heaving, her face turning a startling shade of white. “They want my soul. I only have one. I want to keep it! I can’t… I can’t do this!”
Finn twirled one of his knives in front of her face. “Snap out of it, soldier! There are hundreds here. I can’t take them alone. I need you.”
She didn’t hear him. Poppy’s eyes rolled back into her head, and she started to fall in a dead faint.
“Shit!” Finn hollered in frustration. He swooped his arms around her and caught her dead weight before she hit the ground—though one of his knives nicked her arm.
As Finn placed her on the ground, a tiny drop of blood dripped onto the gray concrete from his steel blade.
The first blood had fallen.
CHAPTER TEN
Blades flashed, and living nightmares fell.
Cassander had arrived. Exactly as he promised.
He grinned from the doorway, his swords swinging in merry—deadly—fun. He shouted with glee, “I have arrived to save the day!”
Finn straightened from his crouched position next to Poppy, unsurprised, his eyes on his slash-happy friend. “You know, Cass, one day, it would be nice if you helped prevent the need for saving others instead of riding in on your white horse like a hero.”
Cassander sidestepped a flying hand full of lethal nails, his smile only widening on his face. “Aww, come on. You know you love this shit.”
Finn grunted, a smirk tugging at his wide lips. “My friend, you have me there. I’ve needed an outlet for a while. Killing a few golems will do just fine.”
I flinched back when the white tiger brandished his blades, cutting down two…golems…with expert ease.
Megan leaned toward me, muttering under her breath, “What the hell is a golem?”
I stood a bit straighter, ready to teach. “From my ancient studies of civilization, golems were once believed to be magical creatures created by clay and then animated to life.”
Megan stared in disbelief. She grumbled, “You’re talking about magic again. Crazy shit.”
I waved a hand at the golems before us, my own eyes staring at their bodies—not their glowing mouths—in incredulity. “I can’t believe I’m saying it, either. But how else would you explain this?”
She snorted. “A new form of machinery.”
My lips thinned. I didn’t say more on the matter.
Megan hadn’t witnessed men turning into beasts.
Magic would be farfetched for someone in the dark.
“You two need to get Poppy inside with you while Cass and I take care of the…,” he glanced at Megan, apparently offended by her tone with me, “golems—because that’s what they are.”
Her blue eyes rolled. “Mina can drag the fainting princess in here. I’ll fight with you.”
“No, you won’t. Poppy said you wanted to be in the CA, right?”
“Yeah. To get away from my dad.”
“Well, a good soldier knows when to protect the innocent.” He tipped his head in my direction, holding her narrowed gaze. “Mina can’t fight, and Poppy is down. You need to watch over them. If you can get out of the locked enclosure, then the golems can get in twice as easily with their numbers.”
Her lips thinned, properly scolded.
I grumbled, “How do you know I can’t fight?”
“I read your file on the way here. You graduated from New City University two years early—with honors—and you’re now a professor there. You’re a scholar, not a fighter.” His eyes heated as they ran down my curvy body, pausing on the most indecent parts. He purred, “And I like it, Mina. Don’t think I don’t.”
I shuddered, my legs weakening from his erotic expression and promising words. I wanted to rub my body all over this man. It was so very distasteful, but the idea grew with more merit every single second I was in this monster’s presence.
Swaying toward him, I sighed, “Okay.”
Another brilliant response.
Megan snorted and choked until she laughed.
She pointed a finger right at my face. “All that education and one man makes you lose your wits? You’re going to get fucked so good that you won’t be able to walk in a straight line to pee afterward.”
“Megan!” I admonished, my cheeks flam
ing.
“What? It’s so true.” She winked.
Finn shrugged a shoulder when I peeked at him from the corner of my eye. He was in agreement with her, his expression smug, a man who knew he was exceptional in the carnal acts.
My cheeks still burned in embarrassment, but my tone was droll as I muttered, “Don’t you have some golems to kill, Mr. Baker?”
He chuckled at my snub, enjoying my uptight attitude. “You’re right. I can’t let Cass have all the fun.” He pointed one of his knives at Megan. “Get Poppy inside and make sure the three of you aren’t killed.”
With his parting words, he raced into the madness surrounding us, his blades sure and steady as he sliced off golem heads with expert ease. Even wearing a tuxedo.
“Damn, he’s amazing with blades,” Megan murmured.
I nodded, reluctantly agreeing with her.
“Okay, let’s get Little Miss Princess in here with us. I don’t want General Carvene—or Mr. King—hunting me if she dies on my watch.”
“You’re exactly spot-on to the truth,” I whispered.
More than she knew.
Mr. King would love hunting her.
We slipped out of the glass room.
I took Poppy’s arms. Megan took her feet.
Together, we lifted her slight weight with ease, carried her carefully into the glass room, and placed her on the floor. While Megan raced to slam the door shut, I stayed crouched next to Poppy and ran the pad of my finger over the blood on her arm where she had been cut. There wasn’t even a scratch beneath the blood, her body healing in a few minutes—or sooner.
Was she a beast too?
Perhaps a magical creature? Immortal?
I wanted answers to all of my curious questions.
If only I were brave enough to ask a monster.
I wasn’t sure if I was. Even if he was a hottie.
Though, I did have one question I wasn’t afraid to ask. I turned my attention to Megan as she peeked under the bottom of Poppy’s dress.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
“Weapons.” Megan grinned, sticking her hands far under Poppy’s dress, her arms disappearing all the way up to her shoulders. “I knew she wouldn’t go without.”
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