The Marked and the Broken

by Ivy Asher

  “Wait,” I call out confused. “What the fuck are you doing?”

  “Feeding you,” he states casually, and then he opens his wrist with a claw-tipped finger.

  Blood pools at the cut, and I stare at it as nerves wake up in my stomach, and everything inside of me feels fluttery.

  “I’m just going to drink straight from you?” I ask like a dense idiot. I try to ignore the fact that I can smell his blood as it drips down the side of his wrist, and it’s making my mouth fucking water. I have serious issues.

  “I don’t have time to go get another canteen, and since you played with that one, this is the only option.”

  I lick my lips as more blood spills out of him, and before I know what I’m doing, I grab his arm and bring it closer. “I just suck on it?” I ask, and Becket snorts. I lean to the side of Siah to glare at him. “I’m not a lamia, asshole, I’ve never done this before,” I defend.

  “Could have fooled me. You downed that canteen, and you’re looking at his wrist like it’s fucking chocolate cake. If it quacks like a lamia…” he trails off.

  I shimmy into a better position, push up the sleeves of my ratty sweater, and bring Siah’s bleeding wrist to my mouth. I look up at him, unsure. The red is gone from his eyes, and he stares intensely back at me. He gives me an encouraging nod, and I seal my mouth over the bleeding cut. Siah’s blood coats my tongue, and I’m so fucking grateful that his big body is blocking me from view, because I close my eyes and quietly moan at the taste. I swallow a mouthful of blood and suck on the wound for more. He tastes so fucking good, and my grip tightens on his muscular arm as I suck harder on his wrist.

  A deep groan rumbles in the cell, and I open my eyes, worried that I’m hurting him. My concerned gaze meets blazing blue eyes, and as soon as our eyes connect, it’s like I can feel the heat in his stare seeping into me. My nipples harden and warmth pools between my thighs. I take another deep pull of his wrist, and his eyes flash with need. He leans into me, his lips slightly parted, and I can just make out a hint of fangs. I want them inside of me, drinking from me like I’m drinking from him. That thought startles me, and yet I’m not at all turned off or terrified by it.

  I can feel the cut closing and the flow of blood slowly tapering off. I pull my lips from his wrist when the cut finally seals, and with my eyes still fixed on his, I twist his wrist slightly and lick at the trail of blood there. Siah closes his eyes as my tongue snakes out and connects with his skin, and I like the effect I’m having on him. Purple magic flashes on both of my arms, and I flinch back and let out a surprised squeak at its sudden appearance. I drop Siah’s arm and push back in the corner, internally yelling at my magic to calm the fuck down.

  Siah watches the flashes move up and down my exposed skin from wrist to elbow, and he reaches out a finger and strokes a streak of purple magic. It jumps from me to him, and another deep growl I can feel in my clit rumbles out of him. I scramble to get up and break the trance we both seem to be locked in. My eyes land on Sorik, and he’s beaming at me. I give him an awkward half smile, and then my view of him is blocked when Siah, the hulking lamia, also stands up.

  Siah steps toward me, the look on his face primal, and I try not to think about his hard body as it presses into mine. I put my hands on his chest and take a deep fortifying breath. Sabin was right; he’s definitely Chosen. I look up into his light blue eyes and pull forward the fading tendrils of unease that taint this knowledge.

  “Why the show when you brought me here?” I ask, needing his words to cement my suspicions.

  “I’ll explain everything in detail when we have more time, but from the second that Adriel had your uncle, he knew it would only be a matter of time before he could lure you out. He was hunting you harder than ever, and Sorik and I knew if we didn’t get to you first and get you away, you wouldn’t have a chance against him. Adriel instructed that any lamia taken ask to only speak to you, and if they were given the chance, to convince you that they could help you free your uncle. So when I saw the paladin watching a group of hunters, I knew he was my best chance at getting to you before any other lamia could.” Siah shakes his head and his gaze becomes beseeching.

  “I wasn’t going to take you to him,” he tells me, his tone haunted with a hint of pleading. “But I tasted your magic, and all I could think about was how you could finally end this for us,” Siah explains, and he gestures toward Sorik and then to the door, his words and actions seeming to encompass the lamia he mentioned that didn’t want to live under Adriel’s reign anymore. “Your protectors had a plan that I thought would work, and I meant it when I said I would help from the inside, but I couldn’t tell you about everything with Adriel and risk that he’d see when he drank from you. Your shock and betrayal had to read authentic, or Adriel would see the rest of the plan coming.”

  I take in the desperation pouring out of Siah’s gaze and countenance. I’m not sure if he’s desperate for me to understand and believe him or for all of this with Adriel to just be over. Maybe it’s all of it. A streak of purple magic flashes on my forearm and then blinks away. I stare at the ghost of my magic and let its presence mingle with Siah’s explanation.

  “I didn’t know…” he trails off and gestures between us.

  “Okay,” I tell him as I fix my eyes back on his. “Okay,” I repeat, the word filled with acceptance and pardon.

  “Vinna, you and I—” he starts, but I cut him off.

  “I know,” I confess. “But not here, okay? Just wait until this is over, and we’ll figure it out,” I beg, knowing that this is not the time or place to dive into that discussion.

  Siah’s hungry eyes bounce back and forth between mine, and then he steps back with a nod. I move past him, ignoring how my body lights up as it skims his, and roll my eyes when Sorik moves to hug Siah. His smile lights up his whole face, and he pats Siah’s back hard and tells him something I can’t hear. Becket gives me a questioning look, and I shrug, not wanting to have to explain that Siah is mate number seven. I’m not nearly as freaked out by this fact as I was when I accidentally marked the first five or realized what Torrez was to me. Maybe it’s because the guys already saw it coming and seemed to be fine with it. Or maybe Knox is just rubbing off on me, and I’m getting better at rolling with the punches. Whatever the reason, I welcome the sense of peace that runs through me.

  “Okay, well now that we’ve recharged the Sentinel’s batteries, can I ask what the plan is?” Becket inquires, and Sorik turns to us.

  “Yes, the plan is to get the both of you out of here. Adriel is almost finished—”

  “Finished healing,” a voice announces, and all of our heads snap in the direction of the door. The lamia that I stabbed through the neck with a pool cue takes a step into the dim light of the cell, and I can just make out more lamia behind him. “Our Sire is ready to speak with his pet again. I’m sure he’ll be very interested to hear more about what you two traitors are doing down here.”

  I debate for a second if we fight to get out of this but quickly decide against it. We’re cornered and outnumbered. Even if we can ash every lamia standing behind this fucker, there’s no guarantee we could make it out of the nest or get to Adriel to kill him. Better to go quietly, call on my runes when they take us to Adriel, and wait for backup. I can feel the tension radiating off everyone in the cell, and behind my back, I send a hand signal to wait that I hope they catch.

  “Lead the way, then,” I tell the lamia I tried to kill, and he sneers at me.

  Fast as lightning, he grabs me by the collar and yanks me toward him. I also grab at the collar for purchase and try to get my feet under me as I’m dragged out of the cell and down the hallway. Lachlan is once again being carried in front of me, but he looks even worse. I don’t know if they’re still torturing him or if this is the physical manifestation of his grief over losing his mate, but he looks like he’s going to die at any minute. I can’t turn to see if Becket, Siah, and Sorik are right behind me, but there’s an occasional g
runt as one of them gets hit and told to move faster.

  The tall black doors I wish I would never see again are opened, and I’m once again brought into the polished, black stone room. It’s like deja vu from fucking hell because Adriel is once again perched on his throne as Lachlan and I are thrown at his feet. Becket stumbles forward after clearly being pushed, and when he gets his feet under him, he reaches down and helps me up. I activate the runes on my ring finger and try not to wince from the pain. Lachlan is staring dead-eyed at nothing, so I just leave him to whatever world he’s found in his head that keeps him far away from what’s happening here.

  “What’s going on?” Adriel demands when Sorik and Siah are pushed forward to join Becket and me.

  “We found these two discussing how they need to get them out of here while you’re still recovering.” The guard gestures to me on the word them, and Adriel’s features grow dark.

  He narrows his eyes at Sorik, and his fists tighten around the armrests of his throne. “Explain,” he demands, and he leans forward like he’s ready to pounce. I have no fucking clue what Adriel will actually do to Sorik and Siah, but I doubt it will be an enjoyable experience. I look at Sorik, hoping he has some kind of story that will get them out of this, but his features are stone-like, and there’s an air of resignation to both of them.

  I learned my lesson about how Adriel operates, and I whisper to Becket to guard their backs. He moves behind Siah and faces off with Adriel’s guards as I step wordlessly in front of Sorik.

  Adriel shoots up out of his throne, and we all tense at the sudden movement. “So the baby Sentinel thinks she can protect traitors in my nest?” he jeers, but he doesn’t take a step closer.

  “If you ever hope to get what you want from me, then yes, I can most definitely protect them,” I counter.

  Adriel raises an eyebrow at that and motions for me to go on.

  “You want to be marked, and I can mark you. You can’t force me; I have to do it of my own free will, although I’m sure you’ve figured that much out by now,” I challenge. “So give me a reason to want to mark you. Torturing and murdering the ones I care about will just have me tapping into my stubborn as fuck side until I look like him.” I gesture to Lachlan who’s still lying on the ground, staring off at nothing. “You want to force my hand, but have you ever tried simply earning what it is that you want?”

  Adriel’s features tighten ever so slightly, and it’s clear he doesn’t like what I’m saying. No surprise there, as he’s a jealous, entitled prick who thinks we should all just bow to his every whim.

  “You can keep trying all the same tactics that you tried on the others, and when I die or escape, how long will you have to wait for your next chance? How many female Sentinels are still out there in the world? I mean, maybe you’ll get lucky and only have to wait another twenty-two years, but will she be as powerful as me?”

  I decide to shut the fuck up and stop trying to sound so enticing. I want to convince him that if he lets Sorik, Siah, and Becket go, that I’ll mark him, even though I never would. I want him to convince me that he’s going to do exactly that, even though I know he’s calculating right now how to use each of them against me. Really all I need to do is keep this asshole talking so my Chosen, Aydin, Evrin, and hopefully a pack of wolf shifters can make their way inside of this place and decimate anyone who thinks like Adriel thinks.

  Adriel tilts his head to the side, and his eyes become unfocused. At first, I think he’s simply contemplating my offer, but after another second, I realize he’s listening to something. His lips purse minutely, and then he turns his attention back to me.

  “You make an appealing case, pet, but the one thing you fail to realize is what you have is already mine. You wouldn’t exist if I hadn’t made it so. I own you and have even before your conception.”

  I glare at him and open my mouth to tell him as eloquently as I can to fuck off, but he cuts me off.

  “You don’t believe me?” He laughs, and the sound of it makes every hair on my body rise with alarm. “Ask him yourself, then.”

  Doors open behind me, but I don’t immediately turn to see what Adriel is talking about. He looks entirely too triumphant, and I’m terrified that when I turn around, he’ll have one of my Chosen—or worse, all of them.

  24

  I breathe through the wave of fear that permeates me and finally turn when I hear Sorik gasp in shock. Every thought in my mind stutters to a stop. I stare open-mouthed at the dark haired, seafoam green eyed male who stares past Adriel like he’s not even there. I run my unbelieving eyes over the runes on his finger and trace his familiar features until the neurons in my brain fire up so I can process what I’m seeing.

  I look from Vaughn to Lachlan, who’s still on the ground practically catatonic. I ache for what he must be going through, having just lost Keegan, but Lachlan has spent almost half his life looking for his twin, and he’s standing right there in front of us. I crouch down to get in Lachlan’s line of sight. “Vaughn is alive,” I tell him, and my voice is both filled with awe and shaky from nerves. I force Lachlan to sit up, and he doesn’t fight me, which I take that as a good sign. I direct his blank gaze toward his brother. “He’s right there,” I state the obvious, and I watch as Lachlan’s eyes run over his twin. They don’t light up with hope the way I expect them to, and I’m confused as fuck when Lachlan drops his gaze and looks away.

  “Vaughn is dead,” Lachlan announces, his voice monotone and devoid of all emotion, and his eyes drop to the floor.

  “What the hell are you talking about? He’s right fucking there,” I snap at him, and I look up to make sure I’m not fucking imagining things. Vaughn stands tall, a healthy version of what Lachlan looked like before he was caught by Adriel.

  “Ask that monster what he did to him!” Lachlan shouts, his tone equally as furious as mine.

  I stare at Lachlan, horrified for a moment as I realize what’s going on. “You knew,” I accuse, and Lachlan puts his head in his hands and says nothing. “You told me he was dead, you…fucking asshole. You let me believe that when you knew it wasn’t true!” I push him away from me and move to get as far away from him as I can. “You knew this whole time that Adriel had him, and you let me think he was gone? Why?”

  “Because he is fucking gone! Look at him!” Lachlan bellows.

  I turn to Vaughn, trying to understand what the fuck Lachlan is talking about. He looks healthy, and he’s right there standing in front of me, staring off past Adriel like he’s waiting for a command. That thought sends a spark of warning throughout me, and I take a step closer to Vaughn, my eyes searching, my soul uneasy.

  “Vau—” I stop, and suddenly I have to swallow the lump that rises in my throat. “Dad?” I ask instead, my voice smaller and frailer than I’ve ever heard it. He doesn’t respond in any way that would make me think he heard me. No stiffening of his shoulders or clenching of his jaw. His eyes don’t flicker to mine for the briefest of seconds. He just stands there stoic and frozen.

  Adriel walks over slowly, enjoying the pain and confusion. “What a beautiful family reunion,” he coos, and it sends my heart racing even faster. “I always knew I’d get the family back together, didn’t I, Vaughn?” he asks as he wraps an arm around his shoulders and pats him hard on the chest, like they’re good buddies that go way back. Vaughn doesn’t respond in any way to Adriel’s touch or question, and my heart drops even more.

  “What did you do to him?” I ask, my voice broken, my heart hurting. My dad is standing right here, but Lachlan is right, it’s like there’s nothing inside of him anymore.

  “Do you know how lamia are made, pet?” Adriel asks me, his eyes drinking up my pain like it’s water in the desert.

  I think back to what Siah told me in the car. “When they make another lamia, they need to pull all the magic from the being they’re draining, but not overload themselves so that it will kill them. They then need to force their magic into the drained, but not deplete their stores so
much that it results in death too.” I look from Adriel to Vaughn and try to put together what the question has to do with anything. Then, suddenly it hits me. I turn to Adriel, horrified, and he laughs.

  “The draining part went accordingly. I’ve never felt so full of power and ability, but when it came to forcing my power into him…” He shrugs nonchalantly.

  I picture the source of my magic and how it feels to me. I’ve always pictured it to be this endless cavern I could always pull from. I don’t know if other Sentinels experience the same thing, but as I look at Vaughn and the empty look in his eyes, I can see where Adriel went wrong.

  “You weren’t powerful enough,” I blurt, my voice hollow. Adriel glares at me, but fuck him, he tried to turn my father. He didn’t have enough fucking magic, and this is the result.

  “Or maybe Sentinels just can’t be turned.” Adriel shrugs. “Now, where were we?” he asks absentmindedly. “That’s right, your beautiful daughter was needing proof that she belonged to me,” he declares with a chuckle and pats Vaughn’s cheek.

  And I completely fucking lose it.

  Maybe it’s the fact that my comatose father was just paraded out in front of me like it’s no big deal, or the betrayal of Lachlan by not telling me the truth. Maybe it’s Adriel’s arm around Vaughn’s shoulders and knowing how many years he’s been tortured by this sick piece of shit, but I go right past pissed and straight into feral, psychotic bitch mode.

  I scream through the pain as I call on my Sentinel speed and flash as fast as any lamia. I spin at Vaughn’s back and bring a short sword down on Adriel’s shoulder. My blade sinks about half way through before Adriel flashes away from me with a pained bellow. I scream again as he escapes and fall to my knees, where I breathe through the searing pain and demand that my body stays alert and doesn’t give into everything that’s hurting inside of me right now.

  Chaos breaks out across the room. Sets of the huge black doors that surround the room break open, and lamia, mid-battle with a shit ton of wolf shifters, all pour in. In a matter of seconds, the massive, shiny black room is teaming with bodies. I force myself to my feet, and pain-filled screams and battle cries assault my senses. The smell of blood and ash fills my nose, and I’m bumped and jostled around. I search frantically for Adriel, panic rising inside of me at the thought that he might escape.