TheKnightsDruid

by Shannan Albright

“Give it your best shot. Remember payback is a bitch.”

  Vance straightened, his smile turned cruel. “I was lucky enough to acquire a being that has a talent for torture.” Vance moved to the door and opened it. “Send me the Butcher,” Vance instructed someone out of Colin’s line of vision in the hallway.

  “Save your breath, I refuse to betray Arthur so you might as well kill me and be done with it,” Colin warned.

  “And deprive me of my enjoyment? That would never do.” Vance laughed the sound harsh as it bounced off the walls of the empty room. “The Butcher is not human you know. Well, not human any longer. At one time his profession was that of a doctor, but his penchant for inflicting pain consumed him. One day he was caught torturing one of his patients. Unfortunate for the Butcher, his victim died from his attentions and he was sent to the chair by human authorities.”

  A tall balding man walked into the room and stood by Vance’s side. He was gaunt, his grey skin stretched over the bones of his face and hollowed his cheeks, eyes devoid of all humanity stared back at Colin and he couldn’t help the shudder of apprehension which took hold of him. Knowing all too well what stood by Vance, and for the first time since waking Colin felt the cold prickling of fear.

  “I see by the look on your face, you know what the Butcher is.”

  Yeah, Colin knew only too well what the creature standing with Vance was a ghoul. Living on human flesh, blood and fear. Notorious for great cruelty. they were once human, now surviving on the fringes of this reality starved for pain and human flesh. They were the stuff of nightmares, so evil that even hell didn’t want them. On the up side, ghouls were blessedly rare.

  Just his luck he would run into one.

  The ghoul practically licked his lips with anticipation, his gaze glinted with a manic light as he grinned wide showing a row of nasty, jagged yellow teeth. “It will be just a moment for me to prepare,” he rasped, the sound of it reminding Colin uncomfortably of sandpaper against bone.

  Vance moved out of the ghoul’s way while he wheeled a cart into the room and shut the door with a clang of finality. “Last chance shifter, you can tell me what I know and save yourself a great deal of pain, or we can do this the hard way.”

  “I will say this one last time. You will get nothing out of me.” Colin gritted out, jerking on the manacles so hard they cut through the skin of his wrists.

  “The hard way then,” Vance sighed.

  * * * *

  Juliet clamped her hands hard to her ears, tears streamed unchecked down her pale cheeks and the screaming continued. She knew the owner of the agonizing cry and a piece of her died with every second his torture continued. She awoke to find herself in a white concrete cell. A steel door the only way in or out, the small cot she paced in front of the only furniture. Not even a bathroom or toilet in the small space. She hoped this was a holding cell since she needed to go soon and didn’t relish the idea of peeing in a corner.

  Colin’s screams ended abruptly and a part of her wished it didn’t cease since what that could mean. No, she wouldn’t think that way, refused to even consider Colin dying. She wiped at her face, straightened her shoulders. He was alive and she would find a way to get them both out of this mess.

  She refused any other outcome.

  She swung around at the sound at the door pulling at the energy around her and getting…nothing. It felt as if she was dropped into a null zone. Panic gripped her hard as she watched the door swing open soundlessly. She blinked in confusion at the old woman who darted into her room and shut the heavy door behind her. The woman was painfully thin, her loud pink paisley dress hung on her frail frame. Bright intelligent eyes peered at her with a calculating gleam in the dark depths. Whoever this woman was she may appear vulnerable, but she was far from helpless.

  “I’m Carlotta and I’ve come to help you and your man.”

  Juliet frowned at the small woman before her not sure what she could possibly do to aid her. “Um…thanks, how can you help us?”

  “I don’t have the time to explain, Vance is on his way here right now.” Carlotta’s intense dark gaze probed Juliet. “Promise me you will see to my niece’s safety and I will aid the men who have come to look for you.”

  Hope surged through her at the thought of Arthur and his men being near. “Yes I will see to her safety, just please help Colin.”

  “I have your word?” Carlotta demanded.

  “Yes, yes, anything. Just please help Colin. Please,” Juliet felt no shame in begging, she would do anything to see the man she loved safe, even sacrifice her own life.

  Carlotta must have been satisfied with her answer since she hurried over to her and pressed a piece of paper into her hand. “This is where you will find her, tell her…I’m sorry and I love her so very much,” her voice broke on the last of her declaration, tears falling freely down her hollow cheeks.

  “I will tell her, you have my word on this,” Juliet vowed.

  Carlotta nodded once and moved to the door, looking over her shoulder at Juliet as she spoke. “You must act as if all hope is lost when Vance comes to get you. He cannot be made suspicious in any way or all will be lost. Do you understand this?”

  “Yes, I understand.”

  With a sigh of relief the woman slipped out the door the sound of the lock engaging behind the strange woman. Carefully she folded the piece of paper with shaking fingers and tucked it into her bra. Anxiety made her restless and she paced across the small room, her mind in turmoil. Her hope dimmed slightly at the thought of what horrors Colin endured. She had to get them out of here and soon.

  The metallic sound of the door opening froze her in place, her heart jumped painfully as Vance stood at the doorway. His face set in grim lines anger smoldered in his dark eyes as he raked them over her. She fought the urge to wrap her arms around herself protectively then thought better of it. She refused to be anyone’s victim. Her chin jutted out and her back straightened as she stared him in the eye, refusing to back down or show any sign of weakness.

  Vance’s lip lifted in a nasty sneer. “You are going to help me get the information I need from that freak of nature.”

  “I will not hurt him.”

  He gave a nasty laugh. “I promise you, he won’t feel a thing after you take his mind.”

  Her voice shook with terror at what he wanted her to do. “I will never do that to him. Kill me now, for I swear to the Gods I will never use my gift for you.”

  “Even to save your lover from a very painful death?”

  “You are a monster!”

  “And you are a monstrous weapon. The perfect pair,” Vance moved to her side, grasping her arm in a painful vice. “Time to say goodbye to your lover.”

  Juliet struggled against his touch and hatred scoured her insides as hot as a blowtorch. If only she could pull on some energy any energy, but there was none to be had. He half pulled, half dragged her down the hallway and through another steel door. Stumbling into the small room she stopped and stared, horror at the sight that met her.

  Colin hung nude in front of her horrified eyes, steel manacles secured his wrists held high over his head. Heavy chains were secured by hooks in the ceiling. His ankles were likewise bound and bolted to the floor. Angry slash wounds covered every inch of his chest, thighs and arms. Blood pooled under his bare feet as he hung limply from his bindings. His head lay low almost to his chest, dark auburn hair obscuring his face from her view. A tall, gaunt creature held a whip in his hand, its mouth open in a parody of a smile as he applied the whip once more to Colin’s flesh. He jerked at the strike, a hiss of pain coming from him.

  Every instinct in her screamed at her to go to him and she fisted her hands at her side, her nails biting deep into her flesh to prevent that from happening. Vance already had too much control over the both of them. Colin must have sensed her presence since his head lifted fever bright gaze locked onto hers. It was then she noticed the collar around his neck and knew it prevented him from shifting. She could feel
the pulse of perverted magic from the damnable thing. She pulled at her magic, just slightly and it leapt toward her telling her no wards prevented her from using her magic.

  Small relief when she was expected to destroy the man she loved with her cursed ability.

  “Enough, you have failed me. Get out of my sight, you miserable piece of shit,” Vance spat out.

  “But sir, I am close to giving you what you have requested. Just a few more moments—”

  “You have had enough time and I’m still without my answers. It’s time to take another route,” Vance interrupted. “I’m sure Ms. Boyd will be more than happy to comply.”

  “You promised me his flesh,” the ghoul whined pitifully. “I’m so very hungry.”

  Juliet shuddered as she recognized what the thing was. “Send it away, please I beg of you.”

  The ghoul turned his malicious glare in her direction and her flesh crawl. “Better yet, give me this one. She will make quite a tasty dish. Yes, this one will do quite nicely.”

  “As tempting as that idea is I still have need of her. Leave us,” Vance waved him off, turning his attention to Colin, the ghoul already forgotten.

  It bowed its way out the door, giving Juliet one last hateful glare then left. “He needs to be tended to, his wounds are severe.”

  Vance barked out a harsh laugh. “They are of little consequence dear Juliet, the matter of utmost importance is what he knows about Arthur and that, my dear is where your…talent comes into play.”

  “Don’t ask this of me, I can’t.” The very idea made her stomach clench.

  “Either you do this or the Butcher will make dinner out of your lover, one strip of flesh at a time and you will have a front row seat.”

  She backed away in horror of what Vance wanted, there had to be a way out of this nightmare, she just needed to find it. Instinctively she pulled at the energy surrounding her directing a quick pulse at the collar binding Colin’s shifting abilities. The backlash of perverse magic snapped out, biting into her as she held on and pushed a burst of magic back at it.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Vance demanded, lunging toward her his fingers digging viciously into her shoulders as he shook her viciously.

  She thought her neck would snap in two from Vance’s attack. The energy she drew surged lighting up her nerve endings like light bulbs ready to burst from too much voltage. Acting on instinct she pushed all the power she held out in a sudden purge and watched as Vance was picked up and hurtled into the wall. A metallic crackling sound reached her through the thrumming pulse beating in her ears and she turned toward Colin in time to see the collar disintegrate. A golden shower of dust floated to the ground by his feet.

  Juliet’s legs buckled beneath her weight, collapsing onto the hard cool concrete and blinked, then blinked again. She stared dazed at the empty manacles. Manacles which only a heartbeat before, held Colin prisoner. A laugh burst through her throat dimly she noted the hysterical undertone and could care less at the moment.

  Colin was free and that was all that mattered.

  Chapter Ten

  Vance’s hands gripped her with bruising force making her cry out as she found herself dragged up to her feet. A low animalistic growl sounded behind her and her body was spun quickly around, making the world tilt crazily, her stomach pitched as her back slammed hard against a firm body. The cruel hands on her arms moved, one encircled her waist pinning her in place and the other wrapped around her throat. She stared into the green eyes of the huge grey wolf crouched and snarling his intense gaze on her captor.

  “Back off, Colin, or I will snap her neck,” Vance warned in a chilling expressionless tone. There was no doubt in Juliet’s mind he would act on his threat as his fingers tightened around her throat, threatening to cut off her air.

  A brilliant flash of light burned into Juliet’s retinas and she blinked the spots away quickly until she could see Colin standing in human form. The firm set of his jaw and the rigid tension in the corded muscles of his neck and arms spoke volumes of the rage he barely contained. From the waves of aggression shimmering off of him she knew his control was on a very thin leash.

  “Let. Her. Go,” he gritted out between clenched teeth.

  “Not going to happen. What will happen though is very simple. You are going to let Ms. Boyd and I leave.”

  An ominous growl filled the cell coming deep from Colin’s chest. “It’s all right Colin,” Juliet choked out, the pressure easing on her wind pipe enough for her to catch a breath and continue, her voice stronger without the restriction. “He won’t hurt me if you do what he says. You need see to your wounds, get to your men, please.”

  Vance backed to the exit releasing his grip on her throat and opened the heavy door clamping his hand around her arm he hauled her out of the cell. Before she could struggle for her freedom she found herself being dragged at breakneck speed through the concrete hallway and to a waiting elevator. She had a glimpse of Colin flying through the hallway almost reaching them before the doors closed. The solid thump of his body hitting the steel doors made her cringed inwardly knowing Colin was trying desperately to get to her. The sudden movement of the elevator made her stomach lurched as the surged upward abruptly at a fast rate of speed.

  “Let me go, Vance, you’re hurting my arm,” she hissed, struggling against his hold.

  “I’ll hurt more than your arm if you don’t stop fighting me. You are mine to do with as I wish Juliet. Better get used to the idea,” Vance warned darkly.

  “I will never be yours. You can’t force me to do what you want.”

  “I have ways, Juliet,” he whispered into her ear, his warm breath fanning over her neck gave her a shudder of dread.

  Looking up into his handsome face she wondered how he became such a monster. And monster he was, in every sense of the word. She had little doubt he could make her do just about anything, given enough pain. The thought of it terrified her. If all was lost, there would only be one thing left for her, only one course of action for her to take. She didn’t want to die, but she refused to be used as a weapon on innocent lives or worse, on those she loved.

  The elevator jerked to a halt, the doors opening into the large room which held the charity event only a week past. In the light of the midday sun the large circular room, encased in glass looked cold and sterile. Could her life change that fast? Goddess, she knew she was nothing like the woman who left that night. So confident she could handle whatever Vance Hollister threw her way. What a fool she was to think she had even the smallest chance against him.

  He yanked her out of the elevator and headed toward the curved stairway, half dragging her as she struggled to keep up with his larger steps. They just reached the top balcony when all hell broke loose. The sound of glass breaking was deafening as jagged shards hurled across the floor they just traversed. A roar rose up through the din and Colin emerged from an emergency exit at the same time as Arthur and his men moved into position around the staircase. She watched as Colin’s gaze swept the room, his chest rising rapidly from the untold amount of stairs he climbed in order to get above ground. He barely acknowledged the others as his green gaze rose instinctively to where she stood at the top of the stairs. His lips peeled back in a snarl, white teeth flashed exposing a set of large, sharp canines. He stalked to the stairs, gaze riveted on Juliet as he took the first step, then another.

  Vance roughly pushed her into the railing, and she gasped at the pain of the wood pressing into her stomach as he held her by her neck. “One more step and Juliet goes over,” he warned Colin.

  “Don’t do it, Vance,” Arthur called out, joining Colin on the stairs. From the corner of her eye Juliet noted Simon and Darius moving out of Vance’s line of vision, creeping up to the balcony from the second set of stairs, crouched low, they moved at a slow, steady pace.

  “This is your fault, Arthur, all of it your fault,” Vance accused, a manic gleam glowing in his eyes. “Why couldn’t you have stayed dead? You’re not nee
ded here.”

  Arthur held his hands out, palms up and he followed Colin farther up the stairs. “Not my call. Whether you like it or not, I’m here now, why don’t you let Ms. Boyd go and come fight me now, just you and I.”

  “Not quite yet you need to pay. I want you to suffer,” Vance spat out, hate dripping from his words like acid eating away any humanity he may once have had. He pulled Juliet away from the railing, backing away, going deeper into a shadowed alcove where a door stood half open.

  “I will make all of you suffer, starting right now.”

  * * * *

  Colin was half mad with terror of what Vance would do to Juliet. Seeing her pale face, terror filling her beautiful blue eyes as the doors to the elevator closed, drove him beyond reason. He ran full out, hurtling his body against the metal doors to no avail. With a savage howl he pounded on the metal until his knuckles split and blood covered his hands. His gaze swept the barren hallway, saying a quick prayer of thanks to the Gods as he found the emergency stairs.

  He lost track of the endless levels he climbed, focusing only on one thing. Getting to Juliet, saving her from the danger she was in. Sweat poured off his body as he pushed ever upward taking the stairs two at a time, pushing every bit of energy he had. By the time he made it out and into the circular reception room of Dragonwick Enterprises his breath was coming out in ragged gasps.

  All hell broke loose as he moved into the room as several of the glass panes which circled the large room shattered. Arthur stepped through, his boots crunching on the broken glass littering the floor. Simon and Darius came through right behind their leader, all of them where dripping with weapons and giving off a lethal vibe Colin acknowledged and appreciated.

  His eyes moved through the room then rose to lock onto Juliet and everything vanished except for the threat to his woman. With a snarl he strode quickly up to the stairs, taking them one at a time with deadly intent. He would tear the man apart with his teeth and claws. The animal within him demanded Vance’s blood, nothing less would do.