by Avery Duncan
“No. I won’t go down to some hole to be a breeder for you sick fucks,” she spat, crossing her arms over her chest. As the man on the right gave her an even colder look, she shrunk back into the seat but held her ground. Where had this inner strength come from? She almost cursed at herself, hating that she couldn’t have been this strong in front of Chris.
“Sick fu... You whore!” the one on the left screeched, and would have lunged across the table had his brother not grabbed him and held him back.
Jamie shuddered, wishing she had her Columbia. Her shoulders were bare, the corset of the low-cut dress they had shoved her into pushing her breasts almost above the thin material. She thought of the callous remarks that he had stated in front of her as he had forced her to change from the only pieces of clothing that she had called her own. The room was freezing. She could have sworn that her skin was turning blue, almost purple.
The fall of the skirt brushed against the floor when she walked, and Jamie felt a permanent revulsion for the men. What kind of sadistic bastard would force a woman into a Victorian Era harlot costume? The dress was skimpier than any of the cocktail dresses that Chris has gotten for her.
The one on the left took a shuddering breath. Out of them all, it was clear to her who was more emotionally unstable. While the man on the right had the cool demeanor, the hard eyes, and the ingrained hate that she had no idea about, the other could barely control his anger, he was shivering so bad.The air around her turned frosty — possibly from the men? She shoved her trembling hands in her arms as she tightened them across her chest, well above the swell of her breasts.
The sound of a chair scraping against the floor drew her attention back to the men. A sickly delicate whisper floated to her ears as one of the men appeared behind her suddenly. Her back tensed, face paling as his breath caressed her cheek.
She could smell the metallic smell of the bloody...thing that he had been eating. Their plates were all filled with the same disgusting creation — a still pulsing something with pieces of charred...skin? Strips of meat? Bacon? Her stomach heaved. Jamie desperately prayed it was the latter.
“You will go into that room. You will seduce the monster. You will give us our pay. If you fail to do so, I will tear you apart with my bare hands, along with your family. Everything you love, every drop of their blood, will caress your skin as I force you to watch their demise.”
Jamie shivered. He was the colder of the two and yet, it was the one who was so unstable and looked at her with eyes that said she owed him, that made her hoist her backbone.
“No.”
Chapter 5
The thick door slammed shut, the action making Talon’s ears ring as the sound echoed through the room. An array of scents wafted over him.
Sweet.
Soft.
Fresh.
Female.
His hackles rose, and he pressed farther into the shadows. His guard rose as well, furious at Auro and the new presence. Was he meaning to tempt him, to make him want even more than he had before? Disgust roiled through him as he spied a curl of dark black hair shimmering in the light.
Talon’s eyes darkened as he forced the shadows to cover him, wanting any source of light to vanish. By just being there, the woman was in danger. Not only from Auro — but from him as well.
He wrapped his hand around his arm, chest tight as a sense of familiarity came over him. The form lay still, curled defensively. She hadn’t moved since she had been thrown in, something for which Talon was grateful.
His body tensed. The woman stirred.
It felt like forever since Talon had been in the presence of a woman, had even looked at one from a distance. Not many people walked by, wary of the foreboding mansion, and even if they did, none paid him or the prison any heed. The forest around them was Auro’s fence, his grand force of protection. Crows were his daily visitors, squawking at his treats of food.
He was disgusted.
The small form lay silently on the ground before him, only moving in jerky movements. Soon enough, he realized that she was shivering. She made no sound, made no move to look at him. For a millennium, he felt as if she didn’t know he was there.
Talon was perfectly fine with that.
She knew he was there, could actually feel his gaze on her back. Although the lighting was dim, Jamie knew he could not see anything of her but her hair. She refused to move, refused to equate herself with him. Already she loathed the supposed “monster”, had no wish to “copulate” with him, as Auro had informed her.
The act of sex had become repugnant to her, as disgusting as the men above, and the one she was trapped with. What was supposed to be a beautiful coupling of two people had turned into a horrific act that made her cringe every time Chris had entered the room.
A ray of light beamed from the small window, bright enough to give her a sense of her surroundings, but not bright enough to show her the face of the man that lay in the shadows. She curled tighter, shudders wracking her body. She could have gasped at how cold she was, but clenched her teeth hard enough that their chattering stopped.
If I ever see them again... Jamie’s hands curled into fists. If she was ever given the chance, she was going to kill them. Forget that she hated violence, what they had forced her into, what they were, was enough to make her want to rip them apart.
Jamie knew she should be more worried about them being otherworldly, not human in any way. But something inside her, from the day she had been old enough to write and read, had shouted at her that there was something more to the world. Something that she had been missing, something that was waiting for her. Whatever it was, she guessed that her father had hated her and her mother solely for that reason.
Ages ago, when she had been in fifth grade, feeling all big and tough, Jamie had been taken by her mother. It had been an adventure, her mother had whispered fearfully, picking her up that day from the school. Teachers had let her mother rush her out. Jamie had been following behind quickly, scared of her mother’s tears. Something similar had only happened one other time. The third time...had been the last.
The events after that would always be in her mind. Would always set her against her father. And would always make her believe that there were things other than humans. As a child, she had figured that everyone knew, that this could happen to anyone. Until she had seen something that had changed her life forever.
She remembered with regret, knowing that the innocence of her childhood had been stripped from her that day. Chris...Chris had been an outlet, the one thing in her life besides her mother that she had believed she could rely on.
A sound, something close to a whimper, escaped her throat. She flung a stiff hand over her mouth, averting her mind from thoughts of the past. She had found ways to suppress them, and didn’t plan on recalling them any time soon.
The stir of air. A sound of rustling. Jamie jerked, scrambling to the other side of the room. She was just pressing herself against the wall, closer to the door than she would like to be, when she felt something sticky under her fingers...
She lifted her hand slowly, eyes widening in horror as she realized what it was... Jamie screamed, trying to wipe the blood on anything but herself. The harsh sound echoed through the room, and didn’t end for several minutes. She panted, drawing her knees to her chest, back carefully away from the wall.
Jamie heard a groan come from the corner, and then, in the dim light, saw large arms move, lifting. She swallowed largely. Was he going to attack her, as Auro had said he would? Was he going to force himself on her, beat her, use her for his pleasures? Bile rose in her throat.
Another scream came quickly as the figure rose to its feet. The keening pitch bounced along the walls, had his giant form flinching. The sound of a snarl mixed with her scream.
Talon almost lashed out at the crying female. Did she even realize the tears trailing down her cheeks? A breath of air left his chest as the screams faded, replaced by the scrape of a plate is it formed bef
ore him. He bent down, directly into the light, letting the woman take her fill. He knew that scars covered his form, blood smeared his back, chest and arms. Knew that the gashes were sickening, repulsive, terrifying for a weak female like she was. Instead of the scream he expected, when he took the plate into his hand, there was nothing but a soft gasp. The sobs cut off.
The smell of her salty tears in the air almost had him throwing the plate at her. The familiar smell, the soft scent of the weak woman, sent his mind whirling. Just because of that, he hated her. He hated her because she was ruining everything, because she was a pawn for Auro. Did the man honestly expect a woman like her to accept a bastard like Talon, with blood and wounds covering every part of his body?
He hadn’t had a bath in what seemed like years, only a small damp rag to wash up every week or so. He smelled as bad as the room did, and probably worse. How had she not noticed?
He looked at her through hooded eyes. The light was not bright enough to show him the repulsion he was sure she felt. Her legs were drawn to her chest, and he could make out the faint outline of her arms wrapped around them. Folds and layers of delicate, flowing cloth spilled into the one spot of light. Talon’s lip curled. Twisted bastards.
Talon straightened his shoulders, turning his back on her. The view that she got had another gasp coming from behind him. Against his will, the terrified sound had his lips tightening, hating Auro and Lyne for sending her in here, hating her for even being there, involved with them.
The plate was cool in his hand, the sliver of steak once again caked with dried blood. He looked at it fleetingly, and almost gagged when he saw that it was moving. Shoving the bile down and replacing it with anger, he threw the plate out of the window.
There was a tense silence. Besides the gathering flock of crows, there was no sound, not even a hitch of breath or a startled gasp. Talon barely spared her a glance before falling back against the wall, large frame trembling. He was furious. The small amount of exertion seemed to make him weaker than a beating from Auro.
His body was aflame with pain. The torture session with Auro and Lyne the night before had taken a lot out of him. He was so close to just breaking down. Talon would try to move, his arm would throb and he would start trembling. He would start to gag, and his diaphragm would go into a spasmodic jerk session. Talon would try to wrap his arms around himself, and his shoulder would scream with fire hot pain. The sensation would travel all through him before finally settling in the pit of his stomach.
He wasn’t weak enough that he would give the bastards the pleasure of vomiting. One of Lyne’s favorite past times was to watch him struggle to hold his stomach. The first time he had lost it... Talon shuddered, drawing his legs up to his chest. The fact that the female had a clear view of his family jewels didn’t bother him. He sneered into his arm, hoping it would serve to frighten her.
A faint sound drew his eyes to her. She was moving. The rustle of the clothes emitted a soft scent, precious as spring air and as sacramental as a woman’s body. A second later it was not just the movement of cloth, but the movement of the woman of herself.
He turned his head sharply from her, a snarl ripping from his chest. Her hand paused as it breached the edge of the light. A curl of silky black hair spilled into the ray. His hand clenched.
Jamie stared at the figure, hidden so mysteriously in the darkness of the room. His large form was curled defensively, his face turned away from her. Her heart thumped in her chest, the image of all the blood that had covered him coming back to her. Her eyes filled with tears as the animalistic sound faded from the room. Pushing her fear aside, Jamie moved until she was in the only spot of light.
Fear kept her from touching him, from going to him. It was everything she could do to even get that close. The things that the twins, Masters Auro and Lyne, had told her made her trepiditious, wary to go near him. The whole time that she had been thinking he would attack her, rape her and take advantage of her, it had been the complete opposite. They had commanded her to see to the beasts needs, believing that she would actually listen. At the time, she had been thinking nervously, How cruelly perverted could you get? But she had also believed what they said to her. The minute she stepped into the room, she had thought they were right.
Her throat convulsed as it struggled to swallow, nervousness making her queasy. Her hands were numb, clenched tight in her lap. The penetrating gaze of the man in front of her almost had her vomiting all over again. Was he like Auro and Lyne? she asked herself, feeling bile rise in her throat at the thought.
No, he couldn’t be, or he wouldn’t be here. They would not have put someone of their like in a cage as they had done with him. What did they want from him, from her? She shouldn’t be here, she thought, her panic rising. She should be with her mother, with her family, being welcomed and loved.
A sob chocked her throat. The man in front of her moved, and she paled, flinching back. Was he going to attack her now? she thought as fear rose inside of her.
She waited for the hit, for the tear of her dress. There was none. Instead, he turned his back on her and pressed his face into the stone corner that was probably infested. Despite her fear, her heart went out to him. How long had he been there? What had he done to deserve this? Millions of questions were racing through her mind all at once. The most frightening one of all was, How long till I’m free?
It was an eternity till he heard her voice. He refused to acknowledge her, had been forcing restraint on himself. His body was hard, the presence of a woman after so long affecting him in ways that angered him. It was only because she was a woman, he told himself, lips tightening as her question rang softly in his ears. Any woman would have done, this one was no different.
“What did you do?”
It was a question that he asked himself every day, every second. Hearing it on her lips, feeling her body move closer to his by the stir of air, was unsettling. He stayed quiet, dropping his head. His stooped shoulders ached, but it was helpless. If he tried to move, he would start trembling. Not with weakness, but with rage.
Her question went unanswered. He could hear her clear her throat uneasily, could feel the nervousness radiating off of her in waves.
She coughed, the action itself a sign of how timorous she was. “Can you talk?” It was a weak question, whispered.
Talon stayed still, letting the sweetness of her voice absorb. It was soft, almost like flower petals. Gentle, caring. Despite her fear, her terror, her sympathy shown brighter than the sun in the dark room, in his heart. He almost groaned with actual pain at the sound, hating himself for wanting to talk to her, just to hear her sweet melodic voice.
His shoulders tensed. Talon shoved the notion from his very mind. Auro and Lyne must have used this seductress specifically. How had they known he would respond to her? he thought with anger, a growl bursting from his chest.
The frightened gasp of the woman brought him pleasure as nothing had before. Everything that was happening now was because of Auro. It was not natural attraction that drew her to him, but an evil force that was bent on killing him, destroying him. As much as he loathed himself for it, he craved the warmth that she could have brought him, had it not been Auro’s doing that she was there.
The growl built, until it was almost a roar. Jamie flinched back, scrambling into the shadows of the room, away from him. The door was right next to her, so surely the men were on the other side. Jamie whimpered, rising to her feet. She flung herself against the door, pounding. “Let me out! Please!” she screamed, hitting the door with stiff hands. Her shout went unanswered, her cries for help unheeded. Jamie sobbed, the heart wrenching sounds echoing through the room, loud enough that she couldn’t hear anything from behind her.
If she was going to die, she wasn’t going to stare it in the face.
Jamie’s desperation rose till it was the only thing she could feel, could understand. She was numb to everything, even the angry snarls of the man behind her. Her last scream echoed throu
gh the room as she fell against the door, body shuddering, face tear-stained.
The door opened.
At first, she stayed there, unbelieving.
Then the twins stormed in, the colder one in the lead. Their stench wafted past her as they strode to the man. Her head turned with their movements, horror dawning on her as the ruthless one lifted his hand. Auro, an inner voice whispered. The other one was Lyne.
The dark, unmistakable eyes of the man turned to hers before he was dragged into the center of the room. He made no sound, gave no outward emotions. Jamie couldn’t look away from him, from the utter hate that filled his gaze.
It burned.
Auro let his hand fall with quick precision. The hard sound of Auro hitting him had her crying out, shocked. It was clear on the man’s face that he blamed her for what was happening.
“Stop!” she screamed, latching onto Lyne. His face changed as he looked down at her, registering the indignation. Jamie was desperate. To stop them from hurting him anymore than he already was, to save herself, to figure out what they wanted from her. Her eyes blazed with pure fury as she stood to her feet, not caring that the priceless gown was now covered with blood and dirt.
“Why should he? Our pet looks like he is enjoying it,” he said with a sick laugh. Jamie’s blood churned, along with her stomach. She took a calming breath, despite the hate and terror that swirled around them all.
“Please,” she whispered, tucking her hand into his arm. The action made a complete change come over his face. Jamie felt as shock coursed through her before she hid it, tucking the knowledge away for use. Bile rose in her throat as she pleaded with him for the other man.
Shivers started to wrack her body, turmoil filling her mind. Auro was still beating him, his cruel laughter ringing through the room, the man soundless under the powerful hits. She dared to glance at him, and felt her heart break.
Auro’s fist slammed down, making an imprint on his back. Pain filled her, for him, for everything that was happening. Guilty, panicking, she pleaded with him and pressed closer to his side, knowing that it would work. “I’ll do anything for you, just take him back to my room. Take him there, and I’ll do anything,” she begged, tugging on him.