by Karen Lynch
“What’s the address?” I asked, already calculating how long it would take me to get there.
“Hold on, Chris,” Nikolas said as everyone stood. “We don’t know what we might be walking into. Let’s make sure we have plenty of backup before we go.”
“Beth might not have time for us to wait for backup,” I snapped. “I’m going.”
“I am, too,” Mason and Rachel said at the same time.
Jordan held up a hand. “We have all of us and Sara. I think we’re covered.”
Nikolas looked unhappy, and Sara scowled at him.
“Oh, no. You are not pulling that protective mate thing on me. I’m going.”
“David, the address,” I called over the clamor of voices.
He read off an address, and I plugged it into the GPS on my phone as I was hurrying out the door. I heard footsteps behind me, but I didn’t look back to see who followed. All I cared about was Beth. Every minute we waited was another minute she was in danger.
I would tear that place apart to find her if that was what it took. And I would kill anything that got in my way.
Chapter 21
Beth
I SAT ON the floor, panting and covered in a fine sheet of sweat from my latest attempt to break the chain on my leg. I couldn’t even bend the links a little, and I was starting to think they were infused with some kind of magic.
“Argh!”
I slapped the floor as tears of desperation burned my eyes. I had to get out of here before he came back.
I couldn’t even think about what Adam wanted to do with me. The idea of someone other than Chris touching me made me physically ill. And the thought of spending my life as a prisoner, of never seeing Chris again, was almost more than I could bear.
I rested my forehead on my knees, trying not to give in to despair. I wasn’t sure exactly how long I’d been here, but it didn’t feel like more than a day. Chris would find me, or I would find a way to escape on my own. There was no other acceptable option.
Adam hadn’t come to see me since last night. I didn’t want to see him, but his absence made me worry more about what he was doing. I wouldn’t delude myself into thinking he’d lost interest in me, not after seeing the intent in his eyes. Chris had said a Lilin didn’t stray from his course once he was set on something.
My stomach growled, but I pushed the hunger aside. Twice today, a gray-skinned mox demon, accompanied by an Incubus, had come with food and to take me to the adjoining bathroom to relieve myself. During her first visit, the mox demon had smiled meekly at me as she set the tray on the night table. A few hours later when she returned with a second tray, she’d frowned and cast a worried glance at me when she saw the untouched food from earlier.
The Incubus had scowled and ordered me to eat. I’d informed him I would starve and die of thirst before I’d eat or drink anything else here. My declaration had angered him, but he’d left without another word. I didn’t care what anyone here said. After Adam’s deception last night, I didn’t trust them to not drug me again. Whatever happened to me, I was going to face it with a mind free from drugs.
Someone knocked softly on the closed door, and I looked up in surprise. Since I’d been here, no one had knocked before entering the room.
The door creaked open, and the mox demon entered timidly, closing the door behind her. She was alone this time, and she carried a garment bag over one arm and what looked like a toiletry bag in her other hand. She laid the bags on the foot of the bed and bowed her head subserviently.
“Master sent me to help you dress for dinner,” she said quietly, her long white hair hiding her face.
I stood and sat on the bed, pulling the comforter over me. I still wore nothing but my underwear, and I felt vulnerable without clothes, even with this shy female.
“Tell your master I’m not hungry and I’ll stay in my prison cell.”
Her head came up, and her eyes widened. “You must go. Master is expecting you.”
“He’ll get over it,” I said coldly. “He has plenty of girls here if he needs a dinner companion.”
“But you are his special guest. He has been waiting for you to join him here to have this dinner.”
I let out a harsh laugh. “I didn’t join him; I’m his prisoner. So, I think I’ll pass.”
She wrung her hands. “Master will be very displeased with me if you don’t go.”
“Why would he be mad at you? I’m the one who doesn’t want to be there.”
“He gave me the responsibility of seeing to you. If I fail him, he’ll punish me.”
A feeling of helplessness washed over me. My stomach twisted at the thought of going to Adam’s dinner, but I couldn’t let his servant be punished because of me. Mox demons were passive, which meant they were easily enslaved and abused by more aggressive demons. She was just as much a prisoner here as I was.
“What’s your name?”
“Ree, my lady,” she stammered.
I sighed. “Okay, Ree. The first thing you can do is stop calling me my lady. My name is Beth.”
Her title for me implied a relationship I would never have with Adam, no matter what he thought was going to happen. It unnerved me just hearing her call me that.
“But Master said –”
I held up a hand to cut her off. “It’s Beth, or I’m staying right here.”
She nodded meekly. “Yes…Beth.”
“Now, can you please take this thing off me?” I uncovered my shackled leg. “Or am I wearing a ball and chain to this dinner?”
A smile curved her lips, and she pulled a small key from the pocket of her simple black dress. She hurried over and unlocked the shackle, letting it fall to the floor with a clank.
I rubbed my freed ankle. The shackle hadn’t hurt me, but wearing it was degrading, and it put me completely at the mercy of anyone who entered the room. I was still a prisoner without it, but I didn’t feel quite as vulnerable.
Ree picked up the toiletry bag. “Shall I draw you a bath?”
“No. I can bathe myself.”
I got off the bed and took the bag from her before I shut myself in the bathroom. It was luxuriously done in pink and gray marble with a deep clawfoot tub. I pulled off my bra and panties, hoping Ree had fresh ones in that garment bag. There was no way I was going commando, especially considering whose company I’d be in tonight. I shuddered at the thought.
I showered quickly and made use of the hair dryer and brush I found in a drawer of the vanity. The bag Ree had given me contained a cosmetic bag, but I decided to forego makeup. This wasn’t a social event. My captor had requested I dine with him. I didn’t need mascara for that.
Ree was waiting for me when I left the bathroom. She’d laid out the contents of the garment bag, and I was relieved to see a matching bra and panty set on the bed next to the red dress. I donned the underwear then picked up the dress, frowning at its sheer material. It wasn’t see-through, but it was too thin for my comfort.
I pulled it on and looked at myself in the floor-length mirror. The dress was sleeveless with a V-neckline and a fitted skirt that fell to mid-thigh. It wasn’t unlike some of the dresses I’d worn to clubs with Jordan, but it was definitely not dinner wear.
I set my shoulders and leaned down to slip on the red heels Ree had brought with the dress. Something told me a request for a change of wardrobe would be denied, so I’d have to go with this one.
Straightening, I saw Ree holding a black leather jewelry case. I put up my hands and shook my head. “No.”
She opened the case to reveal an exquisite diamond necklace that had to be worth at least a hundred thousand dollars. It was breathtaking but not something I’d wear. I might have to wear the dress, but I refused to adorn myself in jewels for him.
“Master bought it especially for you. It would please him to see you wear it.”
“It would please me not to wear it,” I said firmly.
Ree unhappily closed the case and tucked it into the pocket of her
skirt. She looked me up and down and smiled.
“You look beautiful, my lady…Beth. Shall we go?”
I pretended to adjust my dress to cover my sudden dread over what was waiting for me on the other side of that door. But if I was going to get out of this place, I had to leave this room and see what I was up against.
You can do this.
“Lead the way.”
Ree opened the door for me, and I stepped into a hallway where two Incubi waited for us. I immediately recognized Adam’s dark-haired friend Wes. His eyes now had a silver ring around the irises, telling me he must have worn contacts the other times I’d seen him.
“Welcome to the family, Beth,” he said with a salacious smile.
I glared at him in contempt but didn’t say anything. I had no intention of making nice with anyone here. Ree was a slave, so I’d tolerate her, but I wouldn’t trust her or forget where her loyalties lay.
The mox demon was even more timid in the presence of the Incubi. She kept her eyes downcast, and her voice was little more than a whisper.
“This way, if you please.”
I followed her down the hallway, which was lined with doors, and it took me a moment to realize this must be where they were keeping the other girls. I’d been so caught up in my own predicament that I’d forgotten I wasn’t the only prisoner here. The weight of our situation pressed down on me. How was I going to get us all out of here?
I studied my surroundings, looking for escape routes, as I was escorted through the building. It didn’t take me long to see there were no windows, which meant we were most likely underground. I felt a moment of panic over that discovery. An underground structure would probably have only one way in and out, and that would be heavily guarded. The girls were too important to the Lilin, and he wouldn’t take any chances of them escaping.
Up ahead, I heard the murmur of voices, and my steps faltered when we entered a large opulent drawing room where at least two dozen girls milled about, sitting on couches or standing in little groups. The girls wore pretty pastel dresses with their hair down, and a hint of makeup. They looked innocent and virginal, exactly what the Lilin preferred.
I looked down at the revealing red dress I wore, and my stomach lurched again at the reminder that he’d singled me out to be his mate. These girls would serve their purpose, and they’d die giving birth to his offspring. He intended to keep me forever.
“Beth.”
A petite Chinese girl ran up to me, her face glowing with happiness. She wore a white dress, and a white orchid adorned her glossy black hair.
“Mei,” I said, not sure how to greet someone under these circumstances.
“Isn’t this place amazing?” she gushed. “I wish Alicia was here to see it, but Adam said only his chosen can come here.”
A dreamy expression came over her face when she said Adam’s name, leaving no doubt she was under his power. The Mei I’d met at Luna had been shy and quiet, nothing like the bubbly girl before me now. Chris was right when he said the girls would be happy and they wouldn’t even realize they were prisoners.
Thinking about him made a lump form in my throat. He had to be going out of his mind looking for me. My heart constricted when I imagined the pain he must be feeling, not knowing if I was safe or hurt or whether he’d see me again.
I thought about the last time I’d seen him, before I’d left to go shopping with Mason. He’d taken hold of the open front of my leather jacket and tugged me to him for a slow, deep kiss that had left me unsteady on my feet. Then he’d given me a smile that said he knew exactly what effect he had on me and that there was more of that waiting for me when I got home.
“Adam’s estate in France is way bigger than this place,” Mei said with awe in her voice. “He said there are gardens and a lake, and we can go outside. And we’ll have more dresses than we can count. But best of all, he won’t have to leave us for business anymore, and we’ll see him all the time.”
She sighed happily, lost in the dream he’d fed her of the perfect life waiting for her. Anger boiled in my chest. Mei and all the other girls here thought Adam cared for them. They had no idea of the real fate awaiting them.
A girl squealed. “He’s here.”
All eyes turned to the doorway. I followed their gazes to Adam, who wore a black dinner jacket and was soaking up their adoring stares. His eyes roamed the room, smiling at each girl as if she was the love of his life. They practically swooned at the brief attention he paid them. The whole display sickened me.
Adam’s blue eyes finally locked with mine, and my breath caught as my stomach fluttered. He smiled and started toward me, sending my pulse racing…in excitement.
Girls moved to intercept him, and he broke his stare with me so he could talk to them. I blinked and wavered slightly on my feet. It was like waking suddenly from a dream to find myself in a nightmare. Because only in a nightmare would I be attracted to this monster.
“All I would take now is a kiss.”
Bile burned my throat as I remembered the last thing he’d said to me before his lips had touched mine. He had kissed me to feed me his energy, the same energy he’d said would make me change my mind about him. My skin tightened in revulsion at the knowledge that his power was inside me. I felt soiled and violated, and I wanted to throw up.
I watched the girls flock to Adam, fawning over him like he was a rock star. He greeted each of them with light touches and chaste kisses that made them glow with the love they thought they felt for him.
Ree came up to me and pressed a glass of sparkling water into my hand. I tried to give it back, but she refused to take it.
“You look ill. It will help settle your stomach,” she whispered.
“Leaving this hell is the only thing that will help me,” I said bitterly.
She hurried away, and I looked for somewhere to set down the glass she’d left with me. I meant what I’d said to the Incubus earlier. Not a morsel of food or drop of water would pass through my lips in this place. God only knew what they would do to me if I was drugged again.
I laid the glass on a table and turned back to the room to come face-to-face with Adam. I stumbled, causing him to grab my arms to steady me. Warmth infused me at his touch, and I had to resist the urge to lean into him.
A battle raged inside of me, between my aversion to another male’s touch and my unnatural attraction for him. I knew his power was forcing me to feel this way, but that didn’t stop me from feeling like I was betraying Chris.
Disgusted and frightened, I took a step back. He let go of my arms to take one of my hands in his.
He kissed my hand. “You are breathtaking in that dress. I could barely take my eyes off you when I came in.”
His eyes lifted to mine, and there was no mistaking the desire in his. Then his gaze fell on my bare throat. Disappointment crossed his face, and his voice was harder when he spoke again.
“You aren’t wearing the necklace I gave you. Did you not like it?”
“It was beautiful, but I don’t wear jewelry.”
I thought of the silver chain I’d started wearing two days ago, and the pleasure I’d felt to see the dove pendant resting against my chest. I hadn’t been wearing it when I woke up here, so it must have broken when they’d taken me. Would I ever see it or the man who had given it to me again?
“I’ll have to find out what other gifts will please you,” Adam said, undeterred. “I have more money than you could dream of, and I’ll give you anything your heart desires.”
“Even my freedom?”
His sigh was barely perceptible. “Anything but that.”
I yanked my hand from his and turned my head to look at the other girls, all of whom were watching Adam with open adoration. Oddly, none of them looked jealous that he’d singled me out. They seemed content to share as long as they had their time with him.
“I’ve been told you haven’t eaten or drunk today. Why?”
My disbelieving gaze swung back to Adam. “Do
you really need to ask that after you tricked me and drugged me last night?”
He held up a hand to signal to someone, then looked at me. “I apologize for that. It won’t happen again.”
I let out a humorless laugh. “Pardon me if I don’t believe you.”
A mox demon approached us, carrying a tray of hors d’oeuvres, and Adam motioned for me to try one of the little pastries.
My stomach rumbled at the sight and smell of food, but I couldn’t bring myself to take it. “No, thank you.”
“You have to eat, Beth,” he pressed unhappily. “You have to keep up your strength.”
“I’m not one of your chosen to be fed and pampered like a prized brood mare,” I bit out in a low voice so only he could hear me.”
He stared at me, appalled. “Brood mare? I would never disrespect the mothers of my children like that.”
“You kidnapped them and forced this on them by taking away their free will. Half of them are not yet eighteen. They’re children, and you’re going to destroy their lives. How can you live with that?”
“Look at them,” he said. “They’re happy and living in luxury.”
My hands clenched into fists. “They’re going to die. Doesn’t that bother you at all?”
For the first time, his composure slipped, and he snapped at me. “Of course, it bothers me. I’m not a monster. I would save them all if I could, but even my power is not enough to do that.”
“Then why do you do it?”
“It’s survival of the species, and the way it’s always been done.” His voice softened. “I love and honor my females, and they want to bear my children. They will die happy in the knowledge that they have given me sons.”
I wanted to scream at him, but I kept my voice low. “They don’t want this. You made them think they want it. You stole their lives and their futures, and destroyed their families, and they don’t even know it.”
He spoke to me like he was talking to a child. “I know you don’t understand this yet, but you will soon.”