He kissed the tips of my fingers. His face was angular, but his lips were so soft.
“Devon,” I said in a hard tone. “We shouldn’t be doing this here.”
“But you’re so beautiful,” he said. “I wanted to have you the moment I laid eyes on you.” He closed the remainder of the distance between us and took my lips. Devon had a sharp, citrusy smell that was addictive.
“I’m standing right here,” Danna said.
But Devon didn’t care. He pushed past my lips with his tongue and gave me a taste of him. He was forceful. Intoxicating. He tasted like power. A small moan escaped his throat, and that sent tremors down my spine.
“No,” I said, pulling away so I had some space to breathe. “Not here.” Not with him. He had been nothing but an asshole, and I wasn’t going to sleep with him just because he was hot. He had to actually be nice first.
Devon cupped my ass and pressed me against him. His hard length grazed the inside of my thigh. My center throbbed. Our clothes felt like they were getting in the way, and my instinct was to rip them off.
Danna coughed loudly. “Oh, don’t mind me, just get down right before my eyes. That isn’t rude at all.”
“Devon!” I said. “Not here!” I pushed him away, but that only made him fight back harder. My shirt slid off my shoulder. I heard a light ripping sound, and my chest lurched. I didn’t want to be stripped here.
Someone pulled Devon off me and tossed him across the enclosure. “She asked you to back off,” Theo said. His friendly demeanor had disappeared. “You don’t assault a lady like that.”
“I want her!” Devon shouted. “You can’t—” Devon blinked. The intensity he’d displayed stayed. This time, however, it was anger instead of desire. “What the fuck did you do to me?”
I hid my wand behind my back. “You did keep talking about helping me learn my powers. I guess you’ve succeeded.”
Devon narrowed his eyes at me. He looked like he might wring my neck.
Voices interrupted him. I couldn’t make them out because of how muffled they were. Then footsteps neared us, and the voices became clearer.
We scrambled, running to the bottom of the balcony, where there was shade. Our hiding positions resulted in Devon pressing up against me. He wouldn’t stop wearing his peeved expression. Liam had grabbed Fenrir, much to the beast’s delight. Fenrir continued wagging his tail and stretched his neck to try to reach for Liam’s face, but Liam held him at a safe distance.
“What was that commotion?” a woman said. She sounded familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on whom the voice belonged to. “And where is Fenrir?”
“Perhaps the wolf has grown tired of guarding our secrets,” a man replied.
“We had a deal. Fenrir doesn’t back out of his promises.”
A wall opened. I hadn’t noticed the secret passage earlier. From the shadows, I could see that the woman wore a cashmere sweater and jeans. I could only think of one person who dressed like that.
When Agness stepped into the light, my suspicions were confirmed. A man followed her. He wore a tux. I’d never seen him before.
“I knew it,” I whispered. “She’s involved.”
“We don’t even know if she’s here because of Miley,” Devon replied. “I still want to go back and sleep.”
“Seriously?” I said. “After all that, I assume you’d have to be more invested. Don’t you want to know where they came from?”
We were right out in the open, and as Agness strolled out of the building with the man, my stomach churned. What if they turned around?
They didn’t, fortunately.
The exit started to slide closed behind them, groaning.
Right before the secret passage closed, Hansel ran toward it and grabbed the bricks, keeping it open for us. “Let’s see what the morgue’s hiding, then.”
Danna whistled excitedly. She skipped up to Hansel, while Liam dropped Fenrir the moment he could.
I wasn’t sure what we were about to face, but the churning in my gut wouldn’t stop, and not due to my being hungry.
Fourteen
Liam was getting used to Fenrir’s presence. He scratched the back of the wolf’s head unconsciously, cradling the little thing as we snuck through the dim hallways. Danna kept trying to close in on Fenrir, wanting to kiss him. I wanted to remind her that Fenrir had been a giant beast dripping saliva all over the place not too long ago, but she seemed so enraptured that I doubted my reminder would do anything.
The hallway was a straight path. I hoped we didn’t meet anybody while moving through it. We were surrounded by only walls and some torchlights that lit the passage, so there wasn’t any place to hide.
I was trying to get over how cute Fenrir was when Hansel pulled me toward him. I glanced down and saw that he’d clasped my hand. My pulse quickened, the touch sending small shocks of electricity through me. “Don’t wander,” he said.
“Wander?” I replied, looking around. “There’s nowhere to go.”
Hansel squeezed my hand a little more tightly. “I feel more protective when I’m around you. Not sure why.”
“What? ’Cause I might fall on my face while walking in a straight line?” I’d actually done that once before. I sat for too long, got up, then suffered pins and needles on the soles of my feet. My legs gave way, and I slipped and didn’t have the reflexes to put my hands out in front of me. I got a big bruise on my cheek that took two weeks to heal.
“That,” Hansel said. “And I don’t know. Feels like it’s my duty.”
Devon snorted. “It is.”
Hansel laughed. “Guess so. But I mean more than what the Sanctuary is giving me. It’s an odd feeling.”
“Do you smell that?” Danna asked.
“No.” Then again, I did have a horrible sense of smell.
“It’s terrible.”
The rest of the guys pulled sour expressions, too. Only I was completely numb to the bad scent. I pinched my nose to try to clear my nostrils. It hit me right after.
“It’s like meat gone bad,” I said. My eyes widened. “What if it’s Miley’s rotting body?”
Danna shook her head. “They wouldn’t just leave it lying around, would they? Seems like a pretty dumb thing to do.”
We reached the end of the passageway and walked onto a large platform. It was an open-spaced area that overlooked the rest of Haven. My jaw dropped at the sight. I could see the chiasma from other areas of the Sanctuary, but not this clearly. From this vantage, the giant, ball-like object was magnificent. Almost like a mini sun up close, with opalescent colors bursting from its sides. More little orbs, all different colors, broke from the chiasma and traveled through the air in a shaky pattern before dispersing into nothing. I squinted. The chiasma was too bright. It was nighttime, but the sky around it had a lighter shade of blue due to how brightly it shone.
Theo tapped my shoulder and pointed to the left. There, a vague silhouette strode toward us. It hadn’t noticed us yet. “We should find some place where we won’t get spotted,” Theo said softly. He grabbed my wrist and dragged me away. We slipped into a small crevice where we could hide. It didn’t look like it could fit all of us, but we attempted to make the space work anyway.
“It’s kind of squeezy around here, isn’t it?” I asked Theo, who was pressed up against me. I’d touched his stomach before, but not like this. Not with my body right against him. Devon grunted. He stood behind me, and to balance himself, he had his hands propped up on the wall, flanking my sides. Hansel pressed himself against the wall to my right, and Liam was behind him. Danna was squished at the sidelines, close to the wall at the very end. She didn’t seem to want contact with any of my vassals, and she inched away from Liam. Liam hugged Fenrir tightly. The puppy made a whimpering sound.
The tiny space left me with little room to breathe. Theo clasped his hand around my waist. I would be more turned on if not for the foul smell that surrounded us. Theo screwed his nose up. “Where is this stench coming from?�
� he said. I had to hold my breath to keep from gagging. I leaned closer to Theo, trying to wash out the smell with the scent of his skin. It didn’t work. The rotting aroma was too overwhelming.
Danna scowled. “You guys are invading my space.” She jumped, hooking her fingers over the side wall of the crevice, and pulled herself up.
My eyes widened in surprise. Danna didn’t seem that strong, not with her small figure. Most girls couldn’t do pull-ups. I knew I couldn’t. I used to try all the time during gym class, but all I managed was kicking my feet around uselessly while scrambling to lift myself two inches closer to the bar.
The man we’d spotted earlier walked by. He had on a suit and carried a clipboard in his hand. He wore thinly rimmed glasses and dressed like an old man, but his unwrinkled skin and built form made him look young. I waited for him to walk by, continuing to hold my breath. I was going to have to breathe eventually, and the full force of the rotting scent was going to hit me.
“Hm,” the man said, tapping his clipboard with his finger. He spun toward us.
We locked eyes.
He paused, too stunned to react. I watched him lift his finger to the wand strapped to his waist. I didn’t give him time to attack us, flicking my wand before he could hit us with his magic. Pink glitter darted from my weapon and hit him squarely in the chest. The man stumbled backward and fell over. His back smacked into the pavement and he lay flat on the ground.
“Is he dead?” I asked.
He stirred shortly after, answering my question. Lazily, he sat up. He shot a starry-eyed look at Liam. “I love you,” he said. He shuffled to his feet, then spread his hands out. “Come here and give me a kiss, for Cupid has just struck me with his love.”
“Me again?” Liam asked. “Why do they always fall in love with me? Can’t you make them develop emotions for someone else?” Fenrir licked his face.
I shrugged. “You’re easy to love. You should take that as a compliment.”
“I don’t want to be loved.”
I cocked my head at him. “Everybody wants to be loved.”
“Not me. I prefer to be left alone.” Liam glanced at Fenrir, who gave him a watery, endearing look. Liam’s features tensed, then he massaged Fenrir’s fur. I grinned. Liam was warming up, even though he pretended to be all dark and gloomy.
“Please let me kiss you,” the man said, running up to Liam. He had his palms spread open, and he lurched forward like a starved animal. My mouth curled downward in disgust. Love, lust, whatever you called it, made people such ugly versions of themselves.
Theo wiggled his way out from next to me. To give himself enough space, he had to push me backward, and my back pressed against Devon’s hard form. Devon grabbed the sides of my arms, keeping me steady. His breath tickled the back of my ear, which sent my pulse racing.
“I need you,” the man I’d cursed with the love bug continued. His eyes had narrowed on Liam. The dark intensity on his face made me uncomfortable. “Please let me have you.”
“Gross,” Liam said, turning his nose up.
Theo hit the man over the head once he came close enough. The man keeled over and was knocked out immediately. His head smacked against the rough ground.
Theo wore an indifferent expression. “Thought I should quiet him. He might attract others. If there are any others.”
“They’re hiding something here,” Hansel said.
“Oh, really?” I asked. “I couldn’t tell. We must have gone through all that trouble for no reason at all. To discover nothing, huh?”
Hansel lowered his eyes toward me, his lip curling up in an amused smile. “Good to state the obvious sometimes. Keeps us on track. We ought to look around. The vassals are forced to memorize a map of the Sanctuary during our first month here, so we can guide the half-bloods around, but I’ve never heard of this location before.”
Theo stepped out of our hiding spot. He inspected the area, then waved at us. “The coast’s clear.” We spilled out of the crevice as soon as he gave the signal. Cool air brushed over me as soon as I left the tight space. I blew out a deep breath, then took in small ones through my nose in an attempt to block out the stench. I patted my clothes down. Being caught between the men had ruffled everything.
“Where to start?” I muttered.
“Uh, guys,” Danna said, dropping from the wall and to her feet with catlike grace. I’d almost forgotten about her. Being close to hot guys had that effect, making me forget about my surroundings. “You might want to take a look over that wall.” She gestured to it with her thumb. Her face had whitened, and she talked more slowly than before, losing all her normal exuberance.
“Is Miley there?” I asked.
She grimaced. “I wish.”
I edged back into the dark space, an ominous feeling creeping up my spine. “It has something to do with that stench, doesn’t it?” I asked. I didn’t want to find out what caused it. The niggling doubt at the back of my head told me that it might be better if I didn’t bother with this at all. That it would serve me well to rush back to my dorm, hide underneath my blanket, and pretend that none of this had ever happened.
“Are you having second thoughts?” Theo asked, standing next to me supportively. “We can always back out.”
“You should look at it,” Danna said. The gravity portrayed by her slumped shoulders didn’t bode well.
My vassals settled their gazes on me, their bodies taut as they waited for my next command.
I sighed. “Let’s have a look, then.”
Hansel dragged an arm around my waist and drew me against his solid form. He jumped, lifting me into the air. He moved like the wind and commanded it. I hugged his shirt, steadying the racing of my heart, but as soon as I scanned past the sight before me, my pulse skittered.
What I saw was horrid.
This wasn’t real.
I didn’t want it to be real.
Dead bodies sprawled across a golden field. They were stripped gray and naked, their blood drained from their veins. Some of them were stacked on each other, while others were scattered in the distance. They were all women. Girls. They reminded me of Miley, who looked the same after she died. Fear made me weak, and I leaned against Hansel. The sight looked so terrible that vomit inched up my throat. I had to swallow to keep it down.
“These are… the half-bloods,” Devon said. He had climbed onto the wall too, and took position next to me.
I spotted the brightling who’d brought me to the Sanctuary. He heaved a woman over his shoulder and put her onto a barrel. A thin mask covered the snout of his goat-like face. The stench was too much even for him.
“Where are they taking the girls?” I asked, watching the brightling toil away.
“Beats me,” Devon said.
“This is what happens if you fail the Sanctuary,” Hansel said, turning pale as well.
“You die.” I leaned into him, feeling faint. “Take me back.”
I’ve had enough for the day.
Hansel nodded, then brought me down from the wall. I tried to shut the scarring images out of my mind, but they kept coming back. I had no doubt I’d have nightmares that night.
Fifteen
I was angry. After my fear settled and I regained my senses, rage surged through me, making me see red. The council had been leading us around by the nose, giving us classes that made things seem innocent and all in good fun, when they had a fucking holocaust hiding in their hedges.
I stormed through the corridor, hands fisted at my sides, my wand in one of them. The vassals had dropped me off in my room after I went into my state of shock. I didn’t remember what happened after I saw the piles of bodies, but Theo told me that I’d stopped talking for a good thirty minutes. They’d left me sleeping with the lights off.
I woke up an hour later, and I’d gotten my senses back.
Now, I had to do something about what I’d witnessed.
I headed out of the dorms. Three moons shone in the sky, bright and circular and omin
ous. I used them as encouragement for confronting Agness. I guessed that those bodies were what happened to the ninety percent of girls who didn’t pass the Sanctuary. I had a good chance of becoming one of them. I wasn’t going to let that happen.
I stopped in front of Agness’s office. Her door was black, the color of her heart. On the door, a small golden plaque spelled her name out in fine print—Madame Agness Pepper. Pepper? That last named seemed so unassuming. Completely unsuitable for someone responsible for such crimes.
I raised my fist and prepared to knock.
Someone grabbed me and pulled me back. I scowled, ready to erupt into a long string of insults. Who dared stop me? I was furious enough that I could tear someone’s head off. The injustice of what I’d seen wouldn’t stop clawing at me. There were so many dead girls! Some of my classmates had barely passed fifteen. I needed to demand that Agness send us home.
“Let me go!” I whisper-yelled.
“Calm down, Cara.” It was Devon. With a rough tug, he tore me from what I was about to do and pushed me against the wall, next to the door. He kept me there with his weight, then pinned me with his hot gaze. “You don’t want to make a fuss.”
I glared at him. “A fuss? What I just saw deserves way more than just a fuss. I need the goddess police on their asses. Stat. They’re murdering little girls. For fuck’s sake. I can’t—”
He pressed his hand over my lips, silencing me. “I know what you saw was horrific. I know that it riled you. But I also know that you shouldn’t rush in there without thinking, alerting Agness of what we know. You’re going to get all of us killed, with nothing to show for it.”
“I’m going to zap her to love me,” I said softly. “Then she’ll listen and stop with her half-blood holocaust.”
Devon rolled his eyes. “That was your master plan? Cure the overseer with love?”
“Do you have a better one?”
“No.”
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