by Alexis Davie
Her rational side managed to break through the noise of her panic, and she asked herself how likely it was that was the case. If it was, Adonis might have brought guards down here with him, but they wouldn’t have been dragging him along, and they certainly wouldn’t have tossed him into the cell like a piece of garbage.
No, Brooke thought. I have no idea what’s going on here, or why Adonis is here, but he’s a prisoner now every bit as much as I am.
As the fog of panic began to lift, Brooke thought that maybe, just maybe, she and Adonis might be able to work together to get out of here. Sure, he was a monster, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t want his freedom. And it wasn’t like she could take him down here in the cell with no weapon, so she may as well make use of him.
She stepped forward, moving out of the shadows. Adonis looked at her, and for a moment, she thought she saw a look of sympathy on his face as he took in her injuries. Within a half-second, the look was gone, replaced by an expressionless look that Brooke thought he had probably been perfecting for years.
“Hi… I’m Brooke,” Brooke ventured.
Adonis didn’t reply; he just looked through her like she hadn’t spoken. He sat down on the ground and she moved into his sight line.
“What’s going on here?” she asked.
Again, nothing. She studied his face, ignoring the pangs of lust that filled her. He wasn’t dazed or out of it. He was just choosing to ignore her. She wasn’t ready to give up just yet.
“I know who you are,” she said. “You’re Prince Adonis, right? So why the hell are you in your own mother’s prison cell?”
She thought she saw a flicker of something pass across Adonis’ face, but it was gone so quickly, she couldn’t decide what she was seeing. Regret? Annoyance? Something else? Or maybe she was so desperate for him to acknowledge her that she had imagined the look altogether.
“Hello?” Brooke said, waving her hand in front of Adonis’ face. “Are you broken or something?”
Still, he gave her nothing back. Admitting defeat for now, Brooke sighed and sat down on the ground opposite him. He hung his head, making sure he wasn’t so much as looking at her.
Well, this is just perfect, she thought to herself. The one person who might actually be able to get us out of here, and it’s like he’s on another planet or something.
She wondered briefly if he was going to fry her at some point, but she figured if that were the case, he would have done it already. Besides, what did it matter? If anything, at least it would be over and she wouldn’t be able to be tortured anymore.
It was weird sitting here opposite Adonis and yet feeling so alone. Somehow, she felt more alone now that she had a silent cell mate than she had when she really was alone. She didn’t know how much of this she could handle. She decided it would at least be easier if she couldn’t see him.
She took her jacket off and rolled it into a bundle like she had last night. She lay down and turned her back to Adonis and then she stuffed the rolled-up jacket underneath her head. The hard ground hurt her hips and her ankle bones, but she bore the pain. Eventually, she was able to drift into a restless sleep.
Brooke awoke slowly, the memory of where she was rushing back in and filling her with dread once more. She took a moment to let her mind settle, and then she sat up, turned, and leaned her back against the wall. Adonis was still there. She had known it the moment she opened her eyes. She could feel his presence in the cell, and as much as it drove her nuts, his presence made her body tingle, like she needed his touch to stop her skin from tingling relentlessly.
He remained in the same spot, but now his head was up and she was suddenly conscious of his eyes on her. She cleared her throat and looked at the back of her hand, pulling a tiny piece of loose skin from one of her fingernails. This was almost worse than when he had stared straight through her.
“You’re awake, then,” he said finally.
She looked back up at the sound of his voice. It was low, gravelly, and it sent a shiver down her spine. She ignored the shiver, telling herself this was hardly the moment to be feeling this way. But then maybe it was the perfect moment. If she was going to die, she might as well enjoy the time she had left. She shook her head slightly, pushing the thoughts away. The only thing she wanted Adonis for was to help her get out of here.
“So, you can talk,” she said sarcastically.
“Sure,” Adonis shrugged. “I just don’t feel the need to talk if I have nothing useful to say.”
Brooke ignored what she was sure was a thinly veiled insult.
“And now you have something useful to say?” she asked him.
“Yes,” he said, nodding his head. “Look, I’m a dragon and you’re a hunter. It goes without saying that we’re not exactly suited to working together. But right now, we can either waste our time hating each other, or we can work together to get out of here.”
“Keep talking,” Brooke said.
“I have a plan. A way we might be able to escape,” he said.
Brooke was far from ready to trust Adonis, but she had no real choice except to hear him out, and if he really did have a plan, she would have to be crazy to not participate in it and end up left in here alone.
“Esmerelda, one of my mother’s personal assistants, has a bit of a thing for me. Well, a lot of a thing for me, actually. She’s bound to realize soon enough that I’m missing, and when the guards tell her I’m down here, she’s going to come looking for me. If anyone knows where the keys to this cell are when the guards aren’t using them, it’ll be her. And I think maybe I can convince her to grab the key and let us out,” he said.
“Let you out and leave me here to rot, you mean,” Brooke said dryly.
“No,” Adonis said. “Let’s just say my mother has pretty much washed her hands of me. If I escape, she’s going to send guards after me. Alone, I stand no chance. With someone else, especially a trained hunter, there might be a small chance of escaping the castle alive.”
Brooke took a moment to consider his words. She decided now wasn’t the best time to mention the fact that without her bow and arrow or a knife, she was just a girl. Sure, she could fight a little, but the dragons were all much stronger than she was.
“Okay,” she said.
Adonis frowned.
“You don’t sound very enthusiastic about the idea of getting out of here,” he said.
There was something that was bothering Brooke about the plan. She couldn’t put her finger on exactly what it was, but it made her feel like this was a trap of some kind. She shrugged one shoulder.
“I just don’t fancy our chances, that’s all,” she said.
“Me neither. But as slim as they are, they’re still better than any chances we have locked in here,” Adonis pointed out.
Brooke nodded. They fell silent for a moment and she thought again of the plan. It came to her in a rush what it was about it that sat oddly with her.
“Why do you need the key to the cell?” she asked. “You’re a dragon. Melt the bars, or use your super strength or whatever.”
“It’s not that simple,” Adonis said, shaking his head.
He looked away from Brooke again and she realized he wasn’t going to say anything else. She sighed.
“Hey,” she said. She waited until he looked at her again. “You’re asking me to trust your plan. And I’m trying to get on board with it. But you need to trust me as well. Why isn’t it that simple?”
Adonis looked at her for a moment and then he shrugged as though he had decided they were going to die anyway so he might as well tell her.
“Have you ever heard of a potion called Debellatorque?” he asked.
Brooke shook her head.
“I didn’t think so, but it was worth a try. The potion suppresses a shifter’s ability to change. My mother had the guards inject me with it,” he said.
Brooke took a second to digest this information and then her eyes widened.
“You mean you can’t turn i
nto a dragon?”
Adonis nodded.
“How long do the effects last?” she asked.
“Forever,” he said.
Brooke’s jaw dropped open. If Adonis was telling her the truth, and the pain in his eyes when he spoke told her he was, then his mother had effectively banished him from her life. Even if she didn’t kill him and she let him out of the cell, he would no longer fit in here in Pengle. He was as good as human now.
“Yeah, exactly,” Adonis said, seeing Brooke’s open jaw.
Brooke didn’t get a chance to ask him any more questions before a soft voice echoed down the hallway.
“Adonis? Adonis, are you down here?”
Adonis flashed a quick grin at Brooke that made her heart skip a beat, and got to his feet, moving to the door of the cell.
“Esmerelda? I’m in here!” he called.
Brooke was even more nervous about Adonis’ plan now. She had no weapons, and he wasn’t even a dragon anymore. The chances of them getting out alive were slim to none.
Brooke looked up as Esmerelda appeared on the other side of the bars. Her face dropped when she saw Adonis in the cell. Even looking as crestfallen as she did, Brooke couldn’t help but notice that Esmerelda was drop-dead gorgeous. She had beautiful red curls, sparkling, bright green eyes, and full, red lips. Her figure had curves in all of the right places and Brooke couldn’t help but find her own figure lacking compared to Esmerelda’s.
She told herself it didn’t matter. She wasn’t here to try and make Adonis think she was hot. But try as she might to convince herself otherwise, she still felt sharp stabs of jealousy as she listened to Adonis flirting with Esmerelda.
9
Adonis stood at the edge of the cell. He pushed his hand through the bars, clasping Esmerelda’s outstretched hand.
“I knew you would come,” he said.
“Well, of course,” Esmerelda nodded. “As soon as I heard where you were, I came straight down here. What happened?”
“I fucked up, Es. I fucked up bad. But I promise you I had a good reason for doing it. There’s no time to explain right now. If you get caught down here without my mother’s permission, you’ll end up in here with us, no doubt. Listen, I need you to do something for me,” Adonis said.
Adonis knew better than to tell Esmerelda the full story. He thought she could perhaps forgive him for killing Leonardo, but not once she heard why. She wouldn’t be too quick to help him if she learned he was in love with Brooke.
The thought surprised him. He wasn’t in love with Brooke. He hated Brooke. Except he didn’t and he knew it.
He had known it even when he was telling himself she was the cause of all of his problems. He had known it since the moment he caught a whiff of her scent in the woods. And he had known it the whole time he had ignored her chatter, although he had still been trying to convince himself otherwise. He was past denying it now. Now all he cared about was getting her out of here.
“Anything,” Esmerelda said without hesitation.
“It’s going to be dangerous,” Adonis cautioned her.
“It sounds like you’re trying to talk me out of it before you even tell me what you need,” Esmerelda said with a soft laugh.
“I just need you to know what you’re getting yourself into before you agree. Es, I need you to find the key to the cell and get me out of here,” he said.
Esmerelda’s face dropped and she took a half-step back from the cell door.
“Your mother will kill me without missing a beat if she finds out,” she said.
“I know,” Adonis said, looking Esmerelda in the eye. “And I hate myself for asking this of you. But she’ll kill me if I don’t get out of here. Please help me.”
Esmerelda looked at Adonis for a moment longer. He watched as her eyes flashed yellow and then she nodded, her face no longer looking terrified.
“I’ll find a way,” she said. “I’ll do it right now before my bottle goes. Hang in there, okay? I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
She flitted away and relief flooded Adonis.
“Would your mother really kill her?” Brooke asked.
Adonis sat back on the ground opposite Brooke.
“Yes,” he said honestly. “But I won’t let that happen. I’m not into Esmerelda the way she’s into me, but she’s a nice girl and I won’t allow her to die for me.”
Adonis saw a flicker of doubt cross Brooke’s face. He didn’t think she was doubting his word, though. He thought that maybe for the first time since she had come here, she was doubting her own conviction. His words had maybe shown her that not all dragons were blood-thirsty monsters who cared only about themselves. The truth was, none of the dragons were like that. Even his mother, the tyrant queen, put the pack’s needs before her own.
He wondered how he could make Brooke see that he wasn’t the enemy. He didn’t think it could be done. As much as he had fallen for her, he knew it could never happen between them. His dragon stirred, still trying to convince him that Brooke was his destiny, but he ignored the feeling. Brooke wasn’t his mate. She was a hunter. She had killed one of the pack. And she wouldn’t hesitate to kill him given the chance.
They talked for a while, but it was a hard, strained conversation. They both had so many things they wanted to keep a secret from each other that it was hard to maintain any sort of conversation. Adonis didn’t want to go back to silence, though.
“What’s your favorite movie of all time?” he asked.
Brooke frowned at him, but then she shrugged.
“Dirty Dancing,” she admitted. “Yours?”
“Die Hard, obviously.”
“Obviously,” Brooke grinned. “Book?”
“Lord of the Rings.”
He waited for her answer.
“Flowers for Algernon.”
“Color?”
“Red.”
“Blue.”
“What’s your all-time favorite meal?” Brooke asked.
“Filet mignon with mushroom sauce.”
She didn’t give her answer and Adonis raised an eyebrow.
“Alright, it’s pizza,” Brooke laughed.
“Classy,” Adonis teased her.
“What can I say? I like the simple things in life,” Brooke countered.
“At least say you’ve been to Italy and had the real thing?”
Brooke shook her head.
“When we get out of here, I’m taking you to Naples and you can try a real pizza,” Adonis said without thinking.
Brooke’s eyes widened for a second and he knew he shouldn’t have said it. He opened his mouth to apologize, but Brooke broke into a grin.
“I’ll hold you to that,” she said. “Favorite city in the world?”
“Prague,” Adonis replied.
Brooke didn’t venture an answer.
“Yours?” Adonis prodded.
“Home,” she said. “But in the interest of full disclosure, the only other place I’ve been is here, and, well, to say the standard of the accommodation is letting the place down would be an understatement.”
She smiled, a warm, genuine smile that made her eyes sparkle and Adonis had to use every bit of willpower he had to not go to her side and hold her. Instead, he gave a soft laugh. Brooke started to laugh, and within seconds, they were both laughing so hard that tears were streaming down their faces.
Their laughter was cut short when a shadow passed over them as someone appeared at the cell door. Adonis jumped to his feet when he saw Esmerelda standing there.
“Did you get it?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“No. I’m sorry, Adonis. There’s only one key to this cell and Queen Alexandria is wearing it on a chain around her neck.”
10
Brooke stumbled as the guard shoved her into the cell. They’d dragged her back out of the cell not long after Esmerelda had told them there was no getting them out of there. They had taken her back upstairs and tortured her again. This time, it wasn’t
a free-for-all. It was worse than that. It was a measured attack that was designed to make each episode more painful than the last one without causing any injuries that could threaten Brooke’s life. Each episode seemed to go on forever, but still, Brooke had remained silent.
She wouldn’t give her Uncle Steve up, not even when they burned her face with a red-hot poker. She hadn’t been able to stop herself from screaming then. When that didn’t work, they pushed thin, wooden sticks down her finger and toenails. The pain was excruciating, but still, Brooke kept her secrets.
Finally, when she had thought she couldn’t take anymore, it was over. The cell door locked behind her as she stumbled forwards, her arms coming out to catch herself. Adonis had jumped to his feet when he saw Brooke in the doorway to the cell. He caught Brooke before she could fall.
“You utter bastards! The queen is making you all into monsters, don’t you see that?” Adonis snapped at the guards.
They ignored him and walked away. Brooke freed herself from Adonis’ grip and with great difficulty and enough pain to make herself cry out, she lowered herself to the ground. Adonis turned to her, his face like thunder as he closed the gap between them. Brooke shrank back and he frowned. He held his hands up.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Brooke,” he said.
It was the first time she had heard him say her name, and even through the pain in every part of her body, she liked the way her name sounded on his lips. She reminded herself he was one of these vile creatures, creatures that had hurt her in every way imaginable.
“Yeah, right,” she said. “You think I didn’t see your expression?”
“I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at them,” he said.
He came closer again and this time, Brooke didn’t shrink away. If he wanted her dead, she was dead. It was that simple. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of showing him she was afraid of him. She had made that mistake once.
He didn’t attempt to hurt her, though. He knelt beside her, and she could see the pain in his eyes when he looked at her battered and bruised body. He reached out and with a feather-light touch, he ran his thumb over a bruise on her jawbone.