He would. I roll my eyes none too subtly.
He smirks, clicking his fingers as he gestures for me to follow him.
We walk to the refreshment station at the top of the room and grab bottles of water before sinking to the floor on our butts. “Manzar has trained you well in basic maneuvers, but you need to pick up your pace and react quicker. A skilled warrior would have no issue in taking you down.”
Familiar frustration winds through me, but I don’t articulate it, tersely nodding my head in agreement.
“I want you to do a couple hours in the gym every day. Build muscle tone, especially in your arms and legs.”
“Fine. But I don’t see how this is any different from what Maddox was showing me. I need to get up to speed, and fast.” I take a glug of water, relishing the cool liquid as it glides down my throat.
“Most of our abilities are controlled by the mind, and that is where we’ll concentrate. The knowledge you seek is residing in your mind somewhere. We need to find a way to bring it to the surface. Tell me, did you find any clues in relation to the secret society or has anyone reached out to you from within their ranks?”
I slowly turn my head, gawking at him. “You know about that?” Certain things slot into place. “You sent us to that cave under your house on purpose, didn’t you?”
He nods, watching me carefully as he takes sips of his drink. “I was hoping it would jar some memory inside you.”
“I hate to disappoint you, but it didn’t. All we uncovered was evidence of that strange symbol in that cave under your house and on the knife that was used by the Herassan when he attacked me.” I jut my chin out, and tingles simmer in my veins. “OMG. That was you too!”
“I was trying to help.”
“By almost getting me killed?” I shriek.
“By leaving a trail of clues for you to follow.”
I shake my head in exasperation. “Why the hell didn’t you just come clean with the guys? I honestly don’t understand the need for so much secrecy and lies.”
“I couldn’t tell the guys because then I’d have to admit about Arantu’s control of the APGP and how the prophecy they believe in isn’t the full story. I know you don’t trust or believe me, and I don’t blame you, but this is like the most deadly, strategic game of chess. Every move, every counter move, is critical. One false step and it’s all over. I hoped, by leaving some clues, that you and the guys would figure out where the secret society is hiding because they hold the scribes which outline the full, true prophecy, and they hold the key to unlocking the information in your mind. I can help you gain greater awareness and control over your mind, and that might be enough, but if it isn’t, then we need the original documents.”
“So, you’re no better equipped to help me,” I surmise. “It’s all bluster, isn’t it?” My jaw clenches painfully.
“Look.” He leans in close to me, pressing his mouth to my ear. “I will train you to the best of my abilities, and I will get you out of here, I promise, but the only way you’re getting your protectors back is by facing Arantu. The longer it takes for you to tap into your powers, the riskier it is. Arantu understands what’s at stake here, and he won’t jeopardize their welfare, but Alandra is the one you need to worry about. She’s a loose cannon, and her father can’t control her any more than I can.”,
I remember how Jack, a.k.a. Zorc, and Alandra were all over one another and the realization they were both using sex as some kind of power control sickens me. “You slept with her to try and control her? That’s gross.”
“There was nothing gross about it, I assure you.” He smirks, and I look away, disgusted. “That girl is insatiable, and there isn’t anything she wouldn’t let me do to her.”
I hold up my hand. “I’m about to spew my breakfast. Stop. I don’t want to hear another word.”
“I don’t think you need me to spell it out for you. Your guys are up there with her, and they are at her mercy. She’s a law unto herself, and she’s not beyond taking advantage while they’re there. You know she has a real hard-on for Dekten and Carpov.”
I hop up, flames jumping from my palms, and my chest is heaving painfully. “I will fucking kill her if she lays a finger on them,” I screech.
Zorc slowly climbs to his feet, narrowing his eyes at me. “She has a harem of concubines she rotates on a regular basis,” he continues, and fireballs coat the retinas of my eyes. “They are her slaves, attending to her every need, especially in the bedroom.”
“You promised they would come to no harm!” I shriek.
“And I will abide by that, but I’m not responsible if they readily agree to it.”
I start pacing, frantic with worry. “They won’t submit to her. They hate her.”
“All of them?” Zorc goads, and I know exactly what he’s doing.
The memory of Dane making secret plans and kissing Alandra in the school hallway returns to haunt me, and stabbing pain penetrates my heart. I don’t want to believe it’s true. Especially after seeing Dane locked up with the others, but no one forced him to kiss her. He did it freely. And she’s an arch manipulator and used to getting her own way. “No.” I shake my head. “Dane wouldn’t do that.” I don’t know if I’m trying to convince myself or Zorc.
“Maybe you don’t know him as well as you think you do.”
My stomach lurches painfully at the insinuation. “No.” I shake my head repeatedly. “I do, and I know he won’t allow that to happen.” Zorc taps my elbow, sending me a faux sympathetic expression. “Don’t do that,” I snap, yanking my arm free. “Don’t pretend like you care. Like you aren’t enjoying this.”
“You’re right, but it’s not exactly what you are thinking. Dekten suspected your emotions played a part in igniting your gifts, and I’m beginning to believe he was right. Your eyes are glowing, Alinthia. Your fear and your horror are channeling your powers. Don’t get mad at me. Get mad at her. Use that anger to fuel your abilities.”
He turns sideways, pulling me with him. “I want you to focus your eyes on the wall across from us. Narrow your gaze, direct all that rage and shoot fire from your eyes.”
I do as he says, but nothing happens. Like I expected. That is not something I have ever done, not even in the midst of attack when my powers instinctually come alive.
“Feel the anger, Alinthia. Tap into it. Think of what Alandra plans to do to Dekten. How she will force him to submit to her. Carpov too. She’ll use you. She’ll threaten your life. She’ll do and say whatever it takes to get them naked in her bed, and then she’ll make them do unimaginable things to her. Do you want that for them?”
“No! She can’t,” I yell. “I won’t let her.”
“Good, good,” he coaxes. “Now concentrate. Use that anger. You can do it. Concentrate. Do it now, Alinthia.”
Wetting my lips, I think about Dane and Alandra that day and the things she might be coercing him into doing, and unrestrained fury is like boiling water in my veins, bubbling and overflowing until it feels like I might explode from the inside.
Red laser beams thrust from my eyes, barreling into the wall where they extinguish upon contact.
“Keep your focus,” Zorc commands. “Let’s see how long you can keep it going for.” The stream falters a little, and Zorc tightens his grip on my arm. “Think of Dekten, chained to the bed, naked, while Alandra does what she wants to him. That is what will happen if you can’t do this! She will ruin him! And it will all be your fault!” he prods.
A primitive scream rips from my lungs, and I lift off the ground, fire licking at my palms and flooding from my eyes. I trail a path from one side of the wall to another, and the entire time I’m roaring on the inside, consumed with fear, terrified that what Zorc has taunted me with will become a reality.
There is more than one way to snuff out a lifeforce, and, with abject horror pricking my heart, I wonder what state my guys will be in when I finally reunite with them.
CHAPTER 7
Maddox
It feels like w
e’ve been locked up in here for weeks, not just a couple days. Lack of food, the humid air, and recurring pain from the Tianore bands are already doing a number on all of us. But that’s what Alandra wants.
To weaken us.
To make us vulnerable, so we’ll bend to her will.
I shiver as I recall her last visit. Ugh. She’s a viper. A cunning, slithery, slippery creature who is fearless in going after what she wants.
And that lying weasel Zorc hasn’t shown his face since the first day. We’re still arguing over whether to agree to his demands or not. None of us trusts him. Not an inch. But we’ve talked it through, and there’s no denying how much he needs Alinthia, so he has a vested interest in freeing her. However, we’re expendable to him. We’re under no illusion. But he’ll keep us alive as long as he needs Alinthia’s cooperation. After that, all bets are off.
Zorc wants Arantu killed and Jentarr instated in his place, and he’s ruthless and solely focused—he’ll do anything to achieve his goals.
The cell door creaks open, and Alandra swans into the room, the hem of her dark green cloak brushing the edges of the dirty floor. She loves making a dramatic entrance. “How are you enjoying your accommodations, boys?” she teases, her face distorting as a host of obnoxious smells accost her nostrils. “Fuck. It stinks in here.” Walking to the corner, she prods the pile of decrepit bones with the toe of her foot. “I was rather fond of that sheath,” she murmurs. “Zorc and I had some fun when he was in that body.”
“Fuck,” Coop projects in our minds. “That’s Jack?”
“Shit. Alinthia will blame herself for this when she finds out,” Dane adds.
Holding a cloth over her face, Alandra turns around to us. “You know, I can move you to more pleasant quarters just like that.” She clicks her fingers. “See you are fed and watered regularly and let you sleep in a bed. Just say the word, and you’ll never have to see Jack or these four walls again.”
I grind my teeth to the molars. “No fucking way!” I spit out, knowing exactly what she’s going to say next.
When she propositioned us yesterday, she had a damn near mutiny on her hands. That led to one epic motherfucking argument between me and my brothers. She allowed us to stew on it overnight, but even that’s all for show. We’re her prisoners, and she’ll do whatever the hell she wants with us, with or without our cooperation. But she likes to fuck with us. To pretend that we have some semblance of power in this situation. And she’s fucking loving this. Getting a hard-on knowing she’s causing more division among us. “I’d rather die than willingly lie with you,” I toss out.
She doesn’t look overly surprised at my response. “But does everyone feel that way?” Her eyes skim over a horrified Beck, a distraught Coop, and a resolved Dane.
“You are not doing it, dude,” I snap at him.
“You think I want to do it?” Dane barks back, glaring at me.
“Man, you can’t,” Coop adds. “Think of what it’ll do to Alinthia when she finds out.”
“I’m doing this for her! Look at our conditions, Coop. Look at how weak we are already. At this rate, Alinthia won’t make it here in time. I can negotiate with the bitch. Get her to agree to take care of you all and bide our time. I can use this to our advantage.”
Alandra’s gaze bounces between us in amusement. She knows we’re still arguing over it, and she’s quite happy to sit back and wait for Dane to reach the inevitable conclusion.
“I’ll do it,” Coop quietly adds. “You can’t always be the one sacrificing yourself.”
“No.” Dane’s tone carries significant weight. “You’ll never be able to come back from it. Being her concubine is more than just being her slave. It’s willingly submitting to her need, her every desire. You won’t be able to do it.”
“And you think you will?” Coop slants an incredulous look at Dane.
I know what he means. Dane is the most stubborn of all of us, but that’s also why he’s the only one who can pull this off. Stubborn determination, and single-minded focus, is the only way anyone would get through this. Coop thinks too much, cares too much, to be able to successfully do this.
Yet, I worry this might push even Dane to breaking point. He has continuously ignored his feelings for Alinthia, bottling them up, too fearful to confront them. I’m concerned about the fallout, about how he’ll feel when the dam breaks. If he does this, it’s only going to add to his guilt, irrespective of how determined he is to remain unaffected. Dane shuts everyone and everything out as a coping mechanism, but when he lets himself feel, it’s extreme. Which is why him doing this is so risky, even if he’s the best equipped of all of us to do it.
Doesn’t mean that it’s right. Or that he should do it.
“What she did to you in the woods pales compared to this,” Dane protests. “Look how you still torture yourself over that. If you do this, it will destroy you. I can do this and not let it affect me.” His Adam’s apple jumps in his throat. “I can switch off, disengage, and do it. For my brothers, for Alinthia, and to let Zorc believe we’re cooperating. We all know it’s our only option.”
“Dude, I’m worried this might push even you over the edge. What if you can’t overcome this? Think of how upset you were when Alinthia found out you kissed the bitch. This will be a thousand times worse. She’ll force you to do whatever she wants. She will degrade and humiliate you. Look at her,” I hiss. “Already gloating because she knows you’re going to sacrifice yourself.”
“Maddox is right,” Coop butts in. “She’s always wanted you, and now she’ll have you as her slave in every meaning of the word. She will inflict the worst torture on you. I say we tell her to get lost. If we die, they don’t have any bait to use anymore. They need us alive.”
“Yes,” Dane snaps. “But alive can mean barely alive and still serve a purpose. You think I want to sit here and watch all of you deteriorate by the day?”
“And you think we’d be okay knowing she has you out there, forcing you into shit you don’t want to do?” Coop says.
“What do you think, Beck?” Dane asks. Beck has been even quieter than normal since we got here and we’re all gravely concerned about him.
“I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all.” He hangs his head, unable to look any of us in the eye. “But it’s our best shot at escape. Like you suggested yesterday, Dane, you can memorize the layout of the house and project it to me. I can use it to map out an escape route. I don’t see how else we’re going to get out of here, and if we want to halt this, to stop Alinthia from coming here and risking her life, then I don’t see how else we can succeed. Besides, we all know it’s you Alandra wants, and if you don’t agree, she’ll just take you anyway.” He lifts his head, and tears roll down his face. “I’m sorry. I—”
“No, Beck,” Dane softly says. “Don’t do that. Don’t feel guilty. You and I are the only ones thinking with our heads here, and you are right. She wants me, and she’ll take me either way. This is a battle of wills. A game to her, but I can use it to negotiate. I think she’d probably take Coop too, but I’ll make this deal so that she can’t touch the rest of you.”
He looks at all our faces, and I’m trying to ignore the gleeful way Alandra is rubbing her hands, knowing victory is only seconds away. “I’m doing this. It’s our only option. We can plot our escape while keeping Alandra and Zorc on our side.”
“I hate this,” Coop, clips out.
“We all do,” I add.
“So, we agree?” Dane says, watching all of us. “I’m doing this. I’m agreeing to willingly be her concubine?”
One by one, we reluctantly nod.
“I’ll take care of them,” I project to Dane alone. I know he’ll worry otherwise, and he’s going to have enough shit to contend with. There isn’t much I can do to help him out, but I can at least relieve him of that pressure. “I’ll keep their spirits up and keep them distracted.”
“Thanks, man.”
“And I’m here for you. Unload on
me. I can handle it.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Alandra’s foot is now tapping impatiently off the floor, and the amused grin has slipped off her face. “You know this is a great honor!” she yells. “I have hundreds of males lining up every day begging to submit to me. My patience is in limited supply, and—”
“I’ll do it,” Dane says, struggling to his feet. “I’ll willingly submit to you.”
It’s unbelievable how quickly her demeanor changes. She looks at him through a lust haze, biting down on her lower lip as she covets him with her eyes. “I always knew you were the voice of reason, Dane, and we’re going to have so much fun.” She moves toward him, like a hunter stalking his prey, her fingers itching to touch him. My jaw radiates tension, and I hope when the time comes I’ll be the one to end that twisted bitch. Coming to a halt in front of him, she wiggles her nostrils, stopping short of touching him. “After you shower,” she adds, her face contorting unpleasantly. She clicks her fingers at her assistant. “Chop, chop. Bring him to my private suite and clean him up. I need to meet with Daddy, but I’ll be back in an hour, and he needs to be ready.” She licks her lips, and Coop closes his eyes, hanging his head. It’s killing him that Dane is sacrificing himself like this.
“Hold up, Alandra,” Dane says in a controlled voice. “I agree, upon certain conditions.”
The look she gives him is one of irritated amusement. “You think you can put demands on this?”
“If you want me to voluntarily do this, then yeah.”
She stamps her foot in annoyance. “What conditions?” she snaps.
“I want Maddox, Beck, and Coop moved to more comfortable quarters with beds. I want the Tianore cuffs removed and your promise that they will be fed and taken care of.”
“Fine!”
“I’m not done.”
“You’re lucky I like you, Dane,” she warns.
“And you will not lay a finger on them. They will not be harmed, and they will not be added to your concubine harem, or any female’s harem, at any time.”
The Warrior Princess: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance Page 5