“Fuck you,” he growled, forcing himself to his feet, spitting blood onto the stone floor.
He charged again, his body remembering what his mind wanted to forget. His canines lengthened, pushing past his lips in a snarl. Claws extended from his fingertips, sharp and lethal. The partial shift came naturally, his wolf pushing through despite the wards preventing a full transformation.
Vaughn barreled forward, a growl tearing from his throat. He slammed into Vex with all his weight behind the impact, driving the demon to the floor. His fist connected with Vex’s jaw, a satisfying crunch of bone against bone. For one glorious moment, he savored the shock in those inhuman eyes.
“That’s for last time,” he snarled, drawing back for another blow.
Vex’s eyes darkened to bottomless pits. A force like an invisible battering ram slammed into Vaughn’s chest, lifting him off the demon and hurling him across the room. His back hit the wall hard enough to crack the stone, the impact forcing air from his lungs in a painful rush.
Behind him, Newt screamed.
Vaughn whipped around to see his mate’s body arching against the restraints, every muscle rigid with pain. Newt’s face contorted in silent agony as his limbs jerked uncontrollably against the metal cuffs, drawing fresh blood from his wrists and ankles.
“Stop!” Vaughn shouted, freezing in place.
Vex smiled, a terrible thing that stretched too wide across his face. He climbed to his feet, ignoring the knife still embedded in his thigh as if it were nothing more than a splinter. With a casual gesture, he released whatever hold he had on Newt.
The fae collapsed against the metal frame, chest heaving with labored breaths. Sweat plastered his cotton-candy hair to his forehead, his skin flushed with exertion and pain.
“So protective,” Vex observed, limping closer to Newt. “How touching.”
Rage coiled in Vaughn’s gut, hot and desperate. He’d let this demon hurt him once before. Hours of methodical torture still haunted his sleep. But he would not, could not, let him touch Newt.
“What a pretty little creature,” Vex continued, reaching toward Newt’s face. “I’ve never tortured a fae before. I wonder if they scream differently.”
Vaughn’s claws dug into his palms, drawing blood. The smell of Newt’s fear filled the room, sharp and acrid. Beneath it lay the scent of determination. His mate wasn’t broken yet, and Vaughn would keep it that way.
“I’ll tell you what,” Vex said, sliding the knife from his thigh with a wet sound. Dark ichor, not blood, oozed from the wound. “Let’s play a new game.”
The demon traced the bloody blade along Newt’s jawline, leaving a crimson streak in its wake. “Such delicate wings these fae have. So easy to damage.”
Newt’s eyes widened in genuine terror. Vaughn remembered what his mate had said about his wings. If they tore, he would die.
Not just be injured. Die.
“Perhaps I’ll peel them from his back,” Vex mused, “one layer at a time. Or maybe turn this pretty thing inside out while you watch. So many possibilities.”
“Don’t touch him,” Vaughn growled, taking a step forward.
Vex’s smile widened. “Or you could take his place. Voluntarily.” He gestured toward the wall. “Let me finish what I started.”
Vaughn stared at the chains on the wall, the metal stained with his old blood. He remembered every second spent hanging there, pain becoming his entire world until he couldn’t remember anything else. The thought of returning to that place of helplessness made him physically ill.
But the alternative was watching Newt suffer, perhaps die. His beautiful, magic-challenged mate who had stumbled into his life and somehow made him feel something other than fear for the first time in months.
“No!” Newt cried, straining against his bonds. “Don’t do it, Vaughn! I can handle whatever he dishes out!”
Vaughn knew better. His fae, his virgin mate who’d never known true cruelty, wouldn’t survive what Vex had planned. The offer touched something deep inside him, though. Newt would sacrifice himself, would endure torture to spare Vaughn from reliving his nightmare.
But Vex had the demon power to amplify pain. Vaughn wouldn’t allow Newt to suffer the way he had. His mate wouldn’t survive the torture.
Hell, Vaughn had barely survived it. But had he really survived? No. Vex had broken him, though he would never confess that to the demon.
“So noble.” Vex laughed, the sound like breaking glass. “But we both know your wolf will never let you suffer, little fae. He’s too honorable.” The demon’s gaze slid to Vaughn. “Isn’t that right? Too honorable for your own good.”
Vex was right. Vaughn would do anything, endure anything, to keep Newt safe. Even if it meant walking willingly back into his own personal hell.
* * * *
