“Be fucking careful,” he said gruffly. “You fucking hear me, Loth?”
I swallowed thickly, my new emotions taking hold of my throat and gripping my chest, and I nodded. “You, too, son.”
His nostrils flared, his gaze sharpening, and I knew he could see the same thing in my eyes. He squeezed my shoulder, then he walked out.
As War and I left the clubhouse a short time later, Willow was already on the phone with her family, calling them in.
Chapter
Twenty-Nine
Roxy
* * *
War walked in, Lothar right behind him. The hellhound alpha’s gaze instantly sliced to me chained to the wall, and his lips peeled back. His unhappiness could be one of two things. Being a hound, he hated seeing females being mistreated, so it was either that or Lothar had told him what I’d done to him, and the sight of me induced rage.
My guess, a little of both. Seeing me chained would set off his protective instincts, whether he liked it or not.
I fought down the shame and guilt that had been steadily digging its thick roots inside me and watched as Sera preened and War shook hands with Beelzebub, like he wasn’t the biggest and most traitorous piece of shit on the planet, and pretend he was on board with betraying Lucifer.
Lothar’s plan was a good one—if it worked. If it didn’t? I couldn’t bear to think about it. The hounds and knights didn’t have enough firepower to take out Seraphina on their own, and I hated relying on fucking angels. We all knew Lucifer getting anywhere near Sera was a bad idea, but he was the only one with enough power to take her on if everything went to shit.
“You will come to our meeting with the knights. Seeing that the alpha hound is joining this fight will help our cause,” Sera said.
War jerked up his chin. “We’ll be there.”
Lothar kept sliding glances my way, then back to Sera, a strange look on his face. What that twisted bitch had said to him before he left earlier, after she’d forced him to kiss her, had him searching his mind for answers. I could literally see it in his eyes.
“It’s time to leave,” Sera said. “Roxy will remain here with our new friends to keep her company,” she said and smiled like the evil cunt she was.
Lothar growled at me, then strode over. He looked down at me, baring his fangs. “Nothing you don’t deserve, isn’t that right, Rox?” he said to me, then crouched, crowding me. His hand shot out, grabbing me by the throat, just above the collar.
My hand flew up, gripping his wrist. “I’m sorry,” I choked out, tears filling my eyes, because this hurt so fucking much. He wasn’t on Sera’s side, but he wasn’t on mine either.
“Keep your worthless apologies,” he snarled.
That’s when I realized his hold on my throat wasn’t tight, and that there wasn’t rage in his eyes but determination. His gaze dipped, and I followed it. His knife stuck out from the top of his boot. He gave me a subtle nod. As soon as he released my throat, I fell forward, dramatically, clutching my throat, and grabbed his legs.
“Please, please forgive me,” I said as I slid the knife free and tucked it under my thigh.
He shook me off, gave me a hateful look, then strode back to Warrick. They’d planned for this, guessing that Sera might decide to leave me here. I was chained, my powers drained, but I was Roxana the Blade, and the fuckers she was leaving here with me didn’t stand a chance.
Still, as Lothar headed toward the door, he glanced my way again, and I could see the fear in his eyes, for me. “Maybe we should bring her with us,” he said. “For collateral.”
Sera grabbed his jaw, forcing him to look at her. “We don’t need her and neither do you. She is nothing. You are mine now, Lothar.”
Warrick’s gaze hardened, but he managed not to screw his face up in disgust and, somehow, I managed to stay completely still and not explode to my feet and tear my own hands off in my desperation to get free of my manacles and take a bite out of the carotid artery pulsing delicately at the side of her neck.
Lothar nodded, but his hands were curled in tight fists.
“Come now, lover,” Sera said to him, then strode ahead.
Lothar froze as soon as she said it, his head jerking up, his eyes clashing with mine.
Horror filled me.
He was remembering.
