“I know, I know. And I’m so thankful for him. But I don’t wanna seem like I’m not capable of taking care of myself,” I sighed.
She reached over and patted my hand, and I felt for the first time that besides Juliet; I had another real friend here. “I get it, girl. And hey, I think you’re amazing. It’s tough coming into a place that has its tribes already established. I think you’re doing great. And the kids love you. That’s the most important thing.”
I gave her a smile. She was right, and I shouldn’t let any of what they thought get to me.
After my fourth period class, I was about to start my conference hour when Karen popped her head in my classroom door. “Sawyer? Could you help me grab some boxes out of my car?” Her eyelashes fluttered like broken moth wings.
I thought that sounded like an odd request, but I was the only teacher on conference this period, so I gave her the benefit of the doubt. Just chalked it up to more grunt work for me. “Sure,” I puton my most cooperative face, following her down the main hall to the back door.
She made small talk as we walked. “How are you settling in?”
“Oh, um, great.” I was honestly surprised she’d said anything at all. “Love the kids.”
“Really? Well, that’s nice.” We got to the door, and she opened it, allowing me to go out first. “Maybe you won’t miss them too much.” She laughed as she quickly shut the door behind me.
I tried the handle frantically, knowing the door would not open, refusing to believe it. Trees surrounded the few parking spaces of the back lot, a promise of abandonment and despair. My thoughts unraveled faster than I could hold on. The world shifted beneath me, my breath loud in the silence. Then it happened.
Callum’s arm snaked around my throat before I could scream. “Did you truly think you could hide from me?” His breath slithered hot against my ear, a brother who should protect his little sister, twisted and turned grotesque. Silver chains hissed against my wrists before I could shift, searing through flesh until smoke curled from blistered skin. “Father sends his regards.”
I thrashed like trapped prey, teeth sinking into his forearm until copper flooded my tongue. His laughter curdled the air as he wrenched my head back by my hair—roots screaming, vertebrae cracking like dry kindling. I kicked, struggled, desperate to free myself from Callum’s grip. It only fueled his rage, making his fists connect harder. A sickening crack as he struck my face, then the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.
“Still fighting?” He purred as my vision blurred crimson at the edges. “Good. Dominic prefers his whores spirited.”
The first punch shattered something delicate behind my eyes—a kaleidoscope of pain blooming bright as his signet ring tore through skin. My knees buckled as darkness swallowed me whole.
Waking was worse.
Pain brought me back to the world. Everything else was darkness. The metal walls pressed in, crushing, suffocating. Each heartbeat crashed against my skull, a thunderous and private hell. My senses screamed with panic. Bound, drugged, trapped. Hopeless. My father had planned this well. Despair tasted like blood on my lips, a bitter promise of what was to come. The vibration and roar of engines filled the space around me. An airplane. I was in the air, miles from the life I wanted. Miles from Menace. Callum’s shadow fell over me, but his gloating began before he spoke.
“Rise and shine, my whore of a sister.” His voice cut through the dark, as cruel and mocking as the look on his face. “Wouldn’t want you to miss the fun.”
I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe past the terror that gripped me. His hands were as tight as the chains that bound me, the chains that made my skin blister, burn.
“We’re flying to the Midwest territory,” Callum taunted, crouching close enough for me to feel the chill of his hatred. “To your new home with King Dominic.” The words twisted inside me, sharp and cutting.
“You’ll never get away with this.” My voice was ragged, a choked whisper. “I’m mated to another.”
Callum laughed, the sound dark and hollow. “Not for long,” he said. “You’ll fulfill your role, Savannah. Your defiance means nothing. Once your mate is dead, you’ll no longer be mated to anyone except to the king to whom you were promised. You did this to yourself, you selfish bitch. You’ve brought shame to your family name.”
“Fate decided who my mate was,” I said through gritted teeth. I tried to hide my fear, knowing he got off on it. I could see it in his eyes, in the cruel twist of his mouth. He wouldn’t kill me, but he could do worse.
“For now, maybe,” he said, the words deliberate, slow. “And soon, you’ll be Dominic’s.”
The thought of it shattered me, left me reeling, raw. I had to fight, had to resist. But there was no way out. Callum leaned in, his smile a jagged wound across his face.
“You’ve got nothing left, sis. No one to save you.” His voice dripped with malice, with triumph.
I spat blood at him, defiant. “Menace will find me,” I said, clinging to the hope as if it were my last breath.
“Not before I break you.” His backhand split my lip again, and pain exploded white and blinding. I slumped against the chains, their silver grip pulling me deeper into despair, weakening my ability to heal.
Time lost meaning in the dark. Every second stretched to eternity. Every vibration of the plane a cruel reminder of how far I was from the life I wanted. From the man I needed. The blood tasted bitter, but it was the chemicals, the drugs, that threatened to pull me under. I fought against it, against the numbness, the helplessness as I tried to reach Menace through our bond. It was weak, but I felt his pull, his love.
But I was as good as gone.
Callum’s taunts echoed through the darkness, each word another twist of the knife. Another fracture of my resolve.
“He’ll be happy to have you. Damaged goods and all. You’re just a means to an end.”
