He straightened, eyes glowing. “You’re clever,” he said, the words ice cold now. “But cleverness won’t save you.”
He snapped his fingers, and the alligator-skinned demon from before scuttled in, bowing his head low. Maltraz drew a single claw along the demon’s scalp, splitting it open from crown to eyebrow. The black ichor that spilled out hissed as it hit the stone.
“Failure,” Maltraz crooned, slicing the demon’s throat in one swift motion. The body toppled, writhing, but he was already moving on. Another demon in the hall tried to run; Maltraz lashed out, catching it by the ankle and dashing it against the wall until the bones exploded out through the skin.
Blood and gore painted the cell, spattering my legs and the ruined hem of my dress. I fought the urge to vomit, settling instead for a withering glare.
Maltraz turned back to me, his face now fully his own—smooth, inhuman, the eyes black as a collapsed star.
“You matter, Brie,” he said, the words flat. “If you didn’t, I wouldn’t have wasted my time grooming you. I wouldn’t have killed for you.”
He crouched again, lowering himself until our eyes were level.
“You’re not going to die,little girl. But you’ll wish you were dead by the time your buyer is done with you. And by the time I’ve made every wolf in Texas pay for what they’ve done to me.”
I wanted to ask why. I wanted to understand the madness. But I knew better than to invite a monologue.
Instead, I locked eyes with him and said, “Then do it. Stop pretending you have a plan.”
The words hit. Maltraz’s face twisted, and for a moment, I thought he’d rip my heart out right then.
But a voice from the hall interrupted. “She’s right, Sire. We need to move her now, or the shipment will be compromised.”
Adramal. Unflappable, untouchable, always showing up at the worst possible moment.
Maltraz straightened, shaking off the rage like a bad coat. “Who’s the buyer?” he said.
“Foreign. Asian. Paid triple the normal rate. Wants her shipped with the others in the next shipment.”
He considered this, then glanced back at me. “See? You’re special.”
He touched a finger to my cheek, leaving a smear of black blood.
“We leave tomorrow at midnight,” he said. “If you’re a very good girl, you may even get a window seat.”
He turned, the tails of his suit flicking blood onto the wall, and left the cell.
Adramal lingered, his face unreadable.
“That was risky,” he said, voice low. “He could have killed you.”
I managed a laugh, weak but real. “He could kill me anytime. So could you. But you haven’t. Why not?”
He didn’t answer. He just looked at me, silent and watchful, as if trying to solve a riddle he didn’t understand.
After a moment, he said, “You’d better eat if you want to have any strength.”
He tossed a chunk of stale bread onto my lap, then closed the door with a finality that made my stomach drop.
I stared at the bread, not sure whether to eat it or use it to mop up the blood.
Outside the door, I heard Maltraz scream at someone, the sound so loud it shook the whole hallway.
I closed my eyes, counting the seconds between screams, and tried to focus on the mate bond. It was weak, stretched thin, but still there. Still real.
I wouldn’t die here. Not like this.
I owed it to Finn.
