Crap. We’d been spotted on our way in.
“Doesn’t matter,” the one named Holly said. “Trust me. You’re new here, and Vanna doesn’t like when newbies on her staff speak up. Just remember that you’re replacing someone else for a reason. So keep your head down, and shut up. It’s not your problem.”
“Okay,” the first speaker said hesitantly as they headed for the door. “But what if—”
“Trust me, Ella. If you want to survive here, you keep your mouth shut.”
I was up and ghosting toward the door without a second’s hesitation. Florian spied me from his hiding spot, his eyes wide. I gestured at the one named Holly, but there wasn’t time for me to communicate much more. I had to hope he understood.
We rose up behind them like shadows, hands clamping over their mouths.
“Be quiet and stay still,” I snarled in full alpha command right into their ears.
Both women arched up at the command, their eyes rolling back into their skulls. They shivered and began to twitch.
“What the fuck is this?” Florian hissed, grabbing Holly before she could hit the floor.
I had Ella in my grasp as well, staring in shock. They should have slumped into submission at my words.
“I don’t know,” I said as I eased Ella to the floor so she wouldn’t hurt herself. As I did, my arm brushed against the slave collar.
I hissed in pain and yanked my arm away.
“What’s wrong, Alpha?” Kolar was there, his arms spread, ready for anything.
“The collar. It’s brutally hot. Be careful.” I eyed the metal band. It wasn’t burning their skin, but now I understood the source of their reactions. “Yarl has them keyed to resist alpha command that isn’t his.”
“That can be done?” Dirk asked from where he was keeping an ear to the door, his attention focused outside the room.
“Yes, though I’m surprised Yarl knew how. That’s a bit beyond his imagination, I would have thought.”
I mused on that for a few seconds, but I would have time to ponder it later. For now, we had to move.
“Come on. Get them up. Let’s get out of here before the effect wears off and they can sound the alarm. Durion, get the door. Kolar, get to the surface as fast as you can and make sure our pathis cleared. We can’t risk the chance that anyone else saw us. Once they realize these two are missing, someone will put the pieces together. Now move.”
We moved out in order, Dirk taking up the rear guard and dropping little pouches from his bag as we went while Florian and I carried the women in our arms, careful not to touch the collars. I could see the skin under them reddening, and my fury increased.
Damn Yarl. I could remove the collars, but it wouldn’t be pleasant. At all.
“What are you going to do with the other woman?” Durion asked as we jogged up the slope of the escape tunnel.
“Put her in the dungeons with the others,” I grunted. I didn’t have a better solution at the moment.
Maybe Anna would.
We left the tunnel behind and raced up the hill as fast as we could. Behind us, the packages Dirk had planted were already oozing out the fetid stink of rotting swamp to cover our tracks. As long as we weren’t identified, we would be in the clear. Yarl would think it was simply another elite stealing his property.
The second we crested the hill, Anna shot out from her hiding spot.
“Quiet,” I hissed, seeing her eyes land on Ella. “Don’t shout.”
She rushed to my side. “Ella. Ella it’s me. It’s Anna. I’m right here. You’re going to be okay. You’re safe now. I promise, I—ouch!”
“Careful of the collar,” I said, crouching to set Ella on the ground. She was wide eyed with terror and pain, barely responding to anything.
“What happened to her? Why is she like this?” Anna’s hands were wringing over themselves repeatedly as she hovered, unsure what to do.
“The collar was keyed by Yarl to react to alpha command. I …”
