Hannah’s clipped footsteps retreat, and I blink hard. I can’t focus through my tears and the lingering haze from the void. Something moves in my periphery. A shadow.
No. It’s my whisper. She’s here. Her hands press to her mouth. She shakes her head, then darts past Calista to throw her arms around me.
I can almost feel her. One of her tears hits my neck, just above the chain. It’s warm.
I’m supposed to fight. But fight what? Licking my chapped lips, I taste blood.Hannah’sblood. Blood bound.I’mblood bound.
“…lined up for slaughter.”
Oh, God. She’s going to make me kill them. There has to be a way out. Or…a weapon. But I don’t have the strength to stand, let alone run. Even if I did, I don’t know where we are.
“Bring the werewolf,” Hannah snaps. “I want to feel his power running through my veins.”
I crane my neck, trying to make sense of what I see. The walls are bare. Concrete. The building is massive. Football stadium big. High above, the moon is blinding in the night sky. How…? What happened to the roof?
The screams get louder. I can only twist my head an inch or two in any direction. Behind me, cages are lined up in a row. At least a dozen of them, full of men and women—some slumped to the floor, others shaking the bars like they think they can break free.
Several hurl obscenities at Hannah. Two men flank her, thrust long, black weapons through the bars, and electrocute the prisoners until they’re howling in pain.
Isaac drags a young man out of the first cage by a thick, metal chain. Barefoot, emaciated, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans that look like they’ve been through a shredder, he can’t get his legs under him.
A heavy, silver collar is locked around his neck, and as he fights and strains to get free, blood seeps around the edges. Once Isaac secures the short chain to a hasp on the floor in front ofme, the man lunges and snaps his jaws. Another two inches, and he’d have me in his grasp.
I’ll have to get close to him to use the Blade. If I hesitate—even a little—could he kill me first?
“Meet…” Hannah waves her hand vaguely. “Shit. I won’t pretend I know his name. But he’s one of the strongest werewolves I’ve ever seen. He’ll be my first.Yourfirst, Willow dear.”
“Fuck you.”
The ground rushes up to meet me, and a heartbeat later, my cheek and jaw start to throb. Blood trickles from the corner of my mouth. Did she…hitme?
“I have endless ways to cause you pain,” Hannah says, kneeling at my side and flexing her fingers. “But I would much rather be kind. Don’t you want me to be kind?”
I do. Of course, I do.
Calista flicks her wrist, and I’m lifted back to my knees. Her other hand twists in the air, forcing the werewolf to mirror my position. He yelps in pain. Fur ripples in patches over his skin. Hannah glares at him. “I forbid you from shifting. Your power is mine to control.”
The werewolf’s whimper is like a knife to my heart. The fur disappears in an instant, and his bare chest heaves with each shallow breath. His muscles cord and strain, but I don’t think he can move.
Hannah steps behind me. I know the exact moment she picks up the Blade. Its fear scrapes along my spine, twisting until I can barely breathe from the weight of it. Itknowswhat’s about to happen.
“Claim your birthright, Willow, and I will take care of you.” She holds the Blade over her head—well out of reach—and smiles down at me. “You want to please me, don’t you?”
“Y-yes.”
Iknowshe’s evil. IknowI have to fight her. But I hurt. Everywhere. My heart most of all.
With her free hand, she traces the delicate links around my neck. “It’s simple, really. Pierce the mongrel’s heart with the Blade. You’ll feel his life force—all his unique talents—flowing into the Blade. Once his heart stops beating, you’ll use your magic to send that power flowing through this chain and into me. Can you do that?“
Can I?
My whisper floats behind Hannah, shaking her head and pleading with me.
“Willow? Answer me.” Hannah uses the tip of the Blade to force my chin up until she can meet my gaze.
“N-no. I won’t…” I start to sob,knowingthat little bit of resistance was all I had left.
Her eyes harden, and her fangs lengthen to sharp points. “Calista!” she growls.
