Eva tried to think past the roar inside her ears as she was yanked to her feet. He continued to grin, the slice on his cheek already stopped bleeding as he pushed her through the door.
“Come on,” Dutch said, seeming to follow one of the reactive veins of light into another corridor, the glow brightening as they walked, and then dimming as they passed. They must have had at least thirty to forty people working for them, and not one cared as she screamed and fought.
“Get off me!” she cried, her voice strained. She wasn’t stupid, she knew Augustine would use her for more than her blood, just as Lucas had. But she wouldn’t lie down and take it. She’d probably die, but she would make sure they all burned in hell along with her.
“Do you know how territorial we are as a Breed?” Dutch asked, spinning to press her against the wall, her skin coming into contact with one of the light veins. “Augustine claimed you as his fledgling, which makes you his property.”
“I’m not property,” she hissed, ignoring the shock of pain as the vein vibrated. It was like a pulse, the painful beat increasing every few seconds until she had to clench her teeth from crying out.
Dutch smirked, his fangs bright compared to his lips. “Tell me, has he ever called you by your name? Any name, in fact?” A flash of wood, the tip of the spike he had removed from her only moments earlier piercing into her shoulder.
Eva let out a squeal, the point where she was impaled burning.
“You’re nothing.” He pressed himself closer, the spike pushing further into muscle until she was caged against the wall, the light vein now a constant sensation. “Poor little Eva Morgan,” he purred at her. “You have no living family, your boyfriend left you to us as a gift, and your friends have all forgotten you even existed.”
Eva sucked in a breath, the burning pain from the wood radiating across her shoulder and down her arm like flames eating away at her flesh. “Please,” she begged. Her back hurt from the light, but the stake was like nothing she had ever felt before.
Workers moved behind them, but she was invisible.
“You’re no one.” His tongue brushed the side of her cheek, moving down to touch the bite that had almost healed. “I know Augustine hasn’t fucked you yet.”
Eva froze, the burning moving across her chest until every breath was agony.
“My uncle enjoys the fear, of you not knowing when, or how he takes you. Just that it will happen. Maybe today.” Dutch pulled the stake from her shoulder, and Eva let out a small scream. “Maybe tomorrow.”
The burning stopped immediately, the respite only lasting a second before Dutch pressed a finger inside the wound.
“I think I should fuck you first, break you in for him.” He nibbled at her neck, curling his finger inside her shoulder until it came out with a pop.
“I’mhisproperty, remember?” Eva said through clenched teeth. “Not yours.”
“I would rather beg for forgiveness, than ask for permission.” He pushed away just as Augustine turned the corner, Mac smiling beside him.
“I look forward to seeing your entry,” Augustine said before he barked at a man who was passing. “Richard, please escort our newest member back to the top.” He didn’t wait for a response before turning to Dutch. “I need you to go hunt down Mr Whitlock.”
Eva’s ears perked at the mention of her ex-boyfriend’s name.
“It seems he’s failed to meet his payments, and the coward has gone into hiding.”
“Excellent,” Dutch said with a smirk. “Looks like we get to kill him after all.”
“Go. Find him.” Augustine’s features tightened when he turned to Eva, his pupils dilating. “Now tell me, how do you think I should punish you?” He stepped forward, but she remained where she was, swallowing the panic. “Beating you doesn’t seem to be working. Maybe a little public humiliation? You didn’t seem to appreciate Mac watching, and usually I wouldn’t either. But he’s a notorious gossip, and getting him excited for our little opening next week will be perfect for business.”
Eva clenched her fist to stop the trembling. “Fuck. You.”
Augustine stilled, pupils returning to their natural size. “The day you realise there’s no hope, is the day you truly understand your role in my world.”
“What? That I’m nothing but a toy.”
“See, you’re learning.” he said, never taking his eyes off hers. “But just so you understand, if anyone touches you, I’ll rip out their heart.”
Eva had no time to process that comment before he nodded.
“Now come, I have something to show you.” Augustine didn’t wait for her to acknowledge him before moving in the opposite direction as Dutch had gone. When she remained exactly where she was, he stopped, not bothering to face her. “You can run, but there’s no way out, only a harsher punishment.”
Eva bit her lip, but began walking. She tried to memorise the twists and turns, counting the doors they passed through and the stairs they descended. It was the first time she had seen his men other than the handful of security back at the penthouse, forgetting that he, along with Dutch, ran a business, if that was what she could call it. The men didn’t acknowledge her existence, their eyes skittering past her as if worried their attention had lingered too long.
The light veins were harsher in the lower levels, pulsating violently as they ran along the floors and walls, reacting when they stepped closer. It gave an indication of someone walking in the opposite direction, the wall or floor brightening before she the person came into view.
