Then a word played through my head.Shift.
At first, I resisted. Clamping my jaw shut, I felt my breaths quicken as the command sounded again within my mind.Shift.
“Why the hell isn’t he moving?” the vampire asked quietly, but I didn’t take my eyes off the false king.
A different voice filled my head, a memory from before. Of the small female with the red hair and wild, untamed eyes.Pretend, she’d said.Play the part when the time comes.
I’d had no idea what that had meant at the time. Perhaps pretending for Phaedra, who thought my fated and her mates were the enemy. Pretending in the eyes of Ivy, before I knew she was supposed to be my mate. But that hadn’t made any sense to me, either.
Now, though, it did. Suddenly, her words had meaning, purpose.
She wanted me to pretend before the false king.
And although I didn’t know why, I let the shift take over andtransform me from Primal to male. A frown darkened the lips of the false king who eyed me with wary caution, but he didn’t speak.
Once the fur receded and I shrank to my normal height—putting me taller than the false king still—the male lifted his head. A tick appeared in his jaw that revealed his irritation. Instead of commenting, he stepped back and gave me another once over.
“Assess him for charms or anything that might bring my brother and his friends to our doorstep,” the false king said without another look at me. “Then give him to a handler.”
As the king turned on his heel to return to the shadows of our temporary prison, the vampire and the Fae shared a look.
Before I knew what was happening, darkness swarmed my vision, plunging me into a nightmarish realm of death and destruction.
A realm without her.
Cold water hit my face,a familiar reminder as the rest of the dream disappeared. It reoccurred every couple of nights, and with it always came the dull ache of failure. That reminder that I was just as trapped as her.
The only difference was my cage was made of lies and deception, a false safety that could implode at any moment should the false king or any of his army learn the truth.
I was not their loyal soldier. I was not underhisspell.
I sputtered, the stale water—icy and rotten—filling my mouth. Standing over me was a commander in the false king’s army, also known asChief. He was not my handler, who seemed to have disappeared between dragging me to my cot last night and now, and this male was not anyone of real importance. At least, not to Dante.
My muscles and bones ached with a fierceness that made me wince as the rest of my surroundings came into focus. Once again, my cot was soaked through from the early morning wakeup attempts. There was no telling what time it was, as there were no windows, no view of the sky. We weren’t even allowed candles.
The disorientation was a kind of torture, but I refused to allow Chief or my handler see how it affected me. Instead, I stumbled into a standing position, keeping my eyes locked on the stone wall behind Chief’s head. The male was shorter than me by a head, but he was stocky and broad. His entire form reminded me of an ancient tree stump—wide, round, and strengthened by age.
“Hope you slept well, beast,” the male grumbled. “You’re on early morning rounds.”
I blinked hard, trying not to let my confusion reveal itself. I had never been onroundsbefore, though I knew what it was. I would be tasked, likely alongside my handler, to walk the halls of the compound to assess magical defences and ensure there were noleaks.Not of magic, or soldiers, or anything else that could easily lead my fated’s mates back to her.
In the days being here, I’d been itching to go on rounds. To understand the layout of the compound. Chief and the false king had no idea how greatly I appreciated the chance.
If I had my magic, I’d be able to map the compound in my mind with ease. But even so, I didn’t need my power to remember the layout of the underground structure.
Swallowing hard, I bowed my head in a single nod to show I understood Chief’s words. The male only let out a sigh before shoving fabric into my arms. I maintained my footing, but his strength took me by surprise. The ring of red around his eyes explained he was a vampire, but his fangs remained hidden despite the emotions he clearly felt: irritation, frustration, boredom. He disliked dealing with me.
But that was exactly how I liked it.
They thought because I came from theirOld World, I was incompetent. Slow. Unaccustomed to war and battle. They thought me an idiot because I chose not to talk to them as much as they wished I would.
If only they understood why…Then perhaps they would learn to keep their mouths shut.
Chief shook his head and exited the small cell that was my bunk room. Eventually, my handler claimed I would be moved into arealroom. One shared with the other soldiers. But for now, I was here—and being alone was better than the alternative.
I slipped out of yesterday’s dirty, bloodied clothes and pulled on the dull grey uniform of the soldiers. The material was thick, hard to breathe in, but it moulded to my body almost perfectly. Despite the heaviness of the fabric, there was a decent layer of protection to it, partially from the magic woven into each thread, and also from how much it covered my body. It was almost similar to the clothing my fated wore alongside her mates, only this was designed to suit a specific role: conformity.
Boots tied and belt attached, I exited the cell, entering the dark corridor that made up the bunk rooms. There were several other soldiers milling around, though none paid me any attention. Some of the curiosity had already worn off for most, but others were wary of me. And they should be.
