“Doesn’t make you less of a coward.”
Arc’s head snapped toward Dimitri. The mad man was grinning like a lunatic, his battered face bloody but almost serene. Nomin cursed, but didn’t do anything as Arc strolled toward their prisoner, grabbing a rusted blade on the way. Arc’s heart was beating fast, pounding even in my ears.
“Did I strike a nerve?” Dimitri’s smile turned devious. “Shame.”
“Don’t you have better things to say other than try to rile me up?”
The Nephilim leaned back in his chair, releasing a long breath.
“Don’tyouhave better things to do rather than trying and failing to destroy my mind and body, forcing your Warlock puppet to do all the dirty work?”
“Iwillbreak you,” Arc spat, plunging the old dagger into Dimitri’s neck, just above his collarbone, getting a slight growl in response. “You’ll give me the answers that I need, whether of your own free will or by force.”
Dimitri’s laugh boomed in the room, catching even the attention of the Warlock. Arc froze, his hands turning to fist.
“Oh, I love seeing you try. Go ahead. Try to get a glimpse of my mind, I fucking dare you.” He waited, eyes glinting with malice. “You can’t break a mad man without risking madness yourself.”
My eyes opened slowly, revealing Arc’s bedroom ceiling. My heartbeat was racing in my chest, as if it had tried to match my old friend’s during this short moment.
Not that short. The sun was rising in the sky, filtering in the room through the thick dark curtains. How long was I out every time? It only felt like minutes and yet it was barely 11:00 p.m. when Lola left the house.
Lola. Fuck. I stood up, my feet automatically starting to pace around the room. She had another mate. A Warlock that was somehow some kind of prisoner, torturing her obviously favorite mate at the command of Arc.
How was I supposed to break it down to her without her going into a full on mental breakdown? It was only a matter of time before she’d decide to take the matter into her own hand and escape to go looking for them. If she knew how bad it was, she’d leave right away, without any form of plan. Barging in and getting herself captured byher own fucking mate.
Fuck, what a mess.
I couldn’t tell Carrie, or any of the other Guardians. What if they knew about it? Carrie had acted strange when Lola and I first went to her. And even if they didn’t know anything about it, I needed more information and a plan first. And I needed them fast.
I had to make sure Lola was distracted enough not to go after them until then.
Chapter 12
Lola
Marcus froze at the doorway between his room and the entrance, looking at me with a dropped jaw as I plunged my arm in his favorite brand of cereal box.
“Missed me?” I asked, chewing on the crunchy, overly sweet breakfast snack. “Not gonna lie, I considered sleeping outside out of spite. I’m still mad at you for throwing me out of what you called my home. I guess I get it, though. We’re friends and shit, but it still hurts to beonce again,a victim of something I can’t control—wow, this is absolutely disgusting. How do you even eat that every morning without getting a headache from all the sugar? And why can’t I seem to stop munching on this atrocity? I mean—”
I gasped as his arms closed around my shoulders, holding me tight against his—very naked—chest. Good thing he remembered to put pants on.
“Huh…Marcus? What are you—”
“Thank Hell you don’t smell like sex-on-legs anymore. I swear, between the other guards talking about it and the damn pheromones invading the house, I wanted to kill myself.”
I frowned, patting his forearm. “That’s a bit extreme.”
“It’s not. I swore to you you were safe with us, so having even oneslightlyinappropriate thought messed with my mind. Please, don’t make me go through this again.”
His hold tightened as he released a breath of relief.
“You said you didn’t—”
“I lied, okay? And I don’teverwant to think of you that way, so let’s plan a schedule with whoever fucked the pheromones out of you because if it gets that bad again, I won’t forgive my damn brain.”
He dropped a hard, loud kiss on the top of my head before stepping back, snatching the box from between my hands, and casting me a narrowed-eyes glare.
“So, who was the lucky guy?” I rolled my eyes. “Or girl, I don’t judge. Wait, how would that even work? Aren’t there Succubi and Incubi? Are you like…I don’t know, forced to go with the opposite sex? Or is it an attraction thing?”
