Holy fuck.
I couldfeelthe evil coming off of this woman as fear melted out of my chest and settled into my limbs. Her bun was so tight that it pulled the corners of her eyes up, making it look like she’d had a facelift. But her eyes, they were as black as her soul, and held no life.
“I’m sure one feeding wouldn’t jeopardize the project,” a second man said from behind her.
That got me moving. I bucked against the straps that held me to the table, fur running down my arms as my wolf tried to be free. Pain shot up my arms as the cuffs engaged and the queen laughed, a high shrill sound.
Before she could step any closer, the door at the far wall burst open and a man wearing black army fatigues skidded to a stop at the foot of my gurney. He was barely winded, but his cheeks were slightly flushed, which was saying something for a blood sucker who was dead.
“What is it?” the queen growled at him, never taking her eyes off of the pulse at my neck.
“Werewolves. West gate. They’re asking for the girl,” he responded, and my heart suddenly grew wings.
He came for me. That fucking asshole who I was so pissed at I could punch in the balls, came for me. I’d torn our bond; I couldn’t really feel him like I could before. Only if I dug really deep and searched for him inside of me did I feel his essence. His strong, loving, and fragile soul was linked to my strong, guarded, and broken one.
‘Demi!’Sawyer shouted suddenly in my mind as if he felt me searching for him.‘Oh my God, Sage ripped off the necklace and then punched me in the face. I’m so fucking sorry. It was a spell. Please forgive me.’
A tear slid down my cheek at the relief that Sage had gotten that freaking thing off of him, but I was in such shit right now it didn’t matter.
“Fuck,” the queen said at the guard who had spoken, and then pointed at a man in a lab coat. “Get me that elixir, and if she dies during the extraction process, throw her body in a woodchipper. I can’t be caught being involved in this. I have the Magical Creatures Council on my ass enough as it is.”
“Yes, my lady.” He bowed to her as my stomach sank.
Throw her body in a woodchipper? Say what?
I screamed as I bucked against the restraints and she lunged for me. At the same time I felt something snap. Not the binds or anything physical—something inside of me. But it wasn’t me… it wasSawyer. His alpha power washed over me, filled me up. I pulled on the bindings once more and was rewarded with the satisfying crack of metal as the hinge gave way.
He lent me his power… it was a fleeting thought before I lurched from the gurney and headbutted the queen of the vampires before she could attack me.
Pain exploded between my eyebrows as my forehead smashed into her nose and she hissed.
Dizzy and stiff, I launched from the table only to trip and fall to the floor. My ankles were bound. I splayed out my hands to catch the brunt of my fall, and then rushed into a standing position as quickly as possible. With another burst of Sawyer’s energy, I kicked out and snapped the chain holding my legs together.
“That bitch broke my nose!” the queen roared as I made it to the open doorway at the back of the room. I was just about to reach the hallway when a million volts of electricity slammed into my back.
No.
A wail ripped from my throat as pain laced across my skin, causing it to burn and tighten. My whole body shook as agony encompassed me. Falling to my knees, I barely had time to get in another breath before a knee crashed into my face, hitting me right in the eye socket. Sharp pain exploded in my brain and then my lip as the queen crashed down on me with powerful fast blows, one after another.
“The wolves have reached the main castle, my lady,” a male voice said, and she stopped immediately, freezing with her fist in the air.
When I looked up into her dead black eyes, I understood how Vicon was able to easily do what he did to me. I mean if he was raised by this demon, then I expected nothing less of him. If this was his role model for how to treat a woman, then I was no longer shocked he’d raped me with his friends.
“Drain her essence and bring it to me while I deal with the dogs,” she snapped, and left the room.
I curled into a ball in the doorway, hurt, scared, and unsure what to do. Another man in a lab coat held the prod out, threatening me with another jolt that I wasn’t sure I could take, especially not without rapid healing. I was all but human with these cuffs on.
“No. Please,” I whimpered.
Two guards now glowered over me and I couldn’t see a way out of this, not in my current shape. My wolf wanted to come forward, but I pushed her back. I couldn’t take another jolt.
‘Fight. Fight back.’It was a faint whisper, but I heard him.
Sawyer.
I didn’t dare respond for fear of activating the cuffs, but he clearly felt through our broken and tattered bond that I was in trouble.
“I can’t,” I whimpered aloud. “I’m done.” A sob escaped me.
