She addresses me for the first time, her teeth clenched in anger. “Do not laugh at me.”
I can’t even muster much frustration. “Why not? You are insignificant. Even if he didn’t have me, he wouldn’t want you.”
“I’m going to destroy your effigy when they kill you so there will be nothing of you left.”
“When who kills me?” I question, noting the fact that she usedthey.
Her lips slip into a pout. I bet she can’t even frown. She was literally made to seduce, and she’s the one who became obsessed with someone that would never return her affection. She is the perfect example of wanting what you can’t have.
“Out with it. Who’s going to kill me?” I prompt.
“The same people who killed your father and the others,” she snaps.
“Restrain her.” The demon is surrounded by my mates before the next breath leaves her lips. Her eyes dart around, but she focuses on Egan.
“Let them kill her, then you’ll be free,” she pleads to Egan as they close in on her as if she thinks I trapped him. The other members of my club are herding the spectators that are growing restless, keeping them away from the arena.
“Let them do it. She doesn’t get the pleasure of your touch,” I call to Egan, and he immediately halts his approach.
It would be dangerous to allow an unmated person near her—her opponent, who’s still standing still and heeding her order, is proof of that—but I’m confident in my bond with Modeus and Cyrus, so I know they can handle her.
I rise and step into the sand, examining her closely. She really is pretty. I’m going to enjoy killing her once I’ve learned every lick of information she possesses. “I can’t wait to hear all about who’s going to kill me.”
“I’m not going to tell you anything,” she backtracks while trying to jerk away from Cyrus. “I’ve lived through tortures you can’t imagine.”
“Oh, I’m sure you have, but that was before me.” I lace my fingers with Egan’s, testing out the waters. Just as I suspected, her eyes are focused on our hands. Not all torture is physical.
Egan
Lore threadsher fingers through mine, laying claim to me. Even though she’s doing it to goad Mezra, I still cling to her hand. I wasn’t sure how she would react to the succubus. Lore killed the shifter who showed interest in the prince but laughed at Mezra’s taunts.Does she care more for him?
Lore snaps her head to the side, her wide amber eyes peering up at me, telling me she heard my question. Damnit.
“No,” she replies quickly, placing her palm over my chest. “No,” she repeats more firmly, shaking her head.
“Don’t speak to him like that,” Mezra interjects, not understanding the context, but Lore completely ignores her anyway and leans up on her toes to get closer to me. This isn’t for show.
I meet her halfway, bending so she can wrap her arms around my neck.
“The shifter followed and cornered him.” Lore pulls back so our faces are only inches apart. “She’s trying to hurt me, not you. For that, she would die just the same as the shifter.”
Modeus
“What are you doing to him?”the succubus screeches as she continues to struggle. Lore ignores her, trusting we have her under control, and speaks so quietly to Egan, I can’t even hear her. When the demon stills in my hold, I look down. The second our eyes meet, she orders, “Release me.”
It’s only her rushed response to get out of my loosening hold that makes me realize what’s happening. I snap my eyes from her face. “Don’t look at her,” I tell Cyrus. There’s something else at play here. How the fuck was she almost able to coerce me into letting her go?
Making sure to avoid her eyes, I notice Sabastian, the road captain, inching along the ring, but he’s not supposed to be here. He keeps looking over his shoulder while everyone else is transfixed by what’s happening in the arena.
It’s hard to isolate emotion when there are so many to sort through, but the abject fear coming from the wolf as he tries to escape overrides all the nerves and excitement coming from everyone else around him.
“Egan.” The urgency in my voice has the fallen jerking his head up, his eyes already assessing the scene. “The wolf.” I point to Sabastian, and the succubus resumes her struggles, screaming in rage.
The crowd splits as Sabastian tries to back away from the dark angel, who’s already on top of him. When Egan sinks his talon-tipped fingers into the wolf’s shoulder, he ceases trying to flee and allows Egan to haul him into the sand.
“What’s going on?” Lore’s voice is soft and unsure for the first time all night. It makes me want to kill the wolf myself.
“Stop fucking moving.” Cyrus jerks the succubus, almost pulling her from my grasp and making her head snap back and forth abruptly. He’s lost all patience. It seems to work though, because she stops resisting again…or maybe he scrambled her brain.
