Page 13 of Place of Torment

Aware that the other three were watching us, I fidgeted where I kneeled, the thickening blood squelching under me, I tentatively reached out a hand and scratched behind his ear. Immediately those piercing green eyes narrowed and I jerked back praying I didn’t mess it up and upset him.

“As much as I would rather have you kill the demons, Shifter.” Samir came around to himself finally and pushed off the railing he had been clutching tightly. “I’m dying to hear the explanation for all this. It’s not every day Brooklyn brings visitors to my home so they could attempt to kill me.”

The ancient Atua lifted an arrogant eyebrow at my deadpan look, not that I had any ground to stand on if I wanted to argue. He was correct. I did bring the demons into his house, and they did attack him without provocation. I should’ve expected it, given the fact they wanted my help to kill the rest of the Council and get their people back. It just never occurred to me they had no clue Samir was mercurial in nature. I fully expected him to turn on us the moment he thought we were the losing side.

While I was stuck in my own head, Dominic made his appearance, the shift seemingly a breeze from how smooth it always went. The breath caught in my throat when I looked up from his powerful thighs up his washboard abs pushing against the fabric of his shirt, over the mouthwatering chest, to his smoldering gaze. Good thing I was kneeling like a peasant at his feet because my legs got weak from the intensity in his eyes.

“Here I am, Mate.” The deep, raspy tone of his voice vibrated in my lower belly and like a fledgling I had to press my thighs closed and bite the inside of my mouth not to whimper. “Let us hear the reason for the presence of the demons who have tried to harm you. That way I can decide if I should allow my beast to return and finish what he started.”

“You can’t blame them for kidnapping me.” With a sigh I raised my hand so I can rub the tiredness off my face but stopped midway when I saw all the blood and dirt smudged on it. Instead, I wiped it on my pants with a grimace. “I killed two of Echo’s brothers when they tried to talk to me while I was in bloodlust.”

“I’m still not convinced it was smart bringing them here.” Samir spoke to me but he was glaring at Echo who was picking herself up off the floor.

“They know why we had to fight abominations when you rescued me from the cages.” It made me happy to see Dominic’s mouth form an “oh” and he looked at the two demons in a whole new light.

“I need help, right now.” Rowen stuck his head out from the hallway upstairs and everything we’d been doing or saying was forgotten.

“Alice!” I grabbed the hand Dominic offered to jump to my feet and we rushed to the bedroom my friend was in. I hoped she was not getting worse.

With my heart drumming in my throat and fear like I’ve never felt before I was first to dart inside the room.

10

Brooklyn

Rowen blinked his faded eyes at me as if I was speaking in tongues. Anger bobbled up fast and hot from his blank expression, but I had to push it down, so I didn’t do something foolish, like kill the witch. I guess he was aware that he was in danger because the sigils on his skin were turning into a light show, the frequency of how fast they glowed increasing by the second.

“What did you do to her?” I repeated through clenched teeth, gripping the seams of my pants so I don’t wrap them around his neck.

“Ummm…” Rowen’s gaze dropped to his feet as he shuffled his them, before darting all around the room. Nervous energy was coming off of him in waves blasting all of my senses.

Clusters of half-melted candles sat all over the room, the wax forming abstract shapes on the floor around them. Crystals were sprinkled strategically in the four corners to represent each element closing a circle. What truly worried me, and I did my best to pretend I didn’t see it, was the pinkish stuff over the salt, which was used to paint the pentagram under Alice.

Oh, yeah. My friend was not resting on the soft mattress and fluffy pillows like I left her. She was sprawled on the floor on top of the said pentagram like some satanic virgin sacrifice, her hands neatly folded over her sternum and her chestnut hair fanned around her head like a halo. Even her glasses were perched on her freckled nose so tidily, that if she wasn’t on the ground I would’ve thought she was dead. Alice was never one to have everything set up perfectly about her, especially not those glasses.

“Answer my mate.” Dominic growled menacingly from behind me, the heat of his body warming my entire back. “I told you not to mess with the human, Rowen. I will shred you to pieces if you have harmed her.”

Samir had no desire to talk or ask questions at all. When his attempt to reach Alice failed and he comically bounced off of whatever protection the witch had placed, he simply walked around the four of us crowding the doorway and upon reaching Rowen, he lifted him by the neck.

“Break the circle.” The ancient Atua shook the witch like he was a ragdoll, not a grown male. “Now!” After baring his fangs, he also hissed in case anyone missed how furious he was.

“No.” Rowen croaked, clawing at Samir’s fingers and gasping for air. “It’s working. I can’t breathe.”

“Of course, it’s working, you insolent worm. I’m choking you.” The elder snarled, spittle flying from his mouth. “Break the magic this instant.”

As much as I wanted to join Samir and help him kill Rowen, I had to stifle my anger for my friend’s sake. As for Dominic. I could feel the shifter vibrating behind me, and I had no doubt he was on the brink of changing shape and was barely holding back.

Instead of feeding into their anger, I closed my eyes and blocked everyone out. Focusing on Alice, I tried to check how my friend was doing. What reached my ears was something totally unexpected. A steady, strong heartbeat was rhythmically distributing blood through her body. Excited to share what I heard, my eyes snapped open and a gasp of horror was ripped from my chest.

“Samir, release him!”

For the second time that day, I used the power of my voice to force someone to do something, and it didn’t sit well with me. Bile rose, filling my mouth with a bitter taste. I could justify it by saying Rowen was turning purplish blue in the face, and his heartbeat was barely there, but I didn’t have to use the damn curse. I could’ve slapped Samir away from the witch. Dominic would’ve happily helped, I’m sure.

The shifter was itching to hit something at that point, too.

“Have you lost your ever-loving mind!” Samir turned his rage on me. Not that I could blame him. “First you bring demons that try to kill me in my own house, now you want to test who is more powerful between the two of us? You are crossing every line, Child.”

Rowen, however, was giving me grateful glances from the floor where he was dropped while he was rubbing his neck. Bruises in the shape of Samir’s long fingers were appearing darker and darker by the second.

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