Page 5 of Place of Torment

“I couldn’t imagine Rowen’s face if he was here when I said I thought he gave me his blood.” Wiping at my eyes, I scuttled up the bed to sit up straighter. “Poor witch could’ve tinkled in his robes seeing that glare you gave me.”

“You are definitely testing my control, female.” All amusement gone, he looked me up and down as if to assure himself that I was not going to collapse again. “I meant what I said before, Brooklyn. Until now, I let you do things your way but that can no longer be the case. My animal will not let me watch you destroy yourself.”

“You think I’m trying to hurt myself?” appalled by his remark I recoiled from him.

“I didn’t say you do it on purpose I just said I can’t sit back and watch anymore. This is me apologizing for getting in the way of your plans from now on.” One shoulder rolled in a half assed shrug.

He didn’t look sorry at all.

My mouth opened so I could tell him exactly what I thought about it but scratching at the door got both of our attention. I sat up straighter as Dominic irritably rushed to open the door, his legs eating up the space in two long strides. The wolf stuck his head in as soon as the handle was lowered, and one look at the animal had me jumping out of bed and running toward my friend with my mate hot on my heels.

My mate.

It still gave me goosebumps to even think it.

4

Chicago had a consistent buzz in the air that you get accustomed to regardless of if you like it or not. I rejoice in it every time the soles of my boots brushed the asphalt of the streets as I joined the sea of humans rushing to reach whatever destination they had in mind. It fascinated me to see them hurry and do everything they set out as a goal for the day, pushing exhaustion aside as if meeting that person, or buying that loaf of bread would change their world forever or prevent their life from slipping through their fingers before they have time to blink.

So much tension. So much frustration surrounded them as I passed, it was choking me every time I took a deep breath.

“Excuse me.” A middle-aged woman muttered as she bumped into me, her shoulder thumping mine in passing, and as my eyes connected with hers she recoiled from me wide-eyed the mane of ash blonde strands lifting around her face as if from static. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought she saw the monster I knew I was behind the youthful face and polite expression.

“You’re good.” I forced a closed-lipped smile and sped up my steps to get away from her. From all of them, actually. It was on me that I didn’t spare a second to check my appearance in the mirror before I left as fast, and as quietly, as I could so the shifter wouldn’t see me.

Earlier in the day when Dominic and I rushed to Alice to check on her, I realized that I couldn’t just sit around and wait for some miracle to happen. I had to go and find a solution that would help bring my friend back to how she was.

First, however, I had to know if the Council was recovering quickly. Or if luck would heal them slowly enough to give me time to help Alice first. In my bloodlust I caused a lot of damage to the Syndicate. Unfortunately, Isiah and Frederic were very good at hiding behind their goons. So, they were out there somewhere in a hole like some roaches waiting for the right moment to strike. It won’t do us any good to find help for Alice just so they could snatch her and use her the way they’d used everyone. She would be better off dead if you asked me.

Samir took it upon himself to take care of my friend; so, I decided to address the issue of the prophecy he shared with me, what feels like a lifetime ago, at a later date. I had no idea if he told Dominic about it as I asked him, and I hope he didn’t share it with Rowen. It made me sound petty, but I still didn’t trust the witch.

There was just something about him.

Ducking in a dark alley between two rundown buildings, I waited for the majority of the crowd to dissipate before I decided that stepping out in the open again was safe. It wasn’t very late into the evening, the sun having just set an hour or so ago, and the air was still filled with moisture thick enough to drown you. It was sticking to my lungs with each intake of breath, forcing me to put in an effort just so I could breathe. Leaning my head back on the bricks, I closed my eyes and for the first time the sigh passing my parted lips sounded as if all the weight in the world just exited my body. It made me so lightheaded I almost missed the sound coming from the second railing of the fire escape across from me. The second a shoe scraped over the metal everything in my stilled, time slowed down to a point a blink of an eye became eternity.

Whoever it was realized their mistake at the same time, and they froze, not even taking a breath, as we both waited to see what the other would do. I immediately knew my stalker was not human. Their heartrate was too even in the predicament they found themselves in instead of kicking and punching behind their ribcage. It was impossible for a human to hold their breath that long without passing out either. What set me off the most was the lack of scent.

If I was truthful, I expected Dominic to be his usual stubborn self and nip at my heels the second I snuck out of that cursed house. My stomach dropped at the realization I was of all things disappointed that he respected my wish to be alone. Something he obviously shouldn’t have judging by the fact the person following me got tired of waiting and dropped into the alley nimbly on her toes while I was stuck with my own thoughts and totally forgot she was there.

Yes, it was a she, which was unmistakable when she was in sight.

If that was a Guardian or some mercenary the Council paid to kill me, I would’ve been long gone without realizing it.

What in all the worlds was the matter with me?

A tiny slip of a female rose up from her crouch, flicking her long dark braid over her shoulder as she did so. Each movement was loaded with self-confidence, that she was exactly where she needed to be and she had the certainty she would be the one that would walk out of the alley, not me. Misguided as her expectations were, I had to give her credit for first impressions and take a second to truly look her up and down.

Given what I had been through and the fact the Council was searching for me dead or alive, I should’ve been more careful. But supernatural females were rare and precious. For every ten or more males there was one female. Killing one without a second thought would be the greatest crime of them all. And me?

I was not the Council.

I did not kill without reason even if it was a male.

‘Tell that to all those souls you sent to the underworld while you were in bloodlust.’ A voice in my head mocked me souring what little decency I had left in me and refused to stop clinging to.

“This is pleasantly surprising.” The female yet again yanked me from my thoughts, her voice cultured and crisp like she just answered my request to speak to a representative.

Cocking her head to the side, which made her braid swing like a pendulum over her shoulder, she spoke to me conversationally as if we were two friends meeting up for brunch. I couldn’t make out her face since she strategically dropped from the fire escape between me and the exit of the alley, placing her back to the light but there was no mistaking the body of a warrior. The light glow from the street formed an outline around her forcing me to squint in hopes I could catch the color of her eyes which would’ve helped me recognize her species. Anything would’ve helped really.

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