Page 27 of Wild Wolf

He painted a cross over his heart and I looked to Ethan who nodded his own understanding. I was leaving him in charge and though I doubted he would be able to do much to rein Sin in, I was hoping he would at least stand a chance of keeping him in check until the time to act had come.

I clapped Hastings on the arm bracingly then turned to Cain and gave him a wicked smile.

“Come on, amore mio,” I purred. “Make sure these stronzos know who owns me.”

He blinked at me, taking in my command, the corner of his mouth twitching before he drew me under his arm and walked us through the stone archway ahead of the others.

I didn’t look back to see when they peeled away from us into the depths of the crowd.

Cain kept me close and led me into the heart of this place of sin and seduction, the scent of death and pain coiling around us like a drug. It was loud in here, cries of excitement and terror mingling as one while Fae danced the line of debauchery and devilry so finely that it laced the air with its toxicity.

We passed fighting pits where blood stained the walls and brothels promising every kind of fucked up fantasy known to Fae, but we didn’t pause at any of them.

The moon was calling me onwards, right into the heart of this place of broken lies and I was going to keep moving to the song of its call until my feet led me right to the man I loved.

CHAPTER TWELVE

The need to cast magic was turning from an itch to a burn. Even in Darkmore, I’d been able to cast to stop the madness setting in. But the possibility of going day after day like this was twisting my mind into a mess of jagged thoughts. The cuffs on my wrists were now accompanied by a thick metal collar around my throat that Roland had told me was designed to force me to return to him if I moved more than fifty feet away from him.

I paced the cell I’d been placed in in the basement of the building, the sound of screeching animals and the hollow moans and grunts of some unknown beasts calling to me from every direction. It was dark down here, but my keener eyesight picked out the wild horror in the magical animals’ eyes around me.

There were caged kalini birds opposite me that were brightest pink and blue, their feathers shimmering with magic. They were rare creatures thanks to poachers capturing and selling them on for their ability to cause a trance-like high with their bird song. But they weren’t singing now, they were shrieking, their talons scratching at the bars and wings flapping in desperation to take to the sky.

My chest tightened at the sight of their struggle, a murderous rage pooling in my chest at the assholes who were responsible for caging these creatures around me. Our freedom taken and our new purpose decided for us.

My gaze trailed to a cage of ghost hounds beside the kalini birds, their cage electrified to stop them passing through the bars and escaping like their kind were capable of. Each of their many tails swished angrily and they let out mournful yips and howls as they stalked the walls of their prison. There were so many more creatures contained down here, from feathered jaka monkeys to horned whisper mares. All were baying for freedom and a snarl left my lips as I joined them in their yearning, my fist thumping against the cage bars and making the whole structure rattle.

There was no bending these; I’d been placed in a cage of sun steel, the stuff as indestructible as it was rare, and regardless of that, the collar I wore was Roland’s promise of my recapture anyway.

So I was forced to wait for my fate to come for me. As my thoughts turned to the stars, I wondered if they had any mercy left to offer or if they had turned their eyes from me, no longer caring what became of me.

At last, someone came, but the Fae in question only brought a sneer to my lips. Roland walked towards me with a purposeful stride, followed by a muscular blonde man who towered over him.

“Here he is, Benjamin. Take a look,” Roland encouraged as a growl built in my throat. “My prized creature.”

The well built, middle aged asshole scrutinised me closely, stepping into the light and glaring at me in a way that reminded me all too much of the Dragon Shifter who had ensured my imprisonment in Darkmore. The name Benjamin confirmed it. This man was an Acrux. The cousin of my very own villain Lionel Acrux. I’d learned of what this Fae had put Cain through and though I hadn’t wanted to empathise with a prison guard, it had been impossible not to. You didn’t survive an Acrux’s touch without scars.

“So after all the strong Fae I sent you over the years for your experiments, not even one of them made it through the Order replacement?” Benjamin muttered at Roland in irritation.

“Not the Order replacement, no. But you provided me Ian Belor, don’t you recall? My most wonderful monster in the making,” Roland gushed.

“And yet, I hear the Belorian is now dead,” Benjamin questioned and Roland’s scarred eye twitched.

He cleared his throat, seeming emotional as he hurried on. “Yes, well. All greatness faces adversity. This one will be a target too.” He caressed the bars and I lunged, trying to break his fingers, but he yanked them back fast before I could catch them, releasing a nervous chuckle.

“He was really a Lion Shifter?” Benjamin asked, looking me over. “Doesn’t look much like one. Where’s his mane?”

“He isn’t a Lion Shifter anymore,” Roland sniped and my fangs ached to dig into his throat, but I refused to speak to these cretins and give them the satisfaction of my rage. “He is my Nightroary. My Vampire. Made by my hand. No star in the sky chose this. I am akin to them now. A weaver of fate itself.”

“Whatever you wanna believe,” Benjamin shrugged. “I’m just curious about the price he’ll fetch.” He cocked his head to one side.

“You hardly earned your cut with this one,” Roland said tightly and smoke spewed from Benjamin’s nostrils, his eyes turning to reptilian slits and revealing the Dragon within.

“I’ve backed you for years. Kept your secrets hidden from society, broken plenty of necks to ensure nothing got leaked. And without all the Fae I sent to you, you wouldn’t have achieved what you have with this one,” Benjamin spat and my upper lip peeled back. “If you even think about not delivering me my twenty percent then I’ll-”

“Alright, alright,” Roland said quickly, backing away from Benjamin a step and revealing his fear of him. “Not to worry, I will deliver your cut.”

“Both of you are dead,” I whispered, drawing their attention back to me.

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