Page 23 of Savage Hunt

The showers weren’t enclosed in stalls but in the open where everyone could see everything. Currently, a considerable group of males and females of all nightworlder species soaped and lathered while plenty of others were doing more than cleaning up.

In fact, they were getting pretty damn dirty. Their moans traveled over the loud spray of water and conversations. Fine tremors infiltrated my system as my heart hammered. This was the first time I’d been taken to the showers with gen pop, and of course Fane wasn’t here.

A hard hand shoved me forward, and I stumbled into a huge laundry container on wheels. If the brakes hadn’t been locked, I would have gone flying.

“Strip and throw your clothes in the basket. Your boots go on the shelf.” Tajeed sneered, his sharp teeth flashing behind full lips while the yellow light glinted on his giant onyx horns. His skin was only a few shades lighter than that. “If you don’t hurry up, I’ll remove them for you.”

My pulse elevated, and I swallowed even though there wasn’t a drop of moisture left in my mouth. “Don’t get your panties in a twist.”

He narrowed his citrine eyes. “Your smart mouth will earn you more than a beating.” His clawed hand ran over one of the weapons on his belt. “This is made of silver. It will be most painful when I hit you with it.”

Tajeed had no idea that silver didn’t affect me like other shifters, and I’d rather keep it that way. I kicked my boots off and placed them in one of the cubbies. My fingers trembled as I unfastened the buttons on my jumpsuit and pulled it down.

I’d never taken a shower with anyone except Fane, and my stomach knotted while nightworlders watched me strip. Bile oozed up my throat as Sorin leaned against a shower wall with a leer. He reached down and stroked himself.

I turned away and finished removing my clothes, tossing them in the container with a mixture of multicolored uniforms. Most nightworlders, especially shifters, didn’t give two shits about nudity.

Too bad I did. I felt vulnerable without a stitch of clothing and my scars on display. Could they tell what any of them were?

“Do I get a towel?” I asked Tajeed, crossing my arms over my chest to hide my breasts.

He jerked his head to the left where stacks of dingy towels lined the wall. “After you’re done.” The dux demon pointed to another shelf with bars of soap. “Take one of those.”

There were no such things as shampoo and conditioner in Heldrok, at least not for the prisoners. My long hair would be a rat’s nest when I got out of this hell.

If I ever did.

Nope. Not thinking like that. We were getting out of here. I had to believe that.

A growl curled out of Tajeed. “You have ten seconds to get in the damn shower, or I’ll throw you in there.”

I grabbed a small bar of soap and shuffled toward the large open area full of nightworlders showering and screwing. The guards didn’t seem to mind. They enjoyed watching the show.

The cold water hit my flushed skin, and I hissed, catching the attention of a vampire as he fed from a fae while another played with her from behind. His crimson stare ran over me, lingering on the scars beneath my ribs.

He licked his lips and slicked his blond hair back. “Want to join, shifter? You look like you can handle some rough play.”

“No thanks.” This was ten times worse than the VIP room at Wrath & Ruin. At least the lights at the club were dimmed, so you couldn’t see much unless you were close. Here, the sallow bulbs hanging from the steel bars in the ceiling were strong enough to highlight everything.

I found an empty showerhead in the corner and wet my hair while lathering my body. Maybe if I worked fast enough, I could escape this shitshow unscathed.

That hope was dashed when a daunting presence formed at my back, and a hand brushed my side.

“Where’d you get those beauties?”

I spun as Sorin hovered over me, his gaze trained on the scars from Fane’s brother. “None of your fucking business.”

“Everything in this place is my business, wolf.” He ran his finger over his bottom lip as he studied my naked form. “The warden’s not here to save you.”

Sorin stepped closer, and I inched back. Retreating was never a good move, but it was a natural reaction when I was naked in front of a monster.

As if he smelled my fear, he took a deep breath, his lids fluttering. “Fane Maverick can’t help you now either.”

I tried to sidestep him, but his arm shot out to block me. “Back off, asshole.”

He snatched my wrist, his thumb brushing over the scars. “Either someone likes to be tied up, or you were a very bad girl and had to be tied up.” Sorin yanked me into him, our naked bodies slapping together. “I’d say it was the latter, considering how rude and disobedient you are.”

Nausea poured through my insides at the forced contact. So many childhood memories rushed forward that I almost puked right on Sorin’s feet. His words, the look in his eyes, and the feel of his unwanted touch were all too familiar.

---