Page 9 of Vicious Luna

My heart stutters in my chest, prickles of warning creeping up my spine. Seeing those eyes again just reminded me of what was happening in the neighboring cell before I was knocked out by whatever he injected me with, and I snap my gaze in that direction, cold dread flooding my veins.

“Tommy?” I call out, trying to keep my voice calm even though I’m internally panicking.

There’s no response. I’m only met with eerie silence as I slowly swing my gaze back to the guy seated outside my cell, his smug smirk still firmly in place.

“What did you do to him?” I demand through gritted teethas I leap from the rickety cot to my feet. My hands curl into fists at my sides and I storm across the cell in his direction, radiating fury. “I swear, if you don’t let us both go, you’re a fucking dead man. I’lldestroyyou.”

He chuckles in response to my threat, dark eyes flickering with morbid amusement. “You’re a vicious little thing, aren’t you?”

I scoff, folding my arms over my chest. I’m five foot nine, I’ve never been calledlittle. I’m tall for a girl. But then he rises to stand across from me, stepping closer to the bars and towering over me with his imposing stature, and I suddenly feel smaller than I ever have.

My stomach swoops and I swallow thickly.

Shit, this guy has to be at least six foot six. He’s even taller than my brother, and though he’s less bulky than Madd, the way the fabric of his t-shirt strains against his thick shoulders and broad chest proves he’s no stranger to the gym. His biceps are ripped, and I’ll bet he’s hiding a lot more hard-earned muscle underneath that shirt of his.

I take a tentative sniff in his direction, confirming that he is, indeed, human, but then I’m also immediately knocked off-kilter by how startlinglygoodhe smells. Like citrus and clove, tangy and distinctly masculine. My mouth waters in response, but I quickly shove that thought aside and mentally curse myself for allowing this prick to get under my skin even for a second. I don’t care how divine he smells, he’s the fucking enemy here.

“You have no idea what I’m capable of,” I seethe, a sharp edge of violence in my tone.

“See, that’s where you’re wrong,” he fires back, stepping closer to the bars and leveling me with an icy glare. “I know exactly who you are, and more importantly, exactly what you are,Luna.”

I roll my eyes so hard I practically see the back of my skull. “The fact that you keep calling me that only proves you don’t.”

He arches a brow, looking smug as fuck. “Really? So youweren’tout installing new cameras last week with your Alpha?”

My jaw slackens, and even though I recover quickly and snap my mouth shut a fraction of a second later, it’s not fast enough for him to miss.

His lips spread in a smile, revealing two rows of straight white teeth framed by dimples on both cheeks. “It’s all sinking in now, isn’t it?” he mocks as I stand there frozen with my mind racing.

Shit, these sick fucks have been watching us. They’ve been planning this. I knew I’d walked into a trap somehow, but I didn’t realize it was one designed specifically for me.

“We’d hoped to get you both, but something tells me your Alpha mate will do just about anything to save his Luna,” my captor continues, rolling his lower lip between his teeth as he gives me a slow once-over. “Isn’t that how your mate bonds work? You can’t live without each other or some shit?”

Deranged laughter bubbles from my throat. I mean, there’s nothing funny about the situation I’ve found myself in, but it’s hilarious that this idiot actually thinks I’m mated to my twin brother. Whatever intelligence he’s relying on is sorely lacking.

His carefully schooled mask cracks in response to my laughter, his expression almost slipping into a frown.

“You’re fucking deluded!” I snicker, choking on a laugh. “Do you even realize how dumb you sound right now? You have no idea what you’re talking about!”

Fury sparks in his gaze, but he quickly catches himself, shoring up his composure with an arrogant lift of his chin. “No? Go ahead and tell me I’m wrong. Tell me you’renota werewolf, that you’renota Luna.”

I shake my head, still chuckling to myself.

“That’d be a lot more fun, actually,” he murmurs, swiping a hand over his chin. “Then I could just leverage you to bringin a better hostage.” A cruel smile creases his lips. “You’re tempting me with a good time, beastie.”

I’m definitely not laughing anymore. Cold dread seeps into my veins at the thought of being leveraged against someone I love. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to keep Madd and his actual Luna safe, so I’ve got no choice but to play along with this lunatic’s game.

For now.

“You’re sick,” I spit.Literally. I hock a loogie right at him, like the fucking lady I’m not. It lands on the toe of his big black boot and he doesn’t even flinch.

“And you’re a monster,” he replies coolly.

“There’s only one monster here, and it isn’t me,” I say, squaring my shoulders to stand taller even though I feel like curling in on myself.

Something about the energy this guy’s putting off makes me feel like I should cower, and that never fucking happens. I’m surrounded by Alpha types daily and always hold my own. This human has Alpha energy in a big way, though, and it catches me so off guard that I focus on his scent again to confirm that I didn’t miss something.

“You sure about that?” he murmurs, arching a brow. “I’m not a freak of nature who can transform into a rabid animal.”

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