Page 78 of Bite of Sin

“I’ll keep doing this,” Tim threatened, ripping the wood out of me. “And I have other ways to make you talk. Even worse than stabbing you with this.”

I forced out a dark chuckle. “By all means, keep doing it. When my family comes, I’ll make sure your death is nice and slow.”

“No one is coming,” Tim snapped. He dropped the stake and then swung his fist into my jaw. It stung but was nothing compared to the stakes they’d been stabbing me with. I caught him shaking out his hand, and I threw him a leering smirk.

“I’m not some weak human you can torture until I break,” I taunted. “I can sit here for as long as it takes and I won’t say a fucking word.”

“Where is your father’s property?” he gritted out.

I sat there, keeping my mocking grin even when he shoved the stake back into my gut. He let out an annoyed snarl before straightening up and glaring at me.

“I do have a few things I’ll share with you,” I said, cocking my head. “But not until I get what I want.”

“You’re not making the rules,” he snapped.

I straightened out my legs, the chain that was wrapped around my ankles dragging along the floor. “Sure, I am. You just don’t know it yet.”

That remark earned me another stab, this time in my shoulder. Pain flared down my arm, but I forced my body to stay relaxed as Tim backed away.

“I’ll be back in a while,” he stated. “Maybe some time alone will make you realize you should start talking sooner rather than later.”

“If the last fourteen hours are anything to go by, I think I’ll be fine.”

He sneered at me before pulling open the basement door and slamming it behind him. I heard the dead bolt slide into place. As if that could keep me in here. His footsteps grew quieter as he went up the stairs, and I shifted slightly, letting myself sag back now that I was alone.

I was conscious when they dragged me into this house, but the hawthorn and chains were the reason they’d gotten me into the basement. The walls were made of gray cement blocks, and the floor was a dirty slab of the same color concrete. There were thick poles every ten feet for support, one of which I was chained to. There was a bare bulb that was close to me, dimly lighting the area I was in. I’d rather be in the dark.

It was clear that it wasn’t PARA who’d taken me. Most likely the group that we’d entranced Warner to tell us about. The Clovers. A group that hated the governmentandvampires. It was almost worse than soldiers taking me. These kinds of humans did things on their own, and they were reckless. Which could be more dangerous for me.

But that also meant they had limited means. Which was why I was locked in the basement of a run-down house instead of a secure location in a human city. The basement wasn’t even soundproofed, making it easy for me to listen to others in the house. Tim was smart, leaving the house if he wanted to talk about something he didn’t want me to hear, but I’d still picked up a few things already. There were twenty people in this house, plus they had another house close to here with more people.

I tried stretching my bound arms behind me, more than a little annoyed that I could barely move. I was sitting on the floor with a metal collar wrapped around my neck, and it was fastened to the steel pole behind me. My arms were pulled behind me, my wrists chained tightly together around the same pole.

I’d already tested the strength, and unfortunately for me, the pole was strong enough to hold me, most likely even at my full strength. However, the chains they’d wrapped my wrists in weren’t as thick or durable as the chain and collar around my neck. I’d be able to get my arms free at some point. Then I’d just wait for the fucker to get close enough so I could grab him.

But it wasn’t time yet. I wasn’t worried about being stuck here. My brothers would find me. It wasn’t a question of if, but when. And I was fine to stay here for the time being. Because there was one person I wanted to talk to, and she should be waking up any time now.

I’d already heard Warner voicing his worries about her, proving that she was in the house I was trapped in. My blood might have healed her, but her body still needed rest. I expected her to be sleeping through most of the day, but I was getting impatient. Closing my eyes, I rested against the pole, focusing on the voices outside the basement. I heard Tim’s first.

“Don’t let anyone else down here.” I listened to Tim once he got to the upper floor. “I don’t want anyone knowing about his blood.”

“Got it.” The feminine voice was familiar, and I placed it as the woman who’d shot me up with hawthorn. A few others throughout the day called her Jill.

I scowled, my fists clenching behind me. That was one thing I was less than happy about. I’d been worried Kali had seen it the night she’d stabbed me on the beach. But since my shirt was dark and already wet, she’d missed it. I knew Tim had caught it when he’d stabbed me in the club because they made sure I was covered until they brought me to the basement. They didn’t want others to know. Probably a good thing he wasn’t blabbing it to anyone.

Because before I left here, I’d have to kill every human who knew my secret.

Tim’s and Jill’s voices faded away as they went outside, and I sucked in a long breath, blocking out every voice I heard until I found his.

“She’s awake,” Warner was telling someone. “I’m going to check on her.”

“We’re going to need to talk to her,” the guy replied. “Ask her about everything she learned while in their city.”

“It can wait,” Warner snapped. “She’s been dead to the world for the last fifteen hours. Give her some time.”

“Fine. But it won’t be much.”

I listened to Warner’s footsteps before they paused again. A door clicked shut, and he moved more quickly before halting abruptly.

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