“Apology accepted.” She giggles.
We all exchange a look before giving in to our new reality. We have a fairy on our team now. Let’s hope my father doesn’t have any similar great ideas. Goddess knows what else he might send to protect us.
“Brilliant,” Marcel grins. “Three single warriors, one pair of crazy twins, a pair of spoiled brat twins, and a fairy. It sounds like we are in a traveling carnival, not on a secret mission. What could possibly go wrong?”
eight
The Goddess’s Wicked Plan
*FREYA*
FASTER,Sereia barks in my mind. I take it as the final push I need, running as fast as I can up the stairs and outside. Recently, it feels like all I’m doing is running. We’ve managed to keep Amaryllis away from everyone for a few days. Being marked as Arman’s exclusive property definitely worked as a deterrent. I don’t like having to use his name like this. But honestly, tough times call for tough measures, and he did offer.
Now, however, I have a new problem.
I step outside to the sound of screaming. Several people are yelling and crying. The first person I stumble over is Gina. She’s clinging to one of the warriors who’s pushing her away from him in disgust. I catch her just as she drops to the ground. “Go to Ludovica,” I whisper to her.
She blinks up at me. “Freya…”
“Just leave and take everyone else with you.”
The warrior who’d attacked Gina steps towards me, but I just glare at him, holding my position. He hesitates, seeing the challenge in my eyes. Asshole! He’ll happily push around some helpless slaves, but the moment he faces the tiniest challenge, he tucks his tail between his legs. Coward.
I want to castrate them all,Sereia growls, being unusually bloodthirsty.
The minute we can shift, you can do as you please!I promise her.
The warriors were out hunting last night, and judging the dozens of beer bottles scattered all around, it must have been successful. They’d returned on a high from the kill, demanding plenty of drinks and ordering some slave girls to dance for them. This isn’t an uncommon occurrence, but judging by the number of bruised and battered girls out here this morning, they must have been rougher than usual.
To make matters worse, however, one of the guards is holding up the first-aid kit Arman had given us for Ryllis.
How the fuck did they find out we had it?
The guard holding the kit is shouting and pointing at someone, telling anyone listening that this is what they do to thieves in this pack. I look to where he is pointing and see poor Emmanuel chained to a pole. His wrists are cuffed in chains that wrap around his body and the pole to keep him upright. His head is lolled to one side, and his eyes are half-closed. Another of the warriors is whipping him repeatedly. He just keeps hitting him and laughing.
Shit, shit, shit!
They are going to kill him.
My heart clenches as I watch the whip come down over and over, tearing open his back.
What should I do? Sereia, what…? I pause…Maybe I could…? It might work. Maybe? Or will it make everything worse? Sereia, can you scent Arman at all?
Yes,she says.Run around to the other side of the pack house., He is that way.
Please, Goddess…Great, now I’m praying!Goddess…please don’t let me make this any worse.I can’t stop thinking about how Arman helped Ryllis. I don’t know why he helped her, but I’m hoping Ludovica was right about him and his sister being nice. Who knows? Maybe he was just bored the other day? Or maybe helping Ryllis consumed his last five minutes of humanity? But if there’s even the slightest chance he could help Emmanuel, I have to try. Emmanuel is going to die if they continue like that. The whip cracks down over Emmanuel’s back, making him scream out in pain again.
I turn and run as fast as I can through the snow towards the back of the pack house. The freezing ice is piercing through my bare feet, but I couldn’t care less. I approach one of the observation towers and instantly recognize Arman from his trademark regal posture. He’s like an Egyptian god standing there, watching over the forest in front of us. Next to him stands his sister in all of her ethereal beauty. I didn’t expect her to be here, and I momentarily panic as I approach. Will she jeopardize my plan to ask for help?
Arman turns to face me before I even reach him. Unlike me, his wolf senses work perfectly. “You…” he says, frowning.
He looks at me with a stern expression, but that’s nothing new. I take a deep breath and blurt, “I’m sorry to disturb you, Lord Arman. I need…there’s…” I point toward the direction of the pack house, panting as I try to catch my breath.
Leila stirs at my appearance, eyeing me curiously before her gaze shifts down to my feet. “Darling, where are your shoes?” she asks. “You’ll get sick running around like that.”
“I…” I blush at her concern before answering. “I forgot my shoes, Lady Leila.”
Arman’s scowl intensifies. “What’s going on?”