Bite of Vengeance (Shadows of War #3)

27. Zan

Chapter 27

Zan

I shifted, attempting to put more weight on one foot, but it was impossible when I was on my tiptoes. Pain spasmed around my neck, and I swallowed my groan, refusing to voice my distress in front of them. Two PARA members were standing at the door of the small room with guns in their hands. Even if I had the strength to entrance them, they had goggles on to prevent that. I’d woken up in this dimly lit room, and the bare metal walls gave no hints as to where I was.

The torture the Clovers did to me was nothing compared to this, which was what I was expecting. Rowan knew Amaros. He was more than aware of how strong my brothers and I were. They had the resources to inflict pain in far more creative ways.

My shoulders were burning from my arms being strung up by chains above my head. But that wasn’t the worst part. The thick metal cuffs that were tight around my wrists also had some sort of spikes inside them that were constantly digging into my skin. From the unwavering stinging, I was guessing there was hawthorn embedded in the spikes.

The wide collar around my neck was the same, causing my skin to break every time I moved my head. Add that to the needle they shoved into my vein earlier, I had enough hawthorn in my system that I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stand on my own.

They’d ripped my shirt off hours ago to cut into me, using some type of hawthorn lotion or oil to keep my wounds open longer. Anguish was coming in constant waves, and I wasn’t sure how long I’d stay conscious if I didn’t get some blood. From how the guards were rotating in, I was guessing I’d been here less than twelve hours.

The worst part? I had no fucking idea where Kali was.

But there was a weight crushing my chest that wouldn’t dissipate. A feeling so heavy it was nearly impossible to focus on anything else. It was exactly how I’d known something was wrong when I couldn’t find Kali in the compound earlier. How I knew she’d been in trouble. Which meant she wasn’t safe now, and I couldn’t fucking get to her.

I wrenched against the chains, not caring how deep the spikes dug into my wrists. But they didn’t give at all.

“I can honestly say, I never expected to have you here.”

I snapped my head up, gritting my teeth when the collar cut deeper into my throat. Rowan was standing in the doorway with his arms crossed, and a triumphant smirk on his face. He strolled inside, casually taking his time to circle around me. When he stopped in front of me, he chuckled cruelly.

“Seeing a Kane in PARA custody is almost as good as knowing I have the twins.” He leaned closer. “And I hear you’re in love with one of them.”

“I will fucking kill you,” I snarled, my heart beating out of my chest.

His leering grin had me seeing red. “I don’t think you’re in a position to do anything at all. My men tell me you’re not answering their questions.”

I glared at him with loathing, not saying a word. They’d been asking the same thing the Clovers had wanted to know. Especially where my father’s property was.

“Or maybe you don’t have the answers,” he mused, cocking his head. “I have it on good authority that you and your brothers aren’t with your father anymore. You pledged allegiance to the Shadows. Interesting.”

How in the hell did he know that?

Someone else stepped in the doorway, and shock swept through me. For a split second, I thought it was Kali who was staring at me, looking completely at ease. But no. I didn’t even need to smell her scent to know it wasn’t her. It was Keeva. Her cold smile had rage simmering into my veins. She fucking played us. Had she even been a prisoner at all? My stomach plummeted. If she was working with Rowan, then he knew everything. Where the Shadows were. That we were attempting to make an alliance with the Clovers.

Rowan noticed my attention was behind him, and he glanced back. “There you are. Did you get any rest, sweetheart?”

Keeva nodded, stepping into the room and walking straight into Rowan’s arms. He kissed the top of her head while meeting my stare.

“She’s a phenomenal actress, isn’t she?” he praised, giving her a smile before he focused back on me. “She had to stay in that cell for weeks to get this to work. The first time, I knew Amaros wouldn’t be able to help himself if he thought we were moving a twin to Project Hope. And after you saw her, she stayed until I knew you’d try to break her out again.”

There wasn’t an ounce of regret in her brown eyes when she raised her gaze to me. She was with PARA. Most likely in Rowan’s bed. We didn’t rescue her. She’d already chosen a side. Rowan had probably brainwashed her the second she was old enough to talk.

“Your father stole my sister,” she said, anger rising in her voice. “She doesn’t belong with vampires. Now she thinks she belongs with you.”

“She does,” I growled. “She’s mine. And if you hurt her?—”

Rowan laughed. “You think you can threaten her? You might be a Kane. But her? She’s a Blackwell. Just like her sister.” He must have seen my flicker of confusion. “Amaros never told you her real last name? Not that you’d know what it meant unless you’ve read the books. But Keeva is special. So is Kali.”

The way he spoke her name had me wrenching in the chains. This motherfucker was going to bend Kali to his will—no matter what it took.

“She’s back where she belongs. Even if she doesn’t know it yet.” Keeva glared at me. “And you deserve all of this. Vampires shouldn’t be in this world.”

“You’re a Shadow,” I spat out. “One of us.”

“No, she’s special. Nothing like you.” Rowan ran his hand down her hair. “Don’t listen to him.”

She gave him a peck on the cheek. “I only listen to you, Rowan.”

“Do you want to see Kali?” Rowan asked, returning his focus to me.

I clenched my teeth together, knowing he was fucking with me. Then he walked out of the room for a moment only to come back with a small bag.

“You listen to me, and I’ll take you to her,” he promised, his words laced with threat. “If you don’t, then you’ll just stay in here.”

“What do you want?” I bit out.

He pulled out a balled-up cloth and handed it to Keeva. “Open your mouth.”

My refusal was on the tip of my tongue, but he wasn’t bluffing. I’d do anything to just lay eyes on Kali. I slowly opened my mouth, keeping my eyes locked on Keeva as she pushed the large cloth into my mouth. It kept my jaw wide, and a second later, she grabbed a longer piece of fabric. She raised on her tiptoes to wrap it around my head before moving behind me, tying it tightly to keep the cloth in place.

“Don’t need you biting anyone,” Rowan murmured. “Or trying to entrance my soldiers. Thanks to your family, our warehouses keep getting burned down.”

Good to know that not everyone here was on hawthorn. Rowan glanced at one of the men, and suddenly the chain holding my arms was released. I collapsed to the ground, pain tearing through my wrists when I caught myself. I stretched my arms, wondering if I had enough energy left to fight my way out of this room.

“Don’t do it,” he warned coldly. “I’ll string you right back up and leave you here if you disobey. You might be stronger than me, but not against Keeva. Especially when you’re not at full strength.”

“I can handle him,” Keeva said smugly. “Let him try.”

“We don’t have time for you to play,” Rowan snapped. “Fix his cuffs.”

It took every ounce of my control to stay still when one of the men unlocked the left cuff. Keeva was close, waiting for me to try something. Rowan was right. I didn’t stand a chance against Keeva with so much hawthorn in my body. My arms were yanked behind me and locked again. With a man on either side of me, they grabbed my arms and led me out of the room. Then a thick bag was shoved over my head, cutting off my vision, and severely affecting my hearing. Even my smell was distorted because the cloth was covered with some strong floral scent.

They forced me to walk for a while, and we made three turns, then took an elevator down. I wasn’t sure how many floors we descended, but it was more than a couple. Kali was the only thing on my mind. I was half expecting to be transported somewhere else just to be tortured more. Rowan wasn’t going to chance letting me get close to Kali. After getting off the elevator, they led me a little farther until we suddenly stopped.

I let out a grunt when something hard hit the back of my legs, forcing me to my knees. Someone tugged on the cuffs, causing the spikes to cut into me again. A noise from directly in front of me was the only warning before the thick collar was yanked hard enough that I could feel blood dripping from punctures in my throat.

The bag was ripped off, and I blinked at the bright fluorescent lights. Ignoring the pain, I forced myself to look down, seeing a chain was locked to the floor and connected to the collar, making it impossible to get off my knees. The floor was a shiny metal, just like the walls of this massive room. Empty and sterile, like a medical facility. I wriggled my arms, and realized those cuffs were chained to something too, because I couldn’t move them.

“Those chains will hold him, and the spikes will keep him weak.” Rowan’s voice had me looking to the side. “Don’t waste anymore hawthorn on him. She’ll need more. Her mother grew a tolerance to it after her transition, and I’m not sure how much she’s had in her system while being with the Kanes. Keeva is already able to handle small amounts with no reaction.”

The soldier nodded and strode away. It was then that my gaze went directly in front of me, and I saw Kali. She was maybe ten feet away, and her name fell from my lips, but the gag muffled it. I jerked in the chains, only succeeding in reopening my cuts. Panic swallowed me whole as I continued to struggle.

She was in a metal chair with her wrists and ankles cuffed to the legs and armrests. The same collar on my neck was encircled around hers, though hers looked to be slightly looser, allowing some movement. Her head was slouched to the side, her eyes closed. Her chest was moving up and down, and her erratic heart rate proved she was only unconscious. My eyes fell to her arm where a small tube was taped to the inside of her elbow where her vein was. Black blood was draining out into a large bag that was attached to a pole next to her.

Rowan laughed. “You can’t say I don’t keep my promises. There she is. Now, you get to watch and see why she’s so wanted. The entire reason she was born.”