Chapter 12
Chapter
Twelve
“Him?” My brow furrowed, following the Druid’s gaze.
I curved in my seat, searching the room until my eyes landed on a figure in the far corner sitting by himself.
Like a blow to my lungs, air caught in my chest, and I sat up straighter.
How had I missed him? In the sea of color, the huge man dressed in all black was a drop of blood on white paper.
His long, dark hair was pulled back, heavy scruff cut along his strong jawline, displaying his full bottom lip.
His unnerving aqua eyes slid slowly over the room like fingers caressing a body.
The bright color against his olive skin and black hair and lashes made them pop out like laser beams set on you.
With one foot on a bench seat, he leaned against the wall, his arm draped over his knee, a king watching over his domain, taking everything in.
Alpha. Brutal. Raw. Dangerous. Terrifying. Sensual.
Everything about him was severe. Even sitting, I could tell he had to be taller than six foot six. His tattoo-covered arms, shredded with muscles, exhibited physical strength. Even the loose V-neck uniform curved snugly around his biceps, chest, and pecs.
Intensity, power, dominance, and violence danced around him as if they were the only things daring to be near him. He appeared at ease, but every touch of his gaze over the room suggested he could kill before the enemy even knew he moved.
Peering through his dark lashes, his gaze met mine, and making me feel I had been punched in the stomach, ripping the air from my lungs.
My heart thumped against my ribs like it came to life or knew it was about to die, drumming the final chords in my life.
Against the cotton, my nipples hardened, instantly reacting to the intense energy moving around me.
Fuck. Me.
It was too much, his stare ripping the clothes away from my body, peeling at my skin, and tearing through my flesh. The adrenaline rushed over me at seeing death head-on. Finally, his impassive gaze broke away, and I gasped in relief.
“Wha-what is he?” Heat still lit my cheeks on fire, my pulse tapping at my neck.
“No one knows.”
“What?” My head jerked back to Tad. “He’s fae, though. He has to be.”
“Does he?”
“No human has that kind of power.”
“As a Druid, I can see the energy of everyone in this room, their aura, sense what they are.” Tad set down his cup, clearing his throat. “Everyone but him.”
“You can’t tell if he’s human or fae?”
“There is nothing around him.” Tad’s attention pointed at me. “Or around you.”
“What?” I straightened. “Me?”
“Your aura is void of both life and death. Nothing.” Tad tilted his head. “Like him.”
“What do you mean?”
“Means either you have gotten unbelievably good at hiding your aura, or I’ve gotten so lonely I’m making up imaginary friends.”
“Believe me, I wish I weren’t actually here.” I ran a hand through my hair, which the harsh disinfectant had made brittle and knotted. “How would someone hide their aura? Is that why you said I was strange?” It wasn’t something I remember learning, but maybe I’d done so accidentally.
“I don’t know. Besides him, never seen it happen to this degree.”
“What do you mean?”
“Some people get good at hiding their energy, build up walls, but I usually still sense something.”
My stomach rolled, a rush of icy heat coating my skin.
“Don’t worry, girl. You’re looking a little peaked there.” He shifted uncomfortably on his backless seat, pain flickering through his features. “You are human. I’m guessing you’ve learned to protect yourself. Keep your guard up at all times.”
My shoulders lowered. I felt oddly relieved.
It made sense I had put fortification around myself living with Istvan.
Every day, I was either a soldier in training or attending a party upstairs with a false smile on my face.
Always on the defense and ready for whatever was thrown at me.
Some days it was a fist, on other days, a forced husband.
“Why is he the only one wearing black?” I couldn’t fight sneaking another glance at him. Even though he wasn’t looking at me, I somehow knew he was aware of my attention on him. Without his eyes on me, he still was like the sun, too much to look at for long.
“Because he’s in a league of his own. They don’t know what to classify him under.
I’m warning you to be careful of him. He has pull here that no one has gotten close to.
Whatever he wants, he gets, and the guards look the other way.
You are dead if he decides it. He’s undefeated in the Games. He rules this place.”
“Games?”
“Right. You’re a fish.” Tad’s head bobbed, and he rubbed at his callused chin. “No words would accurately describe it. You will see for yourself tonight.”
A bell sounded in the room, and a table filled with blue and yellow uniforms next to us jumped up, making me flinch. My senses and defenses were turned up so high being this close to a bunch of fae.
“Breakfast is over.” Tad gestured to everyone heading for an exit. “It’s been a pleasure, Laura.” He winked at me, struggling to rise. “Work time.”
I leaped up, helping him get off the seat.
“Damn this old twisted frame,” he grumbled, his nails digging into my arms as he rose to his feet. “I preferred when the only thing twisted about me was my mind.”
I laughed, watching him hobble away, picking up our cups to take to a bin.
A figure moved past me, and people leaped out of the way, knocking into me.
My head lifted to see the man in black sauntering past, towering above most of the prisoners here.
His presence sent a chemical reaction through me; heat flooded my chest and flushed my cheeks.
His broad shoulders, torso, and ass were so taut anything would bounce right off.
Did he spend all day just working out?
Why did everyone bow down to this guy? Why was he so special? Even the demons moved out of his way.
“Don’t think about it, little lamb.” A familiar voice tsked in my ear, moving in next to me. The blue-haired demon smirked at me, her head shaking.
“What?”
“There is not a woman or man who hasn’t tried.” She wiggled her eyebrows at his fleeting figure. “They bring women in for him to fuck. He doesn’t speak to or associate with anyone here. He killed someone for sneaking into his cell and trying to seduce him.”
“Seriously? They bring in prostitutes for him?” I blinked at her.
“Prostitutes.” She snorted. “These girls would pay him. All come willingly.”
“Why? What’s so special about him?”
“Besides the obvious?” She pulled on her braid, still staring at his ass before he disappeared from view.
“He could be human for all you guys know. I didn’t think fae ever bowed down to humans. Aren’t we less than? Scum that needs to be erased?”
She curved her head to me and assessed my body. “Aren’t we to you?
Fair point.
“He doesn’t care if you are female, male, old, young, fae, or human. You bother him? You’re good as dead.” She moved forward, glancing back at me. “Just a friendly warning from your local demon. Stay far away from Warwick Farkas.”
The foam cups slipped from my fingers, splashing the leftover contents across the cement floor, spraying over my boots.
“What?” Fear wobbled my voice.
“I gather even the human side has heard of him.” A sharp smile curled her mouth. “It’s like finding out dragons still exist, huh? But you’ll never get to tell anyone you’ve seen one in person. Heed my warning, lamb. Stay away.” She turned back around and strolled out of the room.
Warwick Farkas?
Holy shit . . .
Hanna’s mention of him the day in training came back into my head.
“We’ve all heard the tales. He will kill you without blinking . . . and he’s so unbearably hot, you go willingly.”
“I’m here to train you guys for real enemies, not make-believe ones.”
“My sister’s boyfriend’s father said he was very real. Saw him fight a dozen men at once in the Fae War.”
“Did he tell you Santa Claus was real too? The Wolf is nothing but an exaggerated and glorified tale, inflated every time he is mentioned.”
But the man himself just walked by me. The stuff of myths and fables—ghost stories told around a campfire, setting fear in your blood.
The rumor was he did not consider himself loyal to any side.
No one knew anything about him personally, only that he moved like a ghost and killed in silence. A true enigma.
But he was real. Here.
The man whose last name meant “Wolf” ruled the House of Death.
“Prisoner 85221!” A gnarly voice coiled down the dark hallway, sounding similar to broken glass ground on pavement. A huge creature stepped into my path, and I sucked back a wheeze of fear. Not all fae were beautiful or had a sultry voice, luring in their prey. Some were scarier than nightmares.
Dressed in all black like the rest of the guards, with weapons hanging off its belt, a monster more than nine feet tall stomped up to me, the ground shaking under my feet.
Patchy gray skin, scarred and cut, covered its thick muscles; the shirt was so tight against its chest it looked as if it had boobs.
Its shoulders brushed either side of the corridor, and its head bowed to keep from scraping the top.
It had teeth like a wild boar, and its nose was smashed in, forcing the thing to breathe out of its stinky mouth.
It snarled down at me. I couldn’t tell what sex it was, but I knew it was at least half ogre. I’d seen many pictures of them.
“Come with me.” The mitt-sized hand clamped down on the back of my neck, shoving me forward like I was a little kitten, causing my feet to stumble. “Move it!”